my birthday

What a party!
How great it is to be in a country where my birthday is a bank holiday :-)

We went to a place with loads of local people dancing and eating and having a great time.
There was another lady who celebrated her birthday and we got a shared birthday song and a dance. Then they came up with a fancy cake and, due to tradition, they smacked our faces into it.

It was a crazy party and we all had enjoyed it very much!
Fun fun fun!

Arequipa

Today I am volunteering with IntiWawa (http://www.intiwawa.org/index.aspx) in Arequipa since a week and it's been very nice.
I mostly do the "Jardín" which is a kind of Kindergarten. The kids are between 3- and 5 years old and very sweet.

The kids are from a very poor background.
They come to the Jardín to learn basic things to get a better education and better chances for their lives.
At the end of the day they get some food which is prepared by one of the kids' mothers. Every someone else's mother.

There a more projects to do, like "Tareas" which is helping the kids with their homework.
Just check their website in case you want to know more about it or if you find some energy to get involved.
The work itself is free (as it should be for voluntary work, but most organisation charge you a fortune for it), you just pay for your accomodation and food which is quite cheap.
So, if you plan to travel South America, consider to stop by and help for some weeks.

Arequipa, Peru - Album

Ecuador - Album

Lima, Peru - Album

Esta aqui!

I woke up on the bus and the first thing I saw when I looked out the window was the Pacific. How nice.

The Panamericana is a very nice but very dangerous road. I thing I saw vultures sitting by the road!

I found the sun. I almost always shines in Arequipa. I heard i only rains for a few days in December/January ...
It's very dry as you may have guessed.

Intiwawa welcomed me very nicely and I got a nice room and there are loads of nice volunteers here.

I had my first day today and it was very hard. I hardly understood the kids. And it was very dusty.
It was a very long day as well. I left the house at 6.40 AM and came back some 12 hours later. First job is minding kids in Kindergarten, then a 2hrs break and the taking care of kids making their homework ... kinda like this.
I also have a quite stuffed nose and headaches ...
We are celebrating Jana's (one of the founders) birthday today ...
tbc

Donde esta el sol?

New day. Still cloudy. The sun never seems to shine in Lima.

Took a taxi to central Lima to check the Plaza Mayor or Plaza de Armas (one of those exists in every city here as it seems) and watched the guard change at the governement palace. It would drive me crazy if I had to walk so slow!

I decided to save money for the taxi and the bus and walk back to my hostel in Miraflores, mainly because of security reasons (though the buses are so cheap here, pricewise and qualitywise) ... it turned out to be a security issue ... to because of getting robbed in a dodgy area but because of the fumes I inhaled on the plus 90 mins walk along one of the main streets.

After a coffee and some dinner I went back to the hostel and got myself another taxi to the "Cruz del Sur" Bus station.

By the time of writing I am ON the bus to Arequipa (yes, internet on the bus, you got to love them).

Bye bye Lima.

Lima, Peru

Lima seems to be covered by clouds all the time.
Went to see the Pacific yesterday and today again.
This morning I visited "Huaca Pucllana", an old pre-Inca adobe pyramid from AD 400. Very interesting!!

The rest will be a rest.

From Cuenca (Ecuador) to Lima (Peru) with the bus

I finally made it to Lima after a long and interesting bus ride.
The quality of the busses improved with any connection. The first one was quite adventurous and we were passing some beautiful landscapes and went along some crazy roads (between Cuenca and Pasaje)- steep to my side of the bus! I will upload a video to YouTube, I think. This was from Cuenca to Huaquillas at the border to Peru. It was really hot and dry there.

After doing the immigration process I went on to Piura, Peru. On the Panamericana.

As I didn't know if I could get the connection with Cruz del Sur (Bus company) the rest of the day was open. I reached Piura at 18.30h and the bus was 19.30h but from a different part of the town unfortunately. I also needed Peruvian money. The taxi driver was driving like crazy, and I really mean C-R-A-Z-Y. ... but we made it. And the I had the most comfortable bus ride ever, with Cruz del Sur. I thought I was on a plane. Big one!!!
Lima ... Sunday ... I need to relax .... and have a shower.

2 nights in Lima ahead of me in the and bus ride to Arequipa booked for the 21st at 21.00h, A 15hrs busride again ... with Cruz del Sur, por supuesto!

Cuenca, Ecuador

So, I took the bus ride with "Panamericana" for $10 to Cuenca. It was 10 hrs over night. Somehow the only way i CAN sleep seems to be horizontal :-/ ... anyway, I closed my eyes for some time. But 6.30 h a too early arrival at a hostel, but they were up already at let me store my bags, so I could go for a walk around. Check in at 13h. .... The suns is burning hotter, some 2,5 kms closer to her.

The hostel is very nice. I needed a single room, after that bus trip.
I will have to get up early tomorrow, the bus to Piura in Peru leaves at 7.15h. Buff. Another 10 hrs on the bus. Buff. And the best thing: I guess i will step on the next bus straigt away, again15 hrs.... buuuuuuufffff. But one ride during the day, the other overnight. Saves the hostel costs ;-)
So, lets see. I'll be dead when I arrive in Lima. I will need 2-3 days there before heading my destination in Arequipa.

More photos:
http://www3.snapfish.de/snapfishde/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=12385965010/a=7967262010_7967262010/

Quito, Ecuador

After a long flight I finally made it to Quito, Ecuador.

First I need to acclimatise a bit.

On my first day I went to the Middle of the World - La Mitad del Mundo - to walk on the equator.

(although specialists claim that the actual one is some distance north or so but I didn't mind).

I thought it may be nice to start in the middle and head on down to the end of the world in Tierra del Fuego, but thats some weeks ahead.

Now I will have to check how to get to Peru!

I checked one bus connection from Quito to Lima - 38 hours .... aaaaah

I may head to Cuenca first and stay there to pass to Peru later on a shorter ride.
The hostel in Quito was very nice (Hostal Jhomana) , run by a swedish guy.
The Bus to Cuenca is at 22.00h.

Flights are booked
14.06. Frankfurt - Quito

booked a return flight within 90 days (visa reasons) from Sao Paulo which I will have to re-schedule. I guess December would be a good month to return ... xmas etc, y'know?!

Yipiiii