I See Dead People!

Is this my new life? Here is a typical Day:

1. Wake up and worship
2. Bike to class by 8AM
3. Go to lab
4. Eat lunch and maybe do some errands and study for an hour
5. Go to class
6. Go to lab until 5PM
7. Exercise for an hour
8. Eat supper
9. Study until 11PM

Fascinating. I've never had so little time for myself in my life ever. Yea for gradschool (except this year we are still considered undergrad. I may be collecting another bachelor's degree at the end of the year...that'll make three!)! If I want to do anything outside of the mile, maybe two mile radius of Loma Linda, it has to be done on the weekend. Any hanging out with friends or talking to family and friends back home has reallly only been possible on the weekends. It kind of sucks.

Like they say, however, if one studies hard, he or she must play hard. Last weekend I went kayak surfing at Pipes near San Diego. This weekend we plan on climbing. After that it's Yosemite. Without all of those little trips to look forward to, I don't think I could survive.

On a different subject, tonight Olivia and I were in lab until 11:10PM. We were literally the last people in the building and had to walk in the dark to her locker passing through two cubicles with ten dead people in each one. The cadavers have never really freaked me out until then. As we were passing by all of them, I mentioned that were were sort of like in a cementery. I usually have such a different feeling then one would have thinking about the situation in those terms. In fact normally my fellow students and the TA's are almost shoving our heads in the cadaver's disected armpits looking for inferior thyroid arteries and the like. I often forget how what we are doing is so extraordinary.

Yo-se-mite

California is the land of amazing rocks and Olivia and I wanted to take advantage of them.  We also had friends working in Wawona at a summer camp and wanted to visit them.  Unfortunately it takes five or six hours of driving to get to the park.  We didn't get in until late, but at least we didn't have to pay a park fee.  We visited my friends Cliff and Matt then explored the land.  We didn't have any climbing gear and not enough time to hike Half Dome, so we just bouldered around Camp 4, ate Half Dome sandwiches, watched the hoards of people taking photos of squirrels, strolled a trail near Glacier Point, and then decided to just relax and enjoy our surroundings until after the park closed and we could get out for free.  We saved a bit of money, but unfortunately I got my worst grade for my test this week in Gross Anatomy.  I guess we should have left earlier and just paid the money.

To California, the Aspen Way

The Final Itinerary

South America Summer 2007
Saturday, May 5: Leave for Bs. As.
Sunday, May 6: Arrive in Buenos Aires: hostel, Feria de Mataderos, Martin’s house
Monday, May 7: Buenos Aires: shop, flights,, St. Nicholas hostel
Tuesday, May 8: Fly to Lima, Peru; Miraflores visa, banks, sandwiches with Argentines
Wednesday, May 9: Fly to Iquitos
Thursday, May 10: Iquitos: stilt village of Belen
Friday, May 11: Iquitos: boat up Amazon, Bora village, serpatarium, camping
Saturday, May 12: Iquitos: pink dolphins, pirana fishing, canoe, pizza, Plaza Videlo
Sunday, May 13: Fly to Lima; Cuzco, churches, Indian food
Monday, May 14: Cuzco: Sacred Valley
Tuesday, May 15: travel to Aguas Calientes, ruins
Wednesday, May 16: Machu Pichu; bus to Arequipa
Thursday, May 17: Chivay Hot Springs
Friday, May 18: Colca Canyon and Condors; Arequipa: El Turko
Saturday,May 19: Arequipa: Juanita, Plaza de Armas, Convento
Sunday, May 20: Nazca Lines, Sandboarding and dune buggy in Huacachina
Monday, May 21: Islas Ballestas, Fly to Sau Paulo
Tuesday, May 22: Salvador: museum, watched capoeira, mass, samba, bruschetta, salsa
Wednesday, May 23: Salvador: hostel breakfast, churches, samba, capoeira and samba lessons, candomble, El Turko lady
Thursday, May 24: Rio de Janeiro: Toured with family, Walter’s birthday pizza party
Friday, May 25: Rio de Janeiro: climbed Pan de Azucar
Saturday, May 26: Fly to Buenos Aires, Tigre marsh tour
Sunday, May 27: San Telmo Fair; Boca Game; Bus to Mercedes
Monday, May 28: Esteros de Ibera
Tuesday, May 29: Esteros de Ibera; bus to Corrientes
Wednesday, May 30: Corrientes and Resistencia; bus to Tucuman
Thursday, May 31: Tucuman, Cafayate
Friday, June 1: Cachi
Saturday, June 2: Salta, fly to Buenos Aires
Sunday, June 3: Buenos Aires Fairs: Boca, San Telmo, Puerto de Frutos in Tigre
Monday, June 4: Montevideo, Uruguay
Tuesday, June 5: Buenos Aires

One more day

I believe we were supposed to leave for the U.S. on Tuesday , but after two hours of waiting in Ezeiza Airport we were told that our flight was cancelled due to mechanical problems. There is only one 9PMish flight a day to Atlanta, so the airlines was forced to put up my father, everyone else on our plane, and me in a hotel. For the second time of this trip I was living the high life. My dad and I had separate rooms each with huge cushy beds. We also got a multiple course meal for supper and breakfast. We ate the former even though it was around 11PM or later when we were in our hotels and ready to eat it.

Although it was cool to stay in a nice hotel, in my mind I was prepared to go home. Therefore it was sort of jolting when it did not happen. I eased the pain the next day by doing something I had been pondering the entire trip: getting an Argentine hair cut. I asked the receptionist of the swanky hotel what places she suggested. She gave me an array of choices known from doing really zany haircuts to semi-zany haircuts. I chose a semi-zany one called Cerini. The place was awesome! I have never been in such a high quality salon, nor one so inexpensive. I was going to just get my hair done but ended up getting a pedicure (Oh, the poor, poor nail lady. After traveling a month, climbing, etc. my nails were disgusting!) and my eyebrows waxed as well. In between I would go to my father who was sitting in the waiting area and ask him if it was okay if I took the time to do each thing. He said he was fascinated watching the hubub of the salon and told me to continue. Finally I got my hair done by one of the all male hair dressers in the place (weird, huh?), Tomas. I told him I wanted the typical Argentine haircut (a.k.a. "modern mullet"), but toned down. I was still scared, but he did a fantastic job. Yea for delayed planes!

Across the Pond to Uruguay

Looking back from 2012:
I remember fellow language students telling me that Montevideo is just a smaller version of Buenos Aires, so I never really took the time to check it out.  On this visit, my dad and I had time, and I found a deal, I think with the Buquebus company, to ride the boat and have a tour of the city.

I remember getting up super early and watching the sunrise on the Rio de la Plata as we made our way over to the country across the water.  We had a few minutes to look around the city square, then took a bus ride for the tour passing and stopping at various monuments and an overlook of the city. The most memorable statue for me was that of native people in a cage.  Apparently during the time of eugenic studies, the Uruguayans actually locked up native people and I think killed or drove many native peoples out of their country to make their country more "progressive."  Quite sick.

Also, gross, but not at all in the same realm was that our tour ended with a trip to the mall.  It kind of made me think that maybe there really isn't that much to do in Montevideo (I'm sure my Uruguayan friends would say otherwise.  Next time I go, I need to go with you!).  I'm not a big shopper, especially in malls, but I was stoked that there was a Zara.  I actually still wear all of the clothes I bought on that trip.

Friendly Banter in Buenos Aires

Holy frijoles. I have been scaredly walking along the dark streets of Buenos Aires for endless blocks in order to get to an internet place on LaValle street. I don´t know why I did not ask our amazing hotel personel where the closest internet place was sooner. I´m sitting at one of the nicest internet places I´ve been to in Bs. As. with one of the normalest keyboards and it´s a mere block away from my hotel. Hello, I´m an idiot!


Speaking of our hotel personel, here´s a funny story: Saturday night I call from a locutorio (phone place where one gets a phone booth and pays a person in the front after making said phone calls) in the Salta airport to make a hotel reservation for that same night. Evening hotel guy answers and tells me, ¨No, no hay nada (No, nothing is available).¨ I increduosly respond, ¨¿En serio? (seriously?)¨ Then he says (continuing in Spanish), ¨No, Lorelei. Of course, there is room.¨ The fella recognized my voice! (umm...or clumsy Spanish?? Ojala que no). Suddenly the phone cuts off. I call the hotel again and say, ¨I don´t know what happened.¨ And he tells me, ¨I was joking around.¨ The fella hung up on me!


Well, in a strange way I was kind of touched because apparently our relationship is comfortable enough that he can hang up on me (?). I walked away from the locutorio chuckling in disbelief.


When we got to the hotel later that night, hotel evening guy had my key and remote control in hand to give to me. I just took them, gave him a look, and said, ¨¡Que malo que sos!¨ Ja, ja.


Today my father and I did a day tour in Montevideo, Uruguay (again, basically for the passport stamp...kidding, only kidding). On the way back, we bought some duty free chocolate on our Buquebus ship for the hotel workers. They really have helped us tons throughout the years. Anyhoo, when my dad and I got back to the hotel, I asked the hotel evening guy if his night was going well, and he said yes. Then I said it was going to get better. He responded, ¨Why? Are you guy´s leaving?¨ Horrible, horrible, horrible!


Then he and the other workers started gloating because Boca lost to some other Bs. As. futbol team. Last Sunday my father and I had come back from the Boca game covered in Boca beanies and scarves, and the hotel evening guy and the other personel had yelped in pain; they are all for River Plate, Boca´s arch rival.


Unfortunately hotel evening guy and I´s rivalry will have to put on pause because tomorrow my father and I return to the US. But, no fear, the games begin again next December.

Back to Bueni

Looking back from 2012:
I think it about killed my dad that when we walked through the flea market at Tigre it was Sabbath and he couldn't go shopping.  The man loves to shop.  So later in our travels, I remember returning so he could get his fix.  We also did some damage in Boca and San Telmo.  San Telmo, in my opinion, is the most fun shopping of anywhere in Buenos Aires because it consists of a bunch of booths with mostly handmade stuff, art, and antiques from when Argentina was one of the richest nations in the world.  Mixed among all of that are people dancing tango and performing songs.  It's awesome.

I love the colorful graffiti of Boca

Good Ole Carlos Gardel

Hanging out by the water in Tigre

The boat fruit guy at the Puerto de Frutos.  He let me take like 20 photos of him, and I still never really got a shot I was happy with.

Cachi to Salta

Drunk Condors

The Incans used to throw dead llamas into ravines. Condors would smell the meat and eat until they were so fat that they could not flap their wings. They would have to walk up to the top of a cliff in order to catch the wind, but on the way the Incans would capture them for a Condor fiesta!!

During the fiesta, they would put flowers on the condor´s head, give it alcohol to drink, and pachanga, pachanga, pachanga.

Then chau, the fiesta was over and the poor bird would have to hobble around drunk, then with a hangover, until finally it could regain its normal condorness, forever wondering what in pacha mama´s name happened to them.

Cafayate to Cachi