La sopa de los mariscos

I guess its a bit of a confusing thing really; what name do you give to the category in which Fresh Water Crayfish fit in? Seafood, no?

Well it's clearly that way in Spanish.

This is just a little snippet of what some of the food is like here. I'd say this is the second most seafoody dish I've eaten during my time here so far (The first being Ceviche - raw fish marinated in lemon/lime juice). I can't remember the exact name for this, however, I remember it was spicey, delicious & all-in-all chowdery.

Maybe it's something for the next freezing winter in NZ?

That sounds good to me. If it's not warm enough for you, there's always the spice to lend an extra hand.

Foodblog '10 - Liam

Approaching 3 Months in Perú

Because I haven't done anything overly exciting in the last few weeks, this post will be short.
I think I can easily weigh it out with pros & cons, therefore:

Pros:
-I have made some really good friends lately.
- I'm about to start my 3.5 month vacation.
- I'm learning Spanish really fast - though sometimes I have mind blanks and say things in English, or the other way round.

Cons:
- I was robbed in a taxi about two weeks ago, which was probably the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. Luckily, however, I got away safe, with only a few bruises & a loss of a cheap cell phone (retail for about $30 NZD)

I decided not to write any of the other cons. The reason is that I'm enjoying too much of Perú, I'd rather make the bad things feel like little things for now. They're not what's important. :)

In the near future:
-Travel to Puno (Lake Titikaka)
- Visit from some friends in other cities.
-Christmas!!! (and I have sent off my family's gifts already!)

Until next time,

Liam in Perú. x

Five facts you may not have known.

Just thought I'd let you know about some of the differences I have noticed in some daily things over the 7 weeks I've been here in Perú.

• Driving; a courageous sport.

So there are pretty much two rules for driving in Perú.

#1If you want to go, honk your horn as you drive through the intersection.

#2 Take advantage of all of your oppertunities.

• Milk; or lack of.

There's only UHT Long-life milk here. This was something I wasn't prepared for, but I suppose it's okay. Will be something to worship in times of return.

• Shoes; just don't wear them to bed.

There's a good reason behind the fact that Peruvians wear shoes when they're in the house. It's very dusty all over the place, and it makes for an easier clean when it comes to washing. I felt it wasn't necessary for me to take on this aspect of the culture and I walk around in socks. So, sue me!

• Toilet Paper, scrunch, fold ... flush?

I know, it sounds really gross that here we don't flush toilet paper. If you didn't click, we put it in rubbish bins. Coming from somewhere like NZ where the toilet-flush is almost strong enough to suck us in, sure it seems strange. I guess you have to see how weak the plumming can be in some places to understand that it can't cope with loads of paper.

• Carbs with a side of carbs and a glass of carbs.

Believe it or not, it's normal to eat rice with potato here. Pretty much every meal, to be honest (excluding breakfast). Also, with all of this, there's a special drink called Chicha Morada. It's made from purple corn. Great to wash down all those carbs!

Pictures from Monestario de Santa Catalina

Monestario de Santa Catalina

Today I went to Monestario de Santa Catalina with my host-sister, Marita.
It's a Monestary which was built in 1570-1580 to house the Catholic nuns of Arequipa and is still "functional" today, though they have built a new section for them to actually live and sleep in.

The monestary is essentially a little city for the nuns to live in. It's entirely built out of sillar, the white, volcanic stone of Arequipa. As well is this, I learnt that the vibrant colours of Red, Blue and Yellow used to paint the walls and archways are made out of the same bug that Ivan, the tour guide of Colca used to paint stripes on my face. It's really strange, because they are very small, and the monestary is gigantic. It would have taken millions of bugs to paint it.

Throughout the monestary are houses of the rich nuns. Somehow, after all of the earthquakes Arequipa has had, they are in one piece, with the art works, musical instruments, beds and kitchens intact! Really a sight to see. As well as this, there are two galleries of art, which I took advantage of my photo capabilities and took photos of most of the artworks. I figure it's a good way for me to reflect on my art history knowledge and keep it ready for when I return. Also interesting to compare to such art of a similar time in Europe, as it's Catholic as well.

All the tourist books say it, and I agree. This is one of the better places to visit when looking into the culture and religion of Post:Inca Peru, when the Spanish had arrived. If you get the chance, go here because it is an awesome array of colours and you get a great view of the city and surrounding mountains from above, upon the rooftop terrace.


Photos of this day will come soon,

Until then,

Liam in Peru :)

Photos from Cañon del Colca

Descending into Colca; Snarky fox in the museum;Birds eye view of Oasis, the resort in Colca.

Post: Cañon del Colca - The World's Deepest Canyon (This post is as deep as the canyon)

WHERE TO START!? WHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEERRRRRREEEEEEE to start.
AMAZING! To sum it up in just a few words... No, first I think I will tell you all about it, then afterwards I can summarise into the best fitting, few words. Now, to begin...

asdfghjklñ¨´! AMAZING.

Day One:

What we thought was going to begin as a 3am start, actually turned out to be a 4am start when the mini bus (combi) finally arrived to collect us for the 3-4 hour ride to Chivay, a small town in the mountains. If it wasn't luck, then what was it? Because I had to sit in the most uncomfortable seat in the whole combi. Right up front, without a headrest. This meant I had nill oppertunity to sleep, as well as having to hop out when we stopped at Toll Stops so that the Organiser could pay for us to pass. This, however, was only a minor prickle as the view of the mountains against deserts, salt plaines and streams that turn into icicles definitely over-powered anything negative.

At 7am, we had reached the last peak of a hill, to which we could see the small town of Chivay. As I had to sit in the worst chair, I think I was probably the most excited. You see, being able to look out the windscreen, I was able to see where every curve and bend in the road was. Now, whoever built this road was very cruel. They like to play tricks on your eyes. What looked like a 15 minute drive, turned out to be a good 30 or 40 minutes. Eventually, we reached Chivay, hopped out for a quick bite of breakfast, then headed up to see El Condor.

*El Condor*
I just thought this should have it's own special little section, I mean, it was pretty impressive.
So, two hours later, we reached the clifs of the condors, the largest birds in the world (apparently?). Wow, what a sight. So many tourists who flocked to one sight. Hah, no, but really, the birds are amazing. Swooping in this gigantic valley of chissled rock cliffs, surely something to see before you die.

After the encounter with the condors, we drove (2 hours) back to Chivay and had a quick lunch before setting off on the 3 day trekk, down into Colca. This was gulped down alongside a mug of Coca tea, a drink/method used to prevent Altitude Sickness, and then we were off on our way, with our heavy packs and sunblock covered skin. Always have to be safe in the sun, kids.

To estimate roughly the length of walking on this day, it would have been roughly 3-4 hours, which going down hill seems easy, right? Well down hill is so much harder when you're on slippery, thin tracks that are hardly even sketched into the cliff face, walking with a bag and you have little, chicken legs like I do. Thankfully we were able to take breaks every so often, and I figure I probably took more, not just because I was tired, but I believe that when you set out on a trekk in somewhere so beautiful as The Andes, the most important thing to do is to stop and take in as much of the scenery as you can.

At about 3pm, I suppose it was, we reached the river. This, thankfully meant we weren't far from our first night's accommadation. We walked down on the pebbled rocks and the girls, Juliette and Fanny, took their shoes off for a dip in the water. I chose not to, because I figure it would have been more releaving to reach the final stop of the day and take my shoes and stinky socks off there. For me, good idea, though, I did forget to bring my jandals with me, and hell, how did I forget, seriously?

More or less 4pm, we had made it to our bungalo, where we were to sleep our first night. If you think of the feeling when you've had a really long day at work or school, and you take your shoes off, sit down with a nice glass of something, (no, no, not necessarily alcoholic) and esentially couch out for the evening, then multiply that by about 60, that is how good it felt. We had a glass of something. This was the life. Despite the fact I had to shower in this duddy thing that didn't have a proper, closing door. Depsite the fact that my pillow was essentially full with rocks or, stone-llama wool, I slept well that night, and thankfully I didn't eat the Alpaca meat that was served for dinner.

Day Two:

After what may have been the best worst night's sleep in my life, I felt ready and rejuvinated for the second day of trekking. Possibly more so than the day before, because I knew the second day was mostly flat, walking in the canyon itself. After a few bangs and booms as the locals were knocking away bits of the cliffs further back with explosives, we made our first pitstop. Our guide, Ivan, showed us a traditional method from the Inkas, where you collect these bugs, similar to aphids, that live off of cacti. When you have a bunch, you squash them in your hand and use them as a sort of paint, or in a way, like sunblock, and apply it as if you were applying war paint. Soon after, we ended up meeting up with a few other groups who had set off on the same journey as us with other guides and we knew they had stoppe dat the same place, as they had red markings on their foreheads, some on their noses as well. I believe we looked like Genuine Inkas, with the strips across the cheeks.

blah blah, I need to speed this up a bit.
So, during this day we stopped off in a few small towns, one where we went into a small museum of local traditions. This was very interesting as we learnt lots about life at home, Quechua traditions and the animals that lived within the area, including a snarky looking fox ;)

Like the road I mentioned earlier, the same deal went down with the tracks. You see it bend, then you see in some completely different place, another track, and at first you think, " Oh, well I will stay on my track, thank you very much", until you realise that you're in a place so isolated, there is ONLY going to be one track. Once I saw the specs of blue, that was my motivation to kick-start and make my way down as fast (and of course, as 'safely') as possible, as these specs of blue were more than that, they were the swimming pools at the resorts - what I had been looking forward to the whole trip.

FINALLY, we got there, had a quick lunch, and yes, I waited a good 15 - 30 minutes after lunch before swimming. When I got into the pool, I looked up to see blue sky, cut off by these enormous cliffs of red and grey. Incredible.

At night time, we sat at a candle-lit table (because they don't have lights down there) next to some Faroesh girls (from the Faroe Islands if you didn't get the first hint). Very interesting language and very interesting people. I say, don't judge on their eating of whale, it's completely normal when you think about it. Tonight we were in need of a decent sleep, as we were to embark on the journey upward, at 5am. We retired to our bungalo, where I was soon to find... A FREAKIN' SCORPION! NAH UH I AM NOT SLEEPING WITH THAT ABOVE MY HEAD!
Thankfully, Juliette squashed it, and I slept fine, more or less scorpionless, bar the remains.

Day Three:

5am with a cup of Coca tea for the Altitude, a banana and some cookies for breakfast. Not necessarilly ideal, but you have to make compromises, I mean, the only way out was up.
There was the choice of taking a mula (mule/donkey) up instead of walking, but the difference between the two wasn't only the S/50 for a mula, but also losing the beautiful views of landscapes and not having the chance to stop and look back, so I took on the climb, along with Juliette. We made it up in 2.5 hours, as appossed to a 3-4 hour climb. Legends or WHAT?

Never in my life have I felt such a feeling of accomplishment. I mean, I got to Peru, and that was pretty close, but nothing comes as close to nature and physical triumph. Later that day we headed back to Chivay, took a dip in the Thermal Hot Springs (smelt like Rotarua, but not as bad) then headed home, in the uncomfortable combi. I was, how you say, in need of a good night's rest, and I did just that.


(minor)SIDE EFFECTS: BOM BOM BOM!

FYI: About a day later, in the middle of the night, I finally got my altitude sickness, as well as the other two. It wasn't pretty, just saying ;P

Summary:

I think the best way I've put it so far is that, well, not if, but when you finally get the chance to trekk through The Andes, do it. You wont regret it. You get tired, but the views are something you can't capture solely in a photograph. It should be on your bucketlists.


Until next time...


Liam in Perù ;D


p.s. forgive me for any grammtical errors, you will find some somewhere for sure.

Pre: Cañon del Colca

I'm heading off to the deepest canyon in the world for a 3 day trek.

Here's a sneak peek, but I will have a full review and right up about it with photographs when I return. Be prepared to envy me!

The School Situation

Hello,

I was planning on waiting until after my first week of school to write another post, but that would mean waiting until the 25th of October. Yes, however, it's not all bad.
I had my interview at Colegio Internacional and it seems really cool. Though, it's a pitty I miss out on going to Bolivia with my class !!! Life goes on and so does travel =)
Will try to go to Cañon del Colca this weekend with Juliette, the DEEPEST canyon in the world! =)

Also, will make the most of my little-bit-more vacation and practise my Spanish. Not all bad at all.

Chau!

One Month In

It's been one month now and I still haven't started school. It's actually really annoying because I've never wanted to be at school so much before in my life. It's a strange sensation.
On the other hand, I've had a lot of time to work on my Spanish with my family, and get to know the area that I live a bit better. Good Suggestion: If you can, purchase a map, it's really helpful when your brain goes kapoot on you and you don't remember things.

In this month, what can I look back on?
I'll be honest, my memory is a little blurry because all I've done is eaten cake. Lots and lots of cake. One person has a birthday, we eat cake. Two people share a birthday, we eat cake. One person who lives in a pretty wealthy home has a birthday, we have two cakes and jelly. So much cake, not enough belly! But I think I can recall a few cool things.

Last Saturday I went to the Club Internacional with my family. It's sort of a cross between a Sports Club and a Country Club. My host father was racing in a swimming race, however, my sister and I both slept in and missed it. That didn't stop us from watching the other races. I found it really cool, because believe it or not, the races were INTERNATIONAL. There were people from the frontiers, Bolivia and Chile as well as from different cities in Peru.

After the competiton was complete, we all headed to a Typical Arequipeñian Resturant, from which the name escapes me. I had the option to try Cuy (Guinea Pig), but I think I'll leave that till later on, when I'm feeling more Peruano. This was a really cool event because some of the competitors performed traditional dances; from Perù, Bolivia and Chile. It was a really cool way to see more of the culture of South America, and the music was fantastic!!!

Later on that evening, I went with my sister and her friends to a local concert in one of the parks. It was really fun music, as it was a Reggae band from Peru, and they had incorperated Rock, Reggae and Traditional Peruvian Music all into one, by using local instruments.

Now, my night didn't end there. Six of us piled into a taxi and headed off to El Centro de la Ciudad. We walked around for a bit, then settled in a nice place where they had a live band playing, yet again, Reggae. This time I feel I enjoyed it more as it was in a more isolated atmosphere and one of the guys in the band played the melodica! Woo, Emma you have to learn to play like him!!!

The next day, after arriving home at 3am, we went out to lunch at another resturant. Man, there are some really nice places here. The name of this Resturant was 'Bon Gourmet', and inside there were actually two resturants. This meant people could choose different types of food, which I thought was pretty cool. I ended up eating some Argentino Grilled Chicken, probably some of the best chicken I have ever eaten. Whilst we ate, they had tranditional performances from La Sierra, the mountains (where Arequipa is situated). Yet again simply amazing, and I know now I have to learn to play one of the instruments.

In the evening I went to the fiesta de cumpleaños (birthday party) of Juliette, the other girl here with AFS on her exchange from France. It was really cool to catch up =) and I think she had a really great time. We both found out that we will have to travel abroad because our visa runs out at some point, so Chilè here we come!!! But in January, we think.

That's all for now. Hopefully the next time I make a post, I will have begun school.

Peace out,

Liam in Perù.

The Cathedral de la Ciudad a la Plaza de Armas

This is the building I took the last photograph from. It's probably the most amazing building I have ever been in. Inside holds art dating back to the 16th and 17th Century, an abundance of gold and silver, marble and sillar. It is still used for Catholic Mass on a weekly, if not daily basis. The building was built to be between the two volcanoes, Mt. Misti and My. Chachani. It has been hit, over the years, by a few earthquakes, one in which one of the towers colapsed, however it still stands today. Magnificant!

The Plaza de Armas, Arequipa

This is a shot I took from the terrace of the Cathedral de la Ciudad in The Plaza de Armas, Arequipa. The Plaza de Armas is known as the most beautiful one in all of Peru, and you can't argue with that.

Arrival in Arequipa

I arrived in Arequipa last night at about 5pm and met the AFS lady and my new host family.
My Host Father is a Doctor, my Host Mother is a Nurse and my Host Sister is studying Architecture. They're all really cool. Also, there is a pet rabbit. It's massive!

Last night there was a small fiesta as another AFS person, Fanny, arrived on Saturday and it was her birthday on the Sunday. It was nice because I got to meet the two other people on AFS.
We went for a small walk and I got to see the neighbour hood.

I prefer the temperature here in Arequipa to that of Iquitos because it's only a little bit colder and there is no humidity! I also like the view of the three volcanoes surrounding the city. They're all tipped with snow, and oh so beautiful.

Today? Yes, today. My host sister took me on a tour of the city. I saw the Plaza de Aramas, which is most definately the most amazing Plaza de Armas in Peru, and possibly in the world. Because the city is situated near the volcanoes, it's architects utilized the natural products, such as the sillar stone, to build everything. The whole centre of the city is made of white stone, and it's said to be a spitting image of Southern Spain, of course, as Peru was conquered by the Spaniards once upon a time.

Also today, I went to one of my sister's architecture classes. It was cool to see what university is like in a different country and different language. There are different ideas, rules and so on. Like, you can pretty much just walk out of the classroom when you want to, and people talk a lot! But you can see a lot of effort is put into the work.

The food in Arequipa is delicious! Since I arrived here, I think I have only had rice once, as apposed to it being a daily thing in La Selva (Iquitos). Sometime this week I'm going to cook Eggplant for my family, just because they never have it. I hope to find some more recipes here, buit don't worry, none include your pet guinea pigs ;)

Until Next Time...

Hasta Luego,



Liam Clowes.

Update:

After facing a few unexpected problems in Iquitos, two flights and lots of alone time, I am now in Arequipa, Southern Peru. I have definitely grown a bit in the last two weeks, mentally and physically considering I eat so much food here!

In the last few days before I left Iquitos, I ventured into the Jungle, (La Selva) and on the River Nanay (Rio Nanay). These were both so amazing, as I have never even thought I would do that. To be honest, I didn't think I would ever travel to the Amazon, but look where I was.

I don't really miss New Zealand that much as of yet, and I don't think of it so much beacuse I'm always learning new things about Peru. It's such a diverse culture, and you find the diversity in different regions. I like to think I'm lucky I have had those problems, because I was able to see two completely opposite parts of an incredible country, as well as gaining skills and building character. I know, it sounds clichè but it's true. It's all part of the experience.

The Experience of a Life Time. I am really enjoying myself so far, and I am only two weeks into it. I think the next ten months will go by like a dream. I hope I can remember it :)

Delayed Post; Peru 2010

So I haven't really been able to do a lot of this blog stuff because the internet here is at a pre-historic pace. Here goes so far of what I have been up to, for those of you who haven't heard from me.

I left Auckland NZ at 6.30pm on Tuesday the 31st Auckland. It was really sad, but the moment I got on the plane, I was prepared and set for Peru.

My first flight was 12hrs to Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was too long, and I didn't get much sleep. Luckily I was sitting next to an Australian woman who was very kind. I liked her because she spoke English, little did I know that for the remainder of my journey (After Buenos Aires), I would not speak English until 24hrs later, when the Belgians arrived. To put it short, flying in South America is a bit more relaxed than everywhere else. They use cameras and laptops during take off and landing, despite warnings.. I'm still alive, so maybe it is okay? =)

My first night in Peru was spent in a Youth Hostel named 'Hostel Malka'. I was the first AFS mid-year student to arrive, and I was all alone! But in the following afternoon, AFS Lima took me to lunch at a Chifa, or Chinese Resturant. Peru has A LOT of Chinese cultural influence, more than what you'd first think.

The next few days were spent in a big Catholic Nun's Convent, where we got to know each other as more and more students arrived. There are 24 Belgians, 15 or so Germans, 6 French, 5 Austrians, 2 Swiss, 2 Canadians, 1 Icelanic, 1 American and Myself... maybe more people, but I can not remember.

This, of course, was where we tried our first REAL Peruvian meals. This simply means, Rice with something on the side. Nearly every meal we have rice. In Spanish, they say, for example, Chicken and Rice - Arroz con Pollo.... See, RICE with Chicken. For me, I enjoy this because I come from a house hold where my mother always has rice, so no culture shock there. Also, it will be interesting to learn to cook new things (=

Now, just to ease those thoughts in your mind, YES, it is true, we can't flush the toilet paper here. We have to use a bin instead. Really, it's not too much of a probelm, unless you accidentally throw it into the toilet... not that I have done that... hahaha

On our 3rd day in Peru, we started to depart to our cities. Most people went by bus, but for me I went by plane because there are no roads into Iquitos. This meant getting up at 3am for our 6am flight (which ran on peruvian time, aka DELAYED by an hour). Those who went to Iquitos, Arequipa or Puno left last. Because there were only a few of us left, we decided to have a jam, so I pulled out my clarinet, there was a guitar, rubbish bin drums, drink bottles and an harmonica. We had a lot of fun =D

The flight to Iquitos was amazing. We flew over the Andes, and wow. They are so beautiful. I can not lie. Then, as we began to land, we flew over the Amazon River. It is so beautiful!

Now I am here in Iquitos, where it is 32C and 90% humidity most of the time, but that's okay.
You get used to it. It is VERY differnent to NZ, and I will write more in my next posts.

I start school next Monday, at 'Republica de Venezuela'. I went there today, and the people seem really friendly.


That's all for now,
hasta luego...

Liam in Peru

Two Weeks Until Departure!

I haven't left just yet, haha.

The last few weeks have been crazy. I have had about 5 injections in the last month.

You name it, rabies, yellow fever, typhoid and hepatitis A.

Also, 3 months worth of Malaria Pills and super strong insect repellent.

All I can hope now is that it's worth it all !

So here is a quick update on how I got into this exchange and where it's taking me:

I wanted to travel, and I wasn't too sure what to do at university next year. I thought about taking a gap year, but I didn't want to waste time. On my AFS exchange, I am able to study and travel.

Time wasted = 0

Time gained = The Best Year of My Life (I'm hoping, we'll soon find out).

Why did I pick Peru?

I actually can't verify this particularly.

I knew I wanted to go on an exchange, I just didn't know where.

When I was selected to go, I was told I had to choose a country. I had 3 choices; Peru, Belgium and Sweden. As you can see, I didn't really mind where I went, as long as I got to have the experience.

What have I done so far?

A shit load of fundraising, I'll have you know!

In total, an AFS year exchange costs about $13,000 NZD.

Thankfully, I was awarded with a $5000 Scholarship and a $1000 Grant to assist me financially. The rest was made up from about three or four months of walking/washing dogs and car boot sales, Peru Group in the International Week at Manurewa High and months and months working as a sales person at Bond & Bond. I'll tell you, hard work, but it's so rewarding to know that I did it all myself. It's opened my mind up to new opportunities already!

Where am I now?

Okay, so I am still in Auckland, New Zealand. I have passed my schooling and have university entrance, all due to the fact I did year 13 a year early to help boost my rank points. I think this has worked well. I've still got to go to school, which can sometimes be boring, but I don't regret anything. It's now two weeks before I depart for the exchange and the feelings are... all over the show. I'm mostly excited, which I hear is good. I really can't wait to take this step in my life where I become more independent. I'm leaving the nest and spreading my wings. Oh, cliché I know, but how else do you describe it?

I plan to update this blog with photos and stories as often as possible. Please don't hesitate to pass the link on to anyone, as I want to share my experience with everyone!