Home

ummmm... so I am home now (AKA back in the USA).   I realized I haven't posted forever and sort of fell off the map but my trip home took 2 weeks and involved Lima, Peru and Florida, but I am now back.  I will post some details and photos soon.  Right now I am just adjusting to life back here and recovered from drinking Peruvian water.

I took a bus for close to 60 hours to make it down to Vina del Mar, Chile so you will excuse me if I have been taking a little time off now that I have set up shop in my new apartment.  The bus ride was surprisingly easier that I thought it would be although the bus company I wanted to look into at the beginning that a friend talked me out of did turn out to be super-luxury (I saw one of them half-way through my bus ride).

Now I am living in a building that oozes West Virginia Mountaineer pride... so I will be supporting them from thousands of miles away this season.

Here is a shot from Vina del Mar of the city of Valparaiso at night.  It is great living right on the water.  It would be great to have a view from the apartment, but all I have to do is walk out the front of the building to see the water.

There are sand beaches but seeing as how it is winter it is great to go out and sit on the rocks when it gets nice outside.

Peru Summary

Peru was a quality month of my life spent with great friends and some small sense of party mixed in.  I have now made my way down to Chile and will be settling into my new apartment down here tomorrow.  I have made contact with a school down here and have and interview coming up that still hasn't been scheduled.  If you want all the pics from Peru you can find me Jonny Walker on facebook.

Sadly I can't post them all on here.

While in Peru this time I did get the chance to try Cuy (AKA Guinea Pig) it was sort of like rabbit but not much meat.

I also got to spend some time outside of Lima with some ladies

and attend some great clubs/events

Watch Bob show off how Americans dance.

and then say goodbye as he left me as the only gringo still in Peru... I made sure that some of the TGIFridays sign was in the background seeing as how and American Flag could not be found.

Now after close to 60 hours on buses I am in Chile and getting ready to move.

PERU VIDEOS

Leaving Peru

I realize that I still have a lot of Peru to post about, but I have been a little bit behind with my posts and I am leaving the country early tomorrow morning. 

In a brutal attempt to save money and to punish myself for my hedonistic lifestyle I have opted to forgo the plane and any attempt at sanity and take a nonstop bus journey close to 60 hours from Lima to Santiago.

I have loaded my bag up with my mp3 player and charged up the laptop to watch movies on the trip and try not to go insane.  Wish me luck.... I start on Thursday morning and end my trip on Saturday in the afternoon so I won't be around much during that time.

50th Birthday in the Country

A 50th birthday is definitely a reason to celebrate and in Peru you might as well do it big.  An uncle of my friend Peke (who I am currently crashing on her couch) had a birthday party that I got to crash. 

The party had some traditional Peruvian dancing...

Then they have a time called crazy hor that involves hats and balloons that oddly enough centers around a partying clown that is mostly enjoyed by the adults who are all dancing by this time.

I got some new clothes from the deal and graciously thanked the host and Peke's mother for bringing me.

I will not show a photo of the food because it will just make me hungry again if I reread this post.

Fountains of Lima

I realize that  my updates are a little bit behind schedule but I am going to chalk that up to being on Peruvian Time.  This phenomenon automatically adds an assumed 2 and a half hours to whatever time that is said.  (EX: "let's meet at 5" = "See you around 7:30 if all goes well")

These are some shots from the fountains of Lima.  For the low price of 4 soles (1.40 US) you get to walk around great water displays and they even throw in some 3-D glasses for the laser show that is ultimately not in 3-D, but the glasses rock.

The apartment in Lima

Here in Lima I have been staying in the area of Miraflores for the past 10 days now.  To make this time more enjoyable 4 of us rented and apartment.  The accomodations weren't amazing by any standard and the elevator was a bit on the slow side which made the 12 story stair run a daunting task, but for these past few days the place has been home.

Only now that we are leaving the place to travel a bit around Peru do I look around the 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment and try and remember it for posterity. 

If you count very short term apartment rentals I have now had a places in Peru, Argentina and England aside from my time in the USA.

 Regardless of the amount of time spent, each of these places has felt like home while I was there.  I enjoy staying in hostels but there is something calming about knowing that at the end of the night the people you are sharing a space with is not randomly assigned.

 As an added bonus to the 12th floor height was a view that is rarely seen in Lima due to the normally gray conditions.  You can actually see the water in this shot.  Well I am going to go pack for the trip that lie ahead tomorrow.... wish me luck.

People in the casa

This is a shot after we prepared some food tonight.  From left to right is Sofia, Bob(owning the picture), Rocio, and Peke.  Tonight we made a bunch of food and stayed in(I think).  I only think this is the plan because it is only 12:30 and apparently we have people stopping by before going out on the town.  Lima never sleeps.

Leaving the country

THE BLOG

I understand that I should be better with my pictures and posting them on here but I am finally ready to leave the country again and there are definitely pictures to come.

Currently I am in Woodbridge, VA staying with my friend Brandon and his amazing wife Desiree and she is taking me to the airport tomorrow.  I have been hesitant to disclose my travel plans thus far because everything was tentative and like any traveler I did not want to set myself up to fail.

In terms of lateness on disclosure I really couldn't be closer.  I take my first flight tomorrow morning at 10am and I have been packed for a week now.  My first destination is Lima, Peru where I will meet up with my friends Robbie and Flame who are down there currently on different trips but the three of use will unite in the same apartment (just like at Snowshoe) for the first week I am there for some light imbibing at social gatherings (partying) and taking in of the local culture (more of the same). 

After the month of July ends I will be slowly migrating south (although unlike the birds I will be heading into winter conditions) down to Chile.  Hopefully, as of tomorrow my apartment will be booked and I will be living near the ocean in the resort town of Vina Del Mar until at least December of this year.  Granted, I will be there illegally after 3 months so before that happens I will have to cross the border for over one night before crossing back in.

Well now that my travel plans have leaked out I guess I should sleep because it is nearing 12 and I leave for the airport at 5am to catch my first flight down to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where I will wait for my 5pm flight to Lima Peru.  Wish me luck.

Working Toward My Escape

I am currently in the process of looking for the cheapest method of getting myself to Chile.  I have decided that I will be moving there (if all goes according to plan) as early as this July.

 

 (with any luck this will be my plane)

Of course I have been to Chile before.... that is how I got to make the flight to Easter Island to see these guys.

 

Right now it appears that the best (most fun and cheap combo) is for me to fly from Washington DC to Lima Peru, Where my friend Bob will be for the next 2 months and staying with him for a while and ultimately renting and apartment in Vina Del Mar, Chile starting in August.

Where am I getting the money for this trip you might ask?  OK so I still haven't got that ironed out yet, but I am working on it.  I have taken up 4 jobs or so that have been going on for over a month now and with another month or so to go I figure I will at least have a start.  I am also certified to teach English as a Foreign language so maybe that will pan out down there.  If not the plan is live cheap and try to make ends meet.  Wish me luck.

The Epic - 30 Min Video of South America

So I mashed up all of my videos from South America to make just one for the entire trip. It lasts 30 minutes so I applaud you if you make it the whole way through and I apologize for its length.



Now to start looking toward Europe. The Jonnywalkeradventures will be heading East as early as January to check out new places. Wish me luck.

LIMA VIDEO

Adios Lima, Hello Florida

Yesterday I said my goodbyes to South America... Of course I neglected my responsibilities to buy anyone presents from my travels, but I did manage to pick myself up a small collection of bootleg DVDs.

Last night at midnight I boarded my flight for Fort Lauderdale, Florida

The people boarding a discount airline all seem so lifeless as they get on because they know they can't complain about the service.

I arrived in Fort Lauderdale before 6am this morning and caught the train up to West Palm Beach where my mother was waiting to pcik me up.

Now I am relaxing at my Aunt's house for the night before starting on my trip home tomorrow. It has been a wild one.

Definitely a massive video to come in the future. I am thinking of making it an epic that takes 3+hours to watch, but for now I am going to go back to sleep.

On my way out of South America

Now that I am closing out this leg of my adventures in South America in Lima and doing such wonderful things such as talk down the price of bootlegged DVD down to under 70 cents American at the massive Polvos Azules *Similar to a black market... I am ready to go home.With my camera still down I will just boost some random pics and show some airport shots. I fly out of Lima's airport at Midnight tonight en route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.



Six hours to go until American soil... wish me luck.

Then just the 12 hours or more in a car to be i West Virginia again.

BUS RIDES ARE AWESOME!!!

Resistencia, Argentina to Arica, Chile is a blast by bus. I headed out Saturday at 6:00 PM and made it to Arica at 6:00am Monday morning. It started with a 11.5 hour bus from Resistencia to Salta, Argentina. I then purchased a ticket with a connection from Salta to Calamas, Chile with a 2 hour layover and then another bus from Calamas to Arica.

I apologize if none of that made sense but I have spent about 36 hours straight on 3 different buses. Needless to say, I am taking a night off before starting up again.

I have purchased a ticket back to the US from Lima Peru on the 12th of November and I am working my way there via bus.

Now I am in Arica Chile and hoping to take in a beach day

here are some pics from the road.



Salty Desert

Boarder Crossing

Last Night in Lima

It was my last night in Lima so I had to do it up big. With a flight at 2pm the next day I aforded myself the chance to go out and see more of Lima.

This is my idea of a good picture. The club was on the beach and if you sat out back the ocean almost touch the retaining wall. On the other side were the massive cliffs that separate the beach from the city. I do however realize that I need to learn how to dance down here. If South Americans aren't dancing they are not living.


When I made it back to Loki Hostel my "friends" decided to reopen the bar for one last hurrah. I hate/love them for it. I will always remember working there.

Centro Lima

Yesterday my friends took me to the historic center of Lima. The absolute center houses the cities church and the house of the president of Peru. It is quite a sight to behold. There is a video below of the scene. Pardon the poor quality, but connections here are not strong.

Working at the Bar in Lima

After staying at the hostel for a week and propping up one end of the bar at my hostel in Lima, they decided to offer me a job. I am now on bar staff here and will be staying for close to another couple of weeks. I made the decision on little sleep and now it is part of the adventure.

Big Day Con Los Toros

Today bullfighting and other activities.


Basically the events recruit local teams and let guys who have never been around livestock get in the ring and see if they have what it takes. It is quite a spectacle.


In my favorite event two teams of 3 compete to see who can get the bull to chase them through goals the most times using their bodies as bait.


Of course there are a few good spills but the bull is rather small. Nothing in comparison of size to the bulls I have known.

Needless to say i badly wanted a turn. Lucky for my mother I chose to protect my leg.


It was fun and traditional. I was one of a handful of gringos at this massive event.

It was even styled to accommodate children.

In peru it is also tradition to host cock fighting. It is illegal in the states but traditional here. It was odd to be in a place where music blasts and people dance between fights and betting rounds that involves a fatality.

(After viewing the video a day later I have decided that it was in poor taste for me to put up. Although it is a tradition here I am still not comfortable with it. Sorry)



Despite the violence the whole thing was done quite well although I am not certain I will be frequenting too many cock fights in the future. Thanks again to Fabiola and Mayra for setting up another amazing day in peru.