So much has happened since last time I posted a blog! This is going to be a bit long but I think worth reading. I'll just make a list. (Sorry if the quality of pictures is bad, the internet was really slow so I had to make them small to upload)
-We visited a small town up in the mountains and helped the Fairmail teenagers take pictures for religious themed postcards. The ride there was a little rough, with winding roads all the way up. A few people were feeling sick but I didn't get car sick, surprisingly. I just really had to go to the bathroom and when I got to the town, I found one outside the church. I can't believe this, but I paid 15 soles (about $7) to use the bathroom! I was handed toilet paper before I went in. When I went into the stall, I saw that there was no toilet seat cover so I had to squat while peeing. After that, I realized there was no sink. So luckily, my mom had hand sanitizer.
-A couple days after that, we visited a botanical garden to take pictures of the flowers and plants. It was very pretty and there were lots of interesting plants, but when there are plants, there are bugs. I felt a sting on my shoulder and looked to find a teeny tiny ant that bit me! I don't know how it got on my shoulder, and I also don't understand how such a tiny thing could hurt me so much. My shoulder was stinging/itching for 10 minutes afterward and left a small bump. How rude.
-After that trip, some of us went to this huge mall that we found which was really nice. We ate pizza hut for lunch, and found a Starbucks as well. (: After looking at stores for a while, I took a cab back to our hostel with Maja and Anette. About halfway through the ride, we got pulled over by a police officer and he was just checking the papers in the car. Anette thought that would be a good time to tell Maja and I that it is very common in Peru for cab drivers to threaten you with a gun, take all of your things, and then kick you out and leave you. What?! So we were driving along and the cab driver started to turn on an unfamiliar street and Maja yells, "NO! NO! NO!" and the cab driver freaks out and says asks why and says it's a shortcut. But Maja didn't trust him and made him go the long way. I think he understood us freaking out because he kept saying, "I'm a good guy! Bueno hombre!" Yeahhh, I'd rather go the long way just to be on the safe(r) side. But we ended up at Naylamp (our hostel) safe and sound!
-Every night while in Huanchaco, all of us took Spanish lessons with David. Anette, Ivar, my mom, and I were in the advanced class and during one of our last classes, we learned how to salsa dance! I have videos of Ivar dancing with David. ;) It was really funny to watch. You can see for yourself. (: Well not right now... because the internet isn't good enough to upload a video. :(
-One of the last days we spent in Huanchaco before heading to the mountains, we visited a museum about an Incan temple and then visited the ruins as well. That was very interesting to see. I love museums anyway, so I enjoyed it :P
-We took a few hour bus ride to a place I can't remember the name of, and arrived at a hotel.. it was probably the dirtiest place I've ever stayed at and to be honest, the worst. I'm usually okay with most things, but yeah. This was pretty bad. It's the first time I can say that I wasn't lucky to have a bathroom in the room. There was no toilet seat cover, no toilet paper, and every time you flushed the toilet, the water came up to the very top and then went down very slowly. Except for a few times, I guess there was a little too much water in the toilet, because it spilled over the top, onto the bathroom floor. So there was water everywhere and if we wanted to brush our teeth or anything, we had to walk in it. Definitely never went without shoes there. Luckily, we were only there for one night though.
-To get out of that hotel, we went to a park where there was a swimming pool, fussball tables, and many other things to do. Some of us went swimming for a while and took some pictures and played a few games a fussball and then we headed back to the hotel.
-Yesterday we arrived in Caraz after taking a really long bus ride with no bathroom. We stopped a few times for the bathroom, but they were all without toilet seats so all I can say is that my legs are going to be so strong after this trip from all this squatting! The scenery was very pretty though and it changed so much as we drove along. The roads were winding all the way up and most were unpaved. There were a lot of tunnels and a few bridges, and sometimes when you looked out the window, it looked like if we were one inch to the left, we would go falling down the mountains.
-Our hotel we are at now is nice and there is internet so that's always a plus. (: It's raining now which is kind of refreshing because it has been so warm. Although, I like being in warm weather but not too warm. We have been just hanging out and taking some pictures. Yesterday we worked on a photo scavenger hunt and are waiting to see who the winner is. During that scavenger hunt, me and my partner, Clever, ran into a group of little kids who were more than willing to let us take photos. They were so adorable! When I took one picture, they would all surround me and want to look at all the pictures and then they would come up with another silly idea for a a picture and ask me to take it. Some would ask for pictures alone and push their friends out of the way so they weren't in the picture. They suggested many different options for me and followed us as we left down the street. I love moments like that!
That was a lot to write about and sorry if it was a little boring. :P I hope it wasn't, though! I just thought I'd write now before we were without internet for 5 days. We are about to head up to the villages tomorrow morning and I'm sure that will be another adventure in itself. But it will be a very interesting experience for everyone.
-Laila <3
-We visited a small town up in the mountains and helped the Fairmail teenagers take pictures for religious themed postcards. The ride there was a little rough, with winding roads all the way up. A few people were feeling sick but I didn't get car sick, surprisingly. I just really had to go to the bathroom and when I got to the town, I found one outside the church. I can't believe this, but I paid 15 soles (about $7) to use the bathroom! I was handed toilet paper before I went in. When I went into the stall, I saw that there was no toilet seat cover so I had to squat while peeing. After that, I realized there was no sink. So luckily, my mom had hand sanitizer.
-A couple days after that, we visited a botanical garden to take pictures of the flowers and plants. It was very pretty and there were lots of interesting plants, but when there are plants, there are bugs. I felt a sting on my shoulder and looked to find a teeny tiny ant that bit me! I don't know how it got on my shoulder, and I also don't understand how such a tiny thing could hurt me so much. My shoulder was stinging/itching for 10 minutes afterward and left a small bump. How rude.
-After that trip, some of us went to this huge mall that we found which was really nice. We ate pizza hut for lunch, and found a Starbucks as well. (: After looking at stores for a while, I took a cab back to our hostel with Maja and Anette. About halfway through the ride, we got pulled over by a police officer and he was just checking the papers in the car. Anette thought that would be a good time to tell Maja and I that it is very common in Peru for cab drivers to threaten you with a gun, take all of your things, and then kick you out and leave you. What?! So we were driving along and the cab driver started to turn on an unfamiliar street and Maja yells, "NO! NO! NO!" and the cab driver freaks out and says asks why and says it's a shortcut. But Maja didn't trust him and made him go the long way. I think he understood us freaking out because he kept saying, "I'm a good guy! Bueno hombre!" Yeahhh, I'd rather go the long way just to be on the safe(r) side. But we ended up at Naylamp (our hostel) safe and sound!
-Every night while in Huanchaco, all of us took Spanish lessons with David. Anette, Ivar, my mom, and I were in the advanced class and during one of our last classes, we learned how to salsa dance! I have videos of Ivar dancing with David. ;) It was really funny to watch. You can see for yourself. (: Well not right now... because the internet isn't good enough to upload a video. :(
-One of the last days we spent in Huanchaco before heading to the mountains, we visited a museum about an Incan temple and then visited the ruins as well. That was very interesting to see. I love museums anyway, so I enjoyed it :P
-We took a few hour bus ride to a place I can't remember the name of, and arrived at a hotel.. it was probably the dirtiest place I've ever stayed at and to be honest, the worst. I'm usually okay with most things, but yeah. This was pretty bad. It's the first time I can say that I wasn't lucky to have a bathroom in the room. There was no toilet seat cover, no toilet paper, and every time you flushed the toilet, the water came up to the very top and then went down very slowly. Except for a few times, I guess there was a little too much water in the toilet, because it spilled over the top, onto the bathroom floor. So there was water everywhere and if we wanted to brush our teeth or anything, we had to walk in it. Definitely never went without shoes there. Luckily, we were only there for one night though.
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| I think it actually looks better in the picture.. |
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| Me and my mommy (: |
-Our hotel we are at now is nice and there is internet so that's always a plus. (: It's raining now which is kind of refreshing because it has been so warm. Although, I like being in warm weather but not too warm. We have been just hanging out and taking some pictures. Yesterday we worked on a photo scavenger hunt and are waiting to see who the winner is. During that scavenger hunt, me and my partner, Clever, ran into a group of little kids who were more than willing to let us take photos. They were so adorable! When I took one picture, they would all surround me and want to look at all the pictures and then they would come up with another silly idea for a a picture and ask me to take it. Some would ask for pictures alone and push their friends out of the way so they weren't in the picture. They suggested many different options for me and followed us as we left down the street. I love moments like that!
That was a lot to write about and sorry if it was a little boring. :P I hope it wasn't, though! I just thought I'd write now before we were without internet for 5 days. We are about to head up to the villages tomorrow morning and I'm sure that will be another adventure in itself. But it will be a very interesting experience for everyone.
-Laila <3
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