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@adventuresonawhim
Happy Friday Everyone! 😜 #lifeisgood #foodart #avocados #happy
And the wine kept on flowing 🍷while love filled the air ❤️ #laurancewedding (at Callaway Winery, Temecula)
We've made our decision. After a night of debating our options, we have decided to head home. Our plan to go to Chile just doesn't seem right anymore. One million people along the coast of South America, mostly Chile, were evacuated last night. Geologists believe this wasn't the massive quake they have been anticipating in Chile and there is a chance it will happen in the next few days, weeks, months. Roads are blocked to drive down to Santiago and landslides are occurring so driving down would be out of the question. And we can't afford to fly down for $800. And if we did, what would happen if the quake did occur? Just seems like too big of a risk. Mother Nature isn't a force I want to mess with or tempt. As much as we want to stay, I was kicking and screaming when talking about leaving, we also feel as if it's a sign. And it's better to get out while we can. I still can't believe how fortunate we were to have our bus break down! It's almost as if we were already given one pass and by staying we would be tempting faith and whatever is going to happen. Going home now feels like the right choice. I'm so thrown off. I'm not ready to go back. Like what? A month earlier than anticipated. But at the same time it feels okay. It feels like everything is working out how it is supposed to, as much as I don't want to say that or as hard as it may to believe. April was about Chile. And although we could go to a different country, that's not what this was about. We now are faced with going home, something we aren't trying to avoid, and I'm actually excited about the life I have waiting for me there. It's just a bummer that this is how the trip must end. Kaytia and I got out of Tacna as fast as we could. After spending our morning on Wednesday changing all of our flights back home, we decided we would spend the night and all day Thursday in Lima before heading out of the continent on a red eye Thursday night. We found a 1 o'clock flight to Lima from Tacna, left the hotel as 11:45, and had to convince the man at the counter to let us purchase the 1 o'clock flight now instead of the 5 o'clock. The ticket office is downtown but somehow he let us pay at the bank in the small airport and chased the lady who worked at the bank down during her lunch break. Again luck was on our side. At 12:45 we were the last two people to board the flight. Since it's our last night, we've decided to go big. Were staying in the ritsy district of Miraflores at a beautiful 5 star hotel. Not too shabby. Tomorrow will be a new day, our last day in Peru, in South America and we are going to enjoy it. Cheers to New Beginnings
protected and safe
So the help finally came, after an hour and a half of waiting in the hot desert, but all is well. We transferred buses and made our way towards Tacna. However, with the delay, we knew we had to make decision, and a pretty serious one. It was dark out, around 6:30, as I told Kaytia our options. We have read online about the dangers of crossing the border at night, and neither of us knew much about Tacna other than it being a border town. Both of us sat in contemplation for a few minutes. I choose to meditate for awhile while Kaytia did her thing. About thirty minutes later, we decided we would feel it out, ask someone at the station their thoughts, and maybe a police officer as well. We knew we would make the right decision when the time came. Around 7:30 we arrived at the station. Before getting off, I asked the señora in front of us if she thought it would be safe for us to cross to Chile at this hour. That's when we found out about the earthquake. We didn't know much, just that roads were blocked, not getting to Chile and we were staying the night in Tacna. Another family told us the name of the hotel they were staying in so we went there for the night. At the hotel, lite by candles and flashlights, we learned of the magnanimity of the quake- an 8.2 just south of the beach town we were supposed to be in that night. Never before have either of us felt more like something was on our side, watching over and protecting us. We were supposed to be in Arica at 7pm. We should have been in a colectivo driving through the hills to the beach when the earthquake hit. Instead our bus broke down causing a delay...
March 31st and April 1st Bus rides, Arequipa, and the Desert And so it's begun. We have left Cusco and are heading south. One 10 hour bus to Arequipa, a 5 hour layover if you will, a 5 hour bus ride to Tacna, then a 2 hour colectivo ride to Arica, a northern beach town in Chile. Kaytia and I decided to splurge aka spend $50 on VIP seating which was essentially lazy boy seats and personal TVs. Not a bad deal for the price. Once we arrived to Arequipa we decided not to spend the five hours in the bus terminal and made our way the the Plaza de Armas for breakfast. The architecture was beautiful and the main park in the middle looked like the perfect place to hang out for a bit. Well all would have been great if the park benches weren't swarmed with people and 200 pigeons. I knew there was nothing I could do to avoid them, the pigeons not the people, for they literally swarmed the park, so I sucked it up and walked through a group of about 50, some of which were landing on peoples shoulders and flying onto others. Glad I can say I made it out alive. By the time we got the the bus station we had 30 minutes until departure. It was nice we were able to get out and not wait around the whole time. We booked the VIP seats again for the ride for about $15. Again not bad. Driving through the desert I'm reminded of why I love bus rides. New scenery and appreciation for various things. Nature, life, home, whatever. Time to think while being in a place you've never been. And now were stuck. Literally. An hour and a half into the bus ride we are stuck in the middle of the desert. No idea why, I just hear the man say espera para un hora. So were waiting. No dangers or anything, all is well, but this is a time where I appreciate my travel partner more than ever. There is nothing we can do and the situation is totally out of both of our hands so we instead just smile at one another. No hypothesizing of what it could be, or making up various scenarios, or worrying at all, just smiling, thanking one another for their laid back demeanor in this case. Many people would use this experience as a test of their friendship and how the other handles this sort of situation, but there is nothing to think of this. It is what it is. Were stuck in the desert. On a bus. That's turned off. And it's hot. And instead we chose to laugh, write, and listen to music, waiting for the help to arrive.
After an incredible routine based 3 weeks, filled with yoga, vegetarian cuisine, Cusco, and Monica's house, my time to actually enjoy the city I have moved to for 5 weeks finally begun. I spent my first 'day off' around the breakfast table with Monica for almost an hour. I love spending his time here with her. As always we discuss spirituality. She makes me question all that I have learned, from life lessons, from various teachers in recent years, from yoga philosophy, solidifying my beliefs, and finding ways of explaining myself. Monica's very fascinated with all that I have learned and my commitment and dedication to my yoga practice, and it's great to share this newly acquired knowledge and excitement with someone. So with a whole day off I felt like a new person with a new appreciation for Cusco. I walked around, dropped off my laundry, got my nails done, and read my book at this cute little French cafe while watching the rain pour down outside. A few hours later I figured it was time to go home and prepare for Tommy's arrival in Peru tomorrow afternoon. Knowing he has always wanted to go to Machu Picchu and me presence here being an even better excuse, my amazing boyfriend bought a ticket down to visit me in Peru during the week of my 24th birthday. How could turning 24 get any better? :) When traveling, whether in Southeast Asia or South America, I often see people with loved ones by their side, exploring new turf together. Although I've always enjoyed my travel buddies, I do become somewhat envious of the couples, wishing i had my significant other to explore this beautiful world with. Needless to say, I was highly anticipating his arrival. Over the last week and a half, we explored Cusco, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu. Kaytia mom and her moms boyfriend (Diana and Len) were here for some of the time as well and we had the pleasure of meeting them and seeing various sites together. While in Cusco, I got to show him around the city I have called home for the last few weeks, but also got to explore areas I have not seen yet. We met up with Kaytia, Diana and Len, and went to Qorikancha, an old Incan temple that was considered the most revered temple in Cusco. Incan ruins are unbelievable. The way the rocks are placed together, without spaces in between... The enormity of the boulders... The use and import of the stars... Everything. It's unreal. No matter what ruin you are at, you can sense the greatness of this culture. It truly is mind blowing. Speaking of Incan ruins, this time with Tommy was full of them. After giving him a couple days to acclimate to the altitude, we hopped on a collectivo (crammed minivan/bus for 10 soles or $3) for about 2 hours to get out of the city and head to Ollantaytambo. Not only was the drive there beautiful, full of greenery and mountains, but we landed at this incredible bed and breakfast/ hotel my friend recommended right on the train tracks. Ollanta is known for being the town that many Incans retreated to after the Spanish conquered Cusco. The first ruins we explored were at Temple Hill, also considered the fortress of Ollantaytambo. We spent almost 3 hours there with only a few drops of rain, which I find to be rare in the Sacred Valley. The next day we found more ruins on the other side of the small Inca city and again spent a few days there. It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day out and we both got the sunburn to prove it. I've never been much of a hiker, but there is something about hiking up a mountain knowing you are on your way to these majestical ruins that makes it much easier. And after being in higher altitude in Cusco for so long, I felt in better shape than ever before. Later that afternoon, we packed up our bags and headed to Aguas Calientes, the starting point for Machu Picchu, on our clear ceiling train, providing us with new views and new sites of the Sacred Valley. Once we arrived to our destination, it becomes obvious that this town was only created as a hub for Machu Picchu. Prices are obscenely high, and streets are crammed packed with hostels, restaurants, and craft shops. We arrived to our hostel where we reserved a private room to find that oh we don't have the room anymore, although I reserved it and confirmed by phone almost a week before. Oh well. Thankful for my low give a shit factor (oops but it's true), we walked a bit until finding another inexpensive/cheap however you wanna look at it, hotel right on the river. Granted the river is not glorious and actually brown, the room was huge, well we had to push the two twin beds together, and it wasn't the nicest place we've ever been, I thought it was fabulous (like I tend to always think) and gave tommy a little insight on the type of budget traveling I usually enjoy. He still loves me so it's all okay, despite him being woken up to the spider crawling on his neck in the middle of the night. All is well and we were ready to hike up to Machu Picchu in the morning, our alarm set for 4:30am. Well about that 4am wake up call.... Due to our lack of sleep in our luxurious room and the darkness that existed out the windows, we snoozed until about 5:30 when the light revealed the rainstorm that was occurring... Of course right? We waited for another hour and a half until we realized the rain wasn't going to stop. Our plan was to hike up the trail to Machu Picchu, a whole 1350m ascent, or 4,500ft, or almost a mile straight uphill. Rain didn't stop us. We started at 7:30 and were joined by a black lab mixed pit bull looking stray dog the whole way up. An hour and a half later, about an hour of straight stairs (almost 2000), we finally made it! Whatever you hear about Machu Picchu times it by 50 and that's not even how incredible it is in person. Pictures do not do this wonder of the world justice. It's mind blowing, breath taking, one of the most magical places I've ever been. I tried to come up with my own theories of how the Incans got these boulders up to the top of this mountain and hypothesized that they just carved them out of the mountain, but was still blown away with how they put them together so eloquently. Well that's obviously not the case since the rocks they did use are not even indigenous to the area, meaning they had to get them all the way to the top somehow, without the use of a wheel. Oh and to place them so strategically without spaces between them and carved so clean and well without modern machinery.... Right... It truly is magical. There was one part that stood out to me the most in regards of magic and energy and that was the sundial. Supposedly people come from all over the world to feel the energy emanate off this rock. Whether you are spiritual or not, there is no denying the feeling of something when you stand by this structure. My heart was racing with a huge smile beaming across my face. Despite the rain that day and the cloud coverage, the whole experience was incredible and still beautiful. I do hope to go back one day, but it's also crazy to see his many people visit each day and there is no knowing how much longer it will be open to the public. Well see. But I'm happy to have had this experience and to see a place so sacred to not only the Incan culture but highly revered by the rest of the world. I can now see why. That afternoon we took a train back to Cusco and the next day was my birthday! Woohoo 24! :) Reflecting on the last year, it's crazy to see all that I have done and overcome. I lived in Thailand, developed self love and happiness, spent a month in my favorite village in South Africa, moved home, fell in love, got an amazing job, organized a 3 month trip to South America, and became a certified yoga instructor. It's been amazing. And I got to wake up on my 24th birthday with my love in a beautiful hotel in the Sacred Valley of Peru. Life is good. We went on a hike to begin the day up to the Temple of the Condor and the Temple of the Moon, two of my favorite ruins in Cusco and two places still sacred to the people today. And now here I am. Having enjoyed a ten day vacation from my everyday life in Cusco and I am grateful. I am healthy. I am happy. Everything is exactly where it's supposed to be. Tommy has returned back home, Diana and Len as well, and kaytia and I are back to normal life at Monica's, preparing for our next adventure. On Monday night we begin our trip down to Chile. We've had a great time in Cusco but are jonesing for our next move. We start our journey with a 12 hour bus ride to Arequipa, then a 5 hour to Tacna, where we will hop on a collectivo to cross the border to Arica, Chile, our first stop for two days. Hoping it will be filled of relaxation, sun and beaches!
I have officially accomplished one of my biggest goals. I listened to my heart knowing this was something I warned to do for quite some time. When you want something the universe will conspire to make it happen. As much I believe this is true, I can't diminish the effort and motivation I put forth to make this dream a reality. Combining my passionate and this motivation with the natural order of the universe I enrolled in a yoga teacher training course in Cusco, Peru. Kaytia and I have had plans to travel South America since last year, without any solid plans or goals. I have known for awhile I wanted to get my yoga certification and I really believe my time working as an educator at lululemon, focusing on our visions and goals, helped me transform that goal into a reality. The course was incredible, the people so kindhearted and inspiring, and I feel more in touch with myself then ever before. The support system we created he,led me yet again cultivate myself. Three weeks of non stop yoga - asanas, philosophy, pranayama, meditation, lifestyle, alignments, acroyoga, you name it, we covered it. Pure vegetarian diets, no alcohol, no caffeine (okay I I had caffeinated teas but no coffee!) I feel amazing and pure. I'm impressed with myself and my new dedication to yoga. Waking up each morning with 30 minutes of pranayama breathing exercises and mantra meditation, off to yoga by 9 for an hour and a half, class from 11-6 with a 2 hour break in between and finished our day with another yoga class from 6:30-8. It was exhausting, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I learned philosophy that interested me, gave me different understandings of who I am and what I want to strive for and achieve in life. I can't wait to begin this new chapter in my life. Having a better understanding of who I am and who I want to be. I'm hoping to teach a few classes during my last few days in Peru but also while in Chile. Now that I have the resources, I just have to apply them... I can't wait!
"whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the souls of the universe. It's your mission on earth... And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." Today I've accomplished one of my biggest goals: I am officially a certified yoga instructor. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for this incredible experience. I can't wait to begin this new chapter in my life and thank everyone who inspired me and reminded me to listen to my heart. Namaste 🙏💜🌸💙✌️💚 (at Cusco)
March 3rd I am calm. I am at peace. I feel the serenity filling the air. We wake up to the natural light of the sun, coming in through the window of the adobe hut. There is something incredible about sleeping in nature, that makes you feel at peace, and one with the world. We begin our morning with an hour of pranayama breathing and mantra meditation, establishing our intentions and sending our energy into the world. There is something magical when performing this ritual. Whether it's that 10 of us come together in a room and exude our own energy, or the mantras, that have been chanted for years, bring about an auspicious energy that radiates in this small room. It's beautiful. We slowly transition into deep conversation, for that is what we prefer to focus on, learning about the life as an initiated yogi and the commitment the lifestyle brings. I'm blown away with some of the topics we discuss. It's al beautiful. The words, the love, the positivity, the desires to live a life that makes you happy, working to reach your goals with a fiery passion. We speak about manifestation in regards to intention. Having the right intention, setting this intention, communicating and seeking it out. This pertains to me a lot. I've wanted to do a teacher training for years now, wanting the spiritual experience and to achieve this goal for myself. And I'm here. Not only am I completing a yoga teacher training, but it's the spiritual experience I've been seeking. In the middle of the sacred valley of Peru. With like minded people who support me. It's been an incredible experience. When you put this intention into the universe, all the energy will help you achieve it. I sure feel that way. Maybe yogis believe manifestation happens more because we are disciplined in a way that reminds us to be grateful for everything. Or that we learn to focus on the natural order of nature and when something arises it seems perfect. I'm not sure. But I can speak from experience that what I'm feeling, what I'm doing is real. And I'm grateful more and more each day.
March 2nd For the next three days, we will be staying at Yoga Inbounds Eco Yoga Lodge. About an hour out of Cusco. I'm here now, sitting on a boulder, where I have just finished a short self practice, embracing the nature around me. Practicing and being in nature in general gives you a whole new appreciation and perception. The fresh air, flowing river, green mountains. Oh how the mountains really put things in perspective. Standing in tadasana, I feel so small looking up at the rolling hills, while at the same time I am opening my heart to something greater, feeling myself grow, and I am at peace. Calm and collected, you can feel the serenity. I'm here with a group of people (nine of us in total) that I've just met a week ago, but spending every waking moment together. Although we are different, we are all here for our love for yoga and how this practice has transformed us, taking us on our own spiritual journeys. There is peace in the group. Compassion, acceptance, love. Looking around, almost each one of us had jumped on these flat topped boulder to express ourselves through various asanas, or yoga postures. Smiles radiating from our faces, showing gratitude as we surround ourselves in nature. Although we have only known each other one week, I couldn't imagine working with another group of people during my yoga teacher training. Everyone brings so much to the table. I am the youngest by three years, but it doesn't matter. There is so much loving energy in the group and everyone is truly incredible. Something brought us all together, to experience this teacher training together and it does not go unnoticed. Chitanya, our teacher, focuses a lot on yoga ethics and principles, discussing the divinity and spirits of the universe. All topics I love to talk about. This includes opening your heart to the divine and following a path that makes you happy. Once you do this, all will fall according to your heart and desires. He also speaks about how we are exactly where we are supposed to be. We have taking certain steps in our lives that have brought us to the place we are now. Things happen because you help make them happen, but at the same time they are part of the divine and that we should always be grateful for all that we encounter. Today we arrived to the EcoFarm, in the middle of the Scared Valley. We are on a river, in a valley, surrounded by green mountains. It's breathtaking. Our yoga practice has become more than just a series of asanas. Instead you can feel the energy flowing. In chanting, during meditation, in silence. Something greater fills the space and fills me with joy.
Narrow cobblestone roads, ancient buildings with scared purposes, and people dressed in indigenous garb, we have arrived in Cusco, our home for the next 5 weeks. Although this seems to happen to me a lot, I can't help myself from smiling, knowing I will be living in the Scared Valley for this amount of time, participating in my yoga teacher training and experiencing the culture of Cusco. Kaytia found the house we are living in on AirBnB and our host Monica is wonderful. She is Peruvian but lived in New York for over 10 years as a psychologist. She is fluent in both English and Spanish, so we are hoping we can get some Spanish practice in there with her. Our roommate, Tamara, is in Cusco getting her TEFOL certificate, over the duration of the month. Both are wonderful people and it didn't take long for the four of us to get into our first of many DMCs (deep meaningful conversations). Immediately we all knew we could have these conversations. We discussed traveling, the way Americans are portrayed in the world, living in a state if fear in the 21st century, and compassion. In this one conversation alone, we talked about how we have to stop looking up for the answers and reaching out to others, showing people love and compassion, that life is a rental and to treat everything with respect, and how kaytia and I got to the point of where we are today. We left the conversation with Monica and Tamara admiring me and Kaytia, which is always refreshing to hear. They were surprised by how mature we are for our age and how much we have done and seen. It's always nice to hear this from others, especially people you just meet. Most of the other people we have met our age while traveling don't necessarily have the same mentality that Kaytia and I do. There is nothing wrong with it, we just see it as if were in a different place. On Sunday we went to Pisac, another beautiful town in the Sacred Valley and the views on the drive down were breathtaking. I couldn't get over how thankful I am for my life and where I am and who I have become. It reminded me of my bus ride from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai in Thailand. How did I get so lucky and so blessed to live the life that I do. I knew what I wanted and acted on it, yes, but I've been so fortunate to have the love and support from all those I meet. And now I'm here, in Cusco, Peru about to begin yoga teacher training something I've wanted to do for years, and I couldn't be happier.
a peruvian woman making bracelets at the #Pisac Sunday market #sacredvalley #peru (at Pisac)
I think bus rides are one of my favorite ways to travel. I love driving through the country, observing my surroundings, taking everything in. As Kaytia and I embark on our 28 hour bus ride from Guayaquil to Lima, it almost seems surreal that it's actually happening. Not only did it take us a days to figure out the bus schedules including finding and purchasing the tickets, neither of us have been on a bus over 15 hours long. But so it's begun, driving through the Ecuadorian country side. The sights remind me of other bus rides in the past, driving through rural areas, on the one main road, with homes made of wood or tin are scattered about. There is a period of almost 45 minutes where all we passed were banana trees. It was unbelievable how many we saw. It's strange driving through these areas though. Brings up mixed feelings. I'm excited to go past, seeing parts of the country I would never see before, but at the same time recognizing that most the people we are passing might never be on this bus. What is there reaction? Are they looking up in awe of a double decker bus passing through? Or are they taken back by the sight, upset or even envious? You can never assume such an emotion, but it definitely makes you think. It's been awesome traveling with Kaytia thus far. Not only do we have fun together, we often find ourselves in what we call DMCs, deep meaningful conversations. Whether it be about our personal lives, world issues, or reflections on travel, we constantly have new topics to discuss, making the bus ride, and our time in general, always interesting. We talked about the idea of the bus going through the towns. And although we didn't come up with a conclusion, it was refreshing having a conversation like that with someone. 20 hours to go...
Ecuador We spent 5 nights and 6 days in Quito, but i think it only took me 2 days to fall in love with the place. People are incredibly friendly and the Spanish is much easier to understand than in Colombia. Although mine is not perfect, everyone I encountered took the time to listen and talk with me slowly. I didn't find many people who spoke English, other than the hostel, but I was glad since it allowed me to practice. We arrived around 9pm on Friday night, checked into our hostel, and found a really small family owned cafe across the street. Their main dishes: pasta, pizza, and sandwiches. We were surprised but thought $4 gourmet looking sandwiches sounded delicious with a glass of $3 wine. Everything in Ecuador is very inexpensive, oh and they use US currency which took me by surprise when the teller at the money exchange refused my $100 then $20 realizing I didn't know it was the same in Ecuador.... Anywho, taxis cost $2-$4, a meal itself about $4, empanadas $1, and pan from any pandaria ranges from $0.20-$.60. We spent a lot of our time figuring out the bus schedule and how to get to Lima for our flight to Cusco Friday morning. Once we had a plan set Saturday afternoon, it felt like so much pressure was lifted off until we arrived to the bus station and found out that the bus company is closed weekends, then they days that the bus left were switching, etc., but we couldn't really do anything until Monday so we just relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. On Sunday we agreed on a plan for Monday. We organized a taxi and decided to leave the hostel at 6:15am and head to Papallacta, a natural hot spring about 2 hours outside of Quito. We spent the morning relaxing in the thermal baths and figured we would go to the bus station in the afternoon. I can't over emphasis enough how friendly the people are in this country. At the hot springs, we met a family from Quito. The dad who spoke to us (I translated, or tried my best) for almost an hour about traveling and taking the bus. He was so helpful and eager to tell us about the country. Johnny, our taxi driver to and from Papallacta, also didn't speak a word of English, but couldn't have been more accommodating. He told us about the volcanos as we passed by, shared with us some history, and stopped at the highest point of our drive 4000meters, or 13,000 ft, for a photo of Antesana Volcano. We finally got our bus ticket and didn't have to be in Guayaquil until Wednesday which gave us another day in Quito. We took the sky train up 2.5km high, and gave us a completely new view of the city. Although I was starting to get anxious to get to Peru, I absolutely loved Ecuador. I can definitely see myself coming back, staying for much longer, and feeling a part of the community. We tried new things and were scared to explore. Going into the central mercado was quite intimidating, bombarded by Ecuadorian trading to attract customers to order from their food cart, but I successfully ordered us a meal with juice for $1 each. Another day we searched for this vegetarian restaurant, but instead landed on this corner shop that only had ceviche, $4 a dish. I love traveling with this attitude, especially traveling with someone who is up for anything. If we know we have a situation that there are two options, we rock, paper, scissors to figure out who gets what. It's been wonderful. Everything has been great, but I know having such a good balance in people has made it all the better. I mean not everyone can handle my overly positive attitude and high energy, but it all is working out :) Now time to embark on 2 day journey to get to Lima. Let's see she still feels the same way after this!
Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval.
Lao Tzu (via studentsoup)
Live the life you love
Adios Colombia y hola Quito We spent four days in Medellin. A little shorter than anticipated but it was still a good adventure. We were able to gather our thoughts and organize the next month and a half. Our plans changed about 3 times until we got them set in stone, which I'm very thankful we were able to do. For example, we planned on taking a bus from here to bogota to quito until we found out yesterday morning that the bus actually does not exist despite the information found on the Internet. So our time here was cut short with a flight from Medellin to Quito that leaves tonight. In the short time, however, we were able to see different parts of the town, eat some delicious food, and I definitely got more comfortable with my Spanish. No one speaks English here, so everything I knew was put to the test. Really built my confidence. I was excited to come to Colombia, especially after hearing all the negative connotations the country has. After talking with Emma about this, a friend of mine who has lived here since August, she told me Medellin is by far the safest town she has been in in South America. Emma works as an English teacher but also is interning with this organization that focuses on refugees in Medellin. Hearing all the work she is doing is really awesome and very interesting. It reminds me that not all of us who travel are lost, but insets working in areas that interest them the most. The city had one of the highest amount of internally displaced people in all of Colombia. So the work she is doing is in attempts to lessen that number but also figure out where the people are and how they can help. She had a lot of interesting things to say about Medellin and continues to advocate for it. For example, the metro cable we went on the other day, was actually built for the people who live in the barrios on the hill. When I thought it was interesting that we were soaring above these homes, the government in fact built it in order to create transportation for those in the hills that couldn't get places before. All in all, we had a good time exploring Colombia and experiencing the Colombian culture. Women roam the city in clothes that are far too small for them, with skin and bulges showing more then you would like to see, taxi drivers that give you dirty looks if you do not gently close the door behind you, and the most fried cheese I've ever seen or eaten in my life. I'm glad we were able to make a stop there and I know it's a place I am interested in checking out further :) Now were off to Quito for a few days, hoping to catch a bus to Lima before flying down to Cusco Friday morning where we have a home for a month and a half with a wonderful woman named Monica during my yoga certification course. And the adventure continues...