Some of the places I've called home

My room in Sucre, Bolivia. It's a four-bed dorm in which I'm the only guest.

The streaming sunlight in the window tells me it's time to wake up. A few blinks and then I think to myself, "What city am I in today? Oh yeah, that one."

And this was how many of my days started this year while on the road. Sometimes, these mornings came in a dormitory full of shoestring backpackers. Sometimes, it was a luxury hotel I splurged on when I got in the mood not to share my space. Every once in a blue moon, I got to indulge in the ultimate traveller's luck of being the only guest in a shared dorm. And a little less frequently, I would run into the ultimate traveller's curse of sleeping in a room infested with bedbugs.

It's a refreshingly simple way to live - to wake up in a new city every few days, carrying my home in the confines of my pack. If you asked, I couldn't tell you where I'll be next week. And maybe that's why I've come to cherish each of my accommodations so much more. All these hotels, hostels, lodges, and apartments. For a short while, I make them my refuge and they become the grounding center of a life otherwise lived in the wind.

Here are a few shots taken in some of the places I've stayed on this trip - my temporary homes.

Looking out my bedroom window on Taquile Island, Peru

The colonial-style hallway of my hostel in Cusco. It was a cosy place with 18 beds per room.

The bedstand of my room in Nazca, Peru

Sitting in the lounge area of my hostel in Paracas, Peru

The open door to my room in the Amazon. The cup of water is for a cat I made friends with while here.

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Finding my traveller's rhythm

It was a hot March afternoon in Jaipur, India and I had just finished visiting yet another fort in the city. With architectural elements of the buildings satisfactorily cataloged in my SD card, I winded my way down the steep hill back to the city center on foot, passing up the many auto-rickshaw drivers who stopped to ask if I needed a ride. No, I was very content to go this path on my own; basking in that comfortable glow of one who feels very much at home.

It was about 5pm by the time I approached the urban area and the sun was beginning to set. I had made it to the very edge of the city wall, painted salmon pink, which gave Jaipur its famous nickname as the Pink City. Then it started to rain. Heavily. 

I ran for cover at a nearby bakery along with a small crowd of Indian men caught off-guard by the downpour. After several days of sunshine, this was the first time I found myself in rainy weather. It was a small pre-cursor to the monsoon season which would start in a couple more months.

So I stood there and waited and the shop owner offered me a small chai. Then the sun set in earnest and all of a sudden, the orange-gold of the sunset bounced off the pink city wall and exploded into innumerable rays of light which in turn reflected off the shining teardrops of rain. I watched as men closed up their shops, pulling tarps over their vegetable stands and herding cows indoors. And everything was bathed in that amazing orange-gold-pink.

For a moment, I felt I stood there alone. In solitude, witnessing what might end up being the most beautiful site I will ever see in my life. And I felt content to just stand there forever. It's funny the kinds of thoughts one will conjure when they are thought in the absence of company.

Ofcourse, the rain eventually lifted and the crowd dispersed. I continued on stomping through mud.

This was my traveller's rhythm in India. Actually, it's the same rhythm I carried through all of Asia and most of Europe. And by rhythm, I refer to that steady drumbeat inside your head which dictates the mode in which you travel. It determines your pace, mood, and interactions. And if it's a good beat, it will open your eyes to the hidden beauty of the environment around you.

I wanted to share this story about India because...well, first because as I've said many times, I loved India and I love to talk about it. But also because I'm wrapping up a month-long trip in Peru and have been reflecting on all the ways it has been so different from the previous places I've been to. It's hard to find the right words for it but I just felt I had never gotten into my proper rhythm here. I was applying the same logistical techniques from before to a part of the world which simply didn't have the same identity and the end result left me feeling a bit hollow. And I wondered. Just wondered.

That's not to say I'm having a horrible time. If I entered a new city and found myself disappointed in the sites it had to offer - which happened a lot unfortunately - it was easy to find people to go drinking with instead. I had a fun time killing my liver and meeting some of the most interesting people from all over the world - Peru, South America, and beyond.

Tomorrow, I catch a bus into Bolivia. In one more week, I'll meet my boyfriend in Uyuni, Bolivia and the whole rhythm of this trip will alter drastically when a solo female turns into a couple. Neither member of which can properly speak Spanish, mind you, but that's a separate issue.

I'm counting down the days until I can see him again. And maybe his arrival will bring with it the energy I need for travelling the rest of South America.

Ciao, Peru.

Horserider on Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca
(My last stop in Peru)

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Finding my traveller's rhythm

It was a hot March afternoon in Jaipur, India and I had just finished visiting yet another fort in the city. With architectural elements of the buildings satisfactorily cataloged in my SD card, I winded my way down the steep hill back to the city center on foot, passing up the many auto-rickshaw drivers who stopped to ask if I needed a ride. No, I was very content to go this path on my own; basking in that comfortable glow of one who feels very much at home.

It was about 5pm by the time I approached the urban area and the sun was beginning to set. I had made it to the very edge of the city wall, painted salmon pink, which gave Jaipur its famous nickname as the Pink City. Then it started to rain. Heavily. 

I ran for cover at a nearby bakery along with a small crowd of Indian men caught off-guard by the downpour. After several days of sunshine, this was the first time I found myself in rainy weather. It was a small pre-cursor to the monsoon season which would start in a couple more months.

So I stood there and waited and the shop owner offered me a small chai. Then the sun set in earnest and all of a sudden, the orange-gold of the sunset bounced off the pink city wall and exploded into innumerable rays of light which in turn reflected off the shining teardrops of rain. I watched as men closed up their shops, pulling tarps over their vegetable stands and herding cows indoors. And everything was bathed in that amazing orange-gold-pink.

For a moment, I felt I stood there alone. In solitude, witnessing what might end up being the most beautiful site I will ever see in my life. And I felt content to just stand there forever. It's funny the kinds of thoughts one will conjure when they are thought in the absence of company.

Ofcourse, the rain eventually lifted and the crowd dispersed. I continued on stomping through mud.

This was my traveller's rhythm in India. Actually, it's the same rhythm I carried through all of Asia and most of Europe. And by rhythm, I refer to that steady drumbeat inside your head which dictates the mode in which you travel. It determines your pace, mood, and interactions. And if it's a good beat, it will open your eyes to the hidden beauty of the environment around you.

I wanted to share this story about India because...well, first because as I've said many times, I loved India and I love to talk about it. But also because I'm wrapping up a month-long trip in Peru and have been reflecting on all the ways it has been so different from the previous places I've been to. It's hard to find the right words for it but I just felt I had never gotten into my proper rhythm here. I was applying the same logistical techniques from before to a part of the world which simply didn't have the same identity and the end result left me feeling a bit hollow. And I wondered. Just wondered.

That's not to say I'm having a horrible time. If I entered a new city and found myself disappointed in the sites it had to offer - which happened a lot unfortunately - it was easy to find people to go drinking with instead. I had a fun time killing my liver and meeting some of the most interesting people from all over the world - Peru, South America, and beyond.

Tomorrow, I catch a bus into Bolivia. In one more week, I'll meet my boyfriend in Uyuni, Bolivia and the whole rhythm of this trip will alter drastically when a solo female turns into a couple. Neither member of which can properly speak Spanish, mind you, but that's a separate issue.

I'm counting down the days until I can see him again. And maybe his arrival will bring with it the energy I need for travelling the rest of South America.

Ciao, Peru.

Horserider on Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca
(My last stop in Peru)

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How gold mining is hurting the Amazon

More than any other topic of discussion, the locals I met in Puerto Maldonado kept bringing up a single problem they faced in maintaining the Amazon forest - illegal gold mining. I thought it important to pass along the information I was given in this post.

My first introduction to this epidemic came on my flight into Puerto Maldonado. I was happily gazing out the plane window onto the tropical rainforest below as I thought about all the activities I'd do on this visit. Muddy orange rivers meandered through the forest like lazy snakes who couldn't decide which way they wanted to go.

Then the man next to me pointed out several bald spots in the green, telling me they were mostly the result of illegal gold mines.

Here's an approximate image of what I saw from the plane:

Photo taken from Mongabay.com

Does anyone else find it appalling that you can see the impact of this work so easily from a plane window?

While the Peruvian government does allow some gold mining in the area, a lack of resources to regulate illegal mining has turned this trade into a free-for-all. Droves of men from other parts of Peru (I heard most of them come from Cusco) will come to Puerto Maldonado to make their riches here. The pay is huge but miners risk their lives in unsafe conditions.

According to an article by Business Insider, the illegal mining trade boomed in 2008 with the crash of the global economy, causing the price of gold to skyrocket. The graphic below shows how much the mining industry has grown over the years along one river, the Madre de Dios.

This is an important graphic because of the way in which the data was collected. New laser imaging technology allowed the scientists to uncover mines more accurately than earlier attempts, which mostly relied on visual sightings. [1] And because of this, they're now aware of many more mines than previously thought.

Not only do the miners blast away the forest to reach the gold underground, they use mercury to purify the gold, which contaminates the water supply. Just from talking to people, though, I could hear some ambivalence toward taking action. Gold mining has clearly left a positive impact on the local economy and there are too many winners for the government to take a harder stance. Corruption and bribery also play their part to prevent reform.

One person I met here talked about his friend, a man from Cusco who moved to this city to be an accountant for the miners. In a conversation he had with this friend, he recalled saying, "Yeah, you earn a lot of money working for these people but you have to think about where the money's coming from." To which his friend replied simply, "I know."

[1] Kelly Dickerson, "How Gold is Destroying Peru's Rainforests", businessinsider.com, November 1, 2013.

Read More

How gold mining is hurting the Amazon

More than any other topic of discussion, the locals I met in Puerto Maldonado kept bringing up a single problem they faced in maintaining the Amazon forest - illegal gold mining. I thought it important to pass along the information I was given in this post.

My first introduction to this epidemic came on my flight into Puerto Maldonado. I was happily gazing out the plane window onto the tropical rainforest below as I thought about all the activities I'd do on this visit. Muddy orange rivers meandered through the forest like lazy snakes who couldn't decide which way they wanted to go.

Then the man next to me pointed out several bald spots in the green, telling me they were mostly the result of illegal gold mines.

Here's an approximate image of what I saw from the plane:

Photo taken from Mongabay.com

Does anyone else find it appalling that you can see the impact of this work so easily from a plane window?

While the Peruvian government does allow some gold mining in the area, a lack of resources to regulate illegal mining has turned this trade into a free-for-all. Droves of men from other parts of Peru (I heard most of them come from Cusco) will come to Puerto Maldonado to make their riches here. The pay is huge but miners risk their lives in unsafe conditions.

According to an article by Business Insider, the illegal mining trade boomed in 2008 with the crash of the global economy, causing the price of gold to skyrocket. The graphic below shows how much the mining industry has grown over the years along one river, the Madre de Dios.

This is an important graphic because of the way in which the data was collected. New laser imaging technology allowed the scientists to uncover mines more accurately than earlier attempts, which mostly relied on visual sightings. [1] And because of this, they're now aware of many more mines than previously thought.

Not only do the miners blast away the forest to reach the gold underground, they use mercury to purify the gold, which contaminates the water supply. Just from talking to people, though, I could hear some ambivalence toward taking action. Gold mining has clearly left a positive impact on the local economy and there are too many winners for the government to take a harder stance. Corruption and bribery also play their part to prevent reform.

One person I met here talked about his friend, a man from Cusco who moved to this city to be an accountant for the miners. In a conversation he had with this friend, he recalled saying, "Yeah, you earn a lot of money working for these people but you have to think about where the money's coming from." To which his friend replied simply, "I know."

[1] Kelly Dickerson, "How Gold is Destroying Peru's Rainforests", businessinsider.com, November 1, 2013.

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Slaving away for rescue animals in the Amazon...I'll miss the house cat the most

I was looking for a new kind of travel experience when I happened on a volunteer tour helping out the staff at a local animal shelter which rescues and rehabilitates native Amazonian species. The tour put me in the shelter for 6 days where I'd offer my help in the form of manual labor. Then it went to a jungle lodge for another 2 days where I could relax and learn more about the flora and fauna of the Amazon.

OMG it was so cool! I'm a huge animal lover so I was drawn to this kind of thing. The work wasn't glamorous, my duties included cutting fruits and vegetables for the animals' meals, filling up water trays, washing dishes, and brooming cages. But ofcourse, I didn't sign up for this because of its relevance for my resume. The real joy of the program was in getting to know so many unique Amazonian animals and help out the small group of people who are devoting themselves to a great cause. 

Each animal had their own personality which made it easy to fall in love with them in the days I was there. But despite the fact that this was my first exposure to many of these exotic species, I must admit I fell in love with the house cat the most. We hit it off immediately and he even began sleeping with me toward the end. I like to think Otto the cat became my new boyfriend during my stay at the shelter. I do wonder, though, how many other girlfriends he's picked up among the past volunteers...

For anyone interested in doing this tour, you can find it here on the G Adventures website. Alternatively, you can save some money if you opt to reach out to the shelter directly. Their website is here.

The animals I got to meet

Some of these will be very out of focus - I'm a noob at animal photography

My favorite tucan - calm and regal. There was a second tucan in this cage who did not have these characteristics and he was not my friend.

A howler monkey baby checks me out with curiosity

Then his dad comes to check me out as well

Wild boars hanging out in the sun. I never knew how much these things smell. It's disgusting.

A very shy turtle hides when I get close

Then I found a less shy turtle

Valentina the red horned deer. One of my favorite animals on the grounds.

Parrots who have learned to speak Spanish. It was a little eerie being greeted with "Hola" everytime I entered the cage.

Macaws

Pictures of my love, Otto the Cat

Just waking up

Otto sees the camera

Otto wants the camera

Other photos from around the shelter

It's hard to tell but this ant is about two inches long...and is carrying a smaller ant in its mouth

A butterfly on my rainboots

I left a drop of water on the deck and it turned into a watering hole for ants.

Sunset on the Tambopata river

Amazon flora

Photos from around the jungle lodge

A spider and a wasp dine on a cricket together

A capivara - the world's largest rodent

Lily pads on the Tambopata river

Fungi on a dead tree trunk

A raccoon (I think it's a raccoon?) eating some nuts

A group of us from the lodge

Read More

Slaving away for rescue animals in the Amazon...I'll miss the house cat the most

I was looking for a new kind of travel experience when I happened on a volunteer tour helping out the staff at a local animal shelter which rescues and rehabilitates native Amazonian species. The tour put me in the shelter for 6 days where I'd offer my help in the form of manual labor. Then it went to a jungle lodge for another 2 days where I could relax and learn more about the flora and fauna of the Amazon.

OMG it was so cool! I'm a huge animal lover so I was drawn to this kind of thing. The work wasn't glamorous, my duties included cutting fruits and vegetables for the animals' meals, filling up water trays, washing dishes, and brooming cages. But ofcourse, I didn't sign up for this because of its relevance for my resume. The real joy of the program was in getting to know so many unique Amazonian animals and help out the small group of people who are devoting themselves to a great cause. 

Each animal had their own personality which made it easy to fall in love with them in the days I was there. But despite the fact that this was my first exposure to many of these exotic species, I must admit I fell in love with the house cat the most. We hit it off immediately and he even began sleeping with me toward the end. I like to think Otto the cat became my new boyfriend during my stay at the shelter. I do wonder, though, how many other girlfriends he's picked up among the past volunteers...

For anyone interested in doing this tour, you can find it here on the G Adventures website. Alternatively, you can save some money if you opt to reach out to the shelter directly. Their website is here.

The animals I got to meet

Some of these will be very out of focus - I'm a noob at animal photography

My favorite tucan - calm and regal. There was a second tucan in this cage who did not have these characteristics and he was not my friend.

A howler monkey baby checks me out with curiosity

Then his dad comes to check me out as well

Wild boars hanging out in the sun. I never knew how much these things smell. It's disgusting.

A very shy turtle hides when I get close

Then I found a less shy turtle

Valentina the red horned deer. One of my favorite animals on the grounds.

Parrots who have learned to speak Spanish. It was a little eerie being greeted with "Hola" everytime I entered the cage.

Macaws

Pictures of my love, Otto the Cat

Just waking up

Otto sees the camera

Otto wants the camera

Other photos from around the shelter

It's hard to tell but this ant is about two inches long...and is carrying a smaller ant in its mouth

A butterfly on my rainboots

I left a drop of water on the deck and it turned into a watering hole for ants.

Sunset on the Tambopata river

Amazon flora

Photos from around the jungle lodge

A spider and a wasp dine on a cricket together

A capivara - the world's largest rodent

Lily pads on the Tambopata river

Fungi on a dead tree trunk

A raccoon (I think it's a raccoon?) eating some nuts

A group of us from the lodge

Read More