Peru..........on the road less travelled

December 30, 2010

How many countries can you travel through in 9 month. I just counted the countries we have visited. We are in Peru, the 9th country, in the 9th month of our journey.
When I received this travel plan, back in Mexico last February, I was told, it would be a 9 month journey. I have known all along, that the end of the Ruby Road is at Lake Titicaca. Then we can do, be and go wherever we want. Maybe a new plan will follow.

The road to Balza, the Peruvian border, was unbelievable. A continuous steep climb on a dirt road that got smaller and smaller until it was just a single dirt track to Zumba, where the busline ends. I had met a young Israeli on the bus, together we continued on a pick up truck to the international bridge and entered Peru. Sky just ran accross the border and in to the Customs building, while we had to get several stamps from immigration and police, located in different shacks. There are no bus services from Balza. A little Moto taxi arrived, to take us to the next village 3 km down the road. When Sky heard the taxi, he came out and jumped on. We travelled by auto, with 4 adults and a 6 year old child in the rear seat, 2 passengers in the front and the driver for 4 hours. Sky was in the back and probably the most comfortable. At some town we switched to a Micro bus, thinking it would be better, alas it was not.
Jaen, the first major town, where we spent the night, appeared chaotic with hundreds of moto taxis buzzing through the streets and very few cars. We finally arrived in Chachapoyas after another 5 hour ride in a car with too many occupants.
I loved the country side we had come through, but would probably never again want to endure that much physical discomfort getting somewhere, when there are other options available.
A visit to Kuelap, a pre-Inca citadel, high in the mountains (3000m)let me forget soon, the road less travelled. Karajia and Pueblo Muerte, where whole mountain sides are full of tumbs, mostly unearthed, are amazing places. I spent Winter Solstice walking among our dead ancestors. Most of these sites have little protection, or just a small portion of it is included. It is very common for farmers to find bones, vessels, painted masks while clearing a hillside and keep the goods in their house. It took me a couple of days getting used to the roads in this part of Peru, where they are generally dirt, steep, narrow, far and very curvy. The trails to the sites or hiking anywhere match the roads, leading along steep cliff sides and over rickety foot bridges. Peruvians are manic drivers, who will pass other cars in the dead of a curve, but I got used to it. Gocta, a 771 meter high waterfall (3rd highest in the world)was another highlight near Chachapoyas. There are great treks in the area, but the rainy season started, so I opted to head to the northern coast instead.
I wanted to see the Moche Temples of Las Huacas del Sol y de la Luna, famous for their beautiful polychrome friezes. This time we booked a comfortable overnight bus to Trujillo and arrived rested in Huanchaco, a small beach and surf village.
At first I was not too excited about the coast. There are big waves, undercurrents
and the village is surrounded by dessert, with hardly a plant sticking out.
After a couple of days there, the village started growing on me. It had a really good local feel, the people were very nice and there were relative few tourists.
I decided to stay for the Christmas Holidays.
On Christmas Eve, about 6 pm, a procession arrived in town. Apparently the procession had left a few days ago, carrying the Virgen de Socorro and San Pedro 13 km to Trujillo for the Blessing in the great Cathedral and was now returning back home to their own church. This was not anything I had ever seen before. From the outside it looked more like a carneval parade, with people in costumes, except for the Saints and Virgin being carried. Soon I learned, the first group of dancers were the black mask beings, representing the evil existing in humans. The second group were the demons and devils of the other realm. The demons had these amazing headmasks and very colorful costumes, dancing all the time while making deep growling sounds. They represented the dark spirits on Earth and around humanity. Infront of the Virgin and Saint Pedro, who met up with San Jose in town were a group of girls in angel dresses. All this was accompanied by great fanfare, fireworks, poems, speeches, music and gifts of flowers being presented to the Virgin.
It was amazing to witness the love and devotion of the people to their Virgin, so much beauty, joy and love. I felt half drunk in this flow of hightened energy and continued with everyone else to the church for the midnight mess. After church the families share a sumptuous dinner and exchange gifts. At 2 in the morning you could see lots of kids out in the street playing with their new toys. Christmas day business is as usual, except the beach was packed with families from Trujillo comming for the day.
My next stop was Lima, but when I arrived there, I wondered why I wanted to be in Lima and instead continued on to Ica, to an Oasis nearby, called Huaca China.
That place was great. A very small community of 200 people living around a lagoon, surrounded by huge sand dunes stretching far out into the dessert. Sky and I hiked a few large dunes in the evenings. He especially enjoyed the run down. I also tried out sandboarding. Great fun....!
Nasca and the great Nasca lines are next on our itinerary before turning back inland to Cusco.

Fire...Water....and Ash

December 22, 2010

Not having my own laptop with me anymore makes writing a little more of a challenge.
There are plenty of internet cafes everywhere, but the connections are often soooo slow. Not to mention, when the whole system suddenly shuts down and all is lost.

Amazonia, Ecuador has left a deep impression in my psyche. Every time I close my eyes, I can still smell the Jungle and see the plants and forest in vivid colors.
The thought, that some of these plants can kill you, if touched is mindboggling and leaves me in awe of nature and the amazing synchronisity in which nature is arranged.

Leaving the Jungle behind in a westerly direction, the road climbed slowly back up into the mountains to Banos. A tourist destination, well known, for it´s thermal waters, spas and bungy jumping adventures off high bridges.
I opted out on hurlying myself off a bridge, but enjoyed the soothing hot springs after a strenuous day´s hike, or had a steambath. The Volcan Tungurahua was belching out huge clouds of ash almost hourly. I felt the Earth shake, the first night I spent there and realized in the morning, that this was from the volcanic eruptions. One of the hikes led me up high above Banos to Casa del Arbol,from where I had a clear view of Tungurahua. That day, the volcano seemed to breath very deeply, which sounded like a gas camping stove turned on high. Each time, the earth shook, then large glowing rocks spilled high in the air with the release of ash.
It was a bit unnerving to be so close to the Volcano, yet at the same time fascinating to hear and feel the amazing power of the fire deep within the mountain. All this energy messed with my sleep cycle, that I could only manage to sleep a couple of hours at a time and at the most got 5 to 6 hours of sleep, which lasted for another week after leaving the area behind. While I was there, I was convinced, the Volcano would erupt more seriously within days. I thought it best to be on my way out of there. Later on I heard the news, that Banos indeed had to be evacuated due to pyroclastic gases released 2km down the mountain.
Sky and I had reached the highlands by then turning south to Riobamba and on to Alausi, near the famous Nariz del Diablo. The weather had been changing quickly from nice sunny days to more frequent rain and thick fog. I had to scratch the Devil´s nose. It was just too foggy. The trainline is being repaired and will not operate again until February. The next adventure led to Chunchi and Santa Rosa. Although the fog continued to be thick in the region, I needed to climb up to Punay Hill.
The mountain is covered, but Archiologists have confirmed the existence of 3 pyramidic structures. The shape of the mountain is that of a Guacamaya (Scarlet Macaw). The 3 platforms are frequently used for sacred traditional ceremonies. Until very recent, local farmers have found vases, shards, gold and jewelry, while cutting grass for their animals. Now, the locals are fiercely protective of this mountain and will watch anyone visiting closely, to be sure they have no digging devices with them to unearth ancient goods.
Danita, a local girl, came with me up the mountain. Her parents felt, I should not go alone in the fog. It was a 2hour hard hike up and well worth the pain, but the sun only cleared the clouds partially, for a quick peek of the whole terrain.
I sat down for a meditation, intending to speak with the Ancient Ones. Instead I was given a crown of feathers, that was being adjusted and decorated to my head. In the front it had a gold triangle, covering my forehead. On each side feathers extended reaching to the back, where the largest feathers reached a height of almost a meter above my head. I also was given large gold bracelets for each wrist and something around my knees and ankles. The beings that were helping me with the crown seemed to be of a pre-Incan civilisation. Even today, I can still feel the crown of feathers on my head. I kept thinking, that I must have had a previous life in that civilisation, but can not recall anything specific of it.
When we returned to Danita´s house, a lunch was waiting for us, prepared by her mother. I was plenty hungry and gratefully accepted the invitation, since I still had a 3 km hike back up the dirt road to the Pan American Highway.
Next stop: Cuenca, probably the most beautiful colonial city in all of Ecuador. Each house seemed to tell a story, beautifully crafted and with ornate decorations. And the best of all, I found brown rice to eat. Something unheard of in Ecuador. From Cuenca, a 7 hour bus ride south, took us to Vilcabamba. A lush, pleasant valley at about 1.500 meters above sea level. There are plenty of expats living in the region. Some had some interesting phylosophies to share, like do not own a cell phone, or you are being watched....etc. It was fun, maybe even true, who knows. On the bus I had met Kent from Homer, Alaska. We spent 4 days together hiking around Vilcabamba, laughing a lot and trying out the different restaurants in town. One day, all the planets seemed to have lined up correctly and I decided to take the long trek south to the most remote border crossing of Peru...Balza. Sky needed a new health certificate to enter Peru and I sort of had dropped the ball on that, as there were no Veterinarians in Vilcabamba. It is a very small town. My hope was, that either they would be happy with the paperwork I have for him, or Sky would have to kind of walk himself accross the border.

Chicha.....Yucca.....and Rubber Boots

December 14, 2010

Many people had told me to go to Tena and to plan a jungle excursion from there.

After my return from the Galapagos Islands, I quickly fetched Sky from my friend Maria in Otavalo and we were off to Tena...via Quitos and La Mitad del Mundo for some fun and games along the equator meridian. I was able to balance the egg on a nail, but failed miserably to walk in a straight line with my eyes closed, swaying like a drunk.
We spent Full Moon on the Equator and hiked the Pullulahua crater the next morning, where about 100 families make their life inside the crater, growing fruits, vegetables and raising sheep and cattle.

The route from Quitos into Amazonia leads through breathtaking beautiful mountainous terrain. Distance in Ecuador means nothing, where 50 km might take 2 hours on a paved road, descending and ascending on steep curvy roads, dropping from one valley into the next. We arrived in Tena after 5 and 1/2 hours on the bus. Sky had for the first time not been allowed inside the bus, but had to ride below with the luggage. Naturally, I was worried about his wellness, but the driver had assured me he would be fine....and he came out alright. Tena, a sizeable town of 28,000 inhabitants near the Napo river was a pleasant enough place to hang out and get oriented.
I was a little concerned about going into the Jungle with Sky, not knowing if he would be welcome, if it was save for him with the wildlife, or needing to spend a ton of money on a hosted tour. While pondering my options over a glass of Guanaba juice, I was approached by a Canadian woman wondering if I lived around there anywhere. This happens often, people think I live in Ecuador, because I have my dog with me. At the end of the conversation with Elizabeth, who has been living in a Quichua community down the Napo River for the past 3 years, we had an invitation to come and stay with her. The next day we caught a bus to Misahualli and a canoe down the Napo river to Pucahurco. Her place was directly above the Napo river in a tiny community of 68 people. We spent our days there helping Elizabeth with whatever needed to be done. Fetching the horses up in the jungle, doing laundry, giving the school children rides on the horses, going down the Napo with the canoe to fetch fruits and some plants from the jungle to prepare meals for ourselves and her workers, swimming in the Napo and exploring communities further down the Napo River. Sky and I loved it there. The 28th of November was Census day in Ecuador. The whole country was shut down for the day with a curfew until 5pm, which was enforced by police and the military, foreigners and tourists included. Imagine that....!
We just hung out that day on the river with the women and children of the community. The following morning we continued our journey further south to Puyo. I had been dreaming about visiting a Shuar village. But while in Puyo, a gritty town, I lost all courage, because I could not really find good information on what I was looking for. To go into the jungle would require rubber boots, mosquito net etc., all of which I did not possess. In Pucahurco I had been lucky and was able to borrow boots from Elizbeth and her accomodation had not too many insects.
I moped around in Puyo for a day, wondering what to do next. In the morning, I was about ready to scratch the whole idea when I came by a stand that sold rubber boots. On a whim I purchased boots and long socks. With that in hand I decided, I was well enough equipped to visit the Shuar. After all, the Jungle people should know what plants to use against insect bites. We hopped on a bus that took us further south toward the Pastaza River. A small, unmarked trail lead off the road into the Jungle near Arutam. After a short hike uphill I encountered the person I was looking for...Enrique. I told him what I wanted and he brought me to his mother´s house
for a welcome drink of Chicha, where I met 5 more brothers, 2 sisters and some nephews and nieces. Their family consisted of 11 children, mom and the children and wives or husbands of the oldest children. Their father was living for the past 10 years with his second wife and there were 12 more brothers and sisters in another community further southeast in the jungle.
In the past Shuar men could have up to 15 wives, often they were sisters, and they all lived together in a Longhouse peacefully. These days, many Shuar families tend to live in wood houses clustered close together, with only a few wives, but still many children in a communal setting. The children sleep with their parents unil they are twelve, then they are moved to shared quarters with brothers and sisters.
We stayed with the family for 3 days, drank lots of Chicha, ate yucca, platanos and tried Guanto (jungle rodent)among other plants and roots from the Jungle. The Shuar always make fun of each other and of course of the foreigner, laugh easy and often. We hiked for overnight camps into the Jungle and I learned a lot about the use of plants for food and medicinal purposes, including how to protect yourself from insect bites. The other half of the week was spent with the father´s family, where the ages of the children ranged from 3 years to 25 years. At the mother´s family the age ranged from 10 years to 36 years old. The young children were amazingly loving, climbing all over me, whenever I sat down somewhere. There was more Chicha to be had, strange foods to be tried and another overnight trip into the jungle on the banks of the Pastaza river. We walked for hours in the hot, steamy jungle seemingly effortless. Ernesto, the father, convinced me that Chicha makes you strong. Thus, drink more Chicha. I like Chicha!!!! Good stuff. The Rubber boots were all we ever wore. A neccessity in the Jungle. It protects you from toxic leaves, sticky or thorny plants, vines, possible snake bites and mudd.
Arutam is the name of the great spirit, who lives in a Kapok tree. You can climb up the Liana de Oro into these great giants. Trees can be up to a thousand years old in original growth forests.
It was phantastic to watch the Shuar, how gracefully they move through the jungle, hardly leaving foot prints and how quickly a meal was supplied from the jungle. No meat was served, since the family is protecting their nearly 3000 hectar reserve and only hunts on a fringe of their land. At night we could see and hear the monkeys move through the forest. I did not sleep well in the forest. It is so loud....beautiful.....but loud all night long, even though Enrique and I had ingested some tabacco water for sweet dreams. We tried to fish on the Pastaza river, but failed to catch anything. The river was high and fast since the rainy season had begun, but the swimming was most welcome and refreshing.
Sky loved all the smells of the jungle, running wildly back and forth. Occassionally he disappeared among the plants, sniffing furiously. I prayed, he would stay away from snakes or other harmful beings.
We all made it back out safe, filled with the sounds and smells of the jungle. It was an amazing week. I am so glad I did follow through on that dream...!

Galapagos.........a living laboratory

November 18, 2010

Just got back to the mainland where the ground feels very solid, compared to the Galapagos Islands, where everything seems to shift and change constantly.
I spent so much time on boats and in the water, that at times, my head was spinning
while walking on tierra firma.

Even though I had prolonged my stay at the islands to 12 days, it still seems like I just got back from a whirlwind trip. My mind is full of impressions, images and the sensory overload at 25 meters below the surface.

Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island is a fairly large city for Galapagos standards, with paved roads and a host of tourist shops, restaurants and hotels/Hostals everywhere.
The Charles Darwin Station and Research Center are located a short walk from town,where one can glimpse the first Giant Turtles, Land Iguanas and a host of Marine Iguanas roaming along the coast.
No one knows exactly how old these Giants can get, but one story tells of a captured
Turtle back in 1832, which died in 2005 in captivity. The life expectancy in the wild might be somewhat shorter. The islands are windblown, arid, rocky and seem harsh in nature. Due to the different currents arriving at the islands, there are always sizeable swells and waves, yet there are few big storms.
In the highlands of Santa Cruz, where it is more green with vegetation due to fog, the giant Turtles roam freely. You can have your own backyard Turtle, but you are not allowed to corral or feed it.
I opted for diving on Santa Cruz and was rewarded with 2 caves full of Whitetip Sharks. We also saw a Hammerhead and Galapagos Shark, but kind of in the mist. The visibility was not that great, until you caught a cold current, then everything looked very clear and magnified. The temperature drop from 20 degrees to 16 degrees was a very sudden and frigid experience however, but I loved every moment in the deep.
From Santa Cruz I set sail on the Angelique for 4 days. We visited Genovesa in the North, Bartolome, Santiago and Baltra Island. Each Island is very distinct. Genovesa is home to appx. 70% of all Marine Birds found in the Galapagos. Every day we stopped at different sites of whatever island we visited that day, walked for up to 3 hours amid birds nesting, feeding their young and feeding themselves. The second part of the day was spent either snorkeling or swimming, often with Sea Lions, Fur Seals, Sharks, Marine Turtles and large schools of fish. The Angelique is a relative small ship with only 16 guests capacity and had a great crew and food onboard.
One night the passage we were travelling through was so rough, many passengers got sea sick. It felt like the ship was falling into deep thoroughs and barely was able to climb out of it again, while also rocking and rolling from side to side.
After returning back to Santa Cruz safely, I headed off to Isabela Island with a speed boat. Puerto Villamil is a small city with unpaved roads, few services, a few shops, no Bank or ATM, but plenty of Guest Houses.
I fell in love with Isabela on first sight. One day I hiked up to Cerro Negro and Chico Volcano, which have amazing views of the lava flows, lava waves, parasitic craters and the other Volcanoes on Isabela. We had a clear view of Fernandina to the east and Santiago to the west. In the afternoon I went snorkeling with the aquatic life. The next day I took off on bicycle along the coast, to see the wall of tears, mangrove lagoons and the beaches, which are inhabitated by giant marine iguanas.
Along the way I also met 3 giant land Turtles, lots of lava lizzards, birds and the biggest marine iguanas I had yet set eyes on. I watched two males fighting over territory rights. Arranging a diving trip was a bit of a challenge on Isabela at first, as at least 3 divers are needed, because the sites are at a distance and they do not want to go out with only one or two, or they have to charge you an arm and a leg. Through a series of synchronistic events, I ended up receiving a discount and was able to go to 2 dive sites, that are normally not done together because of distance from each other.
The dives were magical. We came around a bend and started seeing Sting Rays, first one or two, then 4 or 5 together. Pretty soon they were all around us. I had never seen Sting Rays this enormous. They were so gentle, gliding through the water with such Grace or resting on the ground. I felt so much joy comming from them. In turn I was totally in love with them and would have stayed with them, if it was not for lack of air eventually.
Before I had come to Galapagos, I was told a Ruby Seed needed to be planted there. On the flight there, I heard, it needed to be on Isabela, thus I had planed my time on Isabela. In my mind I thought it would be somewhere on the Volcano, but up there, I saw a turtle in the ocean instead and was told to prepare the ruby seed until I would know where the site is.
Our dive sites were called Quadro Hermanoes and Isla Tortuga. It was at the second site where we ran into the giant Sting Rays. Right after the Rays I saw a snow white coral in the shape of a human head. All I heard was...now!
Back on Santa Cruz I had to go for one more dive location:"Gordon Rocks"!
I had been dreaming of seeing Hammerheads cruising above us. Well, they came and visited. It was awesome!!!!!!

Spirits of the Volcanoes.......what do you see in the mountain...?

October 29, 2010

Just when I think I have my travel plans all worked out in a somewhat linear fashion, since it makes sense to travel north to south, with east and west excursions....everything seems to change again.

Otavalo has been my home more or less for the past 3 weeks, since I had started my training with Don Esteban.
Before I came to Ecuador, I had asked Spirit, to be connected with the Volcanoes. By that I mean, to be connected not just feeling the land, but also knowing it without a doubt in my mind, heart and soul. I was looking for a deep connection, that would be palpable at all times, not just in moments of heightened awareness.

When I first went to Don Esteban, I had no clear idea what to expect or how anything would unfold. Don Esteban and his wife Rosa do not speak spanish. So his grandson, Esteban Jr., materialized to translate from Quichua into spanish. I was told, we would be doing ceremonies, six of them and traditional Shaman treatments.
Over the past three years I had been training in Shamanism with John Perkins and Lyn Roberts, who had worked for many years with Don Esteban. Which is what led me here to Otavalo. Although I was familiar with the treatments and had a general understanding of the ceremonies, I was very much taken by surprise, with the level of intensity it unfolded.
Every weekend I took the bus up the Pan American to the Carabuela gas station. From there it was about a 40 minute walk to Don Esteban´s house. Before I would reach his door, I had to make my way by cows, village dogs and then the pack of dogs that reside at Don Esteban´s house. Not an easy task, considering I often had Sky with me, but we figured it out soon enough. A stick in hand would keep the dogs from advancing to closely, in case one wanted to attack. Some of them are fierce.
The first ceremony was to be with Taita Imbabura. I was told to open my mind and my heart and concentrate on the task at hand, to connect with the spirit of Imbabura.
This involved a cleaning and purifycation process with the help of flower water, eggs, rocks, smoke and fire blowing. It was very intense. I already received visions during the ceremony. That night my homework was to meditate with red candles, wearing a read bandana for the next 24 hours, eating no meat of any kind, onions or garlic or take a shower, as that would weaken the connection.
The ceremony had left me exhausted and I smelled something between the sweet fragrance of Roses and the stale odor of pure alcohol. We made our way back to town the same way we had arrived, although not without catching some strange looks or smiles along the way. Not that I cared. I was very focused on the way my feet felt, when they connected with the ground. Not knowing what to expect, it felt like walking in a dark tunnel when all the senses go into hyper alert. In the evening vision I saw a appx. 10 meter waterfall. I was standing above it looking down. On the other side of the fall sat a young, not yet fully matured Condor. He said:..jump... I looked down again and exclaimed...it´s pretty far and I don´t know if there are rocks in the water. He said:...trust me and jump...and I will take you flying. The next moment we entered through a portal in the mountain, next to a very large rock, into the world of the ancient ones. Then we exited comming by a large rock of gold, from which a golden cord extended far out. The cord was at first thick and strong, but got thinner at intervals. Then the vision was over.
I was excited, but had no clue what it meant.
The next day Don Esteban also got excited. He explained that the waterfall and Portal in the mountain are real places and the Condor is often used to speak through. It has been an intense 3 weeks. Each ceremony was different. Some were challenging. For Mama Cotacachi I had to go up to Lake Cuicocha to receive her vision for me. La Mojanda was pure pleasure and Pachamama was amazing.
It occured to me just yesterday, that I was receiving through Don Esteban exactly what I had asked Spirit for, before I came to Euador.
As our time here is comming to an end, I had been starting to make travel plans around Ecuador. This morning however, when I awakened, I clearly heard....you need to go to Galapagos next.....Wow....that hadn´t really been on my schedule.
Sky and I were walking back to Otavalo this morning from our mountain retreat, when I met a mid thirtyish Ecuadoran. We talked for a while. Turns out, he had lived on Santa Cruz in the Galapagos for many years and worked there as a dive guide. Now he resides in Geneve, Switzerland and works as a life guard. Of course, I got the ins and outs on where to go and what to do in the Galapagos Islands.

The Spirit of Ecuador

October 18, 2010

It has been easy to foot it through Ecuador. Less things to worry about with the Bus.
Certainly a lot cheaper to travel with public buses, as the fuel is super expensive here. Occassionally an eyebrow is raised when Sky comes on the bus with me, but so far we have not had any problems. I do miss my bus, which enabled me to go wherever we wanted to go in the moment. Without it, I have to think and plan ahead or find myself needing to backtrack, because I saw something interesting along the way.
Some of the roads in Ecuador are so steep, I have my doubts, if Bluebird would even be able to make these grades.
Dropping into Quito was a bit of a shock. The city is humongues. It seemed almost impossible to locate myself on a city map within the old town, without asking for more directions on every other corner. The city does have some interesting sites to visit,
once you adjust to the altitude and can climb the steep streets. We did not while for long there, but headed out to Otavalo, to a more quiet and relaxed setting.
Otavalo is surrounded by 3 large Volcanoes reaching to 4.960 meters, whereas the town sits at 2550 meters. It is pretty quiet here during the week until Friday, when everything shifts into hyper activity. On the weekend the streets are filled with market stands of handcrafts, artesania and clothing. The town is very well known for its crafts and marketdays. Many tourists from Quito and beyond congregate onto Otavalo for this occassion. An animal market takes place every Saturday, where cows, pigs, chicken, rabbits, dogs, cats and whatever else being traded and hackled for.
The villagers from sourrounding areas come to buy, trade or sell their goods here and the food market is brimming with people. It is a phantastic time to watch people, to take in all the colorful traditional clothing, the local food and also an opportunity to make some pictures. For the most part, Quichuas do not like to be photographed by the tourists, which is understandable. Once you get to know someone or a family personally, they have no problems with that and always want a copy for themselves.
We have hiked all around the surrounding villages such as Peguche and it´s waterfall.
Visited the Park de Condors and even found the famous 1000 year old Pucura Lechero Tree. The trails are pretty steep, but it is easy to find your way and the views are amazing. I love all the foot travel and the people we get to meet this way.
One day I ran into a couple of Quichuas, who invited me on a trip, after we had shared some food and juice. They weren´t really clear about where we were going or when we would be back, nor did I ask at the time. So we just took off, rode a couple of buses for about 3 hours and arrived in a tiny village, called Rio Blanco, somewhere northwest of Otavalo. It turned out, we were visiting family members.
A simple, but big dinner was served for all. They had many questions about Alaska, my dog and my life. When they found out I was solo, there were many suggestions who in their family or their neighbors family I could marry. We laughed a lot. Later on we all settled down to listen to one of the brothers play flute, before turning in for the night. The next morning we hiked to a waterfall for bathing and then piled into a pick up truck for a local sightseeing tour for my benefit.
The village sits on the confluence of two rivers in a narrow valley at about 1600 meters.
Everything seemed to grow there. I saw Cotton plants, Tabacco, Pineapple, Banana and many different flower bushes. There was a fair presence of Afroecuadoran people, which I had already also noticed in Ibarra, a town just north of Otavalo. The surrounding area of Otavalo and the town itself is inhabitated by appx. 70% indigenous (Quichua). In the early afternoon we said our good-byes to the family, who heartedly invited me to come and visit again, and rode on buses back to Otavalo. Since then, my new friends, one or the other would call to find out if I wanted to go somewhere or hear some musicians. It has been great. We have hiked around Lake Cuicocha, visited some more villages and listened to local traditional bands.
There are no words to really discribe the sounds, sights and impressions. So many moments of beauty, of shared laughter with passing families, stepping under the crashing waterfall or sharing a snack with a few women and their children working in the field.
Now I have started my training with one of the Shaman in a nearby village and will be immersing myself in the Spirits of the Volcanoes.

The next chapter........

We arrived in the outskirts of San Jose a week ago, in a small town named San Rafael. I had met John, Max and Bill in Granada, Nicaragua. They are all expats living in Costa Rica for many years and had offered me a place to stay.
My plans to ship Bluebird from here to Ecuador fell apart upon learning,the Roll on/Roll off
service has been suspended indefenitively from here and there hasn;t been any from Panama for some time. I could ship Bluebird in a container for appx. $ 2000 from either here or Panama, but that is a lot of money. The cost from Panama to Colombia is just about the same.

So our trip came to a grinding halt. Now what.....?
It rained for at least 5 days straight with intermittent downpours. Although we have a comfortable place to stay, I felt stuck.
Many calls and more research on shipping possibilities led to nothing new. Brrrr.....
Max offered his garage to park Bluebird securely and we could fly to Ecuador, knowing that the bus will be okay. It had already occured to me to leave the bus behind and backpack into South America instead. But what about my stuff? I can not backpack with the guitar, the drum and a slew of other things, besides the necessary clothing and shoes.
I spent a few days struggling through the mace of thoughts and what I knew deep down, that needed to happen. John and I drove all over San Jose from one government agency to another, figuring out how to get an extension on my car permit and the mandatory insurance, but ran into one block after another. Leaving without the proper documents was not an option either, as there would be hefty fines and taxes to be paid later.
When it comes to dealing with government agencies, Costa Rica is still very much black and white. Finding the agencies is even more of an adventure. They are tucked away in inconspicious buildings, with no signs or hints of their existence, all over the city.
By the first of October I had enough, something needed to shift. I realized, I still had not really made a decision on how to proceed or what I wanted to do.
I had a dream the night before. We arrived in Ecuador with a backpack only, but when I opened it, there was nothing in it. I had forgotten all my clothes. "Oh gosh", I thought,
I will have to go back and get it."
I decided that morning, to fly to Ecuador....since my inner compass had been urging me to get there and come back later to pick up Bluebird, drive to Panama and then cross to Colombia and drive from there to Peru eventually. Somehow I know, that portion of the journey is to be made with someone else. Why...? I have no clue.
Miracously, on Friday, everything fell into place. There is such a thing, as suspending the car permit, by parking it in a custom;s certified secured lot, where I can pick it up whenever and have the remaining time left on the original permit. Very simple...and it only costs $ 16 a month. The same day, the veterinarian called, to let me know, he had obtained the stamp from the Ecuadorian embassy for Sky,s papers and we are good to go.
Wow...what a process! I am so happy today, dancing around the apartment and clapping my hands to music inside my head.