Bolivia and the Amazone jungle.

Hello hello everybody
I am in Bolivia now in a cute and quiet town called Cobacabana. It is on the lake Titticaca and it is stunning. I had no troubles when crossing over from Peru to Bolivia.
The people here are a bit different, more timid and reserved. Nobody whistles at you in the street and eeven the sales people are very polite and back out as soon as you say no gracias. It is also cheap here. I have meet 2 people here that are great, Garhed from Austria and Mary from Ireland. I also meet here accidently a friend from Lund, Devin.
I will stay here for 2 nights, tomorrow going to the Island of the sun for a day. On monday i will go to La Paz and meet Annemiek from the Netherlands. we will then go with a flight to the jungle of Rurrenbarque. There we will stay for 9 days and go into the Amazone jungle.

Ja Agust, eg er ad fara ad leita ad Anacondum, tad verdur stud. Gott ad heyra ad tad var skemmtilegt i Vestmannaeyjum. Torsmork hljomar vel.

Pabbi, atti von a ad turfa ad borga sma. hvad er tad mikid?

See you all
Stella

Lago Titticaca

Hello hello, i just spent an amazing 2 days in the lake titticaca. It was amazing. They have preserved their culture there. The first day i went to the floating ilands, Uros, they litteraly make them alldays out of these plants, otherwise they would sink. Then i went to Amantari, another iland andspent the night there with a local family. They were very poor but lovely. I was there with a French couple, Anne and Emmanuel, they are really fantastic people. The family gave us traditional food and in the evening we were dressed up in the local costumes, needless to say i looked ridiculous in it. But then they took us to a dance and thought us local dances all evening. It was great.
The next day i went to Taquili, another iland, where the men go around knitting! and they have old dresses. The clothes tell of age and matrial status, very funny but beautiful clothes.
Tomorrow i am off to Bolivia, first Cobacabana and then La Paz.
Take care. Stella

Puno

I have left Cuzco finally. I am now in a small town called Puno, tomorow i am off to a 2 days trip in the floating Ilands. I have just met a nice english girl, Michelle, that i am going to travel with to the Ilands.
Am staying in a Hotel called Don Julio in Puno

Take care everybody
Stella

Leaving Cuzco

My last day in this wonderful city, i am very very sad. Cuzco has just felt so much at home for me and now i am leaving.
Tonight i will have the last supper with friends that are still present, yesterday i said goodbye to Efrain because he was going on a hike today, i also said goodbye to my beloved family hera, Dina, Neto, Jamil and Carmen. Lotte also left yesterday. Saying goodbye is just so sad.
Tomorrow i will be off to Puno and from there i will visit lake Titticaca and the floating ilands. I think it will be wonderful. Than i am off to Bolivia on the 30th of july.

Takk fyrir ad skrifa ollsomul. Kvedja Gudny Stella

Macchu Pichu2

Vá vá, tad eru engin ord nogu sterk til ad lysa tilfinningunni sem eg upplifdi tegar eg var i Macchu Pichu i gaer. Tetta er sa mest tofrandi stadur se eg hef sed. Vona ad tid faid sem flest taekifaeri til ad heimsaekja borgina.

Agust minn, hvernig er i Eyjum? eg sendi fleiri myndir.

Pabbi eg er flutt fra Dinu, hringi i tig.

vinir minir, eg sakna ykkar, skrifid mer endilega email, eda skrifid i gestabokina, bara eitthvad stutt svo eg viti hvad er ad gerast.

I just finished a 5 days hike to Macchu Pichu, a hike called Salkantay. It was absoloutly spetacular. We walked 6-7 hours each day. The first day and the last day were the hardest with most of thepath the 5 day uphill. but the wiew was amazing, the first 2 days it was raining and foggy but in between it cleared out and then there was this amazing mountain wiew, specially the first night when the Salkantay mountain was visible. The first night was freezing, -7degrees and my sleeping bag got wet, brrrrrrrrrr.
After 2 days the sun came through and then the landscape was more tropical but also spetacular mountains. The 4 day we walked up to August Caliente, a town 20 min drivefrom Macchu Pichu. The 5 day i stayed in Macchu Pichu, more spetacular ruins dont exist i think.

They estimated that 1000 people lived there in the Inca time. It was probably a leizure spot. Did you know that the incas had road all over peru, bolivia Equador and Chile and that it took a runner 6 days to deliver message from Cusco ( the navel of the universe for the Incas) to Quitos in Equador. Amazing. All of the things that were found in Macchu Pichu in 1913 are now in yale university, Bingham was the first scientist to come to the city ( the locals knew of it the whole time) and he exported everything to the USA. Of course everything should be in Peru.

Efrain, the guide and Emmas boyfriend ( Emma is one of my friends from Lund) was absouloutly adorable and did a great job. The group was fine. We were 15, mostly americans, canadians and english, and me.

I will only stay 2 more days in Cusco and that makes me sad, i feel very much at home here. Next stop is lake titticaca and then Bolivia.

Hope you are all well

Love Stella

Machu Picchu

Dan, great to hear from you, I had fun with Baz. Say hi to Sunna.

Agust og mamma, tad var frabaert ad heyra i ykkur.

I am finally going to the biggest preserved city of the Incas, Machu Picchu. I will go on a 5 day and 4 nights walk, Salkantay. i will be back late on Sunday and i dont know if i will have any internet connection so you guys will have to wait.

So everybody, take care. Hasta Domingo
Stella

Peruvian buses and Paucartambo

Hallo allir,

english a little bit later, first private messages

Agust, leidinlegt ad heyra med tolvuna. skemmtu ter vel

Elin Rut, Knus til baka

Anna somuleidis knus, vona ad Island sjai vel um tig nuna, er ad fara a naesta fjall eftir daga.

Kenneth, Tack for halsningarnar, halsa alla tillbaka fran mig

Sigga, gaman ad heyra i ter lika

Hrabba og Gummi, posturinn her er alltaf ad tyna hlutum svo vinkona min sem fer til hollands a midvikudag mun senda ykkur fra Hollandi 1) myndir 2) ovaentan gladning 3) geisladiska 4) farsimann minn. Einhver leid ad setja sumar myndirnar a netid svo lidid heima geti lika skodad
takk fyrir myndirnar, fekk heimtra (og sofatra)

Mamma og pabbi, bestu kvedjur, haegt ad hringja i mig a morgun (manudag) og hinn

Halli, engin alvarleg sambond, en hitti einn irskan strak, hann er farinn nuna

So finally back to Peruvian buses:
This weekend i went with 8 others Susan, Lotte, Jani, Sandra and Maria all from Holland ( anna h verd ad vera osammala ter med Hollendinga) Yat (english) Devon (usa) and Cesar (peruvian) to a small catholic village 3 hours from Cusco, Paucartambo.
We arrived at the bus station, there were no buses leaving for 4 hours for the festival. ( theyr were supposed to go every 1 hour) Fuck. taxis were 2x the prize but suddenly two hippy guys appeared and offered us to hire a mini bus with them. Off we went in a mini bus older than me along with Cesar2 (peru lovely name......not) Leonardo (colombia) and Allison and Steve from South Africa and one guy from Bolivia. First the bus drove around Cusco for 1 hour, stopping at various places to f.e tie down the luggage on the roof, chat, chat some more and 3 stops for food, HELLO. After Cusco of course they had to stop to charge the battery back ??. Then the driver drove like a maniac for 3 hours up narrow roads and steapy hills, beeping every 10 minuets or so to get people of the road, or just to say YES i know how to hoank a hoarn. Lovely.
Then suddenly he turned around in a small village and drove into a side street, why? because the car wasnt licenced to drive since 2002 and the police was on the road. After 10 min hiding from the cops off we went. we had to pus the car so it would start. 10 min from the village the car broak down. But we were close so it was fine.
In Paucartambu we stayed in a school room, paying 1/2 a dollar each. Then after watching the festivals for about 3 hours off to bed and woke up at 2.00. We went into town, found a bus that seemed fine and off we went to the 3 curces at the beginning of the amazon jungle to see the sunset. Halway after bumping for 2 hours on the worst road i have seen so far, the engine overheated, the bus stoped.
Luckily the rive was close by so the bus people just got water from the river, put it on the engine and after10 min we continued. Then we arrived at 5.15 just in time. Se sat down, dressed in 4 layers of clothes cause it was close to 0 degrees. And then i watched the most beautiful sunset i have seen, first a little bit red, then more red, yellow white blue sky, the light casting amazing shadows on the people, the mountains and the jungle. Finally the sun appeared. This was amazing.
After this we returned to The village, slept 2 hours in the bus. The whole day there were dances, songs and music, the people dressed in costume that represent their area and villages. This is a Catholic festival ( for the virgin Carmen) but it is mixed with all these local costumes and tradition. It was very beautiful. I didnt last long, only until ten o clock ( i am sorry i have been sick for 4 days now....)
The next day we went home, luckily nothing happened to that bus. (except as often is the case heare i am 1 number too big for the buses, cramping my knees)

Ciao to all of you
Stella

Paucartampu

Just a short message
This weekend i am off for a 2 days camping in Paucartampu. There is a huge local festival there. I am going with 8 others, mostly gringos but 2 local guys.
Will write more after the weekend
Stella

Goodbyes

while traveling one constantly says goodby
Carrie i said goodbye to last week, a nice girl from england,
barry(australia) left last week, Sandrita ( the dutchgirl i livedwith for the last weeks) left yesterday, sheela and Flatimir left last week. Tomorrow Peter and Jeff (both Irish) will leave. And next week i will leave for the Incatrail. It is always hard to say goodbye.
This weekend i will go with Susan an Jani ( two dutch girls) to a local dance festival inPaukartampu, a very small village where they celebrate the festival of the virgin Carmen, in the night we will go up to crosses, where the river, the montain and the jungle come together and the light and the colors when the sun comes up is supposed to be amazing.

Mamma hringirdu orugglega i 0051 svo 84 og sleppir nullinu a undan 84 (ofugtvid tad sem eg skrifadi)
Pabbi eg mun vera i kennslu fra 8.30 peruskum tima a fostudag til 12. Fer svo ur husi kl 13.
Kvedjur allir
Gudny

Jasmin Kamilla

Elsku Jasmin
Innilega til hamingju med afmaelid. Eg vona ad veislan a morgun verdi frabaer.
Knus Gudny

Food posioning

well after braging for weeks about how well my stomach has handled the food here i finally got sick yesterday after eating in a local restaurant. Disgusting, but today i am much better, guess i will have some diarrea for a couple of days.
I have finished 2 weeks of spanish and am much better at it now, able to hold an okei conversation even.
I was planning another trip into the sacred walley today but cancelled it cause of the foodposioning. Maybe i will go tomorrow.

Hildur ertu ennta a Islandi? ef svo er ta er brefid komid til onnu

Ciao everybody
Stella

Living in Cusco

Hello everybody

Anna gott ad ter likadi brefid
Hildur brefid er lika handa ter, ertu ennta a Islandi, annars biddu onnu ad senda ter tad
Familien, bestu kvedjur
Pabbi veit ad reikningnum fra sjova, passar og er buinad borga

Living in Cusco means that you expericnce quite the extremes in temperature, the nights i freeze in my bed because it is close to 0 degrees and in the days i sunburn ( and YES i have a tan! A real TAN, but only my face and arms) Because of this i have had a cold for 5 weeks now
The houses usually have an outdoor area in the middle of the house, meaning you have to go outside in the middle of the night for the bathroom.
I am getting too good food in Casa de Dina and too much, have to go ona diet now
There is always something happening heare, protests, demonstration, parties, festivals.
The people are very friendly but unfortunetly the place is swamped with tourists.

Akkurat i dag saknadi eg samt islands, sem betur fer er eg med islenska tonlist til ad hlusta a

Ciao Ciao
Necesito ir y apprender mas espanol

Stella
or as i am called now Stellita/Estela

Telefone

It is now possible to phone me, the telefone is the number for Peru-(0)84-807838 . There is a 5 hour time difference. the best time to reach me is around 13 oclock (lunch), that is around 18 oclock in Iceland. i dont remember at the moment the number for peru, the 84 is for Cusco, i think you leave the 0 out when you dial the country number

Endilega hringid vid taekfaeri mamma pabbi, agust halli og tid hin.
gott ad heyra ad allt gegnur vel.

Skil vel ad tad se hrikalegt ad byrja ad lesa aftur Solrun, hef tru a ter. Hringdu endilega vid taekifaeri.

Magadans Hulda, til hamingju med krilid, hvad ertu komin langt?

See you all
Stella

Camping

Well, i have been strugling with spanish the whole week so now it is time for a break. It is great living in my house, because there is only spoken spanish there, no english. Dina and her children are so lovely as well. The food is almost too good, i will get fat here since she gives us food 3 times a day.

The weekend I will spend in Cai Cay, a small village close to Cusco, about one hour in car. I am going camping with Peter ( irish). Jeff was gonna come with us but he cant.

Last night i said goodbye to Sheela and Flatimir, a lovely couple who live in Belfast. At the dinner there were also Micael from Canada and Franco from Israel. There was a lot of discussion about the situation in both israel and in Northen Ireland. It was very interesting to hear.

About Ireland, there has been peach for a couple of years in Northen Ireland, the Paramilitary (= The IRA) still controles a lot of neighbourhoods though. For exemple the neighborhood Flatimir and Sheela live in. They say the neighborhood is very quit because if you do something wrong you get one warning and after that the paramilitary punish you, for exemple if you beat up an old lady/ rob some hoses, and do this more than once you get a "6" meaning six bullets in your body and it will be written on the walls in your neighbourhood what you did. The neighboorhods are therefore considered very safe. The ones whom the IRA doesnt control are considered unsafe, with high crime rate.
They also said that at the moment there are more protestants in northen ireland, they dont want to be part of ireland so in the elections they chose Brittain. Apparently Brittain wants to get rid of Northen Ireland, it is too expensive. But the Catholics bread faster so there is only a matter of time before the Catholics are more abundant. Then the votes will be for joining southern Ireland. But Flatimir said there might become a war again, cause the protestants will never agree to united Ireland.
Very interesting to hear from the locals.
Anyway dinner is in 3 minutes so see you all after the weekand
Stella
PS gott ad heyra ad allt gegnur vel fjolskyldan min,
PPS ekkert mal agust minn, tu skrifar tegar tu getur, mer finnst alltaf frabaert ad heyra fra ter.
PPS sendi ykkur simann minn eftir helgi, tad er nefnilega haegt ad hringja heim til min naestu 2 vikurnar, munid bara 5 tima muninn.