Thursday, July 1, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Machu Picchu
For some reason over the last year or so I had slightly changed the way I travel. In the past I had always just booked a ticket and headed off somewhere; no hotel reservations, no plans for when I landed at the airport, just roll the dice and see how it lands. 
This last weekend Brady and I got back to this way of travel and it worked out great. The other guys on our PeruTwo team had already seen Machu Picchu so they gave Brady and me acouple days off from work to go check it out for ourselves. We flew out Wednesday morning to Cusco which is about 2.5 hrs from Machu Picchu (two bus rides and a train ride). Our plan was to stay in Cusco for the night and then head to Machu Picchu early Thursday morning. In the Taxi ride from the airport we found out that there was a transportation strike in the entire region for Thursday and Friday. This meant that if we didn’t get to Machu Picchu that same day we wouldn’t be able to get there at all.
Cusco is an old town. Before the Spanish came to Peru, Cusco was the capital of the Incan empire which spanned all of Peru, and parts of Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, and Ecuador. When the Spanish did arrive, they took it over as their regional capital. Today the city looks like a mismatch of Spanish and Incan history. It almost feels as if you are walking through a small Spanish city. Cusco is scattered with Spanish cathedrals and churches but the people are clearly not Spanish. In between the churches and the narrow streets are open air markets in the true Peruvian style. They were selling Alpaca clothing, fruits and vegetables, and the infamous cooked Cuy (Guinea pig). The city is a great mix of the two cultures. On our first day however we couldn’t stay long. Shortly after our arrival we jumped in a combi (large van people can jump on and jump off of) and headed towards Machu Picch
u.
To get from Cusco to Machu Picchu you have to actually go down the mountain. The road curves through the mountains and the small villages. Construction was abundant, as it must be after every rainy season. This year however was especially wet for this part of Peru and mudslides claimed the lives and homes of many rural Peruvians. The homes seemed to be made of bricks that were a mix of mud and straw. In many place on the side of the road you could see people preparing the bricks and stacking them for later use.
The combi took us to Piscacucho which is where the train takes off for the final leg of the journey to Machu Picchu. Piscacucho is a small village with nothing more than a train station and a couple roadside stalls selling food. We arrived just in time and ran to catch our train. The ride from Piscacucho to Machu Picchu is 29 killometers, or 17 miles, and takes a little over an hour. It is a relatively flat ride but the views are gorgeous. It follows the Vilcanota river as it twists and turns through the snow capped mountains. The train ends in a small town of Machu Picchu which people have started calling Aguas Calientes. This town’s sole existence seems to be for tourists coming to see the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu. There are no cars and the streets are coble stone. Every building is either a hostel, a massage parlor, a restaurant, or a combination of the three. Brady and I climbed down from the train and headed off in search of a place to stay. After some hard bargaining in about 6 different places, we found our home for the next three days. It was a small hotel overlooking the river. The room we chose was on the third floor with big glass windows and views of the mountains. We chose this place because you could hear the river roaring below us.
We went to bed early that night to rest up for the big day the lay ahead of us. We set our alarm for 5 am. When we awoke it was still dark out but we were excited to finally see Machu Picchu. We got dressed and headed out. There is a small army of vans that were taken into Aguas Calientes by the train years ago. These vans transport people up the mountain to the ruins of Machu Picchu. We got on about the 5th van and headed up the mountain. When we got to the entrance we chose a guide and headed into the ruins. It was a cold morning, about 35-40 degrees, but the sky was crystal clear. We spent 3 hours walking around the ruins and learning the history of the Incan empire. We were extremely lucky that there was a strike going on because this kept the throngs of tourists coming in from Cusco. It seemed as if we almost had the ruins to ourselves.
The first 400 visitors to the ruins each day get a special entrance to Huayna Picchu. This is a steep mountain overlooking the ruins. After our private tour, Brady and I headed towards this mountain. As we signed in to the climb the mountain we noticed we were the 86th and 87th visitors of the day. By the time we started our climb the weather had warmed up to about the low 70s. After the hour hike almost straight up the mountain we came to a rock plateau with a 360 degree view. To describe the view effectively it would take someone much more eloquent than myself. I’ll simply post the pictures below to give an idea of what we saw.
Pictures or video
That night we arrived exhausted back at our hotel. Not quite sure of what to do the following day, we started asking around for what was the best thing to see. There are three mountains that surround the ruins: Huayna Picchu, Machu Pichu, and Putucusi. On Friday morning we awoke at 5:30 and headed out to Putucusi. We walked down the train tracks until we came upon a Peruvian woman walking. We asked her where the trail started and she pointed up the train tracks and to the right. She told us to be careful and to make sure we had enough water. We got to where the trail started but there were logs across the trail with a sign telling us not to enter because the trail had been washed out by the floods. We were determined to climb it so we jumped over the barrier and headed off up the mountain. For the first 10 minutes or so we were walking up stone stairs that must have been there for hundreds of years. They were falling apart slightly but we couldn’t figure out why the trail had been closed. As we came around a sharp curve we quickly had our answer.
We were at the foot of a 200 yard cliff that was between a 70-80 degree incline. There had been a series of wooden ladders and a thick metal wire that had been built for the to enable people to climb the cliff. In the recent rainy season however, the rains had almost completely washed out the ladders and the metal wire that had been secured to the rocks. At the foot of the cliff was a ten-foot high pile of mud, trees, and debris that had been washed out. Looking at each other and smiling, we started our assent. This was a climb you wouldn’t want your mother to see you doing (sorry mom). In normal circumstances it would have been scary, but in its present condition, it was down right frightening. Brady didn’t give me a chance to protest as he jumped on the wire and started making his way up the cliff. I waited for him to get to the top so I wouldn’t be knocked off the wall by the sticks and rocks that were falling down behind him. Not really having any other choice, and also really wanting to see the view from the top of the mountain, I grabbed the wire and started climbing. I’ll post pictures here but I doubt they will show the severity of the climb, and I hope they don’t show the severity of my facial expressions.
After this hike we went back to town, re-upped on water, and headed back out. This time we were in search of a waterfall we had heard about. The previous night at dinner our waiter had described a waterfall that was surrounded by orchids, sugar cane, and banana trees. We found the trailhead relatively easily. When we got to the waterfall Brady and I jumped in the pool beneath it to clean away the day’s hard work. Our short trip to Cusco was coming to an end and swimming in the river was a great way to finish it.
The following day was the first day that the transportation strike was going to be over and train would be running again. Brady, having more sense than me, bought a ticket. For some crazy reason I thought it would be a great idea to hike the 29 kilometers (17 miles) to the closest town. I woke up at 6am and hit the trail.
Along the hike I was passed by numerous trains and by Peruvian porters jogging the distance to transport goods. For about a mile starting at mile marker 10, right when my feet and hamstrings started aching, I wished that I would have had the good sense of Brady and had bought a ticket. Gratefully this passed quickly and I was able to enjoy the hike. When this TEM Lab finishes I’ll be moving to San Francisco to start a new life. I spent the 6 hours of my hike planning out my move and setting goals.
We spent the night in Cusco and flew back out to Lima in the morning. We are now in our last week of our project and we are putting together our presentation and doing some final interviews. We had planned our first 4 weeks to be able to make this trip to Machu Picchu. It took some extra work but it was more than worth it. It’s a trip that won’t soon be forgotten.
This last weekend Brady and I got back to this way of travel and it worked out great. The other guys on our PeruTwo team had already seen Machu Picchu so they gave Brady and me acouple days off from work to go check it out for ourselves. We flew out Wednesday morning to Cusco which is about 2.5 hrs from Machu Picchu (two bus rides and a train ride). Our plan was to stay in Cusco for the night and then head to Machu Picchu early Thursday morning. In the Taxi ride from the airport we found out that there was a transportation strike in the entire region for Thursday and Friday. This meant that if we didn’t get to Machu Picchu that same day we wouldn’t be able to get there at all.Cusco is an old town. Before the Spanish came to Peru, Cusco was the capital of the Incan empire which spanned all of Peru, and parts of Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, and Ecuador. When the Spanish did arrive, they took it over as their regional capital. Today the city looks like a mismatch of Spanish and Incan history. It almost feels as if you are walking through a small Spanish city. Cusco is scattered with Spanish cathedrals and churches but the people are clearly not Spanish. In between the churches and the narrow streets are open air markets in the true Peruvian style. They were selling Alpaca clothing, fruits and vegetables, and the infamous cooked Cuy (Guinea pig). The city is a great mix of the two cultures. On our first day however we couldn’t stay long. Shortly after our arrival we jumped in a combi (large van people can jump on and jump off of) and headed towards Machu Picch
u.To get from Cusco to Machu Picchu you have to actually go down the mountain. The road curves through the mountains and the small villages. Construction was abundant, as it must be after every rainy season. This year however was especially wet for this part of Peru and mudslides claimed the lives and homes of many rural Peruvians. The homes seemed to be made of bricks that were a mix of mud and straw. In many place on the side of the road you could see people preparing the bricks and stacking them for later use.
The combi took us to Piscacucho which is where the train takes off for the final leg of the journey to Machu Picchu. Piscacucho is a small village with nothing more than a train station and a couple roadside stalls selling food. We arrived just in time and ran to catch our train. The ride from Piscacucho to Machu Picchu is 29 killometers, or 17 miles, and takes a little over an hour. It is a relatively flat ride but the views are gorgeous. It follows the Vilcanota river as it twists and turns through the snow capped mountains. The train ends in a small town of Machu Picchu which people have started calling Aguas Calientes. This town’s sole existence seems to be for tourists coming to see the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu. There are no cars and the streets are coble stone. Every building is either a hostel, a massage parlor, a restaurant, or a combination of the three. Brady and I climbed down from the train and headed off in search of a place to stay. After some hard bargaining in about 6 different places, we found our home for the next three days. It was a small hotel overlooking the river. The room we chose was on the third floor with big glass windows and views of the mountains. We chose this place because you could hear the river roaring below us.
We went to bed early that night to rest up for the big day the lay ahead of us. We set our alarm for 5 am. When we awoke it was still dark out but we were excited to finally see Machu Picchu. We got dressed and headed out. There is a small army of vans that were taken into Aguas Calientes by the train years ago. These vans transport people up the mountain to the ruins of Machu Picchu. We got on about the 5th van and headed up the mountain. When we got to the entrance we chose a guide and headed into the ruins. It was a cold morning, about 35-40 degrees, but the sky was crystal clear. We spent 3 hours walking around the ruins and learning the history of the Incan empire. We were extremely lucky that there was a strike going on because this kept the throngs of tourists coming in from Cusco. It seemed as if we almost had the ruins to ourselves.
The first 400 visitors to the ruins each day get a special entrance to Huayna Picchu. This is a steep mountain overlooking the ruins. After our private tour, Brady and I headed towards this mountain. As we signed in to the climb the mountain we noticed we were the 86th and 87th visitors of the day. By the time we started our climb the weather had warmed up to about the low 70s. After the hour hike almost straight up the mountain we came to a rock plateau with a 360 degree view. To describe the view effectively it would take someone much more eloquent than myself. I’ll simply post the pictures below to give an idea of what we saw.
Pictures or video
That night we arrived exhausted back at our hotel. Not quite sure of what to do the following day, we started asking around for what was the best thing to see. There are three mountains that surround the ruins: Huayna Picchu, Machu Pichu, and Putucusi. On Friday morning we awoke at 5:30 and headed out to Putucusi. We walked down the train tracks until we came upon a Peruvian woman walking. We asked her where the trail started and she pointed up the train tracks and to the right. She told us to be careful and to make sure we had enough water. We got to where the trail started but there were logs across the trail with a sign telling us not to enter because the trail had been washed out by the floods. We were determined to climb it so we jumped over the barrier and headed off up the mountain. For the first 10 minutes or so we were walking up stone stairs that must have been there for hundreds of years. They were falling apart slightly but we couldn’t figure out why the trail had been closed. As we came around a sharp curve we quickly had our answer.
We were at the foot of a 200 yard cliff that was between a 70-80 degree incline. There had been a series of wooden ladders and a thick metal wire that had been built for the to enable people to climb the cliff. In the recent rainy season however, the rains had almost completely washed out the ladders and the metal wire that had been secured to the rocks. At the foot of the cliff was a ten-foot high pile of mud, trees, and debris that had been washed out. Looking at each other and smiling, we started our assent. This was a climb you wouldn’t want your mother to see you doing (sorry mom). In normal circumstances it would have been scary, but in its present condition, it was down right frightening. Brady didn’t give me a chance to protest as he jumped on the wire and started making his way up the cliff. I waited for him to get to the top so I wouldn’t be knocked off the wall by the sticks and rocks that were falling down behind him. Not really having any other choice, and also really wanting to see the view from the top of the mountain, I grabbed the wire and started climbing. I’ll post pictures here but I doubt they will show the severity of the climb, and I hope they don’t show the severity of my facial expressions.
When I got to the top I grabbed on to a secure tree and looked down at what we had just climbed. I secretly hoped that we would be able to find a different way down (3 hours later however, I found myself quite disappointed. Brady shot a video of my descent which I’ll post here). For the rest of the hike up the mountain we had amazing views of the river running below us and the mountains rising around us. When we were nearing the top we stopped to take a rest. The high altitude (almost 8,000 feet) and warm weather were slowing us down. As we sat on a rock sipping some water and catching our breath, a Peruvian hiker in jeans and rubber sandals startled us. He waved hola as he cruised past. We on the other hand had our hiking shoes, camel packs, and food. This made us aware of the fact that we were indeed foreigners in this country. Fortunately, because Peruvians are so friendly, we are welcomed warmly everywhere we go, even on the top of a mountain among sacred ruins.
After this hike we went back to town, re-upped on water, and headed back out. This time we were in search of a waterfall we had heard about. The previous night at dinner our waiter had described a waterfall that was surrounded by orchids, sugar cane, and banana trees. We found the trailhead relatively easily. When we got to the waterfall Brady and I jumped in the pool beneath it to clean away the day’s hard work. Our short trip to Cusco was coming to an end and swimming in the river was a great way to finish it.
The following day was the first day that the transportation strike was going to be over and train would be running again. Brady, having more sense than me, bought a ticket. For some crazy reason I thought it would be a great idea to hike the 29 kilometers (17 miles) to the closest town. I woke up at 6am and hit the trail.
Along the hike I was passed by numerous trains and by Peruvian porters jogging the distance to transport goods. For about a mile starting at mile marker 10, right when my feet and hamstrings started aching, I wished that I would have had the good sense of Brady and had bought a ticket. Gratefully this passed quickly and I was able to enjoy the hike. When this TEM Lab finishes I’ll be moving to San Francisco to start a new life. I spent the 6 hours of my hike planning out my move and setting goals.
We spent the night in Cusco and flew back out to Lima in the morning. We are now in our last week of our project and we are putting together our presentation and doing some final interviews. We had planned our first 4 weeks to be able to make this trip to Machu Picchu. It took some extra work but it was more than worth it. It’s a trip that won’t soon be forgotten.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
True Motivation (guest author Brady Johnson)
As you walk the vibrant market streets of Peru, the smell of fresh fish, fried yucca and plantain banana are the typical aromas that you will encounter. Although men are present in the market place and in many businesses, you will find that most of the businesses and small enterprises are in fact, owned by women.
Our TEM Lab assignment has been to identify successful women entrepreneurs in Peru and understand what makes them tick. We have gained insightful knowledge in the three weeks we have been here just by observing and talking with many different women business owners. Our time is limited, so we take advantage of every business hour during the day to encounter the ‘mujer empresaria’ or small business owner to understand her motivation and personal characteristics.
In our many interviews and multiple conversations, we have found one common theme among the successful women… they all have children. The love a mother has for her children is indescribable. In Peru you can see this love in their faces and hear it in their voices when they describe why they wake up so early every morning to set up their shop in the market, or why they travel three to four hours per week to buy fruit and vegetables to sell in the streets. It is a common motivation for all women in creating a successful business.
I spoke with Marisol, a woman entrepreneur who owns two small breakfast shops in the area of Santa Anita, Lima, Peru. In the last eight years, Marisol has grown her business from a small street cart to two small restaurants. Before she began her business, she found herself alone after her husband had left, without work and with two small children to feed. She was in need of a change. To earn the money she needed, Marisol began fixing breakfast for her friends and neighbors. Before long she found her niche, rich and flavorful cooking that many enjoyed.
Beginning with a microcredit loan of only $180, Marisol was able to buy the ingredients and supplies that she needed to provide breakfast for her clients on a daily basis. Marisol commented in the interview that when she would wake up at 4 a.m. and kiss her children on the cheek as she left for the market, she knew that it was for them that she could work harder every day. Today Marisol owns two of the most popular breakfast shops in town and has nine employees. She is able to provide enough for children to attend a private school in downtown Lima. When I asked what gave her the motivation to grow her business to the size it is today, she simply stated, “for my children”.
We have interviewed many women entrepreneurs all in different industries with different talents. From restaurateurs to clothing distributors to transportation companies to poultry distributors all have a strong motivation to succeed not just for themselves but also for their children.
Our TEM Lab assignment has been to identify successful women entrepreneurs in Peru and understand what makes them tick. We have gained insightful knowledge in the three weeks we have been here just by observing and talking with many different women business owners. Our time is limited, so we take advantage of every business hour during the day to encounter the ‘mujer empresaria’ or small business owner to understand her motivation and personal characteristics.
In our many interviews and multiple conversations, we have found one common theme among the successful women… they all have children. The love a mother has for her children is indescribable. In Peru you can see this love in their faces and hear it in their voices when they describe why they wake up so early every morning to set up their shop in the market, or why they travel three to four hours per week to buy fruit and vegetables to sell in the streets. It is a common motivation for all women in creating a successful business.
I spoke with Marisol, a woman entrepreneur who owns two small breakfast shops in the area of Santa Anita, Lima, Peru. In the last eight years, Marisol has grown her business from a small street cart to two small restaurants. Before she began her business, she found herself alone after her husband had left, without work and with two small children to feed. She was in need of a change. To earn the money she needed, Marisol began fixing breakfast for her friends and neighbors. Before long she found her niche, rich and flavorful cooking that many enjoyed.
Beginning with a microcredit loan of only $180, Marisol was able to buy the ingredients and supplies that she needed to provide breakfast for her clients on a daily basis. Marisol commented in the interview that when she would wake up at 4 a.m. and kiss her children on the cheek as she left for the market, she knew that it was for them that she could work harder every day. Today Marisol owns two of the most popular breakfast shops in town and has nine employees. She is able to provide enough for children to attend a private school in downtown Lima. When I asked what gave her the motivation to grow her business to the size it is today, she simply stated, “for my children”.
We have interviewed many women entrepreneurs all in different industries with different talents. From restaurateurs to clothing distributors to transportation companies to poultry distributors all have a strong motivation to succeed not just for themselves but also for their children.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Negotiating the streets of Lima (guest author Robert DiBacco)
As we enter our third week of the project, we have become quite familiar with the city and understand the nuances of traveling within it. City life is one of congestion; hoards of people filling the streets and deadlocked traffic at all hours of the day. Although Lima has begun to develop its public transit infrastructure, it will be a while before the Limeños decrease their reliance on the over abundance of taxis. So, like the masses, we have incorporated the taxi experience into our daily routine. Approaching an intersection is like a big game of chicken, and whoever honks their horn first, receives the right of way. Here, the horn is such an essential component of the automobile that without it, the vehicle would be rendered useless. Just like if you tie an Italian’s hands behind his back he will be unable to speak (I’m of Italian descent btw), take away a Peruvian’s horn, and he will be unable to drive. However, weaving amongst the traffic and feverishly changing lanes, I had an incredible thought; Peruvians are actually quite amazing drivers – always alert, always creative, and always knowing the exact dimensions of their vehicle.
Perhaps the most impressive part of our assimilation has been our ability to negotiate. Taxis do not have meters here rather all fares are negotiable. Although we started off probably overpaying, I’m confident that we are now getting much better fares. One learns very quickly that everything in Latin America is negotiable, it is a way of life and perhaps it is even more efficient than methods in the US. No one is offended if you offer less for a product or service, just as no one is offended if the transaction does not happen. Having taken Prof. Denis Leclerc’s Global Negotiations class, I know my strengths, weaknesses, and different tactics to attack a negotiation. However, negotiating a fare at the side of the road with cars whizzing by, definitely can be challenging. Personally, I have fun with it and use this as just another experience to hone my negotiation skills. So, if you can get a taxi for 5 Soles instead of 10, then you’re on your way to eliminating the “Gringo” tax that we so often have to pay!
Perhaps the most impressive part of our assimilation has been our ability to negotiate. Taxis do not have meters here rather all fares are negotiable. Although we started off probably overpaying, I’m confident that we are now getting much better fares. One learns very quickly that everything in Latin America is negotiable, it is a way of life and perhaps it is even more efficient than methods in the US. No one is offended if you offer less for a product or service, just as no one is offended if the transaction does not happen. Having taken Prof. Denis Leclerc’s Global Negotiations class, I know my strengths, weaknesses, and different tactics to attack a negotiation. However, negotiating a fare at the side of the road with cars whizzing by, definitely can be challenging. Personally, I have fun with it and use this as just another experience to hone my negotiation skills. So, if you can get a taxi for 5 Soles instead of 10, then you’re on your way to eliminating the “Gringo” tax that we so often have to pay!
Surprise Birthday on the Amazon (guest author Mike Caplice)
It is not very often that you have the opportunity to celebrate your birthday in a foreign and exotic location. The Peru TemLab Group had escaped to the Amazon River, in the province of Loreto, for the weekend. Our group was keenly aware that one of its team members, Brady Johnson, was celebrating his 30th birthday during our stay. Once we were established at the Heliconia Resort, which is an hour and a half boat ride from the city of Iquitos and located on the banks of the Amazon River, we began plotting our surprise birthday party. As we brainstormed for ideas as to how it would be best to pull this surprise party off, our tour guide Ricardo mentioned taking the Heliconia Resort’s rustic wooden cruise ship called “the Spirit of the Amazon” out at night. All of us immediately agreed that this was the best idea, and we finalized the plans with Ricardo to ensure that a cake and the Resort’s music man (Freddy) would be smuggled on board and hidden until the right moment. During the day of Brady’s birthday we went out on a grueling four-hour hike into the jungle and played an intense soccer match against the locals. We were all physically exhausted but when the sun set, and as we made our way to the boat, we were all gripped by nervous excitement. We boarded the boat and began chugging upstream at a leisurely pace. After 15 minutes, the Captain of the boat expertly nestled the boat into a sandbar and turned the motor off. Ricardo winked at me notifying that it was time to launch the birthday party. I told the group that Ricardo wanted everyone in the main cabin. Brady, still having no idea that the boat ride was a cover to celebrate his birthday, settled into a chair. As the TemLab group crowded around Brady, we sprung the surprise birthday celebration. In true Peruvian fashion, each member of the group took turns expressing some heartfelt words to Brady about their friendship. On cue, after the last speaker, the birthday cake was rolled in, and the music man Freddy, with guitar in hand, appeared playing “Happy Birthday”. We sung “La Bamba” and “Cancion Del Mariachi” at the top of our lungs, waking up half the inhabitants of the Amazon.” After the fact, we all agreed, as the current pulled the boat from the sandbar and began pushing it at a fast clip, that it was a hell of a way to celebrate a birthday.
The Amazons
Like he promised the previous night when dropping us off from the airport, Carlos came by to pick us up at ‘nueve en punto’ (9 on the dot). What we were starting to learn about the Amazon is that 9 on the dot can mean anywhere from 9-10:30. In this case it was about 9:30. All of us having lived in Latin America before were accustomed to the Latin stretchable time. What was particularly interesting about Amazonian stretchable time was you’d be told 9 on the dot, while sitting around for something to happen you’d ask:
- What time is it now?
- 9:40
- Oh OK, so what time are we leaving?
- 9 on the dot
This laid back style was a nice change from the fixed time oriented culture of the US. It definitely helps you to get into the relaxed way of life of the Amazons. For a 3-4 day relaxing trip it’s great, but I can imagine the frustration of running a business on Amazonian time.
Anyway... we were there for 1 reason and 1 reason only: to experience the Amazons and everything they had to offer.
Carlos drove us the 20 minutes to the pier where we changed our mode of transportation and headed down river with a 250 hp outboard engine on a long, 10 seater boat. The river of our embarkation was the Morman river (no relations to Joseph Smith). At approximately a half mile from shore to shore, it’s a fairly wide river. After about an hour ride, the Morman fed into the Amazon--we had officially made it!
One of the things that stood out in my mind about this trip as a whole, was that the Amazon River, and with it the jungle, is in a state of constant change. Large chunks of semi-aquatic land were constantly breaking off from the banks and floating down stream. The difference in depths of the river between the rainy and dry season is sometimes upwards of 20 feet. I’m sure that if we were to some back in the height of the rainy season we would hardly recognize where we were. But I guess that is one of the great things about the Amazon, every time you go will be a new experience.
Compared to the black waters of the Morman, the Amazon is a mud brown color. We continued on the Amazon for another hour or so before we landed at Heliconia Lodge, named after the ever present tropical flower (often confused with birds of paradise). The lodge was situated about 100 yards back from the water’s edge and it would have made the Swiss Family Robinson proud of its construction. The whole place, from the house of hammocks, to the rooms, pool, and dinning room were up on stilts to protect from the possible overflowing river.
Over the next 3 days we did a lot of relaxing, eating great food, and exploring the jungle. We’d head out on the river a few times a day to go Piranha fishing, explore the small inlets in canoes, or to search for the ever-elusive pink dolphins. At night we would take a cruise to see the sun set and watch the moon and the stars come out. On the second to last night we saw some of the most amazing stars that any of us had ever seen. The longer we stayed out on the water the brighter it grew. As we floated down river, under the brightening night sky, we decided we had probably made the right decision to come down to Peru.
- What time is it now?
- 9:40
- Oh OK, so what time are we leaving?
- 9 on the dot
This laid back style was a nice change from the fixed time oriented culture of the US. It definitely helps you to get into the relaxed way of life of the Amazons. For a 3-4 day relaxing trip it’s great, but I can imagine the frustration of running a business on Amazonian time.
Anyway... we were there for 1 reason and 1 reason only: to experience the Amazons and everything they had to offer.
Carlos drove us the 20 minutes to the pier where we changed our mode of transportation and headed down river with a 250 hp outboard engine on a long, 10 seater boat. The river of our embarkation was the Morman river (no relations to Joseph Smith). At approximately a half mile from shore to shore, it’s a fairly wide river. After about an hour ride, the Morman fed into the Amazon--we had officially made it!
One of the things that stood out in my mind about this trip as a whole, was that the Amazon River, and with it the jungle, is in a state of constant change. Large chunks of semi-aquatic land were constantly breaking off from the banks and floating down stream. The difference in depths of the river between the rainy and dry season is sometimes upwards of 20 feet. I’m sure that if we were to some back in the height of the rainy season we would hardly recognize where we were. But I guess that is one of the great things about the Amazon, every time you go will be a new experience.
Compared to the black waters of the Morman, the Amazon is a mud brown color. We continued on the Amazon for another hour or so before we landed at Heliconia Lodge, named after the ever present tropical flower (often confused with birds of paradise). The lodge was situated about 100 yards back from the water’s edge and it would have made the Swiss Family Robinson proud of its construction. The whole place, from the house of hammocks, to the rooms, pool, and dinning room were up on stilts to protect from the possible overflowing river.
Over the next 3 days we did a lot of relaxing, eating great food, and exploring the jungle. We’d head out on the river a few times a day to go Piranha fishing, explore the small inlets in canoes, or to search for the ever-elusive pink dolphins. At night we would take a cruise to see the sun set and watch the moon and the stars come out. On the second to last night we saw some of the most amazing stars that any of us had ever seen. The longer we stayed out on the water the brighter it grew. As we floated down river, under the brightening night sky, we decided we had probably made the right decision to come down to Peru.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Día 1 en la Jungla
All of us would agree that this past weekend was a trip we have been wanting to take for a loooong time. We flew out of Lima on Thursday night heading north-east deep into the Amazon Jungle. We stayed the night in Iquitos, which is a town of about 370,000, although it seems much smaller. When we stepped out of the airplane we were hit in face with the hot humid weather of the tropics. After being in Lima, where the weather is constantly cloudy and around 65 F., it was a nice change. The airport had all the feelings of a small town in a developing country. As soon as we walked out of the airport gates there were dozens of cabbies calling to us, arguing amongst themselves over who should have the right to the group of gringos. Unfortunately for them, we already had a ride set up. Brady, our team lead, had taken care of this the day before. Carlos was there waiting with a sign for Ready Johnson (Brady’s name seems too difficult to say in Spanish so people refer to him has Ready. We, obviously, have started using this name as well and have even translated it into Spanish which we use often: Listo Johnson).
We gave our bags to the 12 year olds waiting to help us (for a small propina of course) and headed to the minivan. After about a 15 minute ride through some very interesting traffic (for details, view Rob’s entry below) we arrived at our hotel. On the way to the hotel we learned about the best restaurants, the best foods to eat (turtle, crocodile, jungle spaghetti, and Piranha), and the best places to go out dancing. We didn’t have much time in Iquitos because our boat left early the next morning to take us 4 hours deep into the Amazon. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we checked in, dropped off our bags, and hit the streets. We strolled up to the river walkway and tried one of the restaurants Carlos had suggested. Mike, Rob, and I had river bass while Alex and Ready Johnson dined on crocodile.
When we finished dinner we started searching for some night life. When we hit the main road, we went up to one of the motorcycle taxis and asked for some suggestions (these are motorcycles that have been rigged with a two seater trailer and the locals call them mosquitoes—there are 16,000 of them in the city). We ended up jumping in two mosquitoes and told them to take us to the best place to be on a Thursday night. We ended up driving down some dirt roads and ended up at an open air concert hall (more like an open warehouse) where there was a 15 person band playing and 300 Peruvians dancing the night away. Needless to say, we were the only gringos at the concert. We stayed for a few hours trying out our salsa moves and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the next few days deep in the jungle.
We gave our bags to the 12 year olds waiting to help us (for a small propina of course) and headed to the minivan. After about a 15 minute ride through some very interesting traffic (for details, view Rob’s entry below) we arrived at our hotel. On the way to the hotel we learned about the best restaurants, the best foods to eat (turtle, crocodile, jungle spaghetti, and Piranha), and the best places to go out dancing. We didn’t have much time in Iquitos because our boat left early the next morning to take us 4 hours deep into the Amazon. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we checked in, dropped off our bags, and hit the streets. We strolled up to the river walkway and tried one of the restaurants Carlos had suggested. Mike, Rob, and I had river bass while Alex and Ready Johnson dined on crocodile.
When we finished dinner we started searching for some night life. When we hit the main road, we went up to one of the motorcycle taxis and asked for some suggestions (these are motorcycles that have been rigged with a two seater trailer and the locals call them mosquitoes—there are 16,000 of them in the city). We ended up jumping in two mosquitoes and told them to take us to the best place to be on a Thursday night. We ended up driving down some dirt roads and ended up at an open air concert hall (more like an open warehouse) where there was a 15 person band playing and 300 Peruvians dancing the night away. Needless to say, we were the only gringos at the concert. We stayed for a few hours trying out our salsa moves and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the next few days deep in the jungle.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
AMAZON Pictures
We just spent the weekend in the Amazons. I'll make a post soon, but in the meantime you can check out the pictures here
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Chance encounter on American Airlines
I’ve always heard about chance encounters on airplanes yet in all of my flights I have never had one. That all changed on our flight to Lima from the states. As we were storing our bags above our seats I struck up a conversation with the guy sitting in front of me. He asked me how long I was going to Peru for and I responded that the five of us were going down for 5 weeks. He then asked how long we were staying in Lima. When I responded that we were going to be staying in Lima for the whole trip he gave me a look of disbelief: most people fly to Peru and then use Lima as a staging ground to take trips all around the country.
Not wanting to get into to much detail I just said that we were doing a consulting project for Mibanco, the largest micro-finance bank in the Peru. As it turned out, the guy I was talking to, Jeff Levine, works for USAID and has been doing micro-finance in Latin America and Africa for the last 15 years. At hearing this I mentioned to him that “we are doing our consulting job as a kind of “cap-stone” course in finishing up our MBAs at Thunderbird School of Global Management.”
“Thunderbird… I’ve never heard of it” Jeff responded with a smirk. I smiled back not knowing where he was going with this.
“I know Thunderbird real well, it’s hard to work for USAID, and micro-finance in particular, without knowing about Thunderbird. Everywhere I go and every job I take all over the globe I run into T-birds.”
Jeff gave me his card and told me to contact him when once I was settled in Lima so he could introduce me to some people that could help in our project. Having a great ability to sleep on planes, as soon as we took off I passed out for the duration of the flight. Rob however, continued the conversation with Jeff sporadically throughout the flight.
When we got to our apartment in Lima I wrote Jeff an email and set up an appointment at the US embassy for this past Thursday. Because our group is so large, we try to split up when we go to meetings so we don’t overwhelm who we are meeting with. Brady, Mike, and Rob had gone to a meeting the day before with the President of Mibanco at the Lima Country Club so Alex and I took this meeting.
The meeting turned out to be a huge success. The embassy is about 25 minutes from our apartment and it takes up about a city block. Jeff had set up the meeting with himself and Eduardo Albareda, who he called the “god father of micro-finance in Peru”. We had just finished reading a book about micro finance in Peru where Sr. Albareda was cited numerous times. Jeff and Eduardo were amazing in the help they provided us. Alex did a great job explaining the intricacies of our project and in general the research we wanted to conduct and how we wanted to do it. Our goal for the meeting was to have them put us in contact with people who could introduce us to successful women entrepreneurs who we could interview. Jeff and Eduardo listed off about 6 different organizations in Peru who we could contact and then said they would put us in contact with top people in these organizations.
The first introduction was made by Jeff to Colleen Dyble, who works for an NGO micro-finance institution in Peru. Her response to his introduction email was surprising, but something that as Thunderbird students (soon to be alumni) we are getting used to: “I would be delighted to be put in touch with them Jeff! I heard about the program a few months ago and I have been wanting to get in touch with them.” We’ve always heard that Thunderbird has an amazing network and we are starting to see it in action first hand. Colleen is not a T-bird but she has numerous friends that are and they had sent her the T-bird newsletter about the TEM Lab program in Peru.
One of the things that is turning out to be so interesting about this project is how every conversation that we have leads us to another person who is more than willing to help us out. The people we have been coming in contact with here in Peru, both Americans and Peruvians, are all extremely friendly, and for the most part, very willing to help us out in our project. Seeing the T-bird network in action is also exciting. Everyone always says that one of the best things about going to Thunderbird is not necessarily what you get from the classes (which for the most part has been great) but it is the network of successful, interesting, and talented people that you leave with upon graduation or that have graduated before you.
Not wanting to get into to much detail I just said that we were doing a consulting project for Mibanco, the largest micro-finance bank in the Peru. As it turned out, the guy I was talking to, Jeff Levine, works for USAID and has been doing micro-finance in Latin America and Africa for the last 15 years. At hearing this I mentioned to him that “we are doing our consulting job as a kind of “cap-stone” course in finishing up our MBAs at Thunderbird School of Global Management.”
“Thunderbird… I’ve never heard of it” Jeff responded with a smirk. I smiled back not knowing where he was going with this.
“I know Thunderbird real well, it’s hard to work for USAID, and micro-finance in particular, without knowing about Thunderbird. Everywhere I go and every job I take all over the globe I run into T-birds.”
Jeff gave me his card and told me to contact him when once I was settled in Lima so he could introduce me to some people that could help in our project. Having a great ability to sleep on planes, as soon as we took off I passed out for the duration of the flight. Rob however, continued the conversation with Jeff sporadically throughout the flight.
When we got to our apartment in Lima I wrote Jeff an email and set up an appointment at the US embassy for this past Thursday. Because our group is so large, we try to split up when we go to meetings so we don’t overwhelm who we are meeting with. Brady, Mike, and Rob had gone to a meeting the day before with the President of Mibanco at the Lima Country Club so Alex and I took this meeting.
The meeting turned out to be a huge success. The embassy is about 25 minutes from our apartment and it takes up about a city block. Jeff had set up the meeting with himself and Eduardo Albareda, who he called the “god father of micro-finance in Peru”. We had just finished reading a book about micro finance in Peru where Sr. Albareda was cited numerous times. Jeff and Eduardo were amazing in the help they provided us. Alex did a great job explaining the intricacies of our project and in general the research we wanted to conduct and how we wanted to do it. Our goal for the meeting was to have them put us in contact with people who could introduce us to successful women entrepreneurs who we could interview. Jeff and Eduardo listed off about 6 different organizations in Peru who we could contact and then said they would put us in contact with top people in these organizations.
The first introduction was made by Jeff to Colleen Dyble, who works for an NGO micro-finance institution in Peru. Her response to his introduction email was surprising, but something that as Thunderbird students (soon to be alumni) we are getting used to: “I would be delighted to be put in touch with them Jeff! I heard about the program a few months ago and I have been wanting to get in touch with them.” We’ve always heard that Thunderbird has an amazing network and we are starting to see it in action first hand. Colleen is not a T-bird but she has numerous friends that are and they had sent her the T-bird newsletter about the TEM Lab program in Peru.
One of the things that is turning out to be so interesting about this project is how every conversation that we have leads us to another person who is more than willing to help us out. The people we have been coming in contact with here in Peru, both Americans and Peruvians, are all extremely friendly, and for the most part, very willing to help us out in our project. Seeing the T-bird network in action is also exciting. Everyone always says that one of the best things about going to Thunderbird is not necessarily what you get from the classes (which for the most part has been great) but it is the network of successful, interesting, and talented people that you leave with upon graduation or that have graduated before you.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Prague, China, and beyond
So, my last entry was a little over a year ago and in that entry I said how I was about to start blogging again often. Well, that obviously did not happen. One thing led to another and I got lazy with the blog. Over these next two months however, I will be blogging often.
First I'll give a recap of my last year and then I'll get into what I'm doing now.
Over the last year I moved around a a lot. Thunderbird, where I am getting my MBA is an amazing school. It has campuses all over the world. For two months lat summer I was in Prague studying. School was extremely taxing but I still found time to explore the city. After our module ended there I went down to Italy for a 2 week road trip before flying off to Beijing for the next 2 month module. China again was a great time. It was not quite as taxing so I had a little more time to get to know the city. China, is by all means not an easy place to travel around of you don't speak the language. Nevertheless, I had a fantastic time. After China I took a two week trip to visit my brother in Thailand and to relax in the Thai islands. From there I went down to Brazil for 3 months where I was living in Rio De Janeiro and doing an exchange program with COPPEAD, which is rated one of the best MBA programs in all of Latin America.
Rio sure is an amazing place. I was living 2 blocks from the famous Ipanema beach where I tried to get to as often as possible. I also spent a fair amount of time hiking up in the rainforest that is right inside of the city. It is the largest urban rainforest in the world. I thoroughly enjoyed learning Portuguese and getting to know Brazil and the Brazilian people.
After Rio, I spent a relaxing month off back home, between my mom's and my dad's houses. My brother was able to be there for the entire time and it was great for all of us to be together. In January I headed back out to Arizona (main Thunderbird Campus) where I finished all but 6 credits of my MBA. It was great to be back on campus and see some old faces that I had not seen for a long time.
I have decided that I am going to move to San Francisco to work in a tech start-up company there. For those of ;you who know my brother, it sounds a little like I am following his footsteps. In '97, in the height of the dot com boom, he moved out to SF and started a couple of companies. Luke however is now living in Thailand where I just spent two weeks. It is horribly sad what is happening over there and I truly hope the country and figure out its problems and come to some kind of peaceful resolution.
Before I can move out there, I am finishing my lat 6 credits in Peru. As I write this I am sitting in my apartment in Lima overlooking the ocean. I am here with 4 other classmates and friends from school and we are doing a program called TEM Lab (Thunderbird Emerging Markets Program). We are acting as consultants for a micro-finance bank, Mibanco, and are trying to see how we can help move women up the pyramid faster. For those of you unfamiliar with micro-finance. it is a relatively recent phenomena. Banks are focused on solely giving loans to women in the developing world. It first started over in India and now has spread throughout most of the developing countries in the world. We are going to be working on a program where we can try and figure out how to accelerate women from the bottom of the Pyramid up to the top. This would make more money for the women, more money for the banks, and more money would be in circulation in the developing country.
Our work is going to be taxing, but it is going to be rewarding as well. I look forward to keep everyone updated here.
First I'll give a recap of my last year and then I'll get into what I'm doing now.
Over the last year I moved around a a lot. Thunderbird, where I am getting my MBA is an amazing school. It has campuses all over the world. For two months lat summer I was in Prague studying. School was extremely taxing but I still found time to explore the city. After our module ended there I went down to Italy for a 2 week road trip before flying off to Beijing for the next 2 month module. China again was a great time. It was not quite as taxing so I had a little more time to get to know the city. China, is by all means not an easy place to travel around of you don't speak the language. Nevertheless, I had a fantastic time. After China I took a two week trip to visit my brother in Thailand and to relax in the Thai islands. From there I went down to Brazil for 3 months where I was living in Rio De Janeiro and doing an exchange program with COPPEAD, which is rated one of the best MBA programs in all of Latin America.
Rio sure is an amazing place. I was living 2 blocks from the famous Ipanema beach where I tried to get to as often as possible. I also spent a fair amount of time hiking up in the rainforest that is right inside of the city. It is the largest urban rainforest in the world. I thoroughly enjoyed learning Portuguese and getting to know Brazil and the Brazilian people.
After Rio, I spent a relaxing month off back home, between my mom's and my dad's houses. My brother was able to be there for the entire time and it was great for all of us to be together. In January I headed back out to Arizona (main Thunderbird Campus) where I finished all but 6 credits of my MBA. It was great to be back on campus and see some old faces that I had not seen for a long time.
I have decided that I am going to move to San Francisco to work in a tech start-up company there. For those of ;you who know my brother, it sounds a little like I am following his footsteps. In '97, in the height of the dot com boom, he moved out to SF and started a couple of companies. Luke however is now living in Thailand where I just spent two weeks. It is horribly sad what is happening over there and I truly hope the country and figure out its problems and come to some kind of peaceful resolution.
Before I can move out there, I am finishing my lat 6 credits in Peru. As I write this I am sitting in my apartment in Lima overlooking the ocean. I am here with 4 other classmates and friends from school and we are doing a program called TEM Lab (Thunderbird Emerging Markets Program). We are acting as consultants for a micro-finance bank, Mibanco, and are trying to see how we can help move women up the pyramid faster. For those of you unfamiliar with micro-finance. it is a relatively recent phenomena. Banks are focused on solely giving loans to women in the developing world. It first started over in India and now has spread throughout most of the developing countries in the world. We are going to be working on a program where we can try and figure out how to accelerate women from the bottom of the Pyramid up to the top. This would make more money for the women, more money for the banks, and more money would be in circulation in the developing country.
Our work is going to be taxing, but it is going to be rewarding as well. I look forward to keep everyone updated here.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
summer plans
Well, it's about that time again. I have not had an entry here for about 6 months and that usually means that I have not traveled. I have been feeling the itch lately and I am getting ready to embark on a great trip. I have spent the last 4 months in Glendale Arizona going to school at Thunderbird. I am getting my MBA in international business. My first semester was an amazing experience and it was everything I had hoped for. The best part of the school is definitely the people. Thunderbird does an amazing job at bringing in some of the most interesting people from all over the world into one place. The student population is about 60% foreign and 40% domestic. Everyone has traveled all over the world and has experienced some very cool stuff.
Thunderbird has campuses all over the world and this summer I am going to be taking classes in Prague for six weeks followed by China for 6 weeks. The teachers are Thunderbird teachers but the focus at both of these campuses will be on their respective regions. I am going to truly have a global business education upon graduation.
In Prague I have an apartment in the middle of the city and I am going to be living with Gokhan from Turkey and Mike and Patrick from the US. My second week in Prague there is a big beer festival and a few of my friends from Serbia are going to be coming in to visit me. I plan on traveling all over the region and trying to learn as much about the culture as is possible to do in 6 weeks. School is going to be very difficult but I will be able to perform a good juggling act to succeed in everything.
After Prague, Sarah my girlfriend is joining from NYC (she is a teacher and has the summer off). We are going to go on a 10 day trip through Italy where we are going to be hunting the best food and wine that Italy offers. After that we are flying to Beijing where we will find an apartment and I'll start school up there. Sarah is going to be teaching English.
China is going to be more of a culture shock than Prague but it will be very interesting. I studied a fair amount of Chinese history in my undergraduate and I am excited to see the things I studied first hand. I should have decent access to internet while traveling and I hope to be able to post lots of interesting stories. Until then, wish me luck...
Thunderbird has campuses all over the world and this summer I am going to be taking classes in Prague for six weeks followed by China for 6 weeks. The teachers are Thunderbird teachers but the focus at both of these campuses will be on their respective regions. I am going to truly have a global business education upon graduation.
In Prague I have an apartment in the middle of the city and I am going to be living with Gokhan from Turkey and Mike and Patrick from the US. My second week in Prague there is a big beer festival and a few of my friends from Serbia are going to be coming in to visit me. I plan on traveling all over the region and trying to learn as much about the culture as is possible to do in 6 weeks. School is going to be very difficult but I will be able to perform a good juggling act to succeed in everything.
After Prague, Sarah my girlfriend is joining from NYC (she is a teacher and has the summer off). We are going to go on a 10 day trip through Italy where we are going to be hunting the best food and wine that Italy offers. After that we are flying to Beijing where we will find an apartment and I'll start school up there. Sarah is going to be teaching English.
China is going to be more of a culture shock than Prague but it will be very interesting. I studied a fair amount of Chinese history in my undergraduate and I am excited to see the things I studied first hand. I should have decent access to internet while traveling and I hope to be able to post lots of interesting stories. Until then, wish me luck...
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Derby
On my first Saturday in Serbia my friends took me to see "The Derby". It is the rivalry between the top two soccer teams in Serbia (both of who are from Belgrade). It is Partisan aka gravediggers and red star aka heros. The teams were both formed after the second world war and have always carried a vague political connection. The fans have always been devoted. Since the breakup of the former Yugoslavia and the many wars throughout the Balkans the fans have become more violent. The hooligans are mostly in their late teens and early twenties. A group of people who's parents lived well and who are now prisoners in their own country unable to make enough money to do the things they want to do. The soccer games have provided an outlet for this frustration over the last 15 years, however a very dangerous and often deadly outlet. In recent years there have been a few deaths. There are often fights of 50 people vs 50 people before games (all can be seen on youtube), people have been shot, and recently a hooligan got 10 years in jail for stuffing a burning flair down a police officer's throat.
One of my friends, Ivan, was at a game a few years earlier. He apparently was not cheering loud enough so a group of people started punching him and chasing him through the stands. I was told this story on our way down to the game and, to say the least, it did not put me at ease. Four of us went to the game Edin, Ivan, Vladi, and me. Vladi and Ivan bought seats on the sides where the neutral fans go to watch the game in peace. Edin however wanted me to really experience The Derby how it should be experienced and he took me into the heart of the Gravediggers (his team). We were in the southern end zone bleachers with about 10,000 wild and crazy fans. We pushed our way through to be in the absolute middle.
I would not go so far as to say I was scared but a little nervous yes, cautious yes. I was in the middle of a group of 10,000 angry young people. People who were angry for not having the opportunities that they deserve. People who have seen their politicians pull them into war after war. People who are furious at the west for recognizing Kosovo's recent independence (Kosovo is historically the heartland of Serbia. Most of the Serbian history, masques, etc is in Kosovo) and who burned the United States Embassy in Belgrade in February (). Well, with all of this in mind I planned on making sure I cheered the loudest and jumped the highest.
No alcohol is allowed within 1 mile of the stadium. Starting from about a mile away from the stadium there were cops in riot gear stationed in pairs every 20 feet (head to toe armor with batons, guns, shields, helmets, and masks). As we got closer to the the field the cops were stationed every three feet. There were over 2500 cops in riot gear in total. The games have recently turned more violent and the country was determined to not allow this game to turn deadly.
As soon as the game began the fans erupted. A banner showing their allegiance to their team was passed over our heads. The banner was like nothing I have ever seen before. It was 75 yards wide and 50 yards long. It stretched over all of our heads and almost the whole end zone. On the sides people lit colored flares and everyone chanted the Gravedigger songs. After about ten minutes the banner was taken down and we watched the game. The whole time all the fans were on their feet cheering loudly. The cheers were directed not towards their team but towards the fans of Red Star. Calling them every insult that one could think of. I chanted right along with them all. Following along in Serbian yelling loud but not loud enough that people could tell I had no idea what I was saying. I was hoping for a Gravedigger victory, not so much because I was a fan but because I did not want to be amongst this crowd if they lost.
The Gravediggers did indeed win, 2-0. After the second goal was scored the fans went crazy. They lit flares on fire and threw them at the cops that were surrounding the field. In between the stands and the field were bushes where fans had put flags. These flags and bushes caught fire from the flares. The cops rushed forward to put out the fires and the fans in return pulled the seats out of the ground and threw them on top of the police.
When the game ended everyone filed out of the stadium. The riot police were everywhere making sure the fans of the two opposing sides could not go near each other. We made our way to the car and headed back home. The game was a fun time and I felt I learned a great deal.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Hiking in Bulgaria
In people's lives there are great decades, great years, and great months. These however are all made up of great days. Today was a great day. I had one of the best days of my life today hiking through the mountains at 7500 feet among pristine lakes and patches of snow on Pirin mountain in south west Bulgaria.
The weather was a perfect fall day: crisp air, clear sky, and plenty of sunshine. Pirin mountain is a group of sharp peaks, granite rocks, green valleys, and many beautiful lakes. I was with my Bulgarian friend Miro and a friend of his. I arrived in Bulgaria a few days ago and was staying at Miro's house in a college town in the mountains. Today he was going to show me his backyard: Pirin mountain. I feel most at home and most at peace when I am walking the mountains with no one talking to me except for the rivers whispering their song in the distance and the wind blowing through the trees. The mountains are my church.
We followed the trail for an hour or so and saw some beautiful lakes nestled in among the peaks. The path was getting steeper but I still wanted more physical exhaustion. I could see the peak we were headed to in the distance and I left the trail to hike straight up the face of the mountain hand over foot leaping among the granite rocks. I reached the peak 2 hours later and could see the Bulgarian mountain chain stretch on in all directions. The valleys below were scattered with lakes of a color I had never seen before. It must have been a combination of my physical exhaustion and the beauty of the mountains but I felt a peace come over me that I have rarely felt. It made me feel totally at ease and happy with my life. Standing on that peak I began to think about all the everyday things that people worry about and how we spend so much time worrying about the things we cannot control.
As I stood on that peak the economy of my country and many other countries was collapsing. People's lives savings are disappearing, students are losing their student loans (something that has caused me some consternation). Standing on that peak it made me realize that things are going to happen the way things are going to happen. Things will either get worse or they will get better but all the worrying in the world cannot change things. It is like the mountains I was looking at: they were there before and they will be there long to come. It does us no good worrying about the things we cannot control. Life is short and we need to make the most out of every minute we have on this planet. Today I had a great day. When I am on my deathbed I want to be able to say that I lived a great life. In order for me to do that I know I need to pack in as many great days as possible.
****************************
Miro and Boris joined me shortly after on the peak and we all looked at each other with the knowledge that we were experiencing something amazing. On the opposite side of the peak from where we came from there were two small lakes surrounded by soft green fields. We decided to hike down to them and eat our lunch. At this point I had been in Bulgaria about 4 days and all the food I had eaten was grown within a 10 mile radius of my friends house. Our lunch was one of the best meals I have ever had. After 3.5 hours of hiking anything would have been great but this lunch was amazing indeed. We had fresh feta cheese, homemade bread, delicious tomatoes and cucumbers, Bulgarian sausage, and letanica (best described as Bulgarian bruceta). We washed it all down with spring water from a nearby stream. After we ate I lied down on the grass and dozed off under the afternoon sun.
When I awoke it was time to head down the mountain. On the walk down I had more time to take in the views surrounding me. Today was a day I will not soon forget
The weather was a perfect fall day: crisp air, clear sky, and plenty of sunshine. Pirin mountain is a group of sharp peaks, granite rocks, green valleys, and many beautiful lakes. I was with my Bulgarian friend Miro and a friend of his. I arrived in Bulgaria a few days ago and was staying at Miro's house in a college town in the mountains. Today he was going to show me his backyard: Pirin mountain. I feel most at home and most at peace when I am walking the mountains with no one talking to me except for the rivers whispering their song in the distance and the wind blowing through the trees. The mountains are my church.
We followed the trail for an hour or so and saw some beautiful lakes nestled in among the peaks. The path was getting steeper but I still wanted more physical exhaustion. I could see the peak we were headed to in the distance and I left the trail to hike straight up the face of the mountain hand over foot leaping among the granite rocks. I reached the peak 2 hours later and could see the Bulgarian mountain chain stretch on in all directions. The valleys below were scattered with lakes of a color I had never seen before. It must have been a combination of my physical exhaustion and the beauty of the mountains but I felt a peace come over me that I have rarely felt. It made me feel totally at ease and happy with my life. Standing on that peak I began to think about all the everyday things that people worry about and how we spend so much time worrying about the things we cannot control.
As I stood on that peak the economy of my country and many other countries was collapsing. People's lives savings are disappearing, students are losing their student loans (something that has caused me some consternation). Standing on that peak it made me realize that things are going to happen the way things are going to happen. Things will either get worse or they will get better but all the worrying in the world cannot change things. It is like the mountains I was looking at: they were there before and they will be there long to come. It does us no good worrying about the things we cannot control. Life is short and we need to make the most out of every minute we have on this planet. Today I had a great day. When I am on my deathbed I want to be able to say that I lived a great life. In order for me to do that I know I need to pack in as many great days as possible.
****************************
Miro and Boris joined me shortly after on the peak and we all looked at each other with the knowledge that we were experiencing something amazing. On the opposite side of the peak from where we came from there were two small lakes surrounded by soft green fields. We decided to hike down to them and eat our lunch. At this point I had been in Bulgaria about 4 days and all the food I had eaten was grown within a 10 mile radius of my friends house. Our lunch was one of the best meals I have ever had. After 3.5 hours of hiking anything would have been great but this lunch was amazing indeed. We had fresh feta cheese, homemade bread, delicious tomatoes and cucumbers, Bulgarian sausage, and letanica (best described as Bulgarian bruceta). We washed it all down with spring water from a nearby stream. After we ate I lied down on the grass and dozed off under the afternoon sun.
When I awoke it was time to head down the mountain. On the walk down I had more time to take in the views surrounding me. Today was a day I will not soon forget
Off the the Balkans
So I have embarked on my last exploration before I head back to school to get my MBA in international business at Thunderbird ( www.thunderbird.edu). I've decided to go to Eastern Europe. It is a part of the world I have never seen before and a place I can learn a lot. Traveling is my biggest passion and I love to travel for many reasons. I have always been fascinated by history (my college major) and by traveling you can get a feel for history first hand. I think it is very important to learn about different cultures. The more we learn about the world and the people living in it the better understanding we can have with each other. This understanding is vital for the world to avoid war upon war that accomplishes nothing except to create more hatred and animosity.
From my summers working in Nantucket I have made close friends scattered throughout the Balkans. I arrived in Serbia in the end of September and my friends Edin, Vladi, and Ivan picked me up in Belgrade. We drove to their hometown of Novi Sad, the 2nd largest city in Serbia, about 2 hours north. In Serbia, much like many places throughout the world, people live with their parents until they get married. In many catholic countries people do this out of custom. Here in Serbia people do it because they have no other option. The average salary is 400 USD per month. To rent an apartment it would cost more than half of that. You add in food and other necessities and it becomes impossible.
My friends found an apartment for me to rent in downtown Novi Sad. It is on the main Boulevard on the 17th floor and overlooks the whole city. Behind the city the mighty Danube roars by. All of the bridges over the river are less than 7 years old. They were built to replace the older bridges that were bombed by the US military in 1999.
Serbia has gone through a rough time in the last 20 years since the break up of the former Yugoslavia. They have had wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo. They have had despotic rulers, Foreign super powers bombing them, and their country has been fragmented. Their economy has collapsed and shows no signs of improvement.
In spite of all of this the people are resilient. My friends grew up playing basketball while bombs were dropping all around them. Now everyone seems to just want to forget the past, forget the fighting, and move forward. Everywhere I go everyone is friendly to me. People go out of their way to show me around and to answer my many questions about their country and their history. Serbia is indeed a gorgeous country.
My goal of this trip is to learn as much about this region as I possibly can... and of course to have some fun while I'm doing it.
From my summers working in Nantucket I have made close friends scattered throughout the Balkans. I arrived in Serbia in the end of September and my friends Edin, Vladi, and Ivan picked me up in Belgrade. We drove to their hometown of Novi Sad, the 2nd largest city in Serbia, about 2 hours north. In Serbia, much like many places throughout the world, people live with their parents until they get married. In many catholic countries people do this out of custom. Here in Serbia people do it because they have no other option. The average salary is 400 USD per month. To rent an apartment it would cost more than half of that. You add in food and other necessities and it becomes impossible.
My friends found an apartment for me to rent in downtown Novi Sad. It is on the main Boulevard on the 17th floor and overlooks the whole city. Behind the city the mighty Danube roars by. All of the bridges over the river are less than 7 years old. They were built to replace the older bridges that were bombed by the US military in 1999.
Serbia has gone through a rough time in the last 20 years since the break up of the former Yugoslavia. They have had wars in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo. They have had despotic rulers, Foreign super powers bombing them, and their country has been fragmented. Their economy has collapsed and shows no signs of improvement.
In spite of all of this the people are resilient. My friends grew up playing basketball while bombs were dropping all around them. Now everyone seems to just want to forget the past, forget the fighting, and move forward. Everywhere I go everyone is friendly to me. People go out of their way to show me around and to answer my many questions about their country and their history. Serbia is indeed a gorgeous country.
My goal of this trip is to learn as much about this region as I possibly can... and of course to have some fun while I'm doing it.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Hair
About a month before I was ready to get on the plane and head to Africa I shaved my head and stopped shaving my face. I did this for a few reasons but I think the main reason was more simple than the reason I told everyone: I did it because I could. I knew that for the next few months it would not matter how I looked. I was going to have no boss, no professors, no girlfriends, no need to keep my hair and beard neat. So, I let it grow.
About two weeks into the trip after a lot of talk Caroline and I decided to give ourselves a haircut. We were in a small beach village where hippos wandered the streets at night. Sitting around listening to music with about 10 other people we decided bring out the buzzers we had bought earlier in the day. I ran to the car in a torrential down pour to retrieve them from the trunk (3 hours later when we returned to the car we saw I had left the trunk wide open). We asked for volunteers to cut our hair and an English bloke named Mike who was working behind the bar stepped up to the plate.
I did not really know what I wanted to do with my hair or beard but I said I wanted it to look ¨crazy¨. Everyone sitting around wrote down their ideas on a piece of paper and we drew from a hat. It was to be a mohawk for my head and a fu-man-chew for the beard. Caroline started off with a mohawk as well and then shaved it all off.
I fell instantly in love with my new style. It was fun. It was something wild and outrageous and it did not matter. Well, in Africa it did not matter, and that brings me to the purpose of this entry. We had two weeks left in South Africa (including a short trip to Lesotho) before we headed up to Namibia. During those two weeks I did not get one comment nor one weird look. And for those of you who saw me upon my return... I looked awfully strange (see pictures below). The first comment I received was when we were crossing the border from South Africa to Namibia. The South African border guard asked me for my drivers license and passport which I handed over gracefully. She studied my picture and my face for a while and then she broke into a huge smile. She returned my documents and told me she loved my new style.
The next two weeks we traveled through Namibia and did not receive another comment nor sidewards glance - not too surprising however, we were traversing dirt roads through the most uninhabited country in all of Africa. After Namibia the road brought us to Botswana where things started to get interesting. In order to reach Botswana we had to drive south from the Caprivi strip through a Nature Reserve full of wild animals. It seems now that in the people´s minds, for the rest of the trip, I was one of those wild animals.
After crossing the border our first stop was a grocery store to put some kind of food in our bellies. It just so happened that we arrived on the grand opening of the grocery store. It was the first of its kind for, at the least, 100 kilometers. People had come from all over to see the newest addition. As we walked into the store everyone s eyes shifted to me. Unlike Thailand, where Thai people will never stare at another person, everyone stared and laughed. It was not so much that they were laughing at me... well, actually they probably were. But not in a malicious way. Little kids would stare and point, teenagers would slap me five, or pat me on the back, and girls would giggle and pass me furtive glances. -at this point my mohawk was about 3 inches long in the middle and shaved on the side. Each of the 3 parts of my fu-man-chew was extended from my chin about 2 inches.- The grocery store was interesting. When we got back to the car we laughed, empty handed because the grocery store was barely stocked, and marvelled about how things had changed since the first month.
We continued our journey to Maun which is the staging point for heading into the magical Okavango Delta. As in most of the rest of our travels through Africa, when we arrived in Maun we were the only white people around. The -tourist town- as it was described was nothing more than a reasonably large village that was falling apart- or had already fallen apart. The houses were made of beer cans and mud. You could tell that at one point someone had attempted to put pavement on the streets but were not too successful. We pulled in to a parking lot, parked the car, and got out to walk around. As we walked through the parking lot we could see people from far away looking at us. It became comical when we got to the crowded sidewalk. I walked ahead of Caroline and weaved through the people. Everyone, literally everyone, was staring at me with a huge smile on their face. People were laughing and poking their friends who were already staring. Girls in buses were yelling out of the window. Caroline had the best view of all walking a few steps behind me. She described it as if my hair and beard were a magnet pulling everyones eyes to my hair. As she walked behind me it was like a wave of people following me through the town.
This general reaction occurred throughout Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. While crossing back into Zimbabwe from Zambia I had an interesting interaction with the border guard. After trying for 20 minutes to get the border guard to let us into his country for free he asked me the name of my haircut. He said he wanted to have the barber give him the same haircut and beard. He gave me a piece of paper and had me write it down.
My nickname among most people we met in these three countries turned into -Mr. T-. I would be walking down the street and people would yell, -hey Mr. T- It was pretty amusing. People would tell me how much I looked like Mr T and I would usually respond, -yeah but he is more tan than I am-. No one ever seemed to get the joke.
As soon as we crossed back into South Africa people stopped commenting on my hair style. The different reactions to my hair style say something about the different cultures. I still had one more country to go to and that was my native country, the USA.
After being back in the US for a week or so I had a wedding to go to. After the wedding we were at a bar having a drink. I was sitting down outside by myself when a guy came and sat down next to me. He started talking to me and then he said to me -
Im a skinhead, do you know what that is.
I was blindsided by his comment and did not know what to say so I responded with a grunt that I did not know.
Do you know who the Nazis were
Yes I responded
Well, I am a current day Nazi
I could not believe what had just happened. I was ashamed that someone would mistake me for a Nazi. I have not really told anyone abut that conversation because I was too embarrassed. Needless to say, the next day I shaved my mohawk and my fu-man-chu. It is interesting, I traveled all throughout Africa and was greeted with smiles by my hairstyle and then when I get back to my own country it was seen has a symbol of hatred. Reactions to my hairstyle definitely say something about different cultures.
About two weeks into the trip after a lot of talk Caroline and I decided to give ourselves a haircut. We were in a small beach village where hippos wandered the streets at night. Sitting around listening to music with about 10 other people we decided bring out the buzzers we had bought earlier in the day. I ran to the car in a torrential down pour to retrieve them from the trunk (3 hours later when we returned to the car we saw I had left the trunk wide open). We asked for volunteers to cut our hair and an English bloke named Mike who was working behind the bar stepped up to the plate.
I did not really know what I wanted to do with my hair or beard but I said I wanted it to look ¨crazy¨. Everyone sitting around wrote down their ideas on a piece of paper and we drew from a hat. It was to be a mohawk for my head and a fu-man-chew for the beard. Caroline started off with a mohawk as well and then shaved it all off.
I fell instantly in love with my new style. It was fun. It was something wild and outrageous and it did not matter. Well, in Africa it did not matter, and that brings me to the purpose of this entry. We had two weeks left in South Africa (including a short trip to Lesotho) before we headed up to Namibia. During those two weeks I did not get one comment nor one weird look. And for those of you who saw me upon my return... I looked awfully strange (see pictures below). The first comment I received was when we were crossing the border from South Africa to Namibia. The South African border guard asked me for my drivers license and passport which I handed over gracefully. She studied my picture and my face for a while and then she broke into a huge smile. She returned my documents and told me she loved my new style.
The next two weeks we traveled through Namibia and did not receive another comment nor sidewards glance - not too surprising however, we were traversing dirt roads through the most uninhabited country in all of Africa. After Namibia the road brought us to Botswana where things started to get interesting. In order to reach Botswana we had to drive south from the Caprivi strip through a Nature Reserve full of wild animals. It seems now that in the people´s minds, for the rest of the trip, I was one of those wild animals.
After crossing the border our first stop was a grocery store to put some kind of food in our bellies. It just so happened that we arrived on the grand opening of the grocery store. It was the first of its kind for, at the least, 100 kilometers. People had come from all over to see the newest addition. As we walked into the store everyone s eyes shifted to me. Unlike Thailand, where Thai people will never stare at another person, everyone stared and laughed. It was not so much that they were laughing at me... well, actually they probably were. But not in a malicious way. Little kids would stare and point, teenagers would slap me five, or pat me on the back, and girls would giggle and pass me furtive glances. -at this point my mohawk was about 3 inches long in the middle and shaved on the side. Each of the 3 parts of my fu-man-chew was extended from my chin about 2 inches.- The grocery store was interesting. When we got back to the car we laughed, empty handed because the grocery store was barely stocked, and marvelled about how things had changed since the first month.
We continued our journey to Maun which is the staging point for heading into the magical Okavango Delta. As in most of the rest of our travels through Africa, when we arrived in Maun we were the only white people around. The -tourist town- as it was described was nothing more than a reasonably large village that was falling apart- or had already fallen apart. The houses were made of beer cans and mud. You could tell that at one point someone had attempted to put pavement on the streets but were not too successful. We pulled in to a parking lot, parked the car, and got out to walk around. As we walked through the parking lot we could see people from far away looking at us. It became comical when we got to the crowded sidewalk. I walked ahead of Caroline and weaved through the people. Everyone, literally everyone, was staring at me with a huge smile on their face. People were laughing and poking their friends who were already staring. Girls in buses were yelling out of the window. Caroline had the best view of all walking a few steps behind me. She described it as if my hair and beard were a magnet pulling everyones eyes to my hair. As she walked behind me it was like a wave of people following me through the town.
This general reaction occurred throughout Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. While crossing back into Zimbabwe from Zambia I had an interesting interaction with the border guard. After trying for 20 minutes to get the border guard to let us into his country for free he asked me the name of my haircut. He said he wanted to have the barber give him the same haircut and beard. He gave me a piece of paper and had me write it down.
My nickname among most people we met in these three countries turned into -Mr. T-. I would be walking down the street and people would yell, -hey Mr. T- It was pretty amusing. People would tell me how much I looked like Mr T and I would usually respond, -yeah but he is more tan than I am-. No one ever seemed to get the joke.
As soon as we crossed back into South Africa people stopped commenting on my hair style. The different reactions to my hair style say something about the different cultures. I still had one more country to go to and that was my native country, the USA.
After being back in the US for a week or so I had a wedding to go to. After the wedding we were at a bar having a drink. I was sitting down outside by myself when a guy came and sat down next to me. He started talking to me and then he said to me -
Im a skinhead, do you know what that is.
I was blindsided by his comment and did not know what to say so I responded with a grunt that I did not know.
Do you know who the Nazis were
Yes I responded
Well, I am a current day Nazi
I could not believe what had just happened. I was ashamed that someone would mistake me for a Nazi. I have not really told anyone abut that conversation because I was too embarrassed. Needless to say, the next day I shaved my mohawk and my fu-man-chu. It is interesting, I traveled all throughout Africa and was greeted with smiles by my hairstyle and then when I get back to my own country it was seen has a symbol of hatred. Reactions to my hairstyle definitely say something about different cultures.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Zimbabwe
For the first 7 weeks of the trip I was trying to decide what to do about Zimbabwe. It is a country that I have wanted to see (there are not many that I don't want to see actually) but their political situation is far from stable. Robert Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe, is one of the most corrupt leaders in the world. He has illegal diamond minds in the southern parts of the D.R.C., he uses terror to rule his country, he drove has driven his country into poverty yet he continues to grow richer.
In the 1990s he started a policy of land reform to appease the veterans of the war for independence who were threatening to revolt. Before the controversial land reform Zimbabwe had promises to be the "the bread basket of Africa". It has fertile lands and good weather to grow a variety of crops. All the the farms however were owned by the white population. Mugabe started taking the land from the white people (who had stolen it in the first place) and redistributing it to the blacks. This became controversial because he was giving huge farms the country depended upon to veterans who had no education about farming. Long story short the new land owners were unable to farm the land, foreign investment pulled out of the country and inflation started at an alarming rate. Inflation got so out of hand that in the mid to late 90s Mugabe started a policy of price fixing. He told shop owners and manufacturers the price that they had to sell goods.
This in turn momentarily fixed the inflation for the consumers because their money could now buy products but the shop owners were often times selling at a loss. At this point any remaining foreign investment in the country pulled out. The situation today is scary. Zimbabwe has the highest inflation in the history of the modern world. There is no petrol in the country; if you want to drive through Zimbabwe you have to bring petrol with you because you will be unable to find it in country. The country is at a point where it needs a major change. Unfortunately change African style usually (but not always) comes with massive bloodshed and civil war.
Knowing all this beforehand throughout my entire trip I was going back and forth on whether or not I was going to go to Zimbabwe. I asked anyone who knew much about the situation their thoughts and they almost all said they would not go anywhere near the country right now. I am a very safe and cautious traveler constantly aware of my surroundings. For most of the trip I was sure I would not go to Zimbabwe but when we got close something inside me said it was OK. We were only going to go 75 km into the country to a town which used to be a big tourist center. We had heard that Victoria Falls was most amazing from the Zimbabwe side (the falls borders both Zambia and Zimbabwe) and we were eager to see first hand the state the country was in.
We filled up our gas tank, hid all of our valuables (we did not have many), and headed into Zimbabwe. We only saw a small strip of the country but it was absolutely gorgeous. It was a country full of baboon, baboons, and more baboons. There are literally baboons everywhere. At one point we had to walk through a group of about 30 baboons and some so close we could reach out and touch them.
We stayed in Victoria Falls which is a town bordering the waterfall it took its name from. The desperation in the city was rampant. People were friendly but it was obvious that they had nothing. We went into the grocery store only to find empty shelf after empty shelf. There was barely anything to eat. There is no ketchup in the country neither is there Coca-Cola.
Inside of Victoria Falls you have to pay for everything with US money yet you cannot get US money inside the country. There are two different exchange rates: the official and the unofficial. The official rate ( that which you will get at the banks, ATMs, and other government regulated places) is $1:30,000 Zimbabwean dollars. The unofficial rate is $1:2,000,000 Zim Dollars. The inflation rises everyday. It is a strange thing, you have to pay in US dollars but there are no US dollars to be found. You will never get change in green backs.
Between Caroline and myself we had about $200 USD which we had been traveling with for emergencies. Once inside of Zimbabwe we quickly found out we needed to be spending the USD. We spent about 5 days altogether in Zimbabwe and went through our USDs. We also had a couple hundred dollars in travelers checks. When we attempted to leave Zimbabwe to head to Zambia we ran into our first problem. We needed to pay $100 USD each for the visa to enter Zambia. We had no more USDs but we had our travelers checks. The problem however is that we could not cash our travelers checks inside of Zimbabwe. Long story short we convinced the Zambian border guards to let us enter their country illegally so we could go to a bank, get us money, and return to pay for our visas. Three hours later (and a couple of gallons of sweat) we returned to the border and paid for our visas.
We spent about a week inside of Zambia visiting Caroline´s cousin and his family. Upon return into Zimbabwe we had to buy another visa. We however spent about 15 minutes negotiating with the border guard to allow us to only have to pay half price. Eventually he gave in and we returned to Zimbabwe to retrieve our car and head back to Jo-burg.
Crossing from Zimbabwe to Zambia you have to go through a place called ¨no man´s land¨. It is a strip of land 2 kilometers long between the two countries that does not belong to either country (hence the name). Along this road (we were traversing it on foot) there was a long line of trucks carrying goods into the country. The truckers were outside of their trucks guarding their goods. As mentioned before the country was full of baboons and in no man´s land they seemed to migrate. The baboons were taking advantage of the truckers situation and were raiding the trucks to get to the precious food cargo. The truckers were in groups throwing rocks at the baboons. It was a comical situation to say the least.
In the 1990s he started a policy of land reform to appease the veterans of the war for independence who were threatening to revolt. Before the controversial land reform Zimbabwe had promises to be the "the bread basket of Africa". It has fertile lands and good weather to grow a variety of crops. All the the farms however were owned by the white population. Mugabe started taking the land from the white people (who had stolen it in the first place) and redistributing it to the blacks. This became controversial because he was giving huge farms the country depended upon to veterans who had no education about farming. Long story short the new land owners were unable to farm the land, foreign investment pulled out of the country and inflation started at an alarming rate. Inflation got so out of hand that in the mid to late 90s Mugabe started a policy of price fixing. He told shop owners and manufacturers the price that they had to sell goods.
This in turn momentarily fixed the inflation for the consumers because their money could now buy products but the shop owners were often times selling at a loss. At this point any remaining foreign investment in the country pulled out. The situation today is scary. Zimbabwe has the highest inflation in the history of the modern world. There is no petrol in the country; if you want to drive through Zimbabwe you have to bring petrol with you because you will be unable to find it in country. The country is at a point where it needs a major change. Unfortunately change African style usually (but not always) comes with massive bloodshed and civil war.
Knowing all this beforehand throughout my entire trip I was going back and forth on whether or not I was going to go to Zimbabwe. I asked anyone who knew much about the situation their thoughts and they almost all said they would not go anywhere near the country right now. I am a very safe and cautious traveler constantly aware of my surroundings. For most of the trip I was sure I would not go to Zimbabwe but when we got close something inside me said it was OK. We were only going to go 75 km into the country to a town which used to be a big tourist center. We had heard that Victoria Falls was most amazing from the Zimbabwe side (the falls borders both Zambia and Zimbabwe) and we were eager to see first hand the state the country was in.
We filled up our gas tank, hid all of our valuables (we did not have many), and headed into Zimbabwe. We only saw a small strip of the country but it was absolutely gorgeous. It was a country full of baboon, baboons, and more baboons. There are literally baboons everywhere. At one point we had to walk through a group of about 30 baboons and some so close we could reach out and touch them.
We stayed in Victoria Falls which is a town bordering the waterfall it took its name from. The desperation in the city was rampant. People were friendly but it was obvious that they had nothing. We went into the grocery store only to find empty shelf after empty shelf. There was barely anything to eat. There is no ketchup in the country neither is there Coca-Cola.
Inside of Victoria Falls you have to pay for everything with US money yet you cannot get US money inside the country. There are two different exchange rates: the official and the unofficial. The official rate ( that which you will get at the banks, ATMs, and other government regulated places) is $1:30,000 Zimbabwean dollars. The unofficial rate is $1:2,000,000 Zim Dollars. The inflation rises everyday. It is a strange thing, you have to pay in US dollars but there are no US dollars to be found. You will never get change in green backs.
Between Caroline and myself we had about $200 USD which we had been traveling with for emergencies. Once inside of Zimbabwe we quickly found out we needed to be spending the USD. We spent about 5 days altogether in Zimbabwe and went through our USDs. We also had a couple hundred dollars in travelers checks. When we attempted to leave Zimbabwe to head to Zambia we ran into our first problem. We needed to pay $100 USD each for the visa to enter Zambia. We had no more USDs but we had our travelers checks. The problem however is that we could not cash our travelers checks inside of Zimbabwe. Long story short we convinced the Zambian border guards to let us enter their country illegally so we could go to a bank, get us money, and return to pay for our visas. Three hours later (and a couple of gallons of sweat) we returned to the border and paid for our visas.
We spent about a week inside of Zambia visiting Caroline´s cousin and his family. Upon return into Zimbabwe we had to buy another visa. We however spent about 15 minutes negotiating with the border guard to allow us to only have to pay half price. Eventually he gave in and we returned to Zimbabwe to retrieve our car and head back to Jo-burg.
Crossing from Zimbabwe to Zambia you have to go through a place called ¨no man´s land¨. It is a strip of land 2 kilometers long between the two countries that does not belong to either country (hence the name). Along this road (we were traversing it on foot) there was a long line of trucks carrying goods into the country. The truckers were outside of their trucks guarding their goods. As mentioned before the country was full of baboons and in no man´s land they seemed to migrate. The baboons were taking advantage of the truckers situation and were raiding the trucks to get to the precious food cargo. The truckers were in groups throwing rocks at the baboons. It was a comical situation to say the least.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Year in review
I have gone through many changes in my life over the last year and have seen and learned many things. I have lived with some of the richest people in the world and some of the poorest. I have lived aboard a sail boat, paid rent on two islands and two countries on two different continents. I have traveled through 12 countries and am now in the airport headed to Costa Rica where I will spend the next few months. I have seen some amazing things and have been through some difficult situations.
I started 2007 with a good career in a successful business in Hawaii. Decided I was cheating myself and my dreams so I quite my job and to travel the world. A few weeks after I left my job I jumped on a sail boat and set sail for California. After many mishaps we had to throw in the towel and return to Hawaii. Once back on the paradise island I bought a one way ticket for Thailand, rented an apartment in Bangkok and quickly settled into life in the capital.
While in Thailand I dined on frogs, squirrels, and bee larva while trekking through the remote northern Thailand jungles. I commuted on long tail boats in the canals of Bangkok, practiced yoga daily with my big brother (actually smaller but he looks much older), and snorkeled the waters of the Thai islands.
I have ridden on motorcycles through the congested streets of Kathmandu dodging cars, people, buses, and cows. I have trekked the spectacular Himalayan mountains led by Sherpas I bunji jumped the worlds 2nd highest bunji jump 4 kilometers south of Tibetan border (little did I know at the time that 5 months later I would be seeing the worlds largest bunji jump in Africa).
I spent 4 months bar tending in Nantucket one of the most exclusive islands in the world. With the money I made there I jumped on a plane and headed to Africa. Once in Africa I rented a car, bought a map, and put the rubber to the road. I traversed 8,000 miles of this massive and awe inspiring continent. I walked among Zebras, listened to wild lions drinking water 15 feet from me, drove through packs of African wild dogs (one of the rarest and most endangered animals in the world), watched Hippos walk past my campsite at night, fought off jackals trying to raid my campsite, ate wildebeest, warthog, springbok and much more. I saw herds of thousands of animals migrating to watering holes in Northern Namibia. Jumped on a piece of cardboard and rode 70 KPH down the worlds largest sand dunes in the world. I tracked a 15 ft long boa constrictor in the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana. I drove through the barren Kalahari desert, visited one of the most unstable countries in the world (Zimbabwe), saw the massive division between the rich and poor in South Africa and attempted to get treatment at a bullet ridden hospital in Namibia.
I returned home for Christmas where I spent an amazing month relaxing with my mom, dad, brother, and step father. I then shredded the largest ski resort in North America (Vail) with one of my best friends and my cousin and am now headed down to the tropical paradise of Costa Rica.
I have learned some invaluable lessons on these trips. Some of which I am sure I won't realize for years to come. I've learned not be judgemental. Everyone comes from a different background and holds different values. I have learned that I have no right to judge anyone based upon my values and my experiences. I have learned to be more relaxed and to not demand so much information. What I mean by this is in the culture I was raised in we always need to know the minute details regardless of their importance. We need to know things that really have no effect upon us. We worry about things that we have no control over and we try to control things which cannot be controlled.
After traveling for 2 months in Africa with only a small 'carry on' bag I learned that the less I own the better. There is nothing that I really need in life in regards to material possessions. In the culture of America we are taught that the more we have, the bigger things we own, the happier we will be. What happens however is the things we own end up owning us (Tyler Durden). We spend our lives thinking about all the material possessions that we need in order to make us happy when all we truly need can be found within ourselves. I spent three years in Hawaii spending money on things I did not need.
On my travels this year some of the happiest people I have seen have been some of the poorest. Most importantly however, I have reinforced the fact that this world is huge and the differences among the people even bigger. In order for us to really understand who we are we need to know who everyone else is. I think it is important but once again that is only my opinion which comes from my experiences. My thoughts are no better nor no worse than anyone else out there.
I started 2007 with a good career in a successful business in Hawaii. Decided I was cheating myself and my dreams so I quite my job and to travel the world. A few weeks after I left my job I jumped on a sail boat and set sail for California. After many mishaps we had to throw in the towel and return to Hawaii. Once back on the paradise island I bought a one way ticket for Thailand, rented an apartment in Bangkok and quickly settled into life in the capital.
While in Thailand I dined on frogs, squirrels, and bee larva while trekking through the remote northern Thailand jungles. I commuted on long tail boats in the canals of Bangkok, practiced yoga daily with my big brother (actually smaller but he looks much older), and snorkeled the waters of the Thai islands.
I have ridden on motorcycles through the congested streets of Kathmandu dodging cars, people, buses, and cows. I have trekked the spectacular Himalayan mountains led by Sherpas I bunji jumped the worlds 2nd highest bunji jump 4 kilometers south of Tibetan border (little did I know at the time that 5 months later I would be seeing the worlds largest bunji jump in Africa).
I spent 4 months bar tending in Nantucket one of the most exclusive islands in the world. With the money I made there I jumped on a plane and headed to Africa. Once in Africa I rented a car, bought a map, and put the rubber to the road. I traversed 8,000 miles of this massive and awe inspiring continent. I walked among Zebras, listened to wild lions drinking water 15 feet from me, drove through packs of African wild dogs (one of the rarest and most endangered animals in the world), watched Hippos walk past my campsite at night, fought off jackals trying to raid my campsite, ate wildebeest, warthog, springbok and much more. I saw herds of thousands of animals migrating to watering holes in Northern Namibia. Jumped on a piece of cardboard and rode 70 KPH down the worlds largest sand dunes in the world. I tracked a 15 ft long boa constrictor in the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana. I drove through the barren Kalahari desert, visited one of the most unstable countries in the world (Zimbabwe), saw the massive division between the rich and poor in South Africa and attempted to get treatment at a bullet ridden hospital in Namibia.
I returned home for Christmas where I spent an amazing month relaxing with my mom, dad, brother, and step father. I then shredded the largest ski resort in North America (Vail) with one of my best friends and my cousin and am now headed down to the tropical paradise of Costa Rica.
I have learned some invaluable lessons on these trips. Some of which I am sure I won't realize for years to come. I've learned not be judgemental. Everyone comes from a different background and holds different values. I have learned that I have no right to judge anyone based upon my values and my experiences. I have learned to be more relaxed and to not demand so much information. What I mean by this is in the culture I was raised in we always need to know the minute details regardless of their importance. We need to know things that really have no effect upon us. We worry about things that we have no control over and we try to control things which cannot be controlled.
After traveling for 2 months in Africa with only a small 'carry on' bag I learned that the less I own the better. There is nothing that I really need in life in regards to material possessions. In the culture of America we are taught that the more we have, the bigger things we own, the happier we will be. What happens however is the things we own end up owning us (Tyler Durden). We spend our lives thinking about all the material possessions that we need in order to make us happy when all we truly need can be found within ourselves. I spent three years in Hawaii spending money on things I did not need.
On my travels this year some of the happiest people I have seen have been some of the poorest. Most importantly however, I have reinforced the fact that this world is huge and the differences among the people even bigger. In order for us to really understand who we are we need to know who everyone else is. I think it is important but once again that is only my opinion which comes from my experiences. My thoughts are no better nor no worse than anyone else out there.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
African Odyssey
This is a compilation of a few of the videos we took in Africa. Sign me up for the short film of the year award. Don't be afraid to leave a comment after you view this masterpiece. Turn the volume up and enjoy
Friday, January 4, 2008
Benny's village
One of the biggest differences I have noticed in my travels over the years between American culture and the developing world is our dealing in exacts: our need for information. What I mean by this is that in the US if you are asked why you do something you generally know the answer and you give it. We need explanations for everything. Traveling in other countries this need for answers can sometimes be very frustrating: they don't always exist. Simple questions such as, how long do we need to wait here? or What time are we going get back to camp? How long will it take us to walk to the top of the mountain?
These are all questions that really do not need to be asked because the answer will not change anything at all. What I have also noticed in certain places is that often times the answer you get will be a blatant lie. People will tell you what they think you want to hear. For instance if they think that you want it to take all day to reach the top of the mountain they will tell you exactly that. It does not matter that they know you will realize in an hour they were not telling the truth.
What I now try to do when I am about to ask a question is I think about if I really need to know the answer. For instance if I need to wait for someone it really does not matter if I know how long I need to wait or not. The fact of the matter is I need to wait and so it does not matter if I know for how long. Also when you don't always know all the minute details it adds a extra sense of adventure.
Well, when we got to Benny's village this was one of the times I did not ask any of the questions that were going through my mind. I just went along for the ride. What we saw at the village was very sad and upsetting for me.
These are all questions that really do not need to be asked because the answer will not change anything at all. What I have also noticed in certain places is that often times the answer you get will be a blatant lie. People will tell you what they think you want to hear. For instance if they think that you want it to take all day to reach the top of the mountain they will tell you exactly that. It does not matter that they know you will realize in an hour they were not telling the truth.
What I now try to do when I am about to ask a question is I think about if I really need to know the answer. For instance if I need to wait for someone it really does not matter if I know how long I need to wait or not. The fact of the matter is I need to wait and so it does not matter if I know for how long. Also when you don't always know all the minute details it adds a extra sense of adventure.
Well, when we got to Benny's village this was one of the times I did not ask any of the questions that were going through my mind. I just went along for the ride. What we saw at the village was very sad and upsetting for me.
Benny took us around the village introducing us to people and showing us how they lived. He wanted us to try some of the local beer. There were 3 or 4 types of beer that they made in the village and we went around and tasted them all. The beers were brewed in big barrels and then scooped out with a cup and passed around in this manner. The beer is made from nuts from the jungle, water, and sugar. It is served warm with the taste being varying degrees of gross. Nevertheless, it was fun to try the beer.
The houses were interesting to see. First they make a circular wooden structure with only a few pieces of thin saplings. The space between the saplings was filled with beer cans (for added stability) and mud. The houses were circular and ten feet in diameter. There was a dirt floor and families of anywhere between 4 and 8 people would live inside the one room adobe. There were a few makeshift stores in the village where the polers lucky enough to receive a good tip the day before could buy cigarettes, small candies, and cold black label beer (a beer popular throughout southern and central Africa). There were two or three bathrooms for the whole village and no electricity.
As we walked around the village I started to realize something. Everybody was drunk. It was about 2 or 3 in the afternoon and everyone was just sitting around drinking beer and booze. What happens is this: there are 170 polers in the village. They get work on a rotating basis. In the winter time (slow season) once they get a job going into the delta they have to wait about 10 days before they will have the chance to work again. All the polers go down to the water in the morning hoping that tourists will come by looking for a guide. If there is no work by 10:00 am they toss in the towel. They go back to the village and sit around getting drunk on cheap booze. When the polers receive a big tip they don't save the money but instead spend it on expensive alcohol (bottled beer and whiskey) and drugs. The children growing up in the village have these men as role models. This is the education they are given on how to be a man. There was no school in the village that I saw and if there was one I could only imagine who the teachers could have been.
I began to think about the polers and how they lived their lives. It seemed to me like they had no motivation, no desire, no urge to better themselves, to make more of their life. I thought about what I would do if I was in their situation. How I would be saving the money to start my own business. Instead of drinking my life away I would be reading and studying to make myself more knowledgeable about the world. At first it baffled me how they could not see the opportunities they could make for themselves but I quickly realized the faults of my thinking. I cannot compare how I would react in a similar situation to how they deal with it. Our backgrounds are completely different. I was raised by parents who valued education. Both my father and step father have their PhDs, my mother has her masters, I was encouraged (and often forced) to study daily while I was growing up. I was surrounded by positive role models and parents encouraging me to make the most out of my life. I was given a great education at a good University. I was taught from a young age that I could do anything I put my mind to.
The polers on the other hand had a very different upbringing in a very different part of the world. They had little education and the role models they had you have just heard me talk about. The life expectancy in Botswana is 32 by 2010 it is going to be 27 (mostly due to HIV). Children are raised by their grandparents or friends of their grandparents. Southern Africa is raising a generation of people with no parents. The education in rural Africa is a joke. The children see people dieing all around them. Why would the young polers have anymore desire than they had? They probably don't expect to live much longer seeing how no one else they know does.
Realizing this was sad for me. I had given Benny a big tip and I knew now that he was only going to spend it on drugs and alcohol (I later found out that is exactly what he did). The children I met growing up in the village had little chance to make something different of their lives. The only way they could do so was with education. I had been thinking about education being the way to help rural communities for sometime now on this trip. I often thought of the old saying "you can give a man a fish and he will eat for a day or you can teach a man to fish and he will eat for life." Without education people cannot know all their is out there in life. They cannot know they can do anything they want.
This entry did not go exactly as I wanted it to but it was the same message. We went to a wedding the following day with Benny and it was a pretty bad experience. There is no reason to tell about it because after reading the above you can pretty much guess what happened. After leaving the Okavango Delta I often think about the dire need for education of the poor and poverty stricken in this world. People need to make changes themselves and education is the key to the door of change.
The houses were interesting to see. First they make a circular wooden structure with only a few pieces of thin saplings. The space between the saplings was filled with beer cans (for added stability) and mud. The houses were circular and ten feet in diameter. There was a dirt floor and families of anywhere between 4 and 8 people would live inside the one room adobe. There were a few makeshift stores in the village where the polers lucky enough to receive a good tip the day before could buy cigarettes, small candies, and cold black label beer (a beer popular throughout southern and central Africa). There were two or three bathrooms for the whole village and no electricity.
As we walked around the village I started to realize something. Everybody was drunk. It was about 2 or 3 in the afternoon and everyone was just sitting around drinking beer and booze. What happens is this: there are 170 polers in the village. They get work on a rotating basis. In the winter time (slow season) once they get a job going into the delta they have to wait about 10 days before they will have the chance to work again. All the polers go down to the water in the morning hoping that tourists will come by looking for a guide. If there is no work by 10:00 am they toss in the towel. They go back to the village and sit around getting drunk on cheap booze. When the polers receive a big tip they don't save the money but instead spend it on expensive alcohol (bottled beer and whiskey) and drugs. The children growing up in the village have these men as role models. This is the education they are given on how to be a man. There was no school in the village that I saw and if there was one I could only imagine who the teachers could have been.
I began to think about the polers and how they lived their lives. It seemed to me like they had no motivation, no desire, no urge to better themselves, to make more of their life. I thought about what I would do if I was in their situation. How I would be saving the money to start my own business. Instead of drinking my life away I would be reading and studying to make myself more knowledgeable about the world. At first it baffled me how they could not see the opportunities they could make for themselves but I quickly realized the faults of my thinking. I cannot compare how I would react in a similar situation to how they deal with it. Our backgrounds are completely different. I was raised by parents who valued education. Both my father and step father have their PhDs, my mother has her masters, I was encouraged (and often forced) to study daily while I was growing up. I was surrounded by positive role models and parents encouraging me to make the most out of my life. I was given a great education at a good University. I was taught from a young age that I could do anything I put my mind to.
The polers on the other hand had a very different upbringing in a very different part of the world. They had little education and the role models they had you have just heard me talk about. The life expectancy in Botswana is 32 by 2010 it is going to be 27 (mostly due to HIV). Children are raised by their grandparents or friends of their grandparents. Southern Africa is raising a generation of people with no parents. The education in rural Africa is a joke. The children see people dieing all around them. Why would the young polers have anymore desire than they had? They probably don't expect to live much longer seeing how no one else they know does.
Realizing this was sad for me. I had given Benny a big tip and I knew now that he was only going to spend it on drugs and alcohol (I later found out that is exactly what he did). The children I met growing up in the village had little chance to make something different of their lives. The only way they could do so was with education. I had been thinking about education being the way to help rural communities for sometime now on this trip. I often thought of the old saying "you can give a man a fish and he will eat for a day or you can teach a man to fish and he will eat for life." Without education people cannot know all their is out there in life. They cannot know they can do anything they want.
This entry did not go exactly as I wanted it to but it was the same message. We went to a wedding the following day with Benny and it was a pretty bad experience. There is no reason to tell about it because after reading the above you can pretty much guess what happened. After leaving the Okavango Delta I often think about the dire need for education of the poor and poverty stricken in this world. People need to make changes themselves and education is the key to the door of change.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Sand Surfing
Here is a video of me sand surfing in Namibia. I hurt my back so bad that I could not walk very well for a few weeks. It was a whole lot of fun though. I made a blog entry about the surfing and here is the video. Just click play below
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Okavango Delta
A place like no other I've seen on earth. Its tranquillity, beauty, and abundance of flora and fauna can surely be matched by few other places. We had packed all of our provisions for 3 days into our two backpacks and headed into the delta on a motor boat. We traveled for about two hours with motor until the channels became too narrow. At this point we met our guide Benny who was going to show us the many wonders of the Delta over the next few days from a wooden dugout mekoro (canoe like boat). Benny was our poler which means he stood in the back of the mekoro with a ten foot pole to propel us forward at a relaxing pace.
As we traveled deeper and deeper into the Okavango Delta the only sounds were the mekoro slicing through the water and the tropical birds swooping overhead. After three hours, with the sun hot and high overhead, we glided through the reeds onto shore to set up camp for the night. We had a bight to eat, through up the hammock, and swung in the wind waiting for the intensity of the sun to abate. For the previous 6 weeks Caroline and I had done very little sitting. We were always on the move trying to balance seeing as much as we could while still being able to soak it in. The forced relaxation of the Delta was a nice change.
With 2 hours of sunlight remaining we headed out on foot for a walking safari to find animals and watch the sun set from the bush over the Delta. Benny seemed to know everything about the Delta. Every bush , tree, bird, animal, and noise we saw or heard he told us all about it origin and uses. We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, and many other animals. More than once I was nervous by our proximity to these wild animals. Benny would spot packs of animals from a distance and we would thne stalk them using trees and bushes to mask our advance. When we would emerge from our cover to have a closer look the animals would be quit anxious. They would sometimes run to safety of the thick bush. Other times however they would advance towards us making warning noises. During one of these such times I looked around and realized that we were utterly defenseless. There was no place we could run, no place we could hide, and there sure was not anything with which we could fight off a heard of wild animals with. This provided just a glimpse into the life that people have been living on this continent for thousands of years. I could not help to make the comparison to how millions of people In Africa and throughout the world must feel living in a war zone (obviously the feelings of living in a war zone are drastically more intense). The whole incident with the animals provided a wonderful glimpse into the behavior of the animals.
On the morning of the third day we awoke early and watched the sun rise over the delta. We headed out on our last walking safari and we saw similiar things to the previous times with one exception. We came across a long track about 8 inches wide in the sand. It was the track of a 12-14 foot boa constrictor which had just passed by minutes before. We followed the track for a few minutes until we found the hole the snake had slithered in to. It was a peculiar feeling standing above the hole knowing that a few inches bellow my feet there was a massive snake which could feel the vibrations of our footsteps.
The snake never emerged which was just fine with me. My only other run in with a boa was a few years before. I was living in the jungles of Central America and I found a 6 foot boa behind my fridge. That run in was enough to last me a lifetime.
We had planned on spending the rest of the day swimming in the delta and relaxing at camp before we headed back to civilization. Instead of this however we asked Benny if we could leave early so he could show us his village. Benny lived just inside the Delta in a village of 500 people. the Village was there to provide polers for people desirering to go into the delta. We wanted to see how Benny lived and to meet some of the poeple with whom he lived. Benny was pleased we watned to see where he lived and around mid day we packed up camp, loaded the mekoro, and slowly made our way down the delta.
As we traveled deeper and deeper into the Okavango Delta the only sounds were the mekoro slicing through the water and the tropical birds swooping overhead. After three hours, with the sun hot and high overhead, we glided through the reeds onto shore to set up camp for the night. We had a bight to eat, through up the hammock, and swung in the wind waiting for the intensity of the sun to abate. For the previous 6 weeks Caroline and I had done very little sitting. We were always on the move trying to balance seeing as much as we could while still being able to soak it in. The forced relaxation of the Delta was a nice change.
With 2 hours of sunlight remaining we headed out on foot for a walking safari to find animals and watch the sun set from the bush over the Delta. Benny seemed to know everything about the Delta. Every bush , tree, bird, animal, and noise we saw or heard he told us all about it origin and uses. We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, and many other animals. More than once I was nervous by our proximity to these wild animals. Benny would spot packs of animals from a distance and we would thne stalk them using trees and bushes to mask our advance. When we would emerge from our cover to have a closer look the animals would be quit anxious. They would sometimes run to safety of the thick bush. Other times however they would advance towards us making warning noises. During one of these such times I looked around and realized that we were utterly defenseless. There was no place we could run, no place we could hide, and there sure was not anything with which we could fight off a heard of wild animals with. This provided just a glimpse into the life that people have been living on this continent for thousands of years. I could not help to make the comparison to how millions of people In Africa and throughout the world must feel living in a war zone (obviously the feelings of living in a war zone are drastically more intense). The whole incident with the animals provided a wonderful glimpse into the behavior of the animals.
On the morning of the third day we awoke early and watched the sun rise over the delta. We headed out on our last walking safari and we saw similiar things to the previous times with one exception. We came across a long track about 8 inches wide in the sand. It was the track of a 12-14 foot boa constrictor which had just passed by minutes before. We followed the track for a few minutes until we found the hole the snake had slithered in to. It was a peculiar feeling standing above the hole knowing that a few inches bellow my feet there was a massive snake which could feel the vibrations of our footsteps.
The snake never emerged which was just fine with me. My only other run in with a boa was a few years before. I was living in the jungles of Central America and I found a 6 foot boa behind my fridge. That run in was enough to last me a lifetime.
We had planned on spending the rest of the day swimming in the delta and relaxing at camp before we headed back to civilization. Instead of this however we asked Benny if we could leave early so he could show us his village. Benny lived just inside the Delta in a village of 500 people. the Village was there to provide polers for people desirering to go into the delta. We wanted to see how Benny lived and to meet some of the poeple with whom he lived. Benny was pleased we watned to see where he lived and around mid day we packed up camp, loaded the mekoro, and slowly made our way down the delta.
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