Where the heart is....

Or where it should be now!

I still have no idea what I am going to do in the next few months but I really need to figure this out now. I do not have a plan yet but I've been thinking of flying to South America early next year and either travel around or pick a country to work and live in for the year 2014. I could be:

Here

or

or

or

or maybe even here

Even though I'm having mixed feelings about where I want to go, I do know my heart wants out. I was planning on being there ahead of time for the World Cup, but I've been wanting the expat life for awhile now. It fits me and who I am as an person.

I'd like to explore more of South America in 2014. Then I have been looking into the U.A.E., Rwanda/Africa, China, Japan, or South Korea. I can finally explore more of the Eastern Hemisphere!

I have a huge love for gaining new knowledge, appreciating all cultures and the people, learning new languages, appreciation for life, the various cuisines, and the whole world.

At the moment, I'm looking at the cost of living and which one will fit me at the time. I'll keep you all in the loop as the time winds down, hopefully sooner than later! 

I take it all back

Remember what I said about sleep and how it's only for home? Forget what I said. Sleep IS for home AND for travel. You need it to function. Your body needs the rest and to be given the chance to rejuvenate for the next days great adventure. Of course when traveling there are plenty of times that this is not possible. It's okay. This is supposed to be part of the travel experience. It's a miracle if you are able to sleep on an overnight bus from one destination to the next. I try but I just can't do it!

With that said, by day 6 of my Guatemala experience, my friend and I were so sleep deprived, we couldn't even function. We spent most of the day exploring Tikal with no food, made time for a quick snack/lunch though I really had a hard time eating while feeling sick to my stomach, and went to freshen up and relax before New Years dinner and festivities. Then it somehow finally caught up to us.

Of course more me than her because she can fall asleep ANYWHERE and wasn't nearly as tired as I was. I really don't know how she does it.

Night time hit and we were planning on eating dinner around 8 and ending the year exploring more of Tikal.

But by 6 pm, she was telling me she no longer had an appetite, didn't want dinner, and was focused on the mosquitos flying in our cabin.

I was still really hungry but I was so physically exhausted I literally couldn't move and even go to get dinner. I could not get up, keep my eyes open, couldn't focus on her trying to keep our conversation going, my body was frozen, kept falling asleep while she was talking then waking up with migraines, feeling like throwing up nothing because I had nothing in my stomach, and really did not care about the flying mosquitos and the 3 not small spiders next to my bed and normally I DO! They could have attacked me and I would have let them. It was that bad.

All the days leading up to day 6 with barely any sleep finally caught up and it wasn't pretty. And that is how I ended the year 2012.

My plan was to wake up really early and spend New Years Day in the jungle and watching the incredible and 'magical' sunrise as described exactly to me by a few friends. It would be me alone because Vanessa was fine with not having to wake up at 3 am and wanted the sleep time. After hearing about this 'magical' sunrise more than once, there was no way I was going to miss out on the opportunity because I knew I would have regretted it. That and I love wandering around any jungle/rainforest any chance that I get.

Well then that sleep deprivation experience happened and I realized I really needed that night of sleep....so somehow I finally was able to reach over and turn off my alarm. I sadly 'thought' I made up my mind about not going to see the sunrise and continuing my exploration of Tikal. I didn't know what to do and I knew deep down it was the wrong decision.

And funny how things happen to fall into place. Vanessa got out of her bed to go to the bathroom and with the flick of the light, I woke up. I tried covering my face to make it dark but I was wide awake. I turned over to look at the clock and it was 3:50am. I all of a sudden got really worried and right away Vanessa could see it in my eyes because you can see EVERYTHING I'm feeling through my eyes and said: "Do you want to go see the sunrise?" And I responded with: "Yes, I really want to." I knew then I would have been so disappointed in myself if I made it to Tikal and didn't even go. And somehow I found my energy, quickly got up, changed my clothes, threw on my shoes, no make up, and grabbed my camera, flashlight, and Tikal ticket. I was out of there at 4 am. And just the night before, I couldn't even move a muscle!

The time spent in the jungle at 4 in the morning was absolutely amazing. There are not enough words to describe this experience. The sounds were just indescribable. The howler monkeys were so vocally vibrant and expressive. The bats flying around. I love and appreciate everything the jungle offers. Not just here but through my other experiences in the Amazon as well. Oh and the sunrise above the rainforest really was 'magical'. I'm keeping that experience for myself and won't post any pictures of it just to leave it as a surprise for anybody planning a trip there.

The other bonus for being up that early was that the area was nearly deserted! I got to spend more time within the Mayan pyramids with no distractions and tourists! I was able to really take it all in, take pictures, and see what I missed out on the previous day. Got a few cool pictures taken of me from some people there with promises of emailing them, in which I have received! I also helped out a couple from Mexico and Argentina who didn't have a camera and couldn't capture any Tikal pictures. I paid it forward and took some of them with promises of emailing them. Glad I got to help them out and give them a good memory to have on their journey.:) It was a day that I won't ever forget and am so glad it was meant for me to wake up without my alarm and to explore more. Being happy to wake up at 3:50 in the morning just sounds so silly!

So with all this, I won't change my style of travel and love of adventure. I also really love sleep and will continue to make sure I'm getting it but at the same time not sleeping through an adventure and missing out. All I can say is don't do what I did! Fit sleep in somehow! Time and the amount of days I had affected what I was going to do in Guatemala. I normally don't have this problem. I diagnosed myself with the case of the 'I have to see it all in this time period'.

Can't wait to revisit what I ate in Guatemala. Oh and one more thing I took from Guatemala--I should have been making my own tortillas a long time ago. That starts from now on.

On the road again...

On to another vacay.....oops, I mean ADVENTURE!

Guatemala

Will be doing so many things, I probably won't have time to sit! Sleeping is for home as I always say. ☺ Even with this cold that I've just caught, I can't let it keep me from climbing the volcanoes and playing in the jungle!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

My new years resolution(s): Run more races, bike more races, and try to stop using so many exclamation points!

❤

Gone Traveling...

Excited to be out of the country again! Will be exploring:

• Egypt - Alexandria thru Cairo

• Turkey - Istanbul

And just added -last minute-

• Lebanon - Beirut - One of Anthony Bourdain's favorite places on Earth! :)

I'll be back as soon as I am able to.

~Reima

The Road and Train Tracks to Machu Picchu

So my original travel plan was to head to Bolivia with some time set aside to go back to Chile to check out its Northern side. I also wanted to go to Peru but I feared not having enough time to really take in the culture and see everything that I wanted to see in the time period that I had. My friend who wanted to head to Peru with me was unable to come along so I figured I would hold off until next time. So there was my plan as I had mentioned in my WMDR post: Bolivia and Chile.

...........Long story short............

Plans changed! I wanted to stay longer down in Uyuni but the weather was beyond freezing that it wasn't recommended due to some deaths having occurred out there because of the temperature. They also closed the Bolivian-Chilean border because of the weather conditions so there was no way of heading back to Chile at that time. So I decided to push Uyuni back until after I figured out what my new plan would be.

What to do now?

After talking with some friends I had made in Bolivia about Peru and if I should do it or continue on in Bolivia, they pretty much convinced me with just one statement: "Go to Machu Picchu. You are here now. When's the next chance you'll get to go to Peru? What if you never get the chance? It's worth it."

That was it for me.

I immediately emailed my friend Nora, who I met on a layover in Lima, who had told me she was going to be in Cusco for six weeks, told her not go to Machu Picchu without me because I was heading there! She was excited to hear she wasn't going on her own or having to find a travel bud to go with and right away she let me know where she was and lets go!

I booked the bus tickets, next morning I left La Paz for Cusco with some time in Copacabana/Lake Titicaca and Puno. Arrived at midnight and went on a search for her. Luck on my side, I ended up getting a bed in the room she was in and she was happy to see me, sticking to my word! Always.

Right away we got busy. Had to figure out how to get there and get our tickets. They only allow 2500 visitors a day to enter Machu Picchu. We had wanted to go right away but we soon realized that we wouldn't be able to go for almost a week. So I had extra time than I had anticipated and really got to check out Cusco. So much history there, it's unbelievable. Anyway, we quickly jumped on our tickets to Machu Picchu before we figured out how we were going to get there! :-p Luckily found two spots left on the train from Ollantaytambo--Aguas Calientes--Ollantaytambo. We jumped on those tickets right away! So so so lucky. This whole trip was luck!

Then we just had to figure out our way from Cusco--Ollantaytambo and Ollantaytambo--Cusco. We found a 'mini-bus' that makes the trip from Cusco--Ollantaytambo--Cusco at the bus station. Paid I believe $10,00-15,00 Soles ($3-5 US) and sat back for one crazy ride to Ollantaytambo. Cute little town with amazing Inca sites to see. Wandered around to find a good place to stay for the night.

Next day tried to see as much of Ollantaytambo that we could and somehow found the way up to really take in the Incan sacred sites, Pinkuylluna.






Headed to the train station and road for about an hour to Aguas Calientes. Before we left, we made friends with a taxi driver who took our names down and promised to take us back to Cusco as soon as we got back to Ollantaytambo so I could catch my bus back to La Paz---very tight! They said it was most likely going to be impossible that I would make it on time---boy were they wrong! Made it with 10 minutes to spare! Woo hoo!


Don't forget to try Inca Kola in Peru! Does wonders with Peruvian ceviche. :) Grabbed it for the train ride.

Aguas Calientes. Very small town full of people everywhere. Everything was booked and everyone was busy. We searched and searched and finally found a place to stay..AGAIN..it was all luck. First thing we did was, well we wanted to find somewhere to eat but gotta take care of business! Had to find the bus station to pay for a bus ticket to go from Aguas Calientes--Machu Picchu--Aguas Calientes. Made it there 1/2 an hour before it closed! Relaxed a little and found a place to eat some good food for an early dinner, knowing that we'd have to get up at 4 in the morning, and listen to beautiful Peruvian music. I could listen to it for hours...:)




Called it a night. Literally got everything ready so that when we woke up at 4 am, we could just get ready and leave! We lined up around 4:45 am waiting for the buses. Brrrr it was cold! Had some mate de coca (tea) to warm up and just waited patiently. Next time, I'll probably head there earlier because the line sure does get long!

And there we were...off to Machu Picchu!



And there you have it folks! If the timing is right and you have luck on your side, you can make it to Machu Picchu in a safe and crazy way! And spend not nearly as much as you would if you booked a tour/train/etc. Of course this was without hiking the trails but that can be arranged my next visit there!

I'd also like to answer my thought at the beginning of this entry with this: Peru is just incredible. And it is worth it to go now, for a day, for a week, month, or as long as you'd like. I'm glad I had some time to go there. I made the right decision. I've had a taste and I want more!!

*Tip: If you want to hike Huayna Picchu, make sure you look for that option when you book your Machu Picchu ticket. It costs $10US dollars more but its worth it. You can hike it at 7am or 10am. We missed out on that opportunity but we did end up hiking Machu Picchu mountain, which was free and with breathtaking views! Next time, I plan on hiking Huayna Picchu and then spend another day there really just taking it all in and relaxing. Such a fascinating site to see. Can you tell I'm in love with history?!
**Tip: Being in shape is a must! The altitude was fine for me because it's NOTHING compared to being in La Paz, Bolivia, but for those who aren't used to it + hiking up a mountain + the thousands of steps and things to do there = you will be tired! Adjust to the high altitude for a few days (or just go to La Paz ;), be in shape, and take it easy!
***There's a straight forward website where you can easily get Machu Picchu tickets/print them out. Email me and I'll send it to you!

When Plans Change....YOU JUST GO WITH IT.

So I am excited to announce I've been planning my escape from the US for awhile now! And I am leaning to do this in 2013! Would have been this year but I have to take care of a few things before I can jet outta here.

For the longest time, I couldn't quite figure out where I wanted to go first. Typical. I want to see it ALL. I ended up dropping it down to Spain and Thailand. After thinking about it, I ended up choosing Thailand. Be there for a year. Hop around Asia. Then fly on over to Spain and check out Portugal, Greece, Morocco, and Egypt. And end in either Argentina, Peru, or Ecuador for another year or so. Sounds like a fantastic plan to me!

Really happy with my choice up until a few days ago...Uh oh, what did I do?!?!

Well there's this thing called the World Cup and it happens to be in Brazil in the year 2014. And it is my dream to go to at least one World Cup soccer game.♥