In a few short days, I will be boarding a flight from Lima to Los Angeles via Mexico City. My sisters Megan and Martha will pick me up at LAX and the three of us will share the last leg of my journey. To ensure that the journey comes full circle, we will make at least one stop at In 'n Out burger as we did when the three of us went to SFO on August 15, 2007.
For now, I am enjoying the thin air of beautiful Cuzco. I spent my first night here at Loki Backpackers Hostel, a place recommended by a guide book. This place is pretty wild! If one wants to feel as though they are back in college and not in a Spanish speaking country, this is the place. The first night had pub trivia, one of my favorite ways to combine beer and brains. The next morning, I thought I would save a bit of money and energy by moving down the road to a cheaper, slower paced hostel.
Though Loki is as touristy as can be, it has the best assortment of volunteer opportunities of any hostel I´ve come across so far. Though not staying there, I was able to sign up for a day of manual labor in the sacred valley. Many people pay for tours of this valley, I paid for transport and to lug adobe bricks onto and off of a truck. Last year, hundreds of families lost their homes and livelihoods when Cuzco was ravaged by a flood. I am embarrassed to say that I didn´t make the connection between Macchu Picchu´s flood based closure to flooding around the area.
Eight volunteers signed up for the day and we took a ninety minute ride into the beautiful sacred valley. We were told that we would be helping to build a guinea pig enclosure as a way to offer income generating activities to the community. We didn´t know that the bricks were at least 30 lbs. each and we would fill and empty a large flatbed truck three times. I was one of four men to volunteer and two of the others suffer from lower back troubles. Taking one for the team, I was either standing behind the truck, holding bricks at shoulder height for people to easily load the truck or I was on the truck, bent over, receiving the bricks and stacking them in place. At least 800 bricks later, we were all dust covered and exhausted. My lower back muscles and hamstrings are still screaming at me but also letting my know that I was using muscles rather than vertebrae for the work.
Yesterday, I volunteered again, this time at a school for disadvantaged children. I was the only volunteer this time (late nights and early morning volunteering don´t always agree) and joined the two volunteer coordinators. We went to the greatest playground I have ever seen and I was immediately paired up with a little gordito. The playground was equiped with several slides of at least 50 feet, mini-carousels, swings, a trampoline and more. My little guy Fabricio was all about the slide so I spent much of the time climbing stairs and pulling myself down the slide (jeans and a little guy on the lap didn´t allow for fast sliding). Fabricio spent at least thirty minutes longer with his lunch and only got a few minutes of kneeling on the trampoline before the day was over. He had a huge smile on his face when slowly sliding and while kneeling on the trampoline so I felt like a successful play partner.
When I got back from volunteering, I had an e-mail from my waitlist manager at Michigan. Her message said that she tried calling me earlier in the week but couldn´t get through so could I please e-mail her back so we could talk about a few things.
Two days prior, about twenty people posted messages to an MBA board about being admitted off the waitlist at Ross (the name of Michigan´s business school). I was confident about my chances but after getting no news felt sure that I was out of luck.
Having a San Francisco phone number as my contact information definitely didn´t help matters but after three pay phone calls and a few e-mails I was able to get in touch with the member of admissions. After ten minutes of answering questions about why I want to attend Ross, where it stands on my list of prospective schools and other questions similar to those I answered during my Mumbai interview, I was invited to join the class of 2012. I happily accepted and will be headed to Ann Arbor this fall. What a relief after applying from the road, piecing together my application and speculating endlessly, I am in!! I withdrew from Duke´s waitlist and now will head home with the next chapter sorted. Tomorrow, I will head up to Macchu Picchu!
Love to all!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Time running out but feeling long
I am feeling back to my normal self again and have been thoroughly enjoying Peru. For five dollars a night, I have had my own room with a hot shower and cable TV. Most of the television is in spanish but I have managed to catch some NBA playoffs, great tennis and a baseball game.
It may sound as though I am spending a lot of time watching TV. I am spending much more time in front of the TV than I have in the last two and a half years but not too much. However, I do feel that it is more of a chore filling my days.
Arequipa and Puno (where I am now) have been great but unless I want to break the bank for ice axes and crampons, I will not be doing any hiking in the area. Arequipa is surrounded by several 6,000 meter peaks, offering a gorgeous backdrop in most directions. Puno is right on Lake Titicaca, a lake that sticks out in my mind for immature young boy reasons. Some touristy island trips are available here but I think that I will pass. There are cultures on various islands that survive predominantly on tourist dollars by keeping themselves from developing. One island survived the Incas and other warring neighbors by building everything out of the buoyant reeds in the area. Now, they still make everything out of reeds in order to draw tourists. I am sure there are beautiful crafts and homes but I will pass this time around.
I will head to Cuzco in two days I think. I have really enjoyed walking around Puno, admiring the Quechua women and adorable kids. I have been here for two full days and each day, I stumbled upon a street market and a cement soccer match. Saturday reminded me of beer league softball in the states as two teams of men in their 40s, 50s and 60s donned full uniforms and brought full competitive spirit to an outdoor basketball court. I helped a tourism student with his english while enjoying the matches.
Today presented a pair of matches made up of more youthful teams. Old men sat in the stands with beers and a cute young girl gnawed on what appeared to be a pig hip-bone next to me. I get stared at more than talked to but I am enjoying myself.
It is strange how I seek out the less touristy areas but miss company when I arrive. Cuzco is sure to provide company and incredible sites. I am looking forward to it!!
Love to all!
It may sound as though I am spending a lot of time watching TV. I am spending much more time in front of the TV than I have in the last two and a half years but not too much. However, I do feel that it is more of a chore filling my days.
Arequipa and Puno (where I am now) have been great but unless I want to break the bank for ice axes and crampons, I will not be doing any hiking in the area. Arequipa is surrounded by several 6,000 meter peaks, offering a gorgeous backdrop in most directions. Puno is right on Lake Titicaca, a lake that sticks out in my mind for immature young boy reasons. Some touristy island trips are available here but I think that I will pass. There are cultures on various islands that survive predominantly on tourist dollars by keeping themselves from developing. One island survived the Incas and other warring neighbors by building everything out of the buoyant reeds in the area. Now, they still make everything out of reeds in order to draw tourists. I am sure there are beautiful crafts and homes but I will pass this time around.
I will head to Cuzco in two days I think. I have really enjoyed walking around Puno, admiring the Quechua women and adorable kids. I have been here for two full days and each day, I stumbled upon a street market and a cement soccer match. Saturday reminded me of beer league softball in the states as two teams of men in their 40s, 50s and 60s donned full uniforms and brought full competitive spirit to an outdoor basketball court. I helped a tourism student with his english while enjoying the matches.
Today presented a pair of matches made up of more youthful teams. Old men sat in the stands with beers and a cute young girl gnawed on what appeared to be a pig hip-bone next to me. I get stared at more than talked to but I am enjoying myself.
It is strange how I seek out the less touristy areas but miss company when I arrive. Cuzco is sure to provide company and incredible sites. I am looking forward to it!!
Love to all!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother´s Day
I emailed my mom yesterday thinking (and hoping) that I wouldn´t have internet access today. Since I am here, I can with another Happy Mother´s Day to my mom and to every other mom reading.
I got to San Pedro de Atacama with the hope of seeing salt flats and getting back in the travel groove. I did both and was only dissatisfied with the salt flats. My first full day, I started by wandering out the front door of the hostel, expecting to get a lay of the land and avoid organized tours. 5 hours later, I returned with a pretty good sunburn, about 7 miles on the internal odometer and some tired legs. I ended up walking to an archeological site, visiting ruins from an old military settlement that was destroyed over 500 years ago. The ruins were interesting but the view was what made it. San Pedro de Atacama, as I mentioned, is in the driest desert in the world. 3 days prior to my arrival, the town got a deluge of rain, dusting the surrounding mountains and volcanoes with snow. The site had two paths, one giving a gorgeous view of the mountains, the other giving a breathtaking view of death valley (named due to mistranslation rather than any real death, it was supposed to be earth valley to match the nearby Valle de la Luna) with visible layers of ash, salt and rock from millions of years back.
When I got back from my hike, I kept with my original plan to join a tour (can´t avoid them all) to the Valle de la Luna for sunset. The tour took our group to view death valley from the side opposite where I had already been. We went from there to another viewpoint, this one with what the guide called a Wile e Coyote rock. The overhanging rock offered maybe a thirty foot drop but was laid in front of a valley hundreds of feet below, offering frightening but not terribly unsafe photo ops.
Our next stop was to an intimidating enclave where we sat in silence as the sun started to go down. The hollow salt structures around us began to ping and crack as they cooled, offering a bizarre but enchanting sound.
We stopped briefly at Tres Marias, a trio of natural stone pillars. We only got to see two unfortnately because a French tourist toppled the third after climbing it for a photo opp.
The final stop was Valle de la Luna where we had to trek up maybe 200 yard of sand dune before gaining the proper point of view. Many tour groups were assembled (apparently far fewer than during peak season) which took some of the wonder out of it but still offered amazing views.
The next morning, I literally followed my gut and joined an 11 hour bus south to Salta, Argentina. I wanted steak and wine and was too close to pass it up. If you look at a map, you will see that I have taken a rather circuitous route through the region but I am enjoying myself and seeing some great places.
Within an couple hours of disembarking, I led three Dutch travelers on an epic steak hunt. We walked back and forth before landing at a pricey but promising steak spot. At ten dollars, the steak was more than I expected but I had come a long way and would not be denied. I housed my 1.2 lb steak, enjoying a nice Cabernet alongside. To my dismay, two of my tablemates left huge portions behind. I talked during the meal about how great it would be to have steak for breakfast and lunch. When we were outside, I realized that they had not gotten takeaway containers and upon commenting was told that only Americans get doggies bags. Now I have not been able to defend all statements starting with "only Americans," but this was a different story.
I had steak the next night, washed it down with local tap water after asking for guidance and I spent the next twenty four hours in a serious disagreement with my stomach. Sleeping and sweating throughout. My fever got up to 103 and dropped to 97 so I feared Malaria. The following day, after some magical cipro, I was out of the woods and was even able to get a nice hike in. Slightly strenuous, the exercise and fresh air seemed to be just what I needed.
After the hike, I sorted out my bus ticket for this morning, bought some provisions for my 24 hour bus ride and managed to get to sleep as the rest of the hostel was going out to the bars. My alarm woke my just ten minutes after the last bar straggler and I made my 7am bus easily. 12 hours later, finally having conked out into deep sleep, I was woken up on Calama where I now sit with two more hours to kill before my connecting bus leaves for Arica. In my feverish stupor, I left my toiletry bag on the bus, adding to the string of good travel with bad peripherals.
Happy Mother´s Day once again!!
Love to all.
I got to San Pedro de Atacama with the hope of seeing salt flats and getting back in the travel groove. I did both and was only dissatisfied with the salt flats. My first full day, I started by wandering out the front door of the hostel, expecting to get a lay of the land and avoid organized tours. 5 hours later, I returned with a pretty good sunburn, about 7 miles on the internal odometer and some tired legs. I ended up walking to an archeological site, visiting ruins from an old military settlement that was destroyed over 500 years ago. The ruins were interesting but the view was what made it. San Pedro de Atacama, as I mentioned, is in the driest desert in the world. 3 days prior to my arrival, the town got a deluge of rain, dusting the surrounding mountains and volcanoes with snow. The site had two paths, one giving a gorgeous view of the mountains, the other giving a breathtaking view of death valley (named due to mistranslation rather than any real death, it was supposed to be earth valley to match the nearby Valle de la Luna) with visible layers of ash, salt and rock from millions of years back.
When I got back from my hike, I kept with my original plan to join a tour (can´t avoid them all) to the Valle de la Luna for sunset. The tour took our group to view death valley from the side opposite where I had already been. We went from there to another viewpoint, this one with what the guide called a Wile e Coyote rock. The overhanging rock offered maybe a thirty foot drop but was laid in front of a valley hundreds of feet below, offering frightening but not terribly unsafe photo ops.
Our next stop was to an intimidating enclave where we sat in silence as the sun started to go down. The hollow salt structures around us began to ping and crack as they cooled, offering a bizarre but enchanting sound.
We stopped briefly at Tres Marias, a trio of natural stone pillars. We only got to see two unfortnately because a French tourist toppled the third after climbing it for a photo opp.
The final stop was Valle de la Luna where we had to trek up maybe 200 yard of sand dune before gaining the proper point of view. Many tour groups were assembled (apparently far fewer than during peak season) which took some of the wonder out of it but still offered amazing views.
The next morning, I literally followed my gut and joined an 11 hour bus south to Salta, Argentina. I wanted steak and wine and was too close to pass it up. If you look at a map, you will see that I have taken a rather circuitous route through the region but I am enjoying myself and seeing some great places.
Within an couple hours of disembarking, I led three Dutch travelers on an epic steak hunt. We walked back and forth before landing at a pricey but promising steak spot. At ten dollars, the steak was more than I expected but I had come a long way and would not be denied. I housed my 1.2 lb steak, enjoying a nice Cabernet alongside. To my dismay, two of my tablemates left huge portions behind. I talked during the meal about how great it would be to have steak for breakfast and lunch. When we were outside, I realized that they had not gotten takeaway containers and upon commenting was told that only Americans get doggies bags. Now I have not been able to defend all statements starting with "only Americans," but this was a different story.
I had steak the next night, washed it down with local tap water after asking for guidance and I spent the next twenty four hours in a serious disagreement with my stomach. Sleeping and sweating throughout. My fever got up to 103 and dropped to 97 so I feared Malaria. The following day, after some magical cipro, I was out of the woods and was even able to get a nice hike in. Slightly strenuous, the exercise and fresh air seemed to be just what I needed.
After the hike, I sorted out my bus ticket for this morning, bought some provisions for my 24 hour bus ride and managed to get to sleep as the rest of the hostel was going out to the bars. My alarm woke my just ten minutes after the last bar straggler and I made my 7am bus easily. 12 hours later, finally having conked out into deep sleep, I was woken up on Calama where I now sit with two more hours to kill before my connecting bus leaves for Arica. In my feverish stupor, I left my toiletry bag on the bus, adding to the string of good travel with bad peripherals.
Happy Mother´s Day once again!!
Love to all.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Back on track
I am now in San Pedro de Atacama and rather than having to choose between reading and checking baseball scores or studying Spanish, I get to choose among salt flats, the moon valley, geysers and flamingos. Much more like it!
The ride from Antofagasta was beautiful and comfortable. Unfortunately, it was marred when the driver slammed on the brakes, causing an elderly man to fall and earn a gash on his head. I was quick with first aid equipment (I have carried it this whole time with no real need) but gauze and alcohol pads were not nearly enough and we ended up dropping him and his family at a hospital with a blood soaked shirt pressed to his calm, bald head.
Passing through the Atacama desert (the driest in the world) was consistently beautiful, getting moreso as we approached San Pedro de Atacama. Being around fellow travelers who speak english makes me very happy!! I can cook for myself and see the beauty of Chile rather than staying in a seedy rundown hostel in the city, surrounded by bars and strip clubs. Much better!!
Love to all (even the guy who stole my ipod, I had a good run with it)
The ride from Antofagasta was beautiful and comfortable. Unfortunately, it was marred when the driver slammed on the brakes, causing an elderly man to fall and earn a gash on his head. I was quick with first aid equipment (I have carried it this whole time with no real need) but gauze and alcohol pads were not nearly enough and we ended up dropping him and his family at a hospital with a blood soaked shirt pressed to his calm, bald head.
Passing through the Atacama desert (the driest in the world) was consistently beautiful, getting moreso as we approached San Pedro de Atacama. Being around fellow travelers who speak english makes me very happy!! I can cook for myself and see the beauty of Chile rather than staying in a seedy rundown hostel in the city, surrounded by bars and strip clubs. Much better!!
Love to all (even the guy who stole my ipod, I had a good run with it)
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Solamente con dos completos y sin un ipod
I´m not sure if that title actually makes sense in Spanish. What I do know is that my ipod was stolen from within a foot of me within the last hour and it feels awful. I´ll get to that
My first two nights in Santiago were nice if a bit off due to jetlag. My second night was spent with a pair of girls who contacted me through couchsurfing.com. We sat, drank pisco (a local liquor) and chatted, trading stories about travel and asking questions about culture etc.
Feeling the rush of my schedule, I left and decided rather than head into Argentina with some of the folks I met at the hostel, I would work my way north to ensure that I gave Chile its due. Not much to see so far. I spent two nights in La Serena. The town was beautiful with 27 churches in a relatively small area. It was cold and I was one of a few tourists. I rested, read in the town center and caught up on rest.
I am now in Antofagasta for my third day. It´s the fourth largest city in Chile and up until the theft of my ipod has been pretty nice. I´ve spent a huge amount of time at the internet, watching baseball games and checking if my business school status has changed (it hasn´t). In La Serena and in Antofagasta, I have remained sated by eating completos pretty often. A completo is a hot dog covered in diced tomatoes and avocado and it´s cheap and very tasty. It may not be the healthiest of options but I know how to order it, I can afford it and I love the taste.
It has been a bit lonely traveling solo through towns without many tourists. My spanish is certainly improving but not enough to even explain that my ipod was taken. I guess I should explain that bit now.
The ipod that I´ve had throughout Peace Corps and through my travels around the world is now gone. I was charging it at my computer but saw that the computer was very slow. I unplugged it and plugged it into the computer next to me. I admit that I wasn´t paying close attention but it was within one foot of my hand. The only person to use the computer was a child of around ten years old. He was playing computer games and when he got up to leave, he asked me if the headphones next to his keyboard were mine. The headphones yes, the ipod and cord, gone. What an awful feeling!! BAH!!
From here, I will travel to San Pedro de Atacama where I can see the salt flats. The more famous salt flats are just across the border in Bolivia but rather than pay the 135 dollar reciprocity fee, I will see those that I´ve already paid for. From northern Chile I will head into Peru. I have looked into WWOOFing with the hope of working on organic farms. I haven´t gotten a reply. There is a registration fee but after registering in India and getting no response, I thought I would try the other way around.
Now I´ll watch the rest of the Giants game unfold and think of how to release the anger about my ipod. This has been my sole companion of late with games, spanish lessons and 13,000 songs that I compiled along my travels. Awful.
Love to all (except for whomever stole my ipod)
Ira
My first two nights in Santiago were nice if a bit off due to jetlag. My second night was spent with a pair of girls who contacted me through couchsurfing.com. We sat, drank pisco (a local liquor) and chatted, trading stories about travel and asking questions about culture etc.
Feeling the rush of my schedule, I left and decided rather than head into Argentina with some of the folks I met at the hostel, I would work my way north to ensure that I gave Chile its due. Not much to see so far. I spent two nights in La Serena. The town was beautiful with 27 churches in a relatively small area. It was cold and I was one of a few tourists. I rested, read in the town center and caught up on rest.
I am now in Antofagasta for my third day. It´s the fourth largest city in Chile and up until the theft of my ipod has been pretty nice. I´ve spent a huge amount of time at the internet, watching baseball games and checking if my business school status has changed (it hasn´t). In La Serena and in Antofagasta, I have remained sated by eating completos pretty often. A completo is a hot dog covered in diced tomatoes and avocado and it´s cheap and very tasty. It may not be the healthiest of options but I know how to order it, I can afford it and I love the taste.
It has been a bit lonely traveling solo through towns without many tourists. My spanish is certainly improving but not enough to even explain that my ipod was taken. I guess I should explain that bit now.
The ipod that I´ve had throughout Peace Corps and through my travels around the world is now gone. I was charging it at my computer but saw that the computer was very slow. I unplugged it and plugged it into the computer next to me. I admit that I wasn´t paying close attention but it was within one foot of my hand. The only person to use the computer was a child of around ten years old. He was playing computer games and when he got up to leave, he asked me if the headphones next to his keyboard were mine. The headphones yes, the ipod and cord, gone. What an awful feeling!! BAH!!
From here, I will travel to San Pedro de Atacama where I can see the salt flats. The more famous salt flats are just across the border in Bolivia but rather than pay the 135 dollar reciprocity fee, I will see those that I´ve already paid for. From northern Chile I will head into Peru. I have looked into WWOOFing with the hope of working on organic farms. I haven´t gotten a reply. There is a registration fee but after registering in India and getting no response, I thought I would try the other way around.
Now I´ll watch the rest of the Giants game unfold and think of how to release the anger about my ipod. This has been my sole companion of late with games, spanish lessons and 13,000 songs that I compiled along my travels. Awful.
Love to all (except for whomever stole my ipod)
Ira
Sunday, April 25, 2010
One hour later, 14,750 feet higher
Tan and relaxed, Cheri and I met up in the Auckland airport and soon after were headed to the home of her old camp friend Matt. We dropped off our things and went out for dinner at a nice pub. I felt right at home at a table of folks in their early thirties chatting about work while enjoying some nice microbrews. The baby steps continue from West African culture towards the American culture I´ll tackle in just over a month. Having heard so much about camp throughout our relationship, it was nice to see Cheri in her element with a fellow camp counselors.
On our first full day in New Zealand, Cheri and I took a bus to Lake Taupo. Rather than hitchiking as everyone had suggested, we used the transport as a means of relaxation in addition to transportation. Once in Taupo, we sorted ourselves out in hostel, loaded up on groceries and wandered a bit.
In order to get a deal on bungee jumping the next day, we had to get our jump done before 11am. As we were booking, we discussed the idea of sky diving as well and were told that we had better get the sky dive in ASAP if we wanted to be clear of potential weather obstacles. Instead of rushing off to jump off an eithty meter high platform, we had an hour to kill before being picked up to jump 15,000 feet out of an airplane!!
Though nervous, I was more excited than anything as the time approached. We suited up, met our tandem guides and were soon on a small plane, climbing quickly and being updated on elevation. When the time came, three other sky divers were led through the plane door before my tandem guy and I slid across the bench and to the door. I tucked my legs below the plane, grabbed my harness and leaned my head back on his shoulder. A minute later, we were spinning our way down with the suppport of a nice, fully functioning parachute. My face and hands were freezing but otherwise I was pretty unimpressed. I was definitely nervous as I approached the open door of the plane but after that, I was falling, a stabilizing chute went out and then the main chute went out. I didn´t have to think or act and because of this, the experience flew by.
The next day, we made our early jump time at the bungee site. Once checked in, we decided to watch a few people jump before taking the plunge ourselves. When we got to the viewing platform, a man was ready to jump. At least ten minutes later, the same man had his hands pried from the handrails and was led away from the jump area. He couldn´t do it and his father (standing next to us filming) wasn´t going to let him live it down. We watched a young woman jump and we joined the line.
Cheri went first and after asking about doing flips and swan dives, was told that simply tipping over the edge is the best for your first jump. You get a better free fall and will be in better control. Cheri had a good scream and was totally soaked in the river. I was mostly calm up until my turn to walk to the ledge. Three people checked on the bungee and harness before giving the OK (nice and thorough) and then I walked to the edge with a heavy cord hanging from feet that were restricted as though my shoes had been tied together. 1, 2, 3 Bungee was all I needed to tip forward, spread my arms back and fall. Though I gave the OK for a river dip, only an inch of my hair got wet. The highest peak of adrenaline over these two days was hands down the moment I decided to leave the platform. Some bungee employees broke it down by saying that 15,000 feet is totally surreal and the mind can´t comprehend what´s happening. 250 feet over a river is well within our grasp and our mind and body know that we should NOT fall from that height. I loved it!!
Cheri and I spent the rest of the day hiking around, sitting in thermal springs and swimming in ice cold, crystal clear water. We visited Huka falls and ate some apples and blackberries we found along the way.
Around the time we were bungee jumping and skydiving, I also had a deadline for graduate school and had to say an indefinite goodbye to Cheri. What struck me was how much more my body reacted to checking my waitlist status (still there) and saying goodbyes at Auckland airport (BOOO!!!!) than it did during either adventure sport. My guts get tangled and just stay that way as no answer is near or clear at the moment. Jumping out of a plane is easy to get psyched up for and fun to come down from. I guess it can be said that the reaction I have to these points in life suggest that I´m taking risks in life and putting myself out there. Hard but true.
Now I´m in Santiago. After a 10 plus hour flight, I landed four hours earlier than I left Auckland. I´m staying up until a reasonable time with hopes of getting my body back on track. A whole new adventure is coming but I´m going to take a day or two before rushing into it.
Love to all
On our first full day in New Zealand, Cheri and I took a bus to Lake Taupo. Rather than hitchiking as everyone had suggested, we used the transport as a means of relaxation in addition to transportation. Once in Taupo, we sorted ourselves out in hostel, loaded up on groceries and wandered a bit.
In order to get a deal on bungee jumping the next day, we had to get our jump done before 11am. As we were booking, we discussed the idea of sky diving as well and were told that we had better get the sky dive in ASAP if we wanted to be clear of potential weather obstacles. Instead of rushing off to jump off an eithty meter high platform, we had an hour to kill before being picked up to jump 15,000 feet out of an airplane!!
Though nervous, I was more excited than anything as the time approached. We suited up, met our tandem guides and were soon on a small plane, climbing quickly and being updated on elevation. When the time came, three other sky divers were led through the plane door before my tandem guy and I slid across the bench and to the door. I tucked my legs below the plane, grabbed my harness and leaned my head back on his shoulder. A minute later, we were spinning our way down with the suppport of a nice, fully functioning parachute. My face and hands were freezing but otherwise I was pretty unimpressed. I was definitely nervous as I approached the open door of the plane but after that, I was falling, a stabilizing chute went out and then the main chute went out. I didn´t have to think or act and because of this, the experience flew by.
The next day, we made our early jump time at the bungee site. Once checked in, we decided to watch a few people jump before taking the plunge ourselves. When we got to the viewing platform, a man was ready to jump. At least ten minutes later, the same man had his hands pried from the handrails and was led away from the jump area. He couldn´t do it and his father (standing next to us filming) wasn´t going to let him live it down. We watched a young woman jump and we joined the line.
Cheri went first and after asking about doing flips and swan dives, was told that simply tipping over the edge is the best for your first jump. You get a better free fall and will be in better control. Cheri had a good scream and was totally soaked in the river. I was mostly calm up until my turn to walk to the ledge. Three people checked on the bungee and harness before giving the OK (nice and thorough) and then I walked to the edge with a heavy cord hanging from feet that were restricted as though my shoes had been tied together. 1, 2, 3 Bungee was all I needed to tip forward, spread my arms back and fall. Though I gave the OK for a river dip, only an inch of my hair got wet. The highest peak of adrenaline over these two days was hands down the moment I decided to leave the platform. Some bungee employees broke it down by saying that 15,000 feet is totally surreal and the mind can´t comprehend what´s happening. 250 feet over a river is well within our grasp and our mind and body know that we should NOT fall from that height. I loved it!!
Cheri and I spent the rest of the day hiking around, sitting in thermal springs and swimming in ice cold, crystal clear water. We visited Huka falls and ate some apples and blackberries we found along the way.
Around the time we were bungee jumping and skydiving, I also had a deadline for graduate school and had to say an indefinite goodbye to Cheri. What struck me was how much more my body reacted to checking my waitlist status (still there) and saying goodbyes at Auckland airport (BOOO!!!!) than it did during either adventure sport. My guts get tangled and just stay that way as no answer is near or clear at the moment. Jumping out of a plane is easy to get psyched up for and fun to come down from. I guess it can be said that the reaction I have to these points in life suggest that I´m taking risks in life and putting myself out there. Hard but true.
Now I´m in Santiago. After a 10 plus hour flight, I landed four hours earlier than I left Auckland. I´m staying up until a reasonable time with hopes of getting my body back on track. A whole new adventure is coming but I´m going to take a day or two before rushing into it.
Love to all
Monday, April 19, 2010
Kindness goes a long way
When waiting in line at the US Embassy in Singapore, Cheri and I heard as several people in our same predicament were turned away and told to return the following day. Our visit to Indonesia had completely filled our respective passports and we were scheduled to fly to Australia the following day. We were called at 3pm, laid out the situation for the friendly embassy woman and we were told to come back in thirty minutes to receive our passports complete with extra pages. Thirty minutes rather than a full day? Not bad!
In Australia, Cheri and I rented a campervan. We drove to Byron Bay, hiked a surprisingly grueling Mt. Warning and enjoyed beach time and blending in. For the first time in months, we could walk down the street without drawing too much attention. We did get a few looks when be broke out shampoo, body wash and towels when using the showers at the beach. Though we could cook for ourselves, sleep when we wanted and go where we wanted, getting clean in the campervan required ingenuity. When returning the campervan, we broke the 10 hour drive into two parts. We got going early on the second day, went to a few "urban Koala sites" with no luck. The only stereotypically Australian animals we managed to see were a roadkill Kangaroo and a caged Koala. Too bad. After failing to spot Koala's we were on our way to Sydney again. Time was ticking away as traffic thickened and it seemed that we'd miss our deadline for returning the campervan. We called while in traffic, filled the tank, washed the van, packed up and got to the site twenty minutes late. Because we'd called and been friendly, we were allowed to stay late, clean up and avoid any late fees. We had seriously worried as the van involved a bit of financial splurging to begin with. Paying for an extra day for only twenty minutes' use sounded awful.
Now that we're in Fiji, it seems as though we're benefiting from kindness Karma. Everybody here is so frienly and inviting. We spent a few days in paradise on Mana Island. We enjoyed Kava (a local drink) and local singing, dancing and cooking while celebrating Cheri's 26th and our 2 1/2 year anniversary.
Tomorrow we fly to New Zealand where I hope to be able to upload some pictures of this gorgeous place. Unfortunately, our visit to Fiji coincided withe the Fiji Peace Corps close of service conference so again we missed out on seeing Peace Corps villages.
Maybe in Chile or Peru?
Love to all.
In Australia, Cheri and I rented a campervan. We drove to Byron Bay, hiked a surprisingly grueling Mt. Warning and enjoyed beach time and blending in. For the first time in months, we could walk down the street without drawing too much attention. We did get a few looks when be broke out shampoo, body wash and towels when using the showers at the beach. Though we could cook for ourselves, sleep when we wanted and go where we wanted, getting clean in the campervan required ingenuity. When returning the campervan, we broke the 10 hour drive into two parts. We got going early on the second day, went to a few "urban Koala sites" with no luck. The only stereotypically Australian animals we managed to see were a roadkill Kangaroo and a caged Koala. Too bad. After failing to spot Koala's we were on our way to Sydney again. Time was ticking away as traffic thickened and it seemed that we'd miss our deadline for returning the campervan. We called while in traffic, filled the tank, washed the van, packed up and got to the site twenty minutes late. Because we'd called and been friendly, we were allowed to stay late, clean up and avoid any late fees. We had seriously worried as the van involved a bit of financial splurging to begin with. Paying for an extra day for only twenty minutes' use sounded awful.
Now that we're in Fiji, it seems as though we're benefiting from kindness Karma. Everybody here is so frienly and inviting. We spent a few days in paradise on Mana Island. We enjoyed Kava (a local drink) and local singing, dancing and cooking while celebrating Cheri's 26th and our 2 1/2 year anniversary.
Tomorrow we fly to New Zealand where I hope to be able to upload some pictures of this gorgeous place. Unfortunately, our visit to Fiji coincided withe the Fiji Peace Corps close of service conference so again we missed out on seeing Peace Corps villages.
Maybe in Chile or Peru?
Love to all.
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