Peru, Argentina, and Chile

Well, I have just gotten back from a whirlwind tour of some other South American countries. The trip was with my brother, Michael, and his wife, Erin. We had a really great time and were able to see and do a lot! They are really good travelers, getting up at whatever hour, making efforts to communicate in spanish where they could, and enjoying it all.

In Peru, we visited Lima and Cusco. We met up in the Lima airport and had one full day in the city. During that day, we took a city tour and walked around a bit to get a feel for the area. That night, we met up with old and new friends. My friend Dave Cicerchi, who has been living in a remote area of Peru for the last 3 years through the Peace Corps, happened to be in town and joined us. We also met Hugo and Jessica through some contacts of my dad and they took us to eat some rotisserie chicken and provided us with lots of suggestions as we continued our travels. We had a very nice visit.

In Cusco, we took ourselves around town, visiting the center and the Cathedral. The following day was the big day for Machu Picchu. We took a 4 hour train ride and then a 1/2 hour bus ride to arrive. When you climb up to look out over the ruins, it's incredible. They are immense, much larger than the ones in Ecuador. 80% of what is there is still the original. It was really something to see and it is difficult to do it justice with my words.






Then our travels took us to Buenos Aires, Argentina. This city carries more of a European influence which is noted by the physical features of the people and their dress. The accent was also different and could be a bit challenging for me to understand. It is a good thing we had a bit of time in Buenos Aires because there was a lot to do. We went on a nice city tour to introduce us to all the different neighborhoods. From there, we were able to decide which places we wanted to re-visit.

We went to Recoleta cemetary, where famous writers, presidents, and Eva Peron (Evita) were buried. The monuments/tombs were huge and elaborate. We went to a Tango show, called Madero Tango. There were many to choose from but this one included 5 main couples who danced; twisting and kicking in all directions with intervals of music between sets. Sometimes, FYI, you really can see people tango dancing in the streets.

The following day we went to Caminito, a neighborhood with a lot of character, color, and shops. When we weren't in those shops, we were meandering down Florida street where street vendors put out their work (it is a pedestrian only street). That evening we went to Cabana Las Lilas, a restaurant which was recommended to us by a number of sources. We all got a form of beef, as that is what Argentina is known for. I thought it was good but I don't eat much beef so I'm not a good one to compare it.

Our last day, we were lucky enough to be able to go to an Argentine soccer game. We sat way up in the visitor section because it is actually not safe to sit with the Boca fans. The fans literally chanted the entire game - and loudly! The game was impressive and Boca won 2-1 against Arsenal.







From there, we were off to Santiago, Chile. We gave ourselves a tour of the city here. We visited some of the big parks like Santa Lucia, went up the funicular in Cerro San Cristobal, visited the Cathedral and saw La Moneda (where the president lives).
The following day we went on a tour to Valparaiso and Vino del Mar. On the way, we stopped in a vineyard and got a tour which was pretty interesting. The rest of the day was spent visiting different viewpoints to overlook the city. Unfortunately, I feel that this area has a lot to offer and show but our tour didn't capture it.
We tried the Pisco Sours of Chile as well.


Overall, we had a wonderful trip. We were busy but it was a good kind of busy because we wanted to take everything in. We fought off/through some illnesses but everyone arrived back to their respective countries in one piece. We have lots of pictures too!

Taking it all in...

Images from the parade in Tena...

Selection of the Reina de Tena y Guayusa.

I was able to try another family's colada morada last weekend! Alexandra invited me over to spend the day with her family...her mom, grandma, brother, nephew, and son. Since I didn't really know where to get off the bus, the driver let me sit in the front and Ale's little brother was waiting for me at their stop so he could walk me back. We spent a nice day hanging out and Jenny came over later for the colada. They sent us each away with a pitcher.

That night, I went to the selection of the Queen of Tena and of Guayusa. Basically, it was a beauty pageant of 17 women. There were 2 contests going on though, one for the natives and one for the non-natives. Depending on the girl that came out the way they dressed was different, the music was different, and the language was different. It's weird to think back because the very first night I was in Tena, I went to a selection of some type of native Queen.

On Monday, one of the neurologists from the brigade that was held in April came back to do follow-ups. Dr. Espinosa spent Monday seeing some of our kids that were new and others who were still suffering from seizures so that he could adjust their medicine. He saw 21 kids. We went out for lunch and tried encebolladas, a yuca and fish soup.

Thursday was the opening parade for the festivals of Tena. We ducked out of work for a little bit to catch them (which was fine because we were super slow due to the rain and the fact that it was hard for the patients to get to the hospital with the parade going on). There were cars decorated like floats, music, and lots of dance. There were many schools represented and the students were dressed up in traditional outfits performing traditional dances. It was pretty neat to see!

Tomorrow morning, I am off to meet up with my brother and sister-in-law in Peru. We are off to explore some more of South America!

Let the travels begin.

Lately, those of us from PediHabilidad have been taking turns to go to the radio station here in Tena to do interviews. The other week, I had mine in which I talked about occupational therapy and what it is and gave some publicity for the clinic. I think it went well and it's a nice way to get the word out about the free services and therapies offered. I was also able to give a presentation on occupational therapy, some basic developmental information, and ideas for adaptations to a group. They are parents that go into the communities and check in on kids with disabilities to see that they are following up with their therapy and getting their needs met. They seemed receptive to the ideas provided.

One of my favorite foods here is plantain. I like the ripe ones that are grilled and served with cheese, or the fried or boiled ones too. Gaby recently taught me how to make a cheese and green (not mature) plantain mixture the other day and I think it turned out pretty well. It is often served with a fried egg.

Lots of new people at work. On the walk to work, I feel like we are picking up more people by the day. There are some students here from MN that are staying for the month and working in the hospital so we picked them up. There is also a physical therapist who is from Germany (then studied in Holland and then worked in Switzerland) who is going to volunteer with us for the next month.

This past week, we had some days off of work for the holiday. The day of the deceased is celebrated here. The common drink is called colada morada and is a purple drink made with a flour and fruit is added as well. It is often served with gua guas which are pieces of bread shaped like children.
I spent the holiday in La Mana, with Gaby and her family. It was a 10 hour bus ride (well 3 buses were taken but total bus time was 10 hours) but it was definitely nice to meet her family and see where she is from. We saw a beautiful sunset on the way in with the sky screaming red between the mountains. We spent a good amount of time at the restaurant that Gaby's mom and sister run. Therefore, I also got to eat ceviche and homemade colada morada, among other things. I think that each person in Gaby's family (both sides) owns some kind of a store in that town because it seemed like a place was pointed out in every block.

I visited the cacao and banana farm in the back of the house and even got to help a little bit with the harvesting of cacao, whose seeds are used to make chocolate. I saw a fish farm where her uncle raises tilapia, got to meet grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We visited the gravesite of a grandparent, as that is the tradition for this time of year.

I was surprised with my ability to just "be" as that is something that I could not have done when I first arrived here. I also was able to follow most conversations though some of the family jokes slid right past me. When I used to hang out with a group of people speaking only spanish, I would quickly allow my mind to wander before but now I am able to listen better, showing me a sign of improved spanish...finally!