Bolivia: Copacabana, Isla del Sol, Sorata, La Paz, Corroico, Salar de Ayuni
Between 30.09.07-22.10.07
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Bolivia: Copacabana, Isla del Sol, Sorata, La Paz, Corroico, Salar de Ayuni
Bolivia: Copacabana, Isla del Sol, Sorata, La Paz, Corroico, Salar de Ayuni
Between 30.09.07-22.10.07
Sunday, November 4, 2007
The Israeli question of WHY?
The Israeli question of WHY?
Since arriving to Peru in South America I received an enormous amount of questions about Israelis. I guess the fact that I do not travel with Israelis and do not stay at the same places as them makes me a bit different and more accessible to other travellers, who ask a whole range of different kinds of questions about my people and their culture and behaviour. I thought that it would be a good idea from now on to refer future questions to this post in order to save me time to talk about other interesting issues, or as my partner´s father often says when asked repeated questions: ´Please read my book... ´ I will say from now on ´Please read my Blog...´
´Why Israelis travel?´
The first and most common question is why so many Israelis travel? The answer to that is very simple. After finishing a service of 3/2 (males/females) years in the Israeli army many feel that they need to blow off some steam. Living in Israel is great and the country offers a lot of different experiences in a very concentrated area. But Israel can often be a very stressful place to live. When u have our Palestinians neighbours exploding in the streets now and then, when u have a war every five years or a special operation in the occupied territories every 4-6 months, what else can u do except travel? Getting out from the presure cooker, having new experiences, adventures, and having some time to relax and reflect is the main reason for Israelis´ travels.
´Why are Israelis rude?´
The political and security situation in Israel brings us to the next regularly asked question: ´Why are they rude? ´ I mean it seems to be a kind of contradiction to what they want to achive - ´relaxation´. But actually, its not a contradiction. We, Israelis, live in a constant war. We call it the war against terror. But it is actually a war against the Palestinians. When u r constantly in a war situation u do not have time for small talk. U need to be very very efficent in trying to get what u want. So conversations in Israel are often very direct. This has advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage from my perspective is that u can get into the most deep and interesting conversations that u ever imagined with people that u met five minutes ago, where they expose their feelings, thoughts and any other issue that is on their minds. But sometimes u really don´t have much time or u r not interested in listening to the whole history of someone that u barely know. While travelling Israelis use these same methods of direct comunication with most people that they meet. This often leads to misunderstandings, where Israelis are often seen as impatient or very demanding.
`Why do Israelis want to pay low prices?`
Israelis often appear to be demanding in connection with them trying to get a low price or the best deal. The answer to this question is divided into two. First, Israelis want to pay less because the Israeli currency is very low compared to the American dollar. As they often want to travel for long periods of time (6 to 24 months) they are trying as hard as they can to save their money and make it last as long as possible.
And why do they want to get the best deal? In the Israeli culture u can´t be the one that is losing, u can´t be what we call in Hebrew ´Frayer´ - sucker. U always have to try and find the best product/service at the best price. So when when Israelis travel they often try and save money while getting the best product. Obviously trying to get the best product at the cheapest pric is a contradiction, but it doesn´t mean u can´t try and get it, because, after all, u don´t want to be the Frayer.
´Why are all Israelis from Tel Aviv?´
And here we come to the question of questions, why are all Israelis are from Tel Aviv when they travel? This question is mine. While travelling I have noticed that Israelis have a weak point about Tel Aviv.
First, I could not understand what happened? Hadera, Netanya, Rechovot is not good enough. Is it so bad being from Israel that u need to compensate youself in some way?: `I am from Israel BUT I am from TA so its not so bad´. I am not sure if I know the answer to this question but I can try and guess.
When I was sitting at a Rosh Hashana (the new Jewish year) meal in Chabad house in Peru I could not stop myself from eavesdropping on a conversation between an Israeli girl and an American girl. After tallking the same talk about the army and the Israeli traveller (which I heard so many times during this trip, that I really feel like I know it by heart), the American girl asked:
`So where are u from in Israel?`
The Israli girl answered: `Tel Aviv`. Without a blink.
I thought - that´s excellent to have someone from my city sitting next to me. So later I asked the Israeli girl:
`So where r u from in Tel Aviv?`
Israeli girl: `I was living the last three months in Nachalat Itschak (north west part of TA)`
Me: `So where r u from?`
Israeli girl: `I`m from Petach Tikva`
I was shocked...
Me: `So why did u say TA?`
Israeli girl: `U know how it is... they don´t know Israel so well... so I say TA.`
I was shocked again.
So let´s say that she is right and `They` don´t know where it is, it won´t make Israel more familiar for them if all that they know about is Tel Aviv. Israel has a lot to offer other than TA. I mean its one of the only countries that I know of that offers such an incredible variety in culture and scenery in such a small landscape, so its really short-selling the country to limit it to one city.
When I was thinking about the different experinces that I had while travelling suddently it all became clear. Often when I was asked by an Israeli where I was from and I answered TA, they did not believe me. Now I started to understand why: because so many others are claiming to be Tel Avivis when they are actually from every place other than TA. So often I was suspected as a pretender and I had to go through harsh questioning. I actually noticed this phenomenon while I was still in Israel. At the age of 15 my friends and I went to the Hebrew songs festival in Arad and when asked by some girls where r we from, we responded with the usual answer. They were amazed: `Tel Aviv...?!`
`Are you really?`
Yes I thought TA, we r not talking about Paris or New York, it´s only a city. But I was wrong. For many people in Israel TA is like Paris. Compared to their village TA has all the things that u want in a big city. A great open diverse culture. Amazing restaurants, excellent live music, theatre shows, ballet, an amazing beach, true 24 hour entertainment options and much more. All these I thought exist in every big city. I was wrong. In Melbourne everyone goes to bed at six in the afternoon. In Tokyo there is only karaoke. In Paris the streets are empty after 10 pm and in Delhi the only people that are awake after midnight are the beggars.
So yes, Tel Aviv is amazing. But other places in Israel offer even more. I now understand the enormous tourist potential that this country has to offer (For example, Jersusalem is the centre for three big religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Its a city with more then 3000 years of history, and unlike many other other historical sites around the world, this place is actually alive; when u enter inside its walls u can feel the vibe, it is pure magic) and I think we need to make the most of it before peace will come and we won´t have any room to move because of all the tourists...
If I can give one piece of advice to my Israeli friends, its to be proud of wherever in Israel we come from, as I am sure it is an interesting place and worth telling your co-travellers and friends about.
Love all, Eran.
Since arriving to Peru in South America I received an enormous amount of questions about Israelis. I guess the fact that I do not travel with Israelis and do not stay at the same places as them makes me a bit different and more accessible to other travellers, who ask a whole range of different kinds of questions about my people and their culture and behaviour. I thought that it would be a good idea from now on to refer future questions to this post in order to save me time to talk about other interesting issues, or as my partner´s father often says when asked repeated questions: ´Please read my book... ´ I will say from now on ´Please read my Blog...´
´Why Israelis travel?´
The first and most common question is why so many Israelis travel? The answer to that is very simple. After finishing a service of 3/2 (males/females) years in the Israeli army many feel that they need to blow off some steam. Living in Israel is great and the country offers a lot of different experiences in a very concentrated area. But Israel can often be a very stressful place to live. When u have our Palestinians neighbours exploding in the streets now and then, when u have a war every five years or a special operation in the occupied territories every 4-6 months, what else can u do except travel? Getting out from the presure cooker, having new experiences, adventures, and having some time to relax and reflect is the main reason for Israelis´ travels.
´Why are Israelis rude?´
The political and security situation in Israel brings us to the next regularly asked question: ´Why are they rude? ´ I mean it seems to be a kind of contradiction to what they want to achive - ´relaxation´. But actually, its not a contradiction. We, Israelis, live in a constant war. We call it the war against terror. But it is actually a war against the Palestinians. When u r constantly in a war situation u do not have time for small talk. U need to be very very efficent in trying to get what u want. So conversations in Israel are often very direct. This has advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage from my perspective is that u can get into the most deep and interesting conversations that u ever imagined with people that u met five minutes ago, where they expose their feelings, thoughts and any other issue that is on their minds. But sometimes u really don´t have much time or u r not interested in listening to the whole history of someone that u barely know. While travelling Israelis use these same methods of direct comunication with most people that they meet. This often leads to misunderstandings, where Israelis are often seen as impatient or very demanding.
`Why do Israelis want to pay low prices?`
Israelis often appear to be demanding in connection with them trying to get a low price or the best deal. The answer to this question is divided into two. First, Israelis want to pay less because the Israeli currency is very low compared to the American dollar. As they often want to travel for long periods of time (6 to 24 months) they are trying as hard as they can to save their money and make it last as long as possible.
And why do they want to get the best deal? In the Israeli culture u can´t be the one that is losing, u can´t be what we call in Hebrew ´Frayer´ - sucker. U always have to try and find the best product/service at the best price. So when when Israelis travel they often try and save money while getting the best product. Obviously trying to get the best product at the cheapest pric is a contradiction, but it doesn´t mean u can´t try and get it, because, after all, u don´t want to be the Frayer.
´Why are all Israelis from Tel Aviv?´
And here we come to the question of questions, why are all Israelis are from Tel Aviv when they travel? This question is mine. While travelling I have noticed that Israelis have a weak point about Tel Aviv.
First, I could not understand what happened? Hadera, Netanya, Rechovot is not good enough. Is it so bad being from Israel that u need to compensate youself in some way?: `I am from Israel BUT I am from TA so its not so bad´. I am not sure if I know the answer to this question but I can try and guess.
When I was sitting at a Rosh Hashana (the new Jewish year) meal in Chabad house in Peru I could not stop myself from eavesdropping on a conversation between an Israeli girl and an American girl. After tallking the same talk about the army and the Israeli traveller (which I heard so many times during this trip, that I really feel like I know it by heart), the American girl asked:
`So where are u from in Israel?`
The Israli girl answered: `Tel Aviv`. Without a blink.
I thought - that´s excellent to have someone from my city sitting next to me. So later I asked the Israeli girl:
`So where r u from in Tel Aviv?`
Israeli girl: `I was living the last three months in Nachalat Itschak (north west part of TA)`
Me: `So where r u from?`
Israeli girl: `I`m from Petach Tikva`
I was shocked...
Me: `So why did u say TA?`
Israeli girl: `U know how it is... they don´t know Israel so well... so I say TA.`
I was shocked again.
So let´s say that she is right and `They` don´t know where it is, it won´t make Israel more familiar for them if all that they know about is Tel Aviv. Israel has a lot to offer other than TA. I mean its one of the only countries that I know of that offers such an incredible variety in culture and scenery in such a small landscape, so its really short-selling the country to limit it to one city.
When I was thinking about the different experinces that I had while travelling suddently it all became clear. Often when I was asked by an Israeli where I was from and I answered TA, they did not believe me. Now I started to understand why: because so many others are claiming to be Tel Avivis when they are actually from every place other than TA. So often I was suspected as a pretender and I had to go through harsh questioning. I actually noticed this phenomenon while I was still in Israel. At the age of 15 my friends and I went to the Hebrew songs festival in Arad and when asked by some girls where r we from, we responded with the usual answer. They were amazed: `Tel Aviv...?!`
`Are you really?`
Yes I thought TA, we r not talking about Paris or New York, it´s only a city. But I was wrong. For many people in Israel TA is like Paris. Compared to their village TA has all the things that u want in a big city. A great open diverse culture. Amazing restaurants, excellent live music, theatre shows, ballet, an amazing beach, true 24 hour entertainment options and much more. All these I thought exist in every big city. I was wrong. In Melbourne everyone goes to bed at six in the afternoon. In Tokyo there is only karaoke. In Paris the streets are empty after 10 pm and in Delhi the only people that are awake after midnight are the beggars.
So yes, Tel Aviv is amazing. But other places in Israel offer even more. I now understand the enormous tourist potential that this country has to offer (For example, Jersusalem is the centre for three big religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Its a city with more then 3000 years of history, and unlike many other other historical sites around the world, this place is actually alive; when u enter inside its walls u can feel the vibe, it is pure magic) and I think we need to make the most of it before peace will come and we won´t have any room to move because of all the tourists...
If I can give one piece of advice to my Israeli friends, its to be proud of wherever in Israel we come from, as I am sure it is an interesting place and worth telling your co-travellers and friends about.
Love all, Eran.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Peru: From Cusco to Abra Malaga, Santa Maria, Huancacalle, Vilcabamba, Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, and back to Cusco
Peru: From Cusco to Abra Malaga, Santa Maria, Huancacalle, Vilcabamba, Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, and back to Cusco (From 18.09.07 to 26.09.07).
That was good, that was actually very good. We had a lovely time during our last trip. We got excellent advice from a good friend that we made in the Llanganuco lodge to go to Huancacalle, and not to do the trek from Santa Maria to Machu Picchu (which other local guides agreed was not that interesting). We did a circle from Cusco to Abra Malaga, Santa Maria, Huancacalle, Vilcabamba, Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu, Ollantaytambo, and back to Cusco.
We hired bicycles at Cusco from the agency http://www.adventureteamperu.com/ . On Wednesday 18.09.07 we took a five hour bus ride to Abra Malaga. After arriving we went on a five hour! bike ride. The road was very rough and honestly I would not recommend it to any one. We started the ride at around 01.50 pm instead of 1pm because the bus had a flat tyre that had to be replaced during the trip, so was around 1 hour late. So the last 20 minutes of the ride were in complete darkness. The road goes through a valley and often u can see the river that runs through the valley. The part that was interesting was watching the locals burn the hills to create more agricultural land.
We got to Santa Maria in one piece, and stayed there for the night. As Santa Maria is at low altitude, there are LOTS of mosquitoes, and during the bicycle ride and the night I got something like six BITES on one finger on my left hand. The problem with the mosquitoes there is that they are extremely advanced: very light, small and black in colour. Facts that made them impossible to trace, only after the bite. In the next few days my two fingers of my left hand started to expand dramatically, up to a point that the swelling was pushing my fingers nerve, which made them feel numb. It took me some more days to recover and to get my senses in my fingers back to normal.
In the morning we took a taxi to Huancacalle. And here it was all waiting for us. In a valley surrounded by green mountains a small town sits next to a river, with nice inhabitants and very fresh air. The guest house called Sixpac Manco is run by a nice elderly couple, one of whom shares part of history. The owner Binjamin Cobar was the local guide for two expeditions that came to the area in search of the last & lost city of the Incas, which was eventually ¨found¨ by American Gene Savoy (led by Binjamin): a place called Espiritu Pampa.
In the area of Huancacalle we went on a few day trips. First we visited the ruins that are nearby called Nuestapata and Vitcos. Apparently the first set of ruins was the escaping point for the Inca Manco. The walk was easy and in a loop shape and normally takes about two hours altogether (it took us five because we really took our time).
The next day we did the start of the trail to Chorequeo. We walked for about 3 hours on the trail, which was along a river through an open green valley.
On the following day, which was Shabbat and Yom Kippur I decided to fast and continue business as usual. That was the wrong decision. We were supposed to walk to the next town called Vilcabamba, which was supposed to take an hour and a half to two hours. We finished it after more then five hours. The walk was moderate and was through a valley going uphill along a river. Unfortunately we started our walk very late, around one pm, with the assumption that it would take us four hours to return. But obviously we had the wrong approach. We got to the village after five and were welcomed by the local mission that is run by a team from Italy. After having a small chat with Carlos who came from Italy for two years as a volunteer, we headed back to Huancacalle. I decided to break my fast with a proper meal in Huancacalle. At this point I was starving. When we started walking back the sun had set and the road did not look attractive at all. After five minutes we decided to return to Vilcabamba and try our luck for accommodation in the mission. We were very welcomed to stay and it was a very pleasant experience. Apparently the Father arrived in the town about 15 years ago and saw the level of poverty in the town which was caused by the death of the local cattle, and decided to come and help the community.
On the following day, which was Shabbat and Yom Kippur I decided to fast and continue business as usual. That was the wrong decision. We were supposed to walk to the next town called Vilcabamba, which was supposed to take an hour and a half to two hours. We finished it after more then five hours. The walk was moderate and was through a valley going uphill along a river. Unfortunately we started our walk very late, around one pm, with the assumption that it would take us four hours to return. But obviously we had the wrong approach. We got to the village after five and were welcomed by the local mission that is run by a team from Italy. After having a small chat with Carlos who came from Italy for two years as a volunteer, we headed back to Huancacalle. I decided to break my fast with a proper meal in Huancacalle. At this point I was starving. When we started walking back the sun had set and the road did not look attractive at all. After five minutes we decided to return to Vilcabamba and try our luck for accommodation in the mission. We were very welcomed to stay and it was a very pleasant experience. Apparently the Father arrived in the town about 15 years ago and saw the level of poverty in the town which was caused by the death of the local cattle, and decided to come and help the community.
Once every two weeks the kids have a special treat, meat for diner, every other day they get vegetarian food. Of course, the day we arrived they were having meat! As I keep kosher I could not break my fast with non kosher food. So we cooked our own pasta with tomatoes, garlic, rosemary and onion. It was the best meal that I ever had after Yom Kipur.
The next day, Sunday morning, we walked back to Huancacalle enjoying the beautiful scenery and the lovely adventure that we had just had. We left Huancacalle on Monday morning to go to Aguas Calientes through Santa Maria and Hydro Electrico. At Hydro Electrico we had to take the train because it is not possible to reach Machu Picchu with any other form of transport. The train ride was quite funny. For some unclear reason the train was being driven in a very bizarre way. It drove forward for a few minutes and then stopped, drove back a few hundred metres and then continued forward again, and so on every ten minutes. A ride that could have taken ten minutes took about an hour and half! On our way back from Aguas Calientes to Ollantayambo I noticed that the train was doing the same thing. But it did not actually go backwards, rather parked on a side track for few minutes until the train travelling in the other direction had passed. So it became obvious that the reason for the long train ride (apart from the fact that it was the worst train that I have ever been in mechanically) is that there is only one train track for the trains travelling in both directions.
We arrived to Aguas Calientes on the 24.09.07 in the afternoon and found a very nice room in the hotel Suma Wasi ($25 US a night). The next morning, we took the private bus up to Machu Picchu. Luckily when we arrived the site was not full and was pretty impresive. During the lunch break it started raining and then even more tourists left the site. So when we came back from our luch break it was even emptier.
The whole experince in Machu Picchu was pretty funny. Because we had lost our trust in local guides, after a few bad experinces that we had (A true dialoge with our guide in Pisac ruins near Cusco: 'What was this room for?' The guide: 'This was... for storage...' and strangely enough from there on every room was for some reason for storage) we decided not to hire a guide. But to wait for our luck by waiting for a good guide accompanying what looks like a high end tour group. And our luck came when we noticed this kind of group approaching with a very knowledgble guide. We got all the info we needed and the tour was fantastic (at last!). Unfortunately we kind of stuck out as we tacked onto the group as we were the only people under 65. Im sure the guide noticed we were there as freeriders despite our efforts to blend in, as the next day we bumped into him at another set of ruins a few hours a way, and he smiled and said hello to us!
On the 25.09, in the morning we took the train from Aguas Calientes to arrive in Ollantayambo. The ride was through rainforests and with friendly staff that did a modelling show of local clothes to the passengers during the ride, complete with catwalk music as they strutted the aisles. On arriving in Ollantayambo we went to the ruins that are above the town. This time their wasn't any high end tour group so after a walk through the site we decided to try our luck again and hire a local guide. He was a local guy from Ollantayambo who was studying Tourism to become a guide. He was pretty good and we got a lot of info from him. In the afternoon we took a taxi from Ollantayambo to Cusco and we were very happy to go back to a familiar place on the eve of Sukot.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Peru: Lima, Huaraz and Cusco
PERU: LIMA, HUARAZ & CUSCO
LIMA: THE AIRPORT, YOUTH HOSTEL & CITY TOUR
We arrived in Lima straight from the jungle. The international airport in Lima is very chaotic. We had been warned about this before, but it was just ridiculous. First u need 2 stand in a very long queue to pass imigration. I have been in long queues before (India, Thailand) but this one was the longest ever, something like 400-500 people making a snake line through the whole hall. Then when we managed to get through immigration, we found our carousel. We saw that the whole terminal was full with people waiting 4 their luggage. After waiting for our luggage for 15 minutes, suddenly the number of our flight disapeared from the screen over the carousel, the carousel stopped and no bags were coming out. When trying to find out where our bags were, we were referred from one counter to another. On the way between counters we saw the bags lying peacefully next to one of the carousels. When we asked our driver what is the reason for the mess. He said that all the international flights arrive at night...? To me it seemed like all of them arrived at the same hour too.
In Lima we stayed in a bizarre youth hostel Albergue International (recomended by Lonely Planet). For some reason every time the receptionist saw us s/he said: 'Can you pay now?' I would often say 'NO' and they would reply: 'You have to pay now!'
Also in Lima we went on a city tour with a company called www.limavision.com/citytour.html. The tour was well organised but the guide did not know anything more then the basic facts. When we tried asking her more detailed questions she was not able to respond. Most of the tour was: 'This is the American embassy... This is the main square... This is peak hour, there is a lot of traffic...'
HUARAZ
From Lima we took an 8 hours bus ride up north to Huaraz with a company called www.cruzdelsur.com.pe/. Excellent service and great views along the way. We actually played Bingo on the bus. I missed one number in winning a free bus ride!
Unfotunatly Leah got sick while we were in Huaraz. So we didn't do much. Except for a three hour walk in the villages nearby, including the main village, Marian. Altough the walk was relatively short it was extremly impresive. The people in the vilages were so nice, I was just amazed. Happy to talk, smiling, and generous.
From Lima we took an 8 hours bus ride up north to Huaraz with a company called www.cruzdelsur.com.pe/. Excellent service and great views along the way. We actually played Bingo on the bus. I missed one number in winning a free bus ride!
Unfotunatly Leah got sick while we were in Huaraz. So we didn't do much. Except for a three hour walk in the villages nearby, including the main village, Marian. Altough the walk was relatively short it was extremly impresive. The people in the vilages were so nice, I was just amazed. Happy to talk, smiling, and generous.
LLANGANUCO LODGE
We continued further north to http://www.llanganucolodge.com/ some two and half hours from Huaraz. I must say that staying in this lodge was one of the best experiences so far in my trip. The owner Charlie Good came to Peru following his brother (the owner of The Way Inn Lodge) from England to open an adventure lodge (Charlie had to become a member of the local comunity, a process that took him about two years. While building the lodge he slept alone in a tent for four months on the mountain). The place has been running from April 2007 and it offers amazing services and beautiful scenery. It is located right next to the magnificent Cordillera Blanca National park, underneath a snowy mountain region, very close to a beautiful lake and several waterfalls. On top of that, Charlie has managed to hire an excellent Australian chef called Brett who makes excellent pumpkin soup. I think what made this place special for me was the feeling that I got personal care and I had great conversations with the people who were staying in the lodge and running it.
Leah was still recovering when we were in Charlie's place (referred to by the locals as Casa de Carlito). So we took it really easy. And we mainly did some day walks around the lodge, just wondering about, and it was wonderful.
In the last day we have managed to do the Lake 69 trek that is in the Cordillera Blanca National park. This trek was just unbelivable. We walked for about six hours along waterfalls, creeks surounded by a beautiful mountain region topped with glaciers and snow. At the end of the trek we reached the lake. The glacier above the lake was melting into it while it was reflecting light blue colours.
I was very sad to leave Charlie's place. I really felt connected to Charlie and to the lodge. I hope that I will have the chance to visit the place again.
From Charlie’s place we drove stright to the airport (next to Huaraz) to catch a flight back to Lima. We stayed another three days in Lima, while Leah was having tests to find out exactly what she was suffering from. We left Lima on the 7.9.07 on a flight to Cusco with an airline called http://aerocondor.com.pe/. I was less suprised this time when I saw how the airport was operating. It seems like all the internal flights were departing, more or less, at the same time. Again very strange. I could not understand who is the genuis that decided on this system, but it was obviusly, Not Working! We left the airport an hour and a half later then we were scheduled to depart.
CUSCO
In Cusco we are staying in a very nice hotel called http://wiracocha.hotelescusco.com/. Our main activities so far have been taking the city tour... and eating. The food here is really nice. There are two restaurents that we specially like. The first www.mundohemp.com/. They offer a variety of food made in combination with Hemp. And the second is Indian restaurent called www.maikhana.net/, which offers excellent Indian dishes with a rich texture and flavour.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
THE JUNGLE TRIP (Cuyabeno reserve)
The Jungle Trip 10.8.07-14.8.07
After our bad experience with Rainbow Expeditions we decided this time to play it safe and to go with an agency that everyone said is excellent and with whom we ourselves had a good experience. So we chose to go with http://www.rainforestur.com.ec/ for a five day trip (which is actually more like 3, because u spend one day arriving and one day leaving). We paid $200US each and we had a very good experience.
DAY ONE: Arriving
We left Quito with a flight to Lago Agria at 6.30 in the morning with what looked like a very new upper class airline company called http://www.vipec.com/(booked for us by http://www.rainforestur.com.ec/) . Before departing we were provided with a small breakfast (for the half hour flight), the terminal (located in the next to international terminal) is very new and all the staff behave very professionally. On the way from the terminal we saw this beautiful white jet waiting for us. The gap between the seats was so wide that u feel like u r in your own living room. During the first ten minutes we had amazing views of Ecuador. It was a fun experience.
We arrived at 7am. The tour was supposed to depart at 10.00 so we checked into a hotel and slept for two hours. At ten we went to the meeting point, surprise …surprise there was no one there. Apparently the next flight from Quito was delayed and the rest of the group, a local family from Quito, only landed at 12.30 pm. So that meant we would only reach our canoe ride (hopefully) by 04.00pm (we had another 3 hour ride on a minibus to get to the river). Eventually we got to the bridge (the canoe departure point) at around 3.30 pm after leaving the airport at 01.30 pm.
After we had lunch and by the time a canoe became available for us it was already 04.30 pm. I have never been in the jungle (well that wasn't a wild one, it was more a national reserve where, for now, the inhabitants were safe from the oil companies that were sucking the rest of the area dry for its oil) and not on a motorised canoe either. So the all experience was very very new for me. And what do u get when everything is new? some curiosity mixed with a lot of fear.
We got, what I thought, were the best seats (right at the front of the boat), though as the time past I understood that I was wrong. Because of the shape of the boat the part in front of us was going upwards and was blocking our front view. As we went further into the jungle, the sun came down and the density of the trees increased. The kids that were driving the boat were busy talking and often we found ourselves about to crash into the shore or into a tree. When it was fully dark what was an ¨almost crash¨ became more and more clearly mini accidents. The local guide Aurora that escorted us to her daughter´s guest house kept on shouting that the drivers are drunk and kept (luckily) directing the boat away from the shore.
I think what was most scary on this ride was the fact that the last part was in the dark. So on top of the usual stress now you can´t really see what you´re facing. Now and then we found ourselves crossing tree logs that were lying on the surface of the river. So you get this kind of surprise jump with the canoe where the canoe almost turns over and your heart falls to your undies. The ride took about four hours, instead of three, and the last hour everyone pulled their torches out trying to help the driver not to flip the canoe. Every light that we saw on the way on the shore, we hoped was our guest house. When arriving Leah and I where a bit traumatised, but we made it, we got to the jungle!
We arrived at 7am. The tour was supposed to depart at 10.00 so we checked into a hotel and slept for two hours. At ten we went to the meeting point, surprise …surprise there was no one there. Apparently the next flight from Quito was delayed and the rest of the group, a local family from Quito, only landed at 12.30 pm. So that meant we would only reach our canoe ride (hopefully) by 04.00pm (we had another 3 hour ride on a minibus to get to the river). Eventually we got to the bridge (the canoe departure point) at around 3.30 pm after leaving the airport at 01.30 pm.
After we had lunch and by the time a canoe became available for us it was already 04.30 pm. I have never been in the jungle (well that wasn't a wild one, it was more a national reserve where, for now, the inhabitants were safe from the oil companies that were sucking the rest of the area dry for its oil) and not on a motorised canoe either. So the all experience was very very new for me. And what do u get when everything is new? some curiosity mixed with a lot of fear.
We got, what I thought, were the best seats (right at the front of the boat), though as the time past I understood that I was wrong. Because of the shape of the boat the part in front of us was going upwards and was blocking our front view. As we went further into the jungle, the sun came down and the density of the trees increased. The kids that were driving the boat were busy talking and often we found ourselves about to crash into the shore or into a tree. When it was fully dark what was an ¨almost crash¨ became more and more clearly mini accidents. The local guide Aurora that escorted us to her daughter´s guest house kept on shouting that the drivers are drunk and kept (luckily) directing the boat away from the shore.
I think what was most scary on this ride was the fact that the last part was in the dark. So on top of the usual stress now you can´t really see what you´re facing. Now and then we found ourselves crossing tree logs that were lying on the surface of the river. So you get this kind of surprise jump with the canoe where the canoe almost turns over and your heart falls to your undies. The ride took about four hours, instead of three, and the last hour everyone pulled their torches out trying to help the driver not to flip the canoe. Every light that we saw on the way on the shore, we hoped was our guest house. When arriving Leah and I where a bit traumatised, but we made it, we got to the jungle!
DAY TWO: a Short walk, Fishing and a Long Canoe ride
We started our day with a short walk around our lodge. Right after we started a heavy rain escorted us all the way. Aurora (the local guide) was leading, while cutting every little leaf with her machete, and Lenin (hired by the agency) was following with us.
Most of the rest of the day we spent on the canoe waiting for things to happen, and I´m sorry to say that they didn't. The dolphins, monkeys, snakes, crocodiles and all the rest were not at home. Maybe they went on a holiday or maybe they could not be bothered waiting for us with the noise that the canoe was producing from its engine.
The highlight of the day was fishing. While on the canoe we tried our luck in catching piranhas. I held my fishing rode for two seconds and suddenly I feel this strong weight pulling me down. I pulled the stick out quickly and this relatively big fish was on it… shit (in the picture above Lenin holding my fish). That's a great success for someone who went fishing only once in his life (at the age of 12) and didn't catch anything after being cooked the whole day in the sun. So as I pulled the poor fellow into the boat, he managed to get out off the hook and to fall into the canoe, which had water in the bottom. I tried few times to catch him but unfortunately he managed to escape under the seats. At one point he was in my hands, and I was throwing him back to the water, but he was so oily that he managed to escape into the canoe again. I asked our guide, Lenin, to catch and throw him back to the river. I already started feeling bad that I pulled the fish out and I wanted to make sure that he will return home safely. At the same time Lenin was showing everyone the different piranhas that others had caught, and Aurora and her grandson were catching small fishes for the rest of the group´s bait. Because of the atmosphere in the boat around the fishing I repeated my request few times to Lenin. When he finished demonstrating the piranhas he came to our seats and with a stick narrowed my fish´s area. This eventually made him move to the open where he got caught by Lenin.
The Jungle Rules
In the jungle the rules are different. This I learned very quickly. You get only what you need not what you want. Lenin caught my fish and straight away put it … where? in the water? I wish! In Aurora´s hands to kill and make more bait. I saw this and asked him to ask Aurora to put it back to the water cause I don't want to kill any animal that I don't need to (already enough animals are being killed to provide my meals). After two or three times of Lenin asking her and she ignoring him, Aurora finally replied that this is her territory, her water and her fish. And basically because she has what we call ¨native´s rights¨ she feels she can do what ever she wants. I can totally understand this idea but I think that to some extent I have the right over that fish, because I caught it. But leaving that alone, i can´t really understand why while we were walking peacefully in the forest she had to cut every thing that grew an inch from the ground? Maybe she was just a bit bored.
With the jungle rules, during meals I found it very hard to get bread for my soup. We were served some pieces of bread at breakfast and apparently all the bread was gone by the evening although there wasn't any meal served during the day. I thought that the hosts didn't think we needed to have bread with the soup, so we didn't get any. But it could be that I am wrong.
DAY THREE: a Forest Walk, Yucan Bread and Looking for Crocodiles ('again…!' ' Who said that?' )
Most of the rest of the day we spent on the canoe waiting for things to happen, and I´m sorry to say that they didn't. The dolphins, monkeys, snakes, crocodiles and all the rest were not at home. Maybe they went on a holiday or maybe they could not be bothered waiting for us with the noise that the canoe was producing from its engine.
The highlight of the day was fishing. While on the canoe we tried our luck in catching piranhas. I held my fishing rode for two seconds and suddenly I feel this strong weight pulling me down. I pulled the stick out quickly and this relatively big fish was on it… shit (in the picture above Lenin holding my fish). That's a great success for someone who went fishing only once in his life (at the age of 12) and didn't catch anything after being cooked the whole day in the sun. So as I pulled the poor fellow into the boat, he managed to get out off the hook and to fall into the canoe, which had water in the bottom. I tried few times to catch him but unfortunately he managed to escape under the seats. At one point he was in my hands, and I was throwing him back to the water, but he was so oily that he managed to escape into the canoe again. I asked our guide, Lenin, to catch and throw him back to the river. I already started feeling bad that I pulled the fish out and I wanted to make sure that he will return home safely. At the same time Lenin was showing everyone the different piranhas that others had caught, and Aurora and her grandson were catching small fishes for the rest of the group´s bait. Because of the atmosphere in the boat around the fishing I repeated my request few times to Lenin. When he finished demonstrating the piranhas he came to our seats and with a stick narrowed my fish´s area. This eventually made him move to the open where he got caught by Lenin.
The Jungle Rules
In the jungle the rules are different. This I learned very quickly. You get only what you need not what you want. Lenin caught my fish and straight away put it … where? in the water? I wish! In Aurora´s hands to kill and make more bait. I saw this and asked him to ask Aurora to put it back to the water cause I don't want to kill any animal that I don't need to (already enough animals are being killed to provide my meals). After two or three times of Lenin asking her and she ignoring him, Aurora finally replied that this is her territory, her water and her fish. And basically because she has what we call ¨native´s rights¨ she feels she can do what ever she wants. I can totally understand this idea but I think that to some extent I have the right over that fish, because I caught it. But leaving that alone, i can´t really understand why while we were walking peacefully in the forest she had to cut every thing that grew an inch from the ground? Maybe she was just a bit bored.
With the jungle rules, during meals I found it very hard to get bread for my soup. We were served some pieces of bread at breakfast and apparently all the bread was gone by the evening although there wasn't any meal served during the day. I thought that the hosts didn't think we needed to have bread with the soup, so we didn't get any. But it could be that I am wrong.
DAY THREE: a Forest Walk, Yucan Bread and Looking for Crocodiles ('again…!' ' Who said that?' )
The first thing that I noticed when I woke up was my back. It was so painful, I have never experienced such a sharp pain. I had no idea what it was from. I haven't had back pain for ages; especially after practising Pilates, it's all gone. But now in the jungle it came back in a very painful way. So I was thinking, what did I do that might have caused this pain? And after concentrating really hard, the obvious conclusion came: THE CANOE. Sitting on a canoe for a whole day with short distance between seats, low benches and back support at a very funny angle is the right recipe for back pain. And the cure came only after I remembered what has helped me in the last few years – Pilates, yes ! how good is it when u have a physical problem and u can solve it yourself ?
Except the pain in the back on the third day, we went on a three hour walk in the forest, which was pretty nice. In the afternoon we went to Aurora's house and watched her cook a local bread called Yucan. The bread was made in a traditional fashion and we helped pulling the Yucan route from the ground. On the way back from Aurora's place we stopped for half an hour for Luis (Aurora's son in law) to make a phone call from his mobile. That was a unique experience. In the area that we were there is one specific point where locals found out that you can make phone calls. I guess while looking for reception they climbed up a few trees and found this one. But now they have upgraded to a small tower next to the tree that u can phone from. After that for some reason that I can't really understand we were again looking for crocodiles. I think Lenin has a small obsession with them. Because the day before while on the way back to the lodge we were looking for the same guys. And I mean it's not that u can really see them. You are actually looking for red eyes in the dark. If u saw that it meant that u saw a small crocodile.
Except the pain in the back on the third day, we went on a three hour walk in the forest, which was pretty nice. In the afternoon we went to Aurora's house and watched her cook a local bread called Yucan. The bread was made in a traditional fashion and we helped pulling the Yucan route from the ground. On the way back from Aurora's place we stopped for half an hour for Luis (Aurora's son in law) to make a phone call from his mobile. That was a unique experience. In the area that we were there is one specific point where locals found out that you can make phone calls. I guess while looking for reception they climbed up a few trees and found this one. But now they have upgraded to a small tower next to the tree that u can phone from. After that for some reason that I can't really understand we were again looking for crocodiles. I think Lenin has a small obsession with them. Because the day before while on the way back to the lodge we were looking for the same guys. And I mean it's not that u can really see them. You are actually looking for red eyes in the dark. If u saw that it meant that u saw a small crocodile.
DAY FOUR: Canoe Ride, Soccer with Locals and the Tarantula
The best day. Our group on this day was much smaller, because some of the members had to finish the day before. So we were only 4 instead of 9 which was a big difference. We didn't need to use the canoe with an engigne, and had a lovely sunny day and time to explore whatever we asked for. We started the day by a three hour canoe ride along the river, looking for birds, monkies and all their friends. And for some reason they all decided to expose themselves. As well as all the animals that we saw it was a great ride because we had to paddle ourselves in a small canoe where every movement counts. So we all had to be sync'ed with our movements to prevent flipping and to do some exercise at the same time. After lunch we went to visit the local school that is surrounded by local houses. Some local boys saw us and asked the guide if we want to play soccer with them, and we did. Because I was wearing rubber boots it was extremely hard, but it was a lot of fun. What was more amazing was the fact that the kids kept laughing throughout the whole game. Never mind losing or winning their were happy to make jokes about us or themselves, it was unbelievable. This phenomenon I have noticed with Aurora as well, when she was with her family most of time you would hear her laughing.
At night time we went for a walk, just Leah and I, with Lenin. The other couple was too tired. I must say doing a walk at night time in a forest full with different animals where most of them are not specially friendly is not my favourite thing but it was still very interesting. We managed to see mainly different kind of insects and one Tarantula. And when Lenin noticed that we were excited about the spider he said that he wiil show us another one when we get to our lodge. And yes he did. It was the biggest spider that I ever saw in my life. Waiting very calmly under a hole in a trunk right next to the toilet!!! I was very happy that we were leaving the next day otherwise it would have been very difficult to know that our friends are everywhere and we can't really see them unless we look very carefully.
At night time we went for a walk, just Leah and I, with Lenin. The other couple was too tired. I must say doing a walk at night time in a forest full with different animals where most of them are not specially friendly is not my favourite thing but it was still very interesting. We managed to see mainly different kind of insects and one Tarantula. And when Lenin noticed that we were excited about the spider he said that he wiil show us another one when we get to our lodge. And yes he did. It was the biggest spider that I ever saw in my life. Waiting very calmly under a hole in a trunk right next to the toilet!!! I was very happy that we were leaving the next day otherwise it would have been very difficult to know that our friends are everywhere and we can't really see them unless we look very carefully.
DAY FIVE
Going back ¨home¨ to civilisation was a great relief. Although I felt like life in the jungle is very attractive. Living with nature seems to me the best way of living. A place where u are actually part of your surroundings and the surroundings are part of u, where respecting the environment is a way a living. U don't just recycle but u are part of the soil and the trees and the water. U influence it and it0 influences u.
Chugchilan Ecuador: Laguna Quilatoa & the Cloud Forest
COTOPAXI
From Banos we continued to the cityLatacunga where we went on a guided trip to Cotopaxi with a company called Tovar. We made it to the top! Well almost… we barely managed to finish our day trip to see baby Cotopaxi and other views. The weather was definitely against us. Up to a point that I could not breathe because the wind was so strong. And the fact that the summit was playing hide and seek the all way behind the clouds did not make it easier. But I'm happy we went because it was a good preparation for Chuchilan´s altitude.
From Banos we continued to the cityLatacunga where we went on a guided trip to Cotopaxi with a company called Tovar. We made it to the top! Well almost… we barely managed to finish our day trip to see baby Cotopaxi and other views. The weather was definitely against us. Up to a point that I could not breathe because the wind was so strong. And the fact that the summit was playing hide and seek the all way behind the clouds did not make it easier. But I'm happy we went because it was a good preparation for Chuchilan´s altitude.
CHUCHILAN
Upon arrival to Quilatoa we hired a guide to take us on a walk to Chuchilan. The walk was very nice specially at the start when we walked along the Quilatoa lake. The walk gos along the half of the lake and then decends into a valley and then climbs up to Chuchilan. The guide that we hired, the owner of a restaurant in Quilatoa, was very patient through the all walk and we paid him 20 dollars. Later we found out that if we had hired a guide from Chuchilan it would have cost $10. the difference in prices is because ours charged us for his trip back to Quilatoa.
IN Chuchilan we decided to go to a Hostal called Mama Hilda: http://www.hostalmamahilda.org/index.htm for some reason I felt bad about this place. Maybe because http://www.lonelyplanet.com/recommendations were starting to be more and more unreliable or just because when we booked the women on the other line was quite surprised that we were calling to book and then when we called to change our booking she didn't have any booking in our name…what a great start. So we got there after a five hour walk from Quilatoa and surprisingly again they did not have our booking, they had to call their office in Quito to get it. So yes we had a room (but not for long). The receptionist-owner showed us our room and we asked whether it is possible to have one with a view. To look for one she walked with us while knocking on different random doors to see if they are occupied or not. After finishing out little tour of the lodge we said we need five minutes to think if we want the original room or not. While discussing the different options we see the same women showing the original room to some one else. We approached her and said we want the room. Her reply was ¨Sorry… sorry…¨ but it was a very annoying sound because she kept on dragging out each word for a few seconds until u feel like your ears are dropping off. She said something like it wasn't her fault, another lady showed them the room and she did not know but it was booked... Anyway she was willing to give us another room with a hot shower. It was a room for four people but she said we could have it as a private room. Leah asked her for her GUARANTEE that no one else would be put into the room with us, and she promised not to. We had a quick look and this time we said YES! straight away. After I had a very cold shower where I felt like someone is pissing on me cold pee, afterwards I wore all my clothes and went into bed to try and recover my body's temperature. But guess what happened after 10 minutes? We hear heavy knocks on the door. And I was like ´what´s that´? Leah went and opened and it was our good friend the receptionist saying her annoying sorry´s again and repeating the same song again: the room is booked !!! and sorry...sorry ... so we have to leave to a next by hostel and tomorrow we will have our room back.
Upon arrival to Quilatoa we hired a guide to take us on a walk to Chuchilan. The walk was very nice specially at the start when we walked along the Quilatoa lake. The walk gos along the half of the lake and then decends into a valley and then climbs up to Chuchilan. The guide that we hired, the owner of a restaurant in Quilatoa, was very patient through the all walk and we paid him 20 dollars. Later we found out that if we had hired a guide from Chuchilan it would have cost $10. the difference in prices is because ours charged us for his trip back to Quilatoa.
IN Chuchilan we decided to go to a Hostal called Mama Hilda: http://www.hostalmamahilda.org/index.htm for some reason I felt bad about this place. Maybe because http://www.lonelyplanet.com/recommendations were starting to be more and more unreliable or just because when we booked the women on the other line was quite surprised that we were calling to book and then when we called to change our booking she didn't have any booking in our name…what a great start. So we got there after a five hour walk from Quilatoa and surprisingly again they did not have our booking, they had to call their office in Quito to get it. So yes we had a room (but not for long). The receptionist-owner showed us our room and we asked whether it is possible to have one with a view. To look for one she walked with us while knocking on different random doors to see if they are occupied or not. After finishing out little tour of the lodge we said we need five minutes to think if we want the original room or not. While discussing the different options we see the same women showing the original room to some one else. We approached her and said we want the room. Her reply was ¨Sorry… sorry…¨ but it was a very annoying sound because she kept on dragging out each word for a few seconds until u feel like your ears are dropping off. She said something like it wasn't her fault, another lady showed them the room and she did not know but it was booked... Anyway she was willing to give us another room with a hot shower. It was a room for four people but she said we could have it as a private room. Leah asked her for her GUARANTEE that no one else would be put into the room with us, and she promised not to. We had a quick look and this time we said YES! straight away. After I had a very cold shower where I felt like someone is pissing on me cold pee, afterwards I wore all my clothes and went into bed to try and recover my body's temperature. But guess what happened after 10 minutes? We hear heavy knocks on the door. And I was like ´what´s that´? Leah went and opened and it was our good friend the receptionist saying her annoying sorry´s again and repeating the same song again: the room is booked !!! and sorry...sorry ... so we have to leave to a next by hostel and tomorrow we will have our room back.
AS WE say in Hebrew what ¨A Chutspa¨ this women has - I just could not believe it. The next day we moved to a much nicer, prettier place called http://www.blacksheepinn.com/ . The owners Andy and Michelle arrived to Chuchilan about 15 years ago, fell for the place and decided to move from the US to build an ecological lodge. The place is very expensive, 25 dollars per person for a dorm bed but it provides excellent service (on a trust basis) and great vegetarian food. It has a spa, internet access, great cookies and its main feature is toilets with big windows overlooking the valley. After their arrival the whole of Chuchilan started to get involved in tourism (previously there had been none).
FOR ME the whole experience was still a bit hard. Although I had good experiences sleeping in India in dormitories, at this one people had to wake in the middle of the night because the public buses were leaving at that time and while packing their stuff and leaving they would often make unavoidable noise. The worst was with this European couple who left at four am while talking to each other like it was mid day. The other thing that was hard for me was the toilet, although I loved the idea of toilets with a view (and in one of them there is even a book about the history of toilets) the whole ecological business was a bit difficult. The toilets were what u call dry ones so u do ur thing into a toilet that u cant see what's happening in it and then u throw all kind of bits of leaves and other staff when u finish.
THE OTHER walk that we did in Chuchilan is called the Cloud Forest walk. In the hostel they have this amazing service where they ask everyone during dinner what are the activities they want to do the next day, and then organise what u need for the next day. That allows you to join a group and overall pay less. Our Cloud forest walk was organised like that and we asked for a truck to take us to the forest and a guide. Lets say it was a very nice experience. It wasn't the best walk that I ever did and the guide (16 years old) knew some stuff about the different plants and it was well organised but that's it.
BUT I THINK the best thing that happen to us there was the people. So many nice people were staying there which made the dinners, that are served to all the guests together, a great experience. When checking out there were two things I did not quite understand. First the hostel gives discounts to students with international student cards so when we checked out we asked for a discount but I didn't have my actual student card with me as I had left it in Latacunga with most of our luggage. The owner said that they have to see the card and they can't give a discount. I thought it is very weird that a place that is run on the idea of trust does not trust its customers. The other thing was that after paying we have discovered that we were not credited with our initial deposit of $20US. We got the money back, but to our surprise another couple that left with us said that they had the same problem with a bigger amount 150US that they gave as a deposit and was not included in the final bill (more info and pics about the Quilota loop u can find at http://www.pbase.com/nikonesque/quilotoa_loop, pictures of the Quilota lake at http://www.ecuador-images.net/lake.quilotoa.htm ).
FOR ME the whole experience was still a bit hard. Although I had good experiences sleeping in India in dormitories, at this one people had to wake in the middle of the night because the public buses were leaving at that time and while packing their stuff and leaving they would often make unavoidable noise. The worst was with this European couple who left at four am while talking to each other like it was mid day. The other thing that was hard for me was the toilet, although I loved the idea of toilets with a view (and in one of them there is even a book about the history of toilets) the whole ecological business was a bit difficult. The toilets were what u call dry ones so u do ur thing into a toilet that u cant see what's happening in it and then u throw all kind of bits of leaves and other staff when u finish.
THE OTHER walk that we did in Chuchilan is called the Cloud Forest walk. In the hostel they have this amazing service where they ask everyone during dinner what are the activities they want to do the next day, and then organise what u need for the next day. That allows you to join a group and overall pay less. Our Cloud forest walk was organised like that and we asked for a truck to take us to the forest and a guide. Lets say it was a very nice experience. It wasn't the best walk that I ever did and the guide (16 years old) knew some stuff about the different plants and it was well organised but that's it.
BUT I THINK the best thing that happen to us there was the people. So many nice people were staying there which made the dinners, that are served to all the guests together, a great experience. When checking out there were two things I did not quite understand. First the hostel gives discounts to students with international student cards so when we checked out we asked for a discount but I didn't have my actual student card with me as I had left it in Latacunga with most of our luggage. The owner said that they have to see the card and they can't give a discount. I thought it is very weird that a place that is run on the idea of trust does not trust its customers. The other thing was that after paying we have discovered that we were not credited with our initial deposit of $20US. We got the money back, but to our surprise another couple that left with us said that they had the same problem with a bigger amount 150US that they gave as a deposit and was not included in the final bill (more info and pics about the Quilota loop u can find at http://www.pbase.com/nikonesque/quilotoa_loop, pictures of the Quilota lake at http://www.ecuador-images.net/lake.quilotoa.htm ).
THE PICTURES: first line Laguna Quilatoa, the walk from Quilatoa to Chuchilan. Second line The blacksheepinn and a flower in the cloud forest.
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