Joey Lesh and Katie Coleman: The Next Step

Today is our last day in Bolivia. Our flight home leaves at 6:45 tomorrow morning.

Don´t worry though, we´ve got more coming. Pictures soon and whatever other drivel we can think up.

For the last 4 days we´ve been killing time in La Paz. We wanted to make sure that we were here before the referendum so we weren´t stuck and miss our flight.

If you´ve been watching the news on Bolivia it´s been hard to miss the uproar over a referendum that was held on Sunday to determine the fate of Bolivia´s enormous natural gas reserves.

The history is sort of interesting: there is a law on the books that is along the lines of American-style resource ownership and management. The government owns the gas until it comes out of the pipe and firms buy rights to develop certain reserves. When this was was passed Bolivia thought it had 5 trillion cubic feet of gas. Some, but not a lot. Now they know they have around 54 trillion cubic feet, more than any S. American country except Venzuela. One only has to look at their heating bill from last winter to remember that natural gas prices are extremely high. So this represents a lot of money to on of S. America´s poorest countries.

The referendum came about because of huge riots and protests in October. The president had pressed a very moderate nationalization plan for the gas industry, while the protesters demanded full nationalization of gas and the nullificaition of current contracts with international gas companies (mostly Canadian, American, and British). After bloodshed, their president was forced from office and the Vice-President took over. The new president promised to offer a referendum to allow Bolivians to determine the gas policy for the country.

This same issue was cause for several weeks of strikes and road blockades in the end of May. Clearly, July 18 was not the best time to be in La Paz. Not to mention, we we´re staying half a block from the house of the President and the Congressional building. Yikes!

We´ll the day before the referendum was more scary than the day before. We left the house to see that every corner a block from the governmental plaza there were 5 national policemen with shotguns, tear-gas guns, and submachines guns at the ready. All vehicular access to the governmental plaza was blocked.

For the day of the election nothing was supposed to be open, there were laws banning carrying weapons, sale of alcohol, all trasportation was closed. Needless to say, we prepared for the worst, lots of food and water and were ready to spend the day inside. Only when we peeked outside it was the most beatiful Sunday morning. Peaceful, people walking their dogs, feeding pigeons with their kids in the plaza. La Paz has never been so quiet.

It was a wonderful experience to watch a country that so clearly is struggling to peacefully manage its difficult questions find a peaceful (mostly) way to do it without violence. Good luck to bolivia.

Oh, and the vote came out in favor of a moderate nationalization plan applied to new contracts and the old ones will remain valid.

This is a good article on the new political life of the indigenous peoples of S. America.

Boy have we been having some ADVENTURES!! After we crossed the border into Bolivia, we stayed in this lovely and very chill little town called Copacabana, perhaps you´ve heard the song. We did a day hike out along a peninsula with beautiful views of Lake Titicaca then headed over to the Isla del Sol (where the sun was born) to check out some Incan ruins.

After Copacabana we headed to La Paz where we did our first DANGEROUS activity. Lindsay, Matt, Joey and I biked 60 KM down “The World´s Most Dangerous Road.” We decided to wait to tell you about it until after we all survived in honor of our Mommies! We descended from 15,700 feet to 4,200 feet in the course of the afternoon so we saw all sorts of different climate zones from the high alpine to the rainforest. Despite the fact that the cliff off the side of the dirt road plunged vertically thousands of feet, and buses and trucks were passing frequently around blind corners, we had a BLAST (and spent 3 days recuperating by the side of the pool in warm, tropical Corroico).

Our next DANGEROUS activity occurred just days later in the highest city in the world, Potosi. We descended into the mines for a few hours to see how many of the city´s residents make a living. The mines were unbelievable. Thousands of men work in the dark tunnels of the mines underground. There is no ventilation, and the heat and dust are suffocating. At times the passages were so small that we had to crawl on hands and knees. There is no electricity, no elevators to carry up the minerals, no water, and dynamite and ammonium nitrate are stuffed into hand-drilled holes and detonated regularly to find new mineral deposits. In the mines, the workers worship the devil because they believe God doesn´t visit them down there. (Frankly, after visiting, the similarities to Hell do seem abundant). They make offerings of alcohol (98 proof), cigarettes, and coca leaves to these devils in return for good luck and safety. Needless to say, the experience was eye-opening, and I think I can safely say we all appreciate our desk jobs a little bit more now.

We are now in the beautiful city of Sucre enjoying fabulous weather after checking out the world´s largest number of preserved dinosaur tracks!!

Only 6 days left for J & K before we head back to the states. M & L will follow in early August after visiting Argentina!

Wow. We´ve come a long way since our last post. We´re now in Bolivia, enjoying our last week and a half of vacation and looking forward to returning home to our friends and family.

Since the last note, we´ve been to:

1. Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu was very cool. We´d seen Incan ruins before, but this was the only one that the Spanish never found, so the whole city is completely intact. Our tour guide took us through this
agrarian temple city pointing out the famous mortarless stonework that was used for the most important buildings like temples and the house of the Inca (the king´s house when he came to visit) and the rustic stonework for the houses of the workers. Everywhere there are rocks shaped like distant mountains, puma heads, and condors. Then as the afternoon wore on and the tour groups left, we sat down on the central lawn to soak in the absolutely incredible setting for Machu Picchu.

In fact, it´s mostly this setting that makes Machu Picchu so great. It´s not the most important ruins around (Cusco was the capital of the Incan empire) or the largest. But it has a killer view and is perfectly preserved.

All in all Machu Picchu Pueblo (formerly Aguas Calientes) wasn´t much to scream about. Mostly t least the beer is cheap.

2. The Sacred Valley

So moving on from Machu Picchu we passed through the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley lies only 20km or so from Cusco and is consequently full of ruins. On our quick moving schedule we only stopped at Pisac. Pisac begins with only a small group of buildings and some agricultural terracing on the top of a large hill overlooking the valley and river below. Puzzled and slightly disappointed at first, we decided to follow the trail back to town. Following this trail along shear cliffs, we were more than a little concerned about our judgment and the quality of a five hundred year-old trail. Eventually, however, came the payoff. Pisac had the finest stonework and one of the neatest Temples of the Sun that we´ve seen. And as the afternoon light glowed across the valley and over the town of Pisac, you could understand why someone would build a temple here.

3. Train!

Tired of busses and moving around, we passed a day in Cusco left on a train for the border.

Arriving at night in Puno we rested and bought tickets for the bus across the border for the next day.

All was uneventful as we headed to the ever so slightly unsettled border area (towns on both sides have lynched their mayors and the border has been shut down several times in the last month) and we passed through the Peruvian exit booth without a problem. But as we walked down the street to cross the border we ran across a gigantic parade, complete with armed Military Police, children in uniform, and a terrible brass band. Turns out today was the day that they celebrate Peruvian-Bolivian cooperation. Phew. Apparently things can get heated at the end of July when both countries have their independence days and they do this every year as a pre-emptive friendship strike.

And that´s how we got to Bolivia. More on our last week in the days to come …

In the last 4 days we have spent more than 40 hours on buses, including three of the last 5 nights. Though Joey, Lindsay and I are now officially ready to stop moving, (Matt spent his time in Lima working on a freelance story for Freedom Magazine) we did manage to see some AMAZING sites including:

1. The Nazca Lines: An amazing set of lines, shapes and animal figures carved into the barren stone earth, the Nazca Lines were created more than 1000 years ago by the Nazca people. Lots of theories exist as to what these lines are for, but the most plausable suggest that these animals and shapes were meant to be walked around in a sort of prayerful meditation to the Gods in request for rainfall. The shapes are huge and best seen by air, so Joey, Lindsay and I took a four seater airplane ride over the pampa to see them. VERY COOL.

2. Arequipa: This ranks in the top 2 of Joey and my favorite South American cities that we have seen so far(the other being Cuenca). It is absolutely beautiful with great weather, huge volcanos towering above it on all sides, and lots of neat stuff to see and do. One of the things we visited was the Santa Catalina Monastery. This place was built for cloistered Dominican nuns on September 10 1579 (exactly 400 years, to the day, before my birthday). At one point more than 200 nuns and between 200 and 800 servants lived here. The place is stunning, and walking around you can almost feel the spirits of the nuns around you.

3. Cuzco: We are now in Cuzco, the “naval” of the Incan empire in the 1500s. We are glad to be aclimitized as this city sits at 3320 meters above sea level. It is from this place that we will visit Maccu Pichu and many of the other Incan ruins. We will be here for about four days before heading down to Bolivia. By bus.

My knees are still popping every time I sit down, and I can´t even look at my hiking boots. We returned last night to Huaraz from one of the most incredible backpacking trips of my life (and I think my compañeros agree with that superlative).

We set out at six Saturday morning, after splurging seven dollars each on a room with a roaring hot shower and comfy mattress. Five cramped hours in a combi (a sort of mini-bus that picks up everyone, anyone and their pet deer along the way) deposited us at the one-house town of Vaquería, where we set off into a valley to begin the four-day trek to Cochapampa, about 60 km down the Santa Cruz river.

Along the way, we passed between towering glacier-capped mountains, drank freezing (and iodined) water fresh from streams, and got giggly with altitude silliness as we passed the hike´s high point, Punta Union, at 15,550 feet above sea level. Our second campsite was the highest spot I´d ever slept, at nearly 15,000, and we were playing cards while huddled in down sleeping bags and wool hats by sundown at 6:30, asleep at 8.

We ate well, slept ok (one night Lindsay and I were sure a bear was attacking, we were up for hours not knowing what to do, only to find out in the morning that free-roaming cows had been jangling our pots and pans), and walked through stop-and-stare scenery five or six hours a day. The fresh mountain air, hot midday sun and good conversation made for four blissfull days in the splendor of the natural world. If it weren´t for our aching bodies, we might have stretched the trip a few more days.

There are 20 more photos posted on shutterfly, just click here.

The pictures start in northern Peru, at the ruins around Trujillo, the office complex of Chan Chan (they had bureaucracy 1500 years ago! At least they didn´t have to put up with fax machines), and the incredible painted walls of Huaca de la Luna. They continue with shots from the hike. Enjoy!

Tonight we´re off to Lima, wish us comfortable seats.

We´ve written a bunch about the places that we´ve been and I thought I´d take a moment to describe some of the details of daily life in Ecuador and Peru.

1. Animals. There are animals virtually everywhere here in South America. Large bulls ramble down city streets, burros (mules) pass you on walking trails, and sheep and pigs block highways causing buses to honk and swerve. Dogs are a household necessity, and belive me you´ve never seen so many varieties of mutt. Baby deer and chickens by the dozen sit in laps of your seatmates on the shared taxis.

2. Music. The frequency of animal encounters is matched only by the pervasiveness of music. Salsa music blares on buses, scratchy tapes play Latin pop on taxis, overexcited D.J.s using all types of warble and sound mixes bombards you in restaurants and internet cafes, and the rythmic honking horns and ringing bells on vendors carts at all hours reminds you, always, that you´re in South America.

3. Dress. As we travel from northern Ecuador through Peru, one thing that is always interesting to watch is the change in the traditional dress of the locals. In Otavalo, the indigenous women wear long black straight skirts, beautifully embroidered white blouses with a black sash tied over one shoulder, espadrilles, and a black scarf to cover their much-valued hair. As we move from the coast to the mountains, the styles of dress change, but always, women wear some type of skirt, blouse, scarf, and hat.

4. Food. One of the best inventions of all time is the South American lunch. Called an “almuerzo,” this meal reliably consists of soup to start, then a main dish of meat and rice, served with some sort of fresh juice. The regular almuerzo costs $1 and is served as fast as a big mac at Mc Donalds. When riding on buses during the lunch hour, we stop at the South America equivalent of a truck stop where all the passengers disembark and eat an almuerzo in an open street-side cafe.

5. Travel. The introduction of busses and roads to South America is a relatively recent occurance and are used for all types of activities. People traveling to and from the weekly markets use buses to transport their goods (including, of course, animals dead and alive), travelers use them, and so do commuters. Costing about $1 per hour, buses stop at any point on the road to pick up passengers and let you off just about any place you want; no bus stops here. Buses are also used as a captive audience for vendors who get on the buses to sell ANYTHING and EVERYTHING from homemade empanadas to toothpaste to ice cream pops. Often 5 or 6 vendors will be on the bus at once walking up and down the aisle offering you any number of treats.

6. Our otherness. Unlike the U.S.A., South America is a relatively homogenous culture, and in many communities, we are some of a very few white people (gringos) around. In addition to our blond hair and white skin, Joey and I have the advantage of our behemoth height. Most Ecuadorians and Peruvians tap in at a whopping 5´4″-5´6″, so Joey stands almost a full foot taller than the general public. This otherness has lead to some interesting encounters including impromptu English lessons to 5 year-old street vendors in Trujillo´s main square and Joey´s much-celebrated retreval of a lost ball from the top of a fountain in Huaraz where 30 kids where playing. Gringo! Gringo! Gringo!

It´s Saturday night here in the absolutely STUNNING town of Huaraz. Seated in a valley, Huaraz is surrounded on one side by the magnificent Cordillera Blanca – a mountain range boasting snow covered peaks topping 16,000 feet – and on the other by the Cordillera Negra so named because the mountains aren´t quite tall enough to have white snow year-round. It feels like we´re in the Himalayas!

Here in Huaraz we have enjoyed the best life has to offer including U.S. style video arcades, machine laundry, tasty Thai food, and a movie theater!! Today Joey and I hiked up to a mirador (scenic overlook) above the city and enjoyed the views of the majestic mountains and then checked out the city´s large and very colorful cemetery.

Tomorrow Matt, Lindsay, Joey, and I are heading out on a four day trek to check out the mountains, lakes, and glaciers all around us. Can´t wait to tell you all about it when we return!

We´re in the beach town of Huanchaco surfing and visiting pre-Incan ruins (and recovering from stomach issues). Pretty low-key.

Still, I wanted to let everyone know that our wedding pictures are online.
Enjoy!

Hi, this is Matt. Along with my girlfriend Lindsay I joined Katie and Joey in southern Ecuador about a week ago, and now we´re having a grand time wandering the streets of Peru.

We´re in a city called Chiclayo, where it seems about half of the 300,000 residents drives taxis and the other half walks up and down the street outside our hostal. It´s a lively market town with great energy and we´re getting all sorts of attention because they don´t seem to have ever seen gringos before. Joey may be the first 6-foot-3 person they´ve ever seen. He has already won a few soles (Peruvian money) beating them by the dozen at basketball and volleyball.

Yesterday we explored Tucumes, an ancient city of the world´s largest adobe pyramids. They´re eroded and look more like hills than buildings but it was nice to climb to a lookout and imagine the bustle of a city 1300 years ago. This afternoon we head southward to Trujillo, where we hope to learn to surf from the locals.

Katie and Joey´s digital camera is sick, but I´m posting some of my shots on shutterfly.com.

I´m typing this from a bus station in Loja, Ecuador as we wait for our 11 PM bus to depart to PERU! It is hard to believe it, but we´ve been down here for a month already! Since our last adventure in beautiful, soggy Cajas, we´ve traveled south to a community called Vilcabamba. Our guide book says this is where the fountain of youth is located, but Joey and I didn´t find it. What we did find was some of the most AMAZING scenery, sunsets, starscapes, and weather around.

Vilcabamba is a very laid-back town set in a green valley surrounded by crumpled mountains on all sides (the tallest of which, Joey and Matt climbed today). We stayed at a nature reserve called Rumi Wilco outside of town, high up on a hill overlooking the stunning views during the day and the bright stars at night. We spent a lot of time swinging in the hammocks, playing cards, and generally loving life. Joey was excited to get a chance to cook some AMAZING pizzas in the adobe woodfired stove, and we were excited to eat them!