Economics With A Face

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November 30, 2005

The Lake District

Today Em and I rented a car and explored the surrounding lakes. In theory, the typical route that tourists do in a rent-a-car takes you to all seven, but we cut it a bit short and saw about five. It was adventurous enough.

For most of the day we were on dirt roads and alone. At one point the car wouldn’t start to we had to get out and push it to a point we could start rolling downhill and I was able to pop it into gear. For lunch, we stopped at a beautiful lookout point and made sandwiches with a variety of meats we had bought earlier at the store.

At one point during the trip the road had completely flooded over. Luckily it was right next to a point where there were a few people camping with pick-ups. After I unsuccessfully tried to find a way by through a pasture, they told me to just drive through and to stay to the middle of the road. We made it but I was shocked the car didn’t stall as the water got extremely deep.

We stopped off at Villa la Angostura near the end of the day and had fun with two black labs who were hanging out on the dock, leaping into the lake after driftwood. By 6:00 we were back at Anna’s place.

For dinner we headed to a parrilla restaurant and had a great meal with Anna and her friend Veronica. Veronica, although she is a vegetarian, works at a parrilla and thus is a meat expert, so we had her do the ordering. She did her job well. It was one of the best meals we have had on the trip.

The afternoon at the lakes must have been hard on our rental car, because on our way home, we had a flat tire. On the side of the road in the dark, I did my best to change it with help from Anna, who figured out how to use the unusual jack.

We made it home, and before going to bed, admired the bright stars and checked out the Southern Cross. Tomorrow we are off to Chile.

Posted by Peter Mork at 3:28 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 29, 2005

Hike to Frey

Today we set off at about 10:00am for an all day hike up to Frey, a base camp named after a towering rock jutting up from a mountain about 4 hours from Anna’s house. The walk took us past a gorgeous lake, through gigantic forests, up sheer trails, and near the top we even had to tromp through snow.

There was actually a good deal more than I expected at the base camp. Em, Anna, Veronica and I sat down at a table with hiker from the Basque region in Spain who had passed us on the trail. After some food and about an hour of listening to Bob Marley we headed back down the trail and were back at Anna’s place before dark. It was a full day’s hike but well worth it for the excellent scenery.

Tonight we headed over to one of Anna’s friends’ house for a going away party for her and another friend. (Tomorrow Anna leaves for the U.S. for the holidays) The food and wine were delicious and it was fun to meet more of her friends. It was also interesting getting the different opinions on the current airline strike, and how some thought that it was politically motivated to re-nationalize the airline.

We headed back to Anna’s after the event to get some sleep.

Posted by Peter Mork at 3:26 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 28, 2005

Arriving in Bariloche

We got into Bariloche at about 2:30pm. The drive in was amazing. It was sunny and the huge lakes surrounded by snow capped mountains were stunning. It reminded me a bit of Tahoe back in California, only bigger. Bariloche sits right on the edge of the huge lake and national park, Nahuel Huapi.

When we got off the bus I could definitely feel that the climate was quite a bit cooler than back in Buenos Aires. I was in shorts and a t-shirt and I could immediately tell that I’d need to wear much warmer clothes while we were so far south.

Emily’s friend from back home, Anna, picked us up with a friend at the bus station. After a stop for some tasty ice-cream in town we all headed out to her home which was about 20km outside of the city.

She lives in a beautiful cabin that was actually built by her husband, Bicho. We set up camp in the “honeymoon suite” and next went for a walk to the lake near her home so we could get a feel for the area.

Once we returned from the walk Em helped Anna made empanadas for dinner. They were delicious as was the bottle of Argentinean wine she had picked up in town. Em and I went to bed with full stomachs in the small cabin next to the house.

Posted by Peter Mork at 3:24 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 27, 2005

Missing out on River Plate

Today we had planned on attending the River Plate v. Gymnasia soccer game, but with our bus leaving for Bariloche at 7:00pm it would have cut it too close. It would have been a bit weird anyways as although Nacho is a River fan, he wanted his team to lose so Boca wouldn’t win the championship. At some point I’m going to have to return to watch a game which will no doubt be an experience.

We spent part of the day at Kilo’s apartment and then headed over to see the cousin of Nacho’s mom. He refers to her as a grandmother as she is in her 80s. We had fun chatting with her and she gave us coffee and sweets. We were in a rush though to catch the bus at this point so it was a quick visit.

It was sad saying goodbye to Nacho as we don’t know when we will see him next. We promised to keep in touch though and knowing him, I won’t be surprised if we see him again on this trip in some far off country.

After some reading I fell asleep on the bus. Tomorrow we will be 1500 km to the south in Bariloche.

Posted by Peter Mork at 3:22 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 26, 2005

All Night in Buenos Aires

After a 5+ hour drive through the Argentine countryside that started at 3 in the morning we finally arrived in Buenos Aires. It actually was not that bad despite the fact that the three of us were crammed into the front seat of the pickup truck. Once the sum came up we had some great view of the countryside, occational stops for coffee kept us going, and by nine we were pulling into the city.

We headed straight for Nacho’s friend’s Kilo’s house. He is a professional photographer who has a studio/apartment in a district that is close to the Rio de la Plata. After a trip to the supermarket to get some food we set out on foot to find a hotel closeby. We didn’t have much luck. Every place we went to was booked. As we walked around in the city heat Nacho was amazed how heavy Em’s bag was (for the record mine is much heavier). Nacho was also hilarious along the walk, making comments as usual. As we passed one chubby 10-year-old eating an ice-cream cone Nacho yelled out “Que pasa viejo?” (What’s up old man?). The kid just kept walking right past us with a big smile on his face.

We eventually threw the bags in the pickup and started searching with the car after about 4 failed attempts. An hour or so later we finally found one. Em and I checked in, showered, and took a nap to catch up on some sleep.

Tonight we all headed out in Buenos Aires. Nacho dropped us off at the bar first as there wasn’t enough room in the pickup for the three of us and his date. We had a few drinks at the bar before Kilo, his girlfriend, Nacho, and Nacho’s date all arrived. Soon we were all in the cars once again and off to the historic center of Buenos Aires where we had dinner.

Next on the list (it was now approaching 3 in the morning) we were off to find a tango show for Em. Kilo had told us that the shows put on for tourists could cost in upwards of $100. Luckily they had a park in mind where people came to dance on the weekends where you could watch for free. It was a perfect setup. We shared a beer and watched about 30 couples dance the tango under the stars for about an hour. At this point everyone was getting tired so we decided to call it a night.

One interesting point of reference: right next to the park was the military installation where tens of thousands were brought and later “disappeared” during the Dirty War during the late 70s and early 80s under the dictator Viola. Amazing how quickly times change.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:31 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 25, 2005

Fin de Semana en Buenos Aires

Big surprise: we spent another morning uploading photos to our website and are still not even close to getting done. Hopefully, we’ll have all our photos from the past month up before the end of the trip next July.

Tonight we stopped by and said goodbye to Eduardo and Jorge. We gave them some photos from earlier in the week and they gave us a signed menu from their restaurant. Eduardo also pulled out the gift my brother, Em, and I had given him for his birthday four years ago in California. It was quite appropriate: “The All-American Cookbook” complete with autographs and a note from Cody, Em and myself.

We had a final dinner with Tucho and Dora and gave them some photos we took earlier in the week of the party. They were incredible hosts and so nice. We did our best to talk them into coming to visit us in Northern California. We really hope they do. The three of us slept a few hours and then piled into Nacho´s truck to head to Buenos Aires

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:29 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 24, 2005

Thanksgiving Picado

As Argentina is five hours ahead of California we waited until about one o’clock before we called our parents to with them a Happy Thanksgiving. It is a little strange being down here in the sun of Southern Argentina where the holiday means nothing. It was good to talk to our families at home. I’ll definitely miss the turkey, stuffing, and eggnog.

We picked up the backups of our hard drive that a local computer store owner had made for us on DVDs. With the copies in hand we breathed a sigh of relief as not if something were to happen to the computer, all our pictures won’t go with it.

Speaking of pictures we spent several more hours preparing and uploading photos onto the site. Em set a world record with the number of photos taken in the Galapagos. It is unbelievable how long it is taking us.

Tonight, after work, Nacho told us that we were going to head over to his friend Armando’s house where we would have a picado. What that meant is that we headed to a casa de empanadas and bought about 20 empanadas to bring to his place. Next we were on to the store where we bought some bread, beer, cheese, and chorizo. When we arrived we laid everything out on the table and feast on all delicious food while swapped stories and shared a few laughs.

Although Armando has never taken a class he is an amazing painter. About 10 of his painting are hung around their house and all are top-notch. He and his wife and kids are planning on moving to northern Brazil in a year or so. One day I’m going to have to track him down to paint us something for us.

All in all it was a good Thanksgiving.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:27 PM | Comments | TrackBack

Happy Thanksgiving

We’ve received quite a few emails wondering if we were alright given the fact that we have not posted any updates in quite some time. In fact, we are safe and sound in Miramar, Argentina where we will be spending the Thanksgiving holiday with family friends. The holiday is obviously a non-event down here but we are enjoying it just the same.

We hope to have the site updated soon with photos and stories from Venezuela, Ecuador (including the Galapagos Islands), Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Stay tuned.

If anyone is interested, this article by Caroline Baum, which shows that we should also be thankful for incentives, is always a good read today.

Posted by Peter Mork at 7:08 AM | Comments | TrackBack

November 23, 2005

Mar de Plata

It was another day where we spend a good deal of time on the internet. I don’t know if we are ever going to be able to get all these photos up. Still we took a few long breaks to enjoy the day as although it is windy, it is late spring here and the weather is gorgeous.

Tonight we headed up to Mar de Plata with Nacho and had dinner with one of his friends. Apart from the port and beautiful views of the city, the highlight was seeing the sites where all the protests that took place during the Summit of the Americas a few weeks back. There was still quite a bit of damage to some storefronts.

We also got to see the Sheraton Hotel that the U.S. rented out exclusively for Bush and staff. He definitely was at the best hotel in town. We also got to see where Chavez stayed. It rivaled the Sheraton. It’s amazing so many leaders were in this small town. We heard stories of how all the streets had to be closed for the motorcades, etc. It must have been a mess.

We ate dinner at a restaurant that overlooked the sea. While we enjoyed pizza and seafood we watched Boca tie a Chilean futbol team in the Copa Sudamericana in La Boca, Buenos Aires. Nacho was thrilled that Boca didn’t win, as he is a big River Plate fan (their biggest rivals).

Back at the house Tucho was up watching another soccer game. We joined him for a bit before we all headed off to bed.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:25 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 22, 2005

Tucho’s Raviolis

The highlight today was Tucho’s raviolis. He spent the day making his famous raviolis completely by hand. Emily documented most of the process with her camera.

The rest of the day was spent in an internet café trying to upload photos to our site. After Nacho got off work we went to the gym where he absolutely destroyed my arms. I could barely raise them above my head as we left the gym.

Back at home we feasted on the raviolis which were truthfully the best I have ever tasted in my life. Nacho’s sister Patricia came over along with Oscar so it was a big group. Over dinner we had a passionate talk about life in the U.S. and in Argentina and it was interesting getting everyone’s perspective. Afterwards we watched some soccer before heading off to bed.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:23 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 21, 2005

The Dunes

Nacho didn’t work today so we all explored a bit more of Miramar and basically relaxed a bit. In the afternoon we started off to the beach with Nacho and Tinker but made it about half way there when we realized that we had forgotten Em and I were going to meet with Nacho’s brother-in-law Oscar. He had offered to take us down the beach on the dunes with his 4x4.

We made it back in time and were soon heading south in Oscar’s Lata, a 4x4 made in Russia. We let some air out of the tires when we got to the dunes and then were off and running. Em got some great action shots and we were able to see parts of the beach backed by a national park that would have been inaccessible to us.

Once back at home I headed to the gym with Nacho. It was the first time in a while. Once back at home we had some dinner and then called it a night.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:21 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 20, 2005

¡A la Cinquenta!

We woke up at 11:00 and things were definitely already buzzing. Family members were in and out of the house and we were soon in Nacho’s pickup with Tucho and all the food heading out to the park where they had rented the facilities for the asado.

The party was great. There were about 50 family members present as well as a few friends and everyone knew how to have a good time. Many parties you go to people have to be on their second drink before everyone is talking and laughing to the point it might be hard to hear yourself speak. Not so with this group. Immediately everyone was having the time of their lives.

The kids had set up poster boards with photos that showed Dora and Tucho from their childhood up until the recent birth of their first great granddaughter. There were a ton a great photos and Em took pictures of many of them to post on our site. I ate more in one sitting that I probably did in the last two weeks. I think the final tally was three portions of lechon, two empanadas, a piece of steak, one chorizo, two morcillos, Em made me eat some salad, and then I finished it all off with three pieces of cake. Needless to say I didn’t eat again for the rest of the day.

After the party we helped clean up a bit and the headed to the beach with Nacho and his friend Armando, who with his wife, Cintia, and two kids, Rafa and Clara, were also at the party. They surfed while Em and I relaxed on one of the rocky piers and watch the sunset over Miramar. All in all a great day.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:18 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 19, 2005

A Night on the Town

During the day Nacho showed us around Miramar accompanied by his huge German Shepard Tinker. We also got an introduction to some of the great food we are going to have at the party tomorrow and met more of the family..

Dora and Tucho were both busy getting ready for the party. Tucho showed me two whole pigs that had been slow cooked (lechòn) that he had picked up in the morning. Dora was busy making over 100 empanadas for the party, some of which we were able to sample for lunch. It is going to be quite a feast tomorrow.

In the afternoon we walked around town a bit more and picked up a good bottle of Argentinean wine that we are going to give Dora and Tucho for their anniversary. Argentina is known for Malbec, a red varietal grown in Mendoza in the northeast of the country. The wine down here is a fraction of the prices you will find in the U.S. and is incredibly good. When we were mentioning that to the store owner he confirmed Argentinean wine was becoming well known for its quality. For example, he said that Hugo Chavez during the Summit of the Americas had spent $5,000 at his friends store in Mar de Plata. I guess he liked some of the wine he had tried while visiting the country and decided to buy every good bottle in the store. Glad to see those petrodollars are going to good use.

Tonight, after dinner at Nacho’s we stopped by Soso’s to see if Eduardo wanted to go out with us. We all ended up heading to a bar called Mezcal and then off to a club near the beach where Nacho’s friend Martin was DJing. Although this was an “early night” because we had the big party tomorrow at noon, we still left the club when the sun was rising over the Atlantic. At least we’ll get a few hours of sleep before it is off to the big event.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:16 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 18, 2005

On to Miramar

We arrived in the Retiro bus station in Buenos Aires at 4:30am after a good 30 hours of traveling. We had to wait until 5:30 before the offices opened up for the line we were taking to Mar de Plata. Unfortunately, when they did open, they told us there was only one seat left on the bus to Mar de Plata. The good news was that the next bus that left at 7:30 went directly to Nacho’s hometown of Miramar.

It was a pretty drive south along the Atlantic coast although we slept a good deal of it. We arrived in Miramar at about 2:00pm and briefly stopped where the companies offices were located, and then continued on a few blocks to let us off. An older woman on the bus was furious they didn’t let her off at the offices as they were much closer to her house. As I was getting off I could hear Nacho throwing kindling to the fire saying to the driver, “It makes no sense. I had to follow the bus here in my truck after you guys left the offices.”

We were so happy to see him. He laughed as I was wearing my “ARG” national soccer team shirt he had given me a year or so ago. I told him that I had gotten a complement on it in La Quiaca when older Argentinean guy wanted to know where I had bought it. Nacho told me the company had actually gone bankrupt after the peso devaluation so since they didn’t make them anymore people were always looking for them.

We jumped into his red Toyota Helix pickup he had just bought and headed to his parent’s house where they had lunch waiting for us. We congratulated Nacho´s parents, Dora and Tucho, on their 50th anniversary and they showed us to the room where we would be staying. They are both in incredible shape and look at least 10 years younger than their age.

Nacho gave us a quick tour of Miramar and we swung by “Soso’s”, a restaurant started up by our friend Eduardo and his brother Jorge. Eduardo, who is a chef, lived in San Diego as well a few years back, but then moved to Italy where he worked in various restaurants along with his brother. They had come back to Argentina and started this restaurant a year ago.

We came back later on for dinner. When we were about a block away from the restaurant we saw Jorge walking. Nacho rolled down the window and yelled in all his Argentinean-slang glory, “Get back to the restaurant Sorrenti! You’re going to serve me some food!”

The restaurant has a Sicilian/Mediterranean theme so we enjoyed a caprese salad, pasta, and a good bottle of Mendocino wine. After the meal and some photos of the place we headed back to Nacho’s home and called it a night.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:14 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 17, 2005

Northern Argentina through a Bus Window

Well there really isn’t much to write about today. The entire day was spent on a bus heading south. The scenery was beautiful and I got to watch a few good films.

One thing that is clear is that we are going to get some great food while in Argentina. How many bus stations in the world have open grills where they are cooking everything from bife de chorizo to morcilla? I was in heaven. Em even got a fresh salad.

Tomorrow we’ll be in Miramar…

… and off this bus.

We can’t wait.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:09 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 16, 2005

¡Bloqueo!

“Something is happening,” Em said as she shook me awake at one o’clock in the morning.

As I opened my eyes I felt a bit like we were in a scene from The Road Warrior. Although it was the middle of the night, the desolate desert landscape was partially illuminated by the headlights of buses and semi-trucks that seemed to be circling all around us. It was hard to tell whether people were coming or going, or even if people knew what direction they were heading in at all. Off in the distance I saw tires burning on a paved road. We had reached the road-block.

The bus drivers themselves were not exactly emanating confidence as I kept hearing the driver ask his assistant “What do we do? What do we do?”. I was having a hard time believing that we were out in the middle of nowhere in the salt-plains of Bolivia and I was relying on these two guys to get us back to civilization.

It was hard to tell what was going on but we started to put two and two together. The people who were supposed to be making sure that no one got by the blockade by night had turned into guides that would lead us past using an alternate route for a fee. Our bus started to follow a semi-truck that carried one of the guides.

We made our way along a very rough service road that paralleled a gas line. Keep in mind we were in a greyhound type bus not meant for off-roading but that is exactly what we were doing. We would stop for up to 30 minutes at a time while the driver and the guide ahead would get out to survey the road ahead to make sure the bus would make it.

Two hours later we emerged on the other side of the blockade. Getting back on the highway was a difficult task. I thought the bus was about to tip and the woman next to us started praying to God that we would make it. Thanks to the driver we did. Once back on the road we were again cruising along at 60 miles per hour past a mile long line of buses and trucks that were held up in the other direction. I drifted back to sleep for a few hours.

When I woke up it was daylight and we were heading along at a good clip. During the day we stopped in small dusty towns such as Uyuni, Tupiza, and a few more. At one point the coca leaves were unloaded and Em got some pictures to remember the trip. At about 5:00pm we pulled into Villazón where there were swarms of people waiting for us outside trying to sell bus tickets.

We picked a kid that looked honest that said he could get us tickets to Salto or to Buenos Aires. Although a commission was involved we decided to pay it. In return not only did we get tickets to Buenos Aires but Victor helped us find an ATM, get the bus tickets, and find a hotel with hot showers and a restaurant where we could stay for a few hours before our bus left at midnight.

Once we were in the hotel I found a phone across the street and called Nacho. I told him that we were in La Quiaca and would be in Buenos Aires by Friday morning. From there we could catch a bus to Mar de Plata or Miramar.

After showering and putting on some clean clothes (our backpacks by the way were absolutely covered with dust after the ride through Bolivia) we headed to the restaurant to eat. It was about 7:50pm and I asked if there was a special. There was for a good price, but the waiter told us that we couldn’t get it until 8:30. I was hungry so I asked him to bring a menu so we could get something else. “No,” he replied “the kitchen isn’t open until 8:30. You have to wait that long to get any food” They eat late here apparently. I ordered a large Quilmes to hold me over for 40 minutes.

At midnight we were on the bus to Buenos Aires which was a considerable upgrade from our last bus in Bolivia. You can almost lie down in the seats. Good thing as we will be on this bus for the next 30 hours!

We were stopped at the immigration offices a few minutes outside of town. The head guy was cocky 25-year-old kid who was literally smoking and chewing gum at the same time while he interrogated the Bolivians on the bus heading into Argentina. The guy seemed worse than immigration officials in the U.S. Even if the person had their papers all in order, the guy would make him show his hands, looking for calluses, and then bring him into a back room for further questioning. When he saw our U.S. passports he used it as an opportunity to show off his English. “Go to the bus” was all he said. Forty-five minutes later everyone was aboard and we were heading south.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:08 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 15, 2005

Touring La Paz

With more time than we expected in la Paz we used the day to catch up on email and tour the city. La Paz is like any other busy capital except that here it is extremely common to see women in traditional Andean clothing walking down the sidewalk in the business district next to people in suits.

Once again, we ran into Tilman and Iris, the German couple that we originally met a in Machu Picchu, and then saw again at our hotel in Copacabana. They were in the same predicament as us, as they had tickets on the train that had been cancelled. We all walked around the city for a bit before they headed back to their hotel. Em and I explored some local markets where she bought a new scarf and down the street we ate at a small local restaurant.. The prices here are incredible cheap.

At 7:30 we had made it to the bus station and waited outside for about 40 bags of coca leaves to be loaded onto the roof of the bus. I asked Maria, who had stayed with us to make sure we got on the right bus, where all the coca leaves were headed.

“Argentina,” she replied.

“What happens to them there?” I asked. “That is the problem” she stated as she shrugged her shoulders. Truthfully, I though, the problem is that the U.S. is waging a ludicrous billion dollar war on this tiny plant. The results are that we drive the price of coca higher and higher creating more incentives for people in the countryside to produce it. The other consequence is that it drives people like Evo Morales right into power.

At 8:30 the crowded bus finally departed and I was soon asleep after listening to a few economics lectures on my MP3 player.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:04 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 14, 2005

Train Route Blocked

After breakfast at a good café I tried for the 3rd time to get a hold of the lady who was supposed to drop off our train tickets at the hotel. I just kept getting a message machine and it was just a computerized voice that was telling me to leave a message at the beep. It really didn’t sound like a travel agency.

Em and I walked to where the office was supposedly located but it didn’t exist and the security guard out-front had never heard of the place. I headed into an internet café and found another address a few blocks away, but when I arrived at the location I found another deserted building.

At this point I was getting nervous so I tracked down the number of the agent in Copacabana who had been extremely helpful. He assured me it was fine and we would have our tickets soon. I hoped so.

When I finally did get a hold of the lady she told me there were some complications with a new blockade that had been set up in the south. She said that she would meet us at our hotel at six o’clock and would either have the tickets for us or could refund our money and give us other options.

With time to kill we went and saw Zorro II. It was fun seeing a movie in a place other than a bus for the first time since Mexico. After the movie we headed back to the hotel and met with the travel agent Maria. It turns out that the train has been cancelled as people are blocking the tracks. I found out that they are protesting due to redistricting where the group lost a representative in their Congress. They say they won’t let traffic through until they get a representative back. Either way it didn’t look like it would be resolved soon. This sounded like a method of protesting that happens frequently in Bolivia.

Maria explained that there are two buses that leave tomorrow that can get us to the border. One leaves at one in the afternoon, while the other leaves at seven o’clock at night. She said we had a better chance at getting through with the later bus, something I didn’t fully understand, but at this point we are running out of options and she assured me it was safe. Tomorrow she said she would meet us at six at the hotel and personally take us to the bus station. Sounded like a plan as our friend Nacho’s parents anniversary in Miramar, Argentina is fast approaching.

Posted by Peter Mork at 2:02 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 13, 2005

La Paz

This afternoon the travel agent that we bought the both the train and bus tickets from showed up at the hotel to make sure that we made it to the bus. On the way down he let us know that they were out of the “Salon” seats on the train so they had upgraded us to “Executivo” free of charge. Looks like we will be traveling fist class on the train.

The best part of the bus ride was when we crossed part of the Lake Titicaca. All of the passengers had to exit the bus and jump on a boat to cross to the other side of the lake. As for the bus which still had all our packs on it, it too boarded a rickety long wooden boat and made it across the waterway. The photos are going to do it more justice than my descriptions.

You get a great view of the city driving into La Paz. Although the city is the highest capital in the world, it is actually located in a valley and is surrounded by steep mountain peaks. Once we were dropped off at the bus station we bought tickets for Oruro where the train will be departing. It is about a 3 hour ride and the tickets were about $3.

We found a decent hotel right off Plaza San Pedro. On the way to the hotel we shared a taxi with a woman whose bus had to return to La Paz after being held up at a road block. They had paid a guy to get them around the blockade but a tire on the bus went flat. They tried to make it through on foot to where another bus was going to pick them up but for some reason eventually had to take a bus back to La Paz. She said when they passed the bus they were originally on, they saw that someone had shattered the windows with rocks in retaliation for trying to get past.

The hotel was located right off a nice plaza but it wasn’t until we had checked into our rooms that we realized that the famous San Pedro prison was also located on the plaza about 100 yards from our hotel. According to the guidebook it used to be the most “bizarre tourist attraction on earth” as inmates gave tours of the place for small fees in order to make money to eat. That came to an end after prison riots a year or two back. The owner of the hotel confirmed the stories and warned us not to try to bribe our way in… something we weren’t planning on doing anyways.

After dinner we were entertained by a Bolivian reality TV show called “Prohibido Mentir” (i.e. You Can’t Lie). This was no “Fear Factor”, it featured a candidate for the presidency for the upcoming December elections along with his VP. I thought they were going to strap them in and make them take a lie detector test, but in truth it was just a series of “tough” questions as they stared at themselves in a mirror and suspenseful music played in the background. A sample question: What kind of man do you see in the mirror? A capitalist?

When they began to ask both candidates about their current salaries, the tension in the room started to increase. The vice-presidential candidate was ready for it though and proudly proclaimed that while he did make good money as a doctor, he did not own anything. The host pressed him and asked if he owned a home. Nope, he rented it from a brother-in-law. A car? No again. He borrowed one from another family member. Karl Marx would be proud.

Shockingly, this political party is to the right of front-runner Evo Morales’ Movemiento al Socialismo. All of the three major candidates are running on platforms that flirt with nationalizing the natural gas industry. This television show and its antics might all be funny if one of these guys wasn’t about to take the reins of a major country. I guess we’ll see what happens come December. (Update 1/3/06: Evo Morales won with over 50% of the vote giving him an outright majority in his new government.)

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:58 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 12, 2005

Exploring the Town

Today we started the day switching rooms at the hotel as it the great room we were in had been booked for Saturday night. They put us in another room in the main building. While not the suite it still worked out great.

In town we bought train tickets from a local travel agent to get from La Paz to Villazon, in essence the border with Argentina. We had heard from the German couple we had met that that there was a road blockade at the border but he told us that it had been resolved. As of now we’re leaving at on the 3:30pm train from Oruro, a town a few hours south east of La Paz.

In the afternoon, alongside Bolivians of all ages, we hiked up the mountain behind our hotel to a monument. It was another somewhat strenuous hike but we were rewarded with some more fabulous views of the lake. Interestingly, also at the top there were several people selling plastic houses and cars. I thought they were toys for kids but later in the night we would find out from the same German couple. They walked up right at dusk and when they reached the top people were blowing up the plastic houses and toys with fireworks. Supposedly, it was some sort of religious ceremony that was supposed to bring good luck (i.e. blow up a plastic house and it would help you get a real one).

After dinner we called it a night. Tomorrow it is off to La Paz.

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November 11, 2005

Recovering in Copacabana

Today was a laid back day. We basically just enjoyed our nice hotel room with the view and explored the town a bit.

This morning I called home to let my mom know that we had made it to Bolivia. It was hilarious. As soon as I got in the phone booth I was joined by about seven five-year-olds. They stayed for the whole conversation and talked to each other about how the phone worked.

Back at the room we caught up on some writing. With all the traveling we have really fallen behind. Being sick doesn’t help either. Tonight for dinner we had fondue at the restaurant at the hotel. There was lots of food and only $10 for both of us. You can’t beat that. At dinner we also ran into the same German couple, Tilman and Iris, that we had hiked Huachu Picchu with. It seems like a lot of tourists are following same route through Peru and Bolivia, and everyone has their Lonely Planet.

The power went out as there was a huge lightning storm as we were going to bed. We stayed up for a bit with candles but eventually just called it a night as we watched lightening bolts strike all over the lake from our bed.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:48 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 10, 2005

A Long Ride Into Bolivia

We woke up as the bus was arriving in Puno. Soon we were off the bus and the agent was desperately trying to find us another bus to get us to Copacabana, Bolivia. After an hour or so she found one and we had our tickets in hand.

We reached the border at about 9:00 and it was easy enough. Border crossings are getting easier and easier. There were quite a few tourists who you could tell it was their first time. When we were getting our Bolivian stamps several people had to walk back into Peru to get an exit stamp because they didn’t know they needed one. Also, a girl with both a British and Australian passport had a fit because the immigration officer made her fill out a new form because she used her Australian passport but had put her nationality as British on all her original form. It didn’t seem like an outlandish request to me but she wasn’t happy.

It was only another 8km to Copacobana where we will be staying for at least the next 2 days. We picked out the best hotel in the Lonely Planet guide under the “Splurge!” section. We need it. I’ve also had a stomach virus for the last few days and I need some R&R time.

We walked up to the Cupula Hotel which sat at the base of a hill overlooking gigantic Lake Titicaca. It turned out the only room they had left was the honeymoon suite. When I asked how much it was the guy seemed embarrassed when he said it would be $32 a night. I understood why. On our way up to the hotel there were guys offering rooms for $5 a night. We said we wanted to take a look at it and decide. Behind us another couple had just arrived with backpacks and it was obvious they were going to take it if we turned it down.

Once we walked into the room we were was sold. The owner of the place happened to be there and he showed us around. Take a look at some of the pictures of the place on our photo page. There are huge stained glass windows looking directly out towards the lake. We also have a few hammocks and a table right outside. For $32 a night you couldn’t get a Motel 6 in the U.S. and looking at it like that we both decided it was a great deal.

He left the key and I headed out to a hammock to test it out. We are at such high elevation in Bolivia´s altiplano

We had dinner at the hotel tonight. It was the first thing I had eaten in 24 hours. Hopefully, I’ll start feeling better soon. After dinner we retired to our room and got a good night’s sleep.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:44 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 9, 2005

Machu Picchu

We woke up a little before 5:00am and were shortly downstairs where the owners of the hostel had breakfast ready to go. We checked out but they let us store our bags in a backroom as our train did not leave until 5:00 in the evening.

We arrived at the bus stop at about 5:20 but there was already a huge line. At 5:30 they started filling up the buses and we made it on the 3rd one which left at 5:45. The ride took about 30 minutes and is spectacular in and of itself. The bus climbs switch back roads higher and higher into the mountain range of towering peaks. As we made our way up I commented to Em that the hikers must hate all the people like us that take the easy way out with the train and then the bus up to the site. The hikers arrive at Machu Picchu exhausted after 4 days of hiking only to find the place full of tourists who had a good night sleep and a morning coffee and still beat them to Machu Picchu.

Once there we headed directly up to the area of the ruins where you can take the classic photo overlooking the site. One retired couple got there the same time as we did, and there was another young couple sitting on a rock taking in the view, but for the most part we had the place to ourselves. The fog was rolling in and out below us. It was amazing.

Next we headed higher up and realized there were llamas roaming the site too. Em got some pictures of them and some more of the view. For the next few hours we continued to explore the site as more and more people began to arrive. Machu Picchu is hands down the most impressive ruins I have visited yet. I encourage everyone to head over and to take a look at the pictures, although as good as they are, they are not going to do it justice.

At about 10:00 we decided to hike up Huachu Picchu, one of the peaks that sits directly behind Machu Picchu. It was a strenuous hike that took about an hour but it was well worth it. Atop the peak there were workers restoring more ruins. One of them, who was a pretty rotund guy, bragged that he made it up every morning in 20 minutes. “You’re in better shape than I am” I conceded.

Once we made it to the summit we sat there for about an hour and just watch massive clouds pass one-by-one over Machu Picchu below. It was well worth the hike. We finally made our way back down. Passing people on their way up I felt like saying “I don’t envy the hike your about to do”. I couldn’t believe how many steps we had climbed.

When we left the site to catch a bus back to Aguascalientes, it was pouring rain, the lines were long, and there were mobs of people flowing in. We definitely made the right choice getting here early.

Back in town we grabbed some lunch and sent off some postcards before we were back on the train heading towards Cuzco. The train, though, didn’t get into Cuzco until 9:45. We had to be on a bus to Bolivia at 10:00pm so it was just cutting it too close.

Instead we exited the train in Ollatantambo, the small town where we caught the train on the way up and grabbed a taxi back to Cuzco to cut more than an hour off the journey. Out driver was actually a elementary school teacher, but tried to look for passengers after classes to make some extra cash.

We arrived at the bus station and got 2 of the 6 remaining seats on the bus. We had dinner in the bus station at a small place run by a woman with four kids. They were ages 4, 7, 9, and 14 and all kept us entertained during dinner. We started a family feud between the two middle children as after the meal we left a banana we had from earlier in the day that we were not going to eat. The 7-year-old girl and her 9-year-old brother both dove for it and started wrestling over it before mom jumped in and said that everyone would share it tomorrow for breakfast.

When we were back in the terminal we were informed that our bus would be delayed for 30 minutes to an hour because of some mechanical problems. Another 20 minutes passed and we found out that it had actually been canceled. The agents were scrambling to try to find another bus as other passengers were getting frantic. One guy had a flight from La Paz the next day and the options they were giving us didn’t give him much hope of making it.

In the end, instead of a sleeper bus leaving at 10:00, everyone crammed into a regular bus that departed for Puno (a town near the border) at midnight. It was really hard getting some sleep on the bus but at least we had seats. The isle was packed with people who were not as fortunate as us.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:40 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 8, 2005

Where there’s a Market… There’s a Way

The bus was supposed to get into Cuzco at 5:00am, which we hopped would give us enough time to possibly get tickets for one of the trains to Aguascalients, the nearest town to Machu Picchu. It turns out we were an hour late. When we were getting off the bus we could hear the first train leaving so I knew it was going to be hopeless to catch the last train at 6:30am. Our book made clear that tickets were not sold at the station, but on the other side of town, so it just didn’t leave us enough time. It also said to get the tickets as far in advance as possible as the train normally sold out.

I’d lost hope until I started talking with a taxi driver outside the station. We could be in Aguascalientes before 11:00am if we trusted him, he said. According to him we could take a collective to a town about 1.5 hours away and then jump on the train there. He was sure there would be seats. He said he could take us for 40 soles but it would be a better deal to take a collectivo which would cost 10. When we arrived at the location the collectivos were departing he even helped us negotiate the price.

Soon we were making our way through the Andes with 6 other Peruvians packed into a small car. I talked about Fujimori’s (a former president of Peru with a questionable legacy) recent arrest with the other passengers. I wanted to know why the guy just didn’t stay in Japan where he was in exile. I mean, didn’t he know he would be arrested? He knew, they assured me, and they said there was no doubt that Fujimori was the person who made sure all the media was there when he got off the plane in Chile. It was simply a publicity stunt as rumor has it he plans to run again in the upcoming presidential election.

One of the passengers was on his way to be a porter for tourists walking the 4-day Inca Trail. I asked him the weight limit for the tourist bags he had to carry. It was 20 kilos. That is the same weight as my backpack which is pretty damn heavy. We talked more about Peru and his job until we dropped him off a plaza where a group of other porters were waiting. He also worked in the main office and had to talk with them first about a new insurance policy the company had purchased before they all were off to meet the hikers.

We arrived at the train station right before a huge group got there. Everyone was cutting in line but the woman yelling at people in front of us and Em’s evil glares made sure we stayed up near the front. Before long we had tickets to Aguascalientes and a return trip tomorrow. We jumped on the train at 9:05am and were in Aguascalientes before 11:00am, just like the original taxi driver had assured us.

We checked into the another nice hostel that was right by the town’s river. We are splurging a bit on accommodations of late, but after all this traveling I feel we need it. Once we got settled we headed to the hot springs in the town. They were located right up the river from our hotel and were similar to the ones in Baños, but less crowded.

Next we grabbed some food in town, changed some travelers checks (there are no ATMs in town), and caught up on some email.

Tonight we took it easy and got to bed somewhat early as tomorrow we have to catch the 5:30am bus to Machu Picchu.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:36 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 7, 2005

Andean Condors... and then off to Cuzco

We’re really going non-stop but hanging in there better than I would have expected. This morning we were up early and by 6:30 were on a bus to go see Andean condors at the Cruz del Condor overlooking the Cañon del Colca. Luckily, they were flying today and we got some picture and video of them. They are the largest birds of prey in the world with wingspans of up to11 feet, so it was something special to see them up-close. Even without the condors, the site where they nest is spectacular in and of itself. The viewing platforms are right on the edge of a canyon that drops off thousands of feet to a river below. We stayed at the site for about 2 hours and then caught a bus heading towards Chivay.

We told the bus operator selling tickets that we wanted to get off at one of the small towns to get a feel for the area. He said if we would like they could drop us off in Yanque, about 20 minutes outside of Chivay. His bus was departing from Chivay to Arequipa at 12:30 so we could buy tickets with him now then catch a colectivo back to Chivay after exploring the town for a few hours. Better yet, he would keep our big bags in the bus so we wouldn’t have to haul them around in the small town. It worked for us so we got off in Yanque a little after 10:00.

Exploring the Andean highland town was interesting. There was a large church that we toured off the main plaza that was being refurbished by several workers who showed us around. Outside, we walked to the outskirts, which turned into fields of various crops. A good deal of the crops growing were small plants with leafs identical to the coca leaves I’d had the night before in my tea after dinner. It is really amazing how much wasted U.S. taxpayer dollars goes into destroying that plant.

In one of the fields we stopped and talked with a young man who was helping his mother take his grandparents cattle and donkeys out area to get them water. They were actually his grandparents animals but they were now too old to care for them alone so the rest of the family helped. The field was not theirs but they rented it from someone else in the town for grazing the animals, as did others who had livestock.

He was nervous speaking to us at first, he explained, as Spanish was not his first language which was Quechua. We were obviously in the same boat so there was nothing for him to worry about. We took a photo together and then said goodbye as we were about to head back into town. We realized he was having a harder time than us saying farewell as he said things like “Well, maybe I’ll see you later on this evening in town if you decide to come back” and when we said that no, unfortunately we were heading to Arequipa but maybe one day we would travel back to Peru, maybe with kids, and see him then. Or possibly one he would travel to the states and look see us there. “Well, we’ll see each other then…” not wanting the encounter to come to an end. Living in this small town in the Andes I’m sure he was not used to people coming in and out of his life.

We realized that we are getting so used to meeting great people that we might never see again in our lives. It was a much sadder feeling at the beginning of the trip but of late we are getting more and more numb to it. It helps that we hand out our card to so many people that has our email, website, phone number, and address in the U.S. Hopefully we will keep in contact with as many people as possible, but time will tell.

We caught a collective back to Chivay and then were on the bus back to Arequipa. Once again we made our way over the steep Andean passes surrounded by vicuña, llama and alpaca, but luckily this time nobody fainted.

Once back in Arequipa we had dinner at another restaurant overlooking the plaza and by 8:00 we were on yet another overnight bus on our way to Cuzco. If all goes according to plan we should arrive at 5:00am, which will give us enough time to catch the 6:00am train to Machu Picchu.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:32 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 6, 2005

Arequipa to Cabanabonde via Cañon del Colca

Despite the fact we spent so much time on buses today we actually got to see a good deal.
We arrived in Arequipa about 7:00 am and after buying our tickets for the 11:45 bus to Cabanaconde, we headed into town to have some breakfast. After eating we had a few hours to explore the small town, which I realized is actually the home town of Mario Vargas Llosa. At 11:30 we were back at the bus station and shortly traveling once again.

The scenery on the 7 hour journey to Cabanaconde was spectacular. One of the highlights was that we got to see vicuñas for the first time. At one point we were so high up crossing some of the Andean peaks that a Belgian woman on the bus fainted from altitude.

Passing through the various small mountain towns also got me thinking about how this area was most likely affected by the Shining Path in the not so distant past. If anyone is interested, I’d recommend Mario Vargas Llosa’s Death in the Andes for an interesting perspective of the Path’s dark history in Peru.

Most of the small towns we passed were especially unique due to the Incan terraced farming techniques that cut into the steep hillsides. Em actually got some great pictures of the scenery as we would momentarily stop to pick up new passengers. Also impressive was the steep drop-offs into the canyon as the bus ascended into the Andes.

Finally, as it was getting dark, we entered tiny Cabanaconde and 10 minutes later we had checked into a nice hostel. We had dinner off the main square at a small restaurant with only one set menu. Luckily it was delicious. We are both feeling the altitude but as of yet no signs of altitude sickness. Hopefully, if we keep avoiding the alcohol and taking things easy like the book recommends we’ll be okay.

Tomorrow we’ll be up early to see the condors. They better show up after all this traveling. Oh... and one more thing. Our laptop screen cracked on the bumpy bus ride up here. It's still usable but it doesn't look good.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:29 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 5, 2005

Change of plans

After breakfast and paying for another night at the hotel we decided to map out exactly what our schedule was for the next two weeks. We need to be in Miramar, Argentina by Nov 18th which doesn’t leave us much time for Peru and Bolivia.

Once we put it all on paper we decided we needed to leave today. Em, who worked in the Genetics division of the San Diego Zoo’s Conservation and Research for Endangered Species, wants to see the Andean condors located in the south of Peru. One of the major projects she participated in at CRES dealt with saving the California condor, a close relative, so it should be fun to see one in the wild.

Our first stop will be Arequipa then onto Cabanaconde where the condors are located. So quickly, we had to inform the hotel owner we would be leaving and took a taxi downtown to buy the bus tickets.

After getting the bus tickets we headed to Lima´s historical center as we had a few hours to spare. As soon as we sat down on the steps outside the main cathedral a guy tried to steal Em’s bag. Luckily he grabbed it as I was looking directly at him and all I had to do was yell to stop him cold in his tracks. He handed the bag back and scurried off as a security guard from the church came over to make sure everything was alright.

After that little adventure we toured the cathedral which housed the remains of Francisco Pizara. I had just read all about him, the Incas, and Cajamarca in the book Guns, Germs, and Steel so it gave this historical sight a bit more perspective. Next, we continued to walk around for the city center for a few hours, this time with our bags constantly closely guarded. It looks like a beautiful city, it is unfortunate that we have so little time here and have to move on so quickly.

On the taxi ride back to the hotel and then to the bus station we had a lively but friendly discussion about U.S. and Peruvian politics with the driver. Our back and forth over free-trade, the Summit of the Americas, and the FTA was particularly interesting. I’ll hopefully get into more detail about the subject in an essay but it is suffice to say here that while he agreed with me with regards to the moral arguments of free-trade, he was not convinced that it would benefit Peru.

At 5:30 we were on the bus and on our way to Arequipa. The bus ride was something to behold. One of the highlights was that they had everyone on the bus play bingo and the winner gets a free return ticket. The guy that won even had to give a speech. Hilarious. Hopefully the buses we are on tomorrow will be just as entertaining.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:27 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 4, 2005

Into Peru

We woke up on the bus and a few hours later had arrived in Lima. Once we had our bags we said goodbye to the various people we had met during the journey and were soon in a taxi on our way to Miraflores.

We found a nice hostel that was near the cliffs right by the sea. As Em got ready I set out to get our clothes washed and get some money out of the bank. A few blocks from the hostel I found a bank. Oddly, only dollars come out of the ATMs and there are two or three money changers waiting to exchange the dollars for sols outside. It was easy enough but I don’t understand why the bank doesn’t just give you soles. When I asked the money changer for an explanation he replied “That’s just the way it is.” I guess I’ll look into it later.

I briefly checked email after I dropped off the laundry. It is going to take me a while to catch up on everything I received. Dora Ampuero cc’d me on a list of contacts throughout South America she had introduced Emily and I to. It looks like they are going to work out great.

Needing to stretch our legs after the long bus ride we decided to take a walk along the cliffs towards the center of Miraflores. It really is a beautiful part of city. Everyone was incredibly friendly. Multiple people stopped us to chat and give us advice about Lima. One guy we met said we couldn’t leave the city without trying the cibiche (it’s spelled with a ‘b’ in Peru). He pointed us to a good cebicheria where Em and I got a good early meal.

We walked around town a bit more afterwards and headed into a book store where I bought another Mario Vargas Llosa book. This one was not a novel but instead his diaries from a 12-day visit to Iraq in 2003. It should be interesting.

Tonight for dinner we ended up at a place that was fancier than we expected. Outside, we realized it was a higher end steakhouse, but once we were in we realized that almost everyone was in suit and ties (we were still in the clothes we had worn on the bus…the water was out at the lavanderia and so our clothes wont be ready until tomorrow).

The food was great though and they didn’t seem to care too much about our scraggly appearance. On the way out they even gave us a complementary ash tray from the place as a souvenir. I don’t know if I’ll ever use it but I loved the gesture.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:23 PM | Comments | TrackBack

November 3, 2005

Back from Galapagos

When we arrived at the hostel yesterday we were lucky enough to get the last room they had available. As we were checking in another couple came to the door but the owner told them they were booked. It was odd though, the whole place seemed empty.

When we returned to the hostel after dinner there were about 20 kids in the lobby, some finishing up dinner. We learned that besides us, there were two soccer teams from Quito sharing the place. Talking to one of the players this morning we learned that one is a team of 9 year olds, while the other is a team of 14 year-olds. Today the 14 year-olds are playing for the national championship for their age division. I actually remembered seeing something about it in the sports section of the paper yesterday. We got a picture of David, one of the players we met, holding up a picture of the sports section of the paper that announced they were in the finals right before we left the hotel and he headed off to his game.

We arrived at the bus station early to make sure we could get a seat on the overnight bus to Lima. Yesterday when we came to the office it was closed due to the holiday. Luckily we were able to get seats and at 11:30 were on our way to Lima on the top story of a double-decker bus.

The rest of the day that is where we were. We got advice about Lima from the lady next to us who was lived in Miraflores. We also talked judo with a 9 year old Pedro and his mom. They were from Guayaquil and heading down to Lima for the International Judo Championships. Sounded like fun. There was also a nice couple from England on the ride who were also doing the round the world with backpacks for a year. They were just a month into their journey as their first stop was South America.

Crossing the border was relatively easy. Customs in Lima took quite a while but in the waiting room they had the movie Blood Sport on TV which made it go quick. Before long we were asleep in our recliner bus seats, ready to explore yet another country.

Posted by Peter Mork at 1:19 PM | Comments | TrackBack