The Coaster of Life

AHHH Cuy!... tastes like greasy chicken.

Bridget and I taking the leap of faith.

Quito... From on High

Ecuador has been a roller coaster ride in every sense of the tried and true cliché. From waiting in lines, to hair raising anticipation, to death defying drops, to loop-d-loops, to pure euphoria, to the feeling of your stomach twisting over, and finally to emptying the day´s chili-cheese fries from belly to unsuspecting stranger´s sandaled feet--yup... roller coaster just about sums it up. We started in Quito, the capitol city. There is something you should know about capitol cities in Latin America: from my experience they are crowded, they are a bit more dangerous, and finally they smell a bit like a McDonalds bathroom that just made little Petey quit his first job because $5.50 an hour sure as hell aint worth cleaning THAT up! This is a sweeping generalization. Quito seemed different however. It was beautiful with its colonial architecture, charming plazas, street vendors and clowns with smiles from ear to ear (either painted or natural) and not even a hint of urine in the air! We were impressed. The first day was great we toured a gothic church circa 15 hundred and something and climbed to its 50 something story precipice to look at our new capitol city treasure from on high. It was breathtaking.

That night we realized that all the stores were locking their doors at 7 p.m. and pretty much everything was closed by 10. This is strange in a culture where the party usually starts at 1:00 in the morning and ends with breakfast. Being the old weary curmudgeons that we 4 are we thought it a good chance to go back to our 125 year old beautiful $5 a night hostel, exchange back massages and get some rest.

The next day while trying to get in a taxi in a busy intersection, while the light had already truned green, Maria's small day pack was stolen. Through the chaos we didn't even notice it was gone until we had arrived to our destination. Well her passport, money, IPod, camera, journal... etc. etc. was stolen and the rose-colored glass box that we had been living in had all but shattered around us. We spent the next 2 days on a different sort of Quito city tour as we toured police stations, the American Embassy (a couple of times) and countless other places as the bureaucracy of obtaining a new passport in a foreign country bearded it ugly head (this would be the waiting in line portion of the roller coaster.) When it was all said and done we had each other and that was the most important thing... that and it turns out if you´re and American citizen you don't have to wait in line at the American Embassy (and that´s why I pay my taxes with a smile).

We spent a couple of days with an Ecuadorian family who was hosting another girl from Beloit that we knew and had a great time spending time with their kids and making them ¨American¨ lasagna.

We then went to a quaint little city called Baños which packed a punch. I like to consider it my favorite little tourist (or adrenaline junkie) trap on this side of the hemisphere. In Baños we mountain biked through the Andes, went bridge jumping (similar to bungee jumping without the bungee... more of a swinging motion), ate the local delicacy Cuy (or roasted guinea pig), repelled down waterfalls, traversed across river gorges via something that resembled a mix between a ski lift and those underwater shark cages that National Geographic folk use to keep their appendages, and finally we danced up a storm. All of this in only 3 days! At one point in our dancing frenzy even the local latino population (known for their sensual suaveness on the dance floor) had to stop and take notice of the Grigos cutting a serious rug across the floor. It was pretty sweet.

Then there was the bus ride from Baños to Cuenca. The death defying portion of our coaster ride. Our driver was a bit nuts as he almost hit a lady, didn't care to swerve pond sized potholes, and almost got us stuck in a ditch when turning around to forego the portion of the road that was blocked by landslide. Neat. Long story short it is an 8 hours of (stomach twisting) fun I wont soon forget. Then I got sick... surprise, surprise. It was either from the aforementioned bus trip from hell or from the plastic bag of mysterious fried skin and corn that I purchased off of the streets for 50 cents right before the bus trip... probably a mixture of the two.

We have been staying with a wonderful family here in Cuenca as well (another family we know from an Ecuadorian who goes to UWEC) and I couldn't think of a better place to... well you remember the reference to the chili cheese fries. The mom, Mary, made me chicken soup and Jello right away (she is actually from Eau Claire and married an Ecuadorian man) so it was like having another mom away from home. I´m better now, however Maria, Katie, Mary, and one of her daughters are feeling the effects of my poor lunch decision of a couple of days ago it seems. Hopefully it will be just as short term as my stint.

Well that should about catch everybody up. Sorry it was so long this time... it has been quite some time since my last update and I thank all of you for riding my coaster of madness today. It has been absolutely amazing... every single jaw dropping, lunch loosing, loving, beautiful, urine scented moment! Thanks for reading.

A Peruvian Poem in Ecuador

Well I´ve made it to Ecuador safe and sound. On the flight to Quito, Ecuador I finished up a poem I had written in Cuzco, Peru and I would like to share it with you all. In Cuzco tourism is by far the largest economic stimulator as it is not only a beautiful colonial town with lots of charm, but also it is a necessary stepping stone to Machu Picchu for travelers around the world. In Cuzco people sell paintings, alpaca hats and sweaters, gum, cigarettes, themselves... anything. Sitting in the plaza for an hour means that one must say ¨no gracias¨ at least a dozen times to old ladies begging for quarters or shoe-shine boys, no older than 5 or 6, promising a glistening shine to my canvas and suede hiking sandles.
One day a woman selling silver pendents started a casual conversation with me that ended in her tears, her life story, an abusive husband, 6 kids to raise by herself, and an eviction notice waiting for her at home. Now it could have all been bullshit, as a young white male here I have a target on my back that says, SYMPATHETIC, NAIEVE, $$$. This label is true to some extent as I hate saying ¨no gracias to all of these people, but I´ve realized that a quarter here and a quarter there will never even make a ripple in the pot. So in true Gringo spirit I´ll just lament about it and write poems! (note: Gringo is a term used in Latin America that refers to mostly white, affluent, foregners.)

In Trying to Force Empathy--Cuzco, Peru

I peddle my passion.
I peddle my pain.

¨No gracias¨

I painted this scene for you to remember.
I wove this hat so I could stay warm--seis soles?

¨No gracias¨

I am your baby sister with a borrowed doll.
I am your bashful brother with a dirty dime bag.

¨No gracias¨

I am your crafty grandfather with a stack of cigs.
I am your great grandmother in broken rags.

¨No gracias¨

I am your calloused father you´ve never seen before.
I am your manic mother on her last scraps of silver.
¨Will you please buy for your girlfriends?¨
¨Will you please buy for your own mother?¨

¨No gracias¨

She faces ecition this afternoon.
She faces the streets for certain.
She must face her six hungry children, you know!?
Beaten.
Broken.
Again.

¨No Gracias¨

¨No lo necesito¨

¨No lo quiero¨

Seems clear enough

Seems polite enough

Seems fair enough?

¨No Gracias¨

I am a nameless face you do not know.
I am a sense of suffer, you never will.
I peddle my passion.
I peddle my pain.

Just don´t look into my eyes Gringo.

It´s harder for you that way.

The past couple of weeks in Peru

I have to play a little catchup as I am new to this game. These first two entries are my first two mass e-mails and should catch you up a bit. I am a picture kinda guy as most of you know so I have also included some photos of the past few weeks.

Hello all,
As most of you know I will be traveling throughout Latin America this semester with some of my friends. The trip will cover Peru, Ecuador, Guatemala, Puerto Escondido-Mexico, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. I got into Peru on the 15th of January after our first flight was canceled the day before due to the Midwestern wrath of God we all call winter time. My friends and I spent the night huddled up close to one another in Terminal 5... no this is not a swanky Chicago club or 5 star resort but rather a dirty corner of O'Hare international airport at the foot of a McDonalds and a Pizzeria Uno. Needless to say we had to put paradise on hold for a couple of hours--22 hours to be exact. Eventually after 3 days of travel and countless hours in not only O'Hare but also George Bush international airport in Houston (I know what your thinking but I fought the temptation to buy the bull-hide ass-less chaps in Texas) we Made it to Lima, Peru. Lima is the Capital city, and much like most capitol cities in Latin America this means that the majority of the people and wealth are concentrated there. The stark difference between rich and poor is evident around every corner but the same can be said in most cities in the U.S. I suppose. Parts of the city were charming but we got out of there just about as quickly as possible and took a 14 hour night bus to Arequipa--a smaller, quieter more Colonial town at the foot of a couple of volcanoes. So that is where I am now. In a couple of days we will be taking a 3 day trek of Canyon Colcan the second deepest canyon in the world (twice as deep as the Grand Canyon) I am in good health (everything I am eating is coming back out at a comfortable rate and consistancy), however I had some bed-mates the other night and I woke up with some weird red spots on my body... no... no it´s not nearly as sexy as it sounds--I got bed-bug bites (yeah they´re real!) and the itch like the dickens at times, let me tell you. Oh but it is all the life of a traveler. I´m not sure what adventures await me --or bedmates for that matter ;)--but I will try and keep you all updated nonetheless.


I love you,
I love you.
cory



¡Hola a todos!
¡Hace mucho que no les escrito! (much has happened since I last wrote you all) The ladies and I have now called Cusco home for a little over a week now. It is a beautiful colonial city who wears its Incan heritage like a proud parent of a meaningful tattoo. In fact some of the original Incan stone walls have become the foundation for the colonial churches and buildings that sit atop of them. These walls are solid stone and made with such precision that they don't even need mortar to outlast the tests of time, earthquakes, and humanity´s influence as well. In the churches you can see the essence of Pachu Mamma (Incan mother earth), snakes, condors, and pumas (other Incan Deities) in the same paintings and sculptures as Christ. It makes one wonder what this place would look like if the Spaniards had not come in their roaring ships, with their roaring guns, so long ago.... oh wait I went to Macchu Pichu... so I guess I know what it was like! It is thought that Macchu Pichu was like a royal city tucked away in the Andes as a sort of refuge from Spanish Colonialism. The ancient city was never completed as the Incas who inhabited it fled in fear that their secret hide-out had been made. The Incan peoples fled to a last stronghold in the 1530s where they and much of their cultural influence in the area were destroyed by Spanish conquistadors and European disease. Ironically Macchu Pichu wasn´t ¨discovered¨ until 1911 when a European explorer was brought to the holy place by a local boy. From the stonework, to the astronomical observation tools, to the religious iconography this is truly one of the new wonders of the world and I cannot believe my life has graced me with the fortune to actually visit it. Our treck started at 5 in the morning as we climbed up one mountain in the pouring rain. It seemed as soon as we reached the top the clouds hastily split from the ruins as if they had no right obscuring such a sight in the first place. The day proceeded to get nicer and nicer and I even climbed another couple thousand foot mountain just for funsies. All in all it was a great trip as we all joked sipping Pisco Sours (a Peruvian cocktail made of red grape brandy, liqure, egg whites, and bitters) under a palm tree that it was our vacation from our vacation. As I said we´re back in Cusco now, back to being bundled up in our lama wool sweaters, back to the daily grind of sight seeing, cold showers (when we´re up to it), and all the beautiful culture that surrounds us every day here in Peru. I have truly been blessed... for much of this good fortune I have all of you to thank. My friends and family--I am forever grateful.


Love,
cory

Arequipa at night.

Our oasis at the bottom of Colca Canyon

Oh... Machu Picchu!

I only want one souviner from this trip... a llama.

...Talkin´ bout my girls, on Lake Titicaca

I´m a Blogger!

So it is official. Be gone with my journals, be gone with meticulously ¨remembering¨ stuff--I have been lured, seduced perhaps, by the tantilizing glow and allure of the blogging world. There is just no going back from here. For those of you, my friends and family, who are also new to theis shinny new world, take heed. I will be posting my adventures, my memories, my encounters, and my life on this winding avenue that is my new digital life. I hope you enjoy!

P.S. There is no English spell check here in Peru, so while my journeys are vast, and my adventures are at times breathtaking... my grammer, is crap. You have been warned ;)