Right as Rain

1/16/16

   
    
   
   
    
   
   
    
    
 Have you every had the experience when everything’s goes to hell, you come up smelling of surfur (well, that did happen to me after a visit to the hot spring)? For some reason, everything else sudden appear to be better, easier, and so much for bearable. You appreciate everything that is going right and smoothly, even the tiniest success seems like a Waterloo (ok, if you have no idea what that is, I recommend Google, and a visit to your history teacher). As the old saying goes, we all need bad things to happen to appreciate good things around us (err…actually I appreciate good things just fine. Can I just have the good things in life?). After an period of traveling (is 9 months long or short?), I came to realize how important my mindset is. But also important? The courage to move past the unhappiness and take on new challenges. 

After a challenging day yesterday, I woke up pretty early to get to the cycling tour. Since my last few tours had been less than good (all recommended by hostels or hotels), I decided to do research and find a tour company that is recommended online. Heaven and Earth tour in Hoi An is a pretty well-known company: they co sisterly ranked higher on trip advisor and word of mouth. I had a quick breakfast at a restaurant nearby, and arrive at their office by 8:10am. I felt a lot more confident once I see their operation: they were already setting up bicycles for multiple tours and handing out helmet to kids. I waited for 5 mins for my other group members, and we were all fitted with bikes within 15 minutes. The tour guide, Moon, and her assistant were cheerful, speak excellent English, and immediately started o get to know each of us. We headed by bike to the local ferry, which carried passengers, bicycles, motorcycles and many more to the near by Cam Kim island famous for wooden boat building. We stopped by a boat yard (well, mostly a backyard) and received a quick lecture on boats. These boats are made up of 99% wood, takes about 2 months to finish, and cost about US$3000. However, the builder only earns about $500, and the rest are cost of materials. In the recent years, both Cambodia and Vietnam governments had banned the sale of timber, so the builders source them from Laos. We then headed to the next stop: a flood level map on the side of a house. Turns out, the heavy deforestation were causing heavy flooding in the country. In 2009, the city of Hoi An was heavily flooded, and the government realize the problem of deforestation. With the ban, there has been no flooding in the last 3 years. We were also told that 70% of Vietnamese are unable to swim, and the houses are tall and narrow because they need high ground. 

We then stopped to talk about rice and peanuts growing, but the highlight came when we arrived at the circular basket boat. This famous boat is well known throughout Vietnam. The boats are sealed (waterproof) using cow dung and tree resin. As for the reason why the boat is round? Rumor has it that during French colonial days, boats are taxed. So the locals use this shape and called it a basket to avoid paying. After all these explanations, we were given a chance to try rowing this boat, with the assistance of a very funny older lady. She helped us into the boat, taught us how to paddle, then started dancing and shaking to songs and kept saying “Vietnam number 1”. It was the funniest experience I had for a long time, and I really enjoyed it. We then bikes across a very rickety  wooden floating bridge and headed to see how rice wine is made. We all tried some, which was great timing since it started to rain. The guide brought us to a nice delicious lunch, and we all ate happily while listening to the pouring rain. After that it was a short visit to the weaving community, who can make a 2 meters straw mat in 3 hours. They make 2 a day, and each mat cost bout $5. Slightly depressed and now very wet, we all piled into the ferry back. The guides talked to us about Vietnamese cultures, how the men love to drink rice wine (a bottle at US $1), how the ladies have to do everything, and why they do not learn how to swim: too superstitious of evil spirits in the water.

With rain still pouring, I went to a cafe to get a cup of warm ginger tea. After the morning, I decided: life is short and hard (hmm. It could also be long and hard, but I feel weird writing that. I wonder why..), and sometimes a slippery slope that is hard to pull out of (wait…). I found a nearby hotel, booked it, and took a taxi to grab my belongings from the hostel. I got back to the hotel, checked in, say on the bed and felt happier and way more settled. I guess it is also true what they say: while attitude makes the experience, sometimes money helps a long way. For one night, I want to retain my happy feeling (not happy ending), and not be reminded of the past events.

The Single Issue

12/24/15

   
    
    
    
    
    
 (Merry Christmas everyone! It is really hot in Vientiane, Laos. Also, no one quite celebrate Christmas here…)

I think I have talked about the problem with traveling alone before (there are only so many things I can talk about…unless you really want to know the dirty details. You do? Ok, I occasionally re-use my underwear instead of paying for laundry). Apart from the lack of people to talk to (this is the holiday season after all), traveling alone occasionally limits my options. I often have to justify the reasons for getting a private room (instead of just sharing with someone), deal with poor table service at restaurants, and use the bathroom with my huge backpack on (good workout!). One thing I did not have much a problem with, with the exception of Cuba, was activities. Somehow, I had been fortunate enough to find tours that I could just join. From Salar de Uyuni, death road biking, lost city hike and more,I was able to talk to a tour company, and get into a group, where I met some really cool people. When I came to South East Asia, I thought I could do the same. That unfortunately, it is the fact. 

After a lot of debating (internally, I have not intention of being labeled a crazy person by arguing my problems externally), I decided to join a city tour of Viebtiane by bike. The company, Green Discovery Laos, is recommended by wikitravel as a company with a conscience, and offers quite a lot of tours. However, these tours are by groups, and the price get divided by the number of people in a group. I jumped onto a tour with a couple from UK livin in Singapore. Paying a hefty price, I thought I would get lots of histories and local views. I waited for the pick up at 9am, finishing breakfast. With that spare time, I read my emails, looked into Vang vien, played with Facebook and texted a few people; and was eventually picked up at 9:55am. I met my fellow trip mates, and were brought to a bike shop to get a bike- only to be told 10 mins later these would not be out bike, and we should grab a bike elsewhere. (You can see where this is heading.)

The tour was absolutely lousy, since the guide can barely speak English. He also mumbles a lot, which confused all of us. It was, however, absolutely awesome to ride a bike through the city. Traffic was crazy, as no one respect any rules and motorcycles went everywhere: against traffic, squeezing between cars, and running into sidewalks. Even though I was on a bicycle, I felt like I was in a action movie. We swerved and swayed, occasionally dashing through red lights, crossing all lanes to get to another side, and listened to sounds of sharp braking noises behind us. We stopped at the Sisaket temple which survived from Thai invasionof 1779 to 1820. It contains 6600 small Buddah: represent students of Buddha alon the inner wall. Used as a king’s private monastery, painting of The future Buddah filled the inside. After a quick stop, we braved the traffic to get to That Luang. Destroyed by Siam war, it was rebuilt to its former glory. It is also one of the most famous temple of Laos. With photos taken, we bobbed and weaved our way to The Victory Gate, a huge monument like that of Paris. The view from the top is magnificent, and we all had a good time snapping pictures before finally retreating to lunch.

During lunch, we compared our travel plans and the couple showed me theirs (travel company!). It is a pretty neat operation: they had a schedule fitted to their time and needs, and it is all within an app on their phone. There is also a live chat function, which they used to complain about the day’s mishaps. Their agent promised a refund, and I decided to talk to the agency about the events. Sadly, all I got was how sorry they were and how they have blacklisted the guide, but offered me absolutely nothing in return. I then realized: in south east Asia, refund or future discount is simply not in existence. The same thing happened in Thailand (o did get a free beer though), and all I had was a lot of explanations, a little apology, and a promise it will not happen again (err…I am really not that likely to take the same tour again…). As I was walking back to my hostel, a thought struck me (no, not literally. Would be fun to see though): I am having more problems here because this system is catered towards group travels. With the growing China tourists, the agencies here are trying to satisfy the need of them, which is huge group package tours. Individual walk-ins and single tourists are simply not how they make money. The couple I met, while traveling by themselves, booked everything through their own agency. All the tour or activities I want to do (Zillow, kayaking, hiking in the national park, etc.) require a group. Even a simple bus trip to the nearby famous park require at least 4- and I need to find 3 others by myself. Thus, while I am not happy, I have to admit: the businesses are simply following the money. Most of the backpackers told me they are in Laos for the Vietnam visa, and most only stay 2-3 days maximum. I have to say: Vientiane is actually a very interesting cityX messy traffic aside, it has a large collection of cafes, where the drinks are great. There is also a large number of international cuisines, and many interesting shopping areas. The views are excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed running on one of its very very long sidewalk. I sincerely hope someone will develop the backpacker side more. 

(Before people complain about south east Asia backpacking: I am saying what I observed. Yes, it is easy to travel around here, but activities are expensive and hard to arrange for individuals. Most o met spend less than 2 nights in each city in Cambodiaa and Laos. Everyone wants to head directly to vietnam, but is blocked by visa requirements. So they spend time in Vientiane or Phnom Penh waiting for visa.)

Abandonment Issues

12/14/15

   
    
    
    
    
 

   
    
   
   
    
    
 
I have to admit: while a lot of people talked about border crossing issues in South America, I was fortunate enough not to encounter them. The worst of it was just a very long wait from Peru into Ecuador. I must also give a huge should out to the bus companies: Bolivia Hop, Peru Hop and Andersmar. They were all extremely professional and made borders crossings easy and straightforward. Coming back to south east Asia, I was a little apprehensive about borders crossings too, but hoped time and tourism would have improved the conditions. As an Asian who loved in south east Asia, I really want to rave about how great this place is and why everyone should visit. When I was (briefly) researching this trip, the border crossing between Thailand and Cambodia, especially at Poipei, is infamous for scams, tourist traps and bribes. Sadly, those are all true. Not only did I experience these scams and lots of false advertising, I was even abandoned before the border when I refused to pay more.The day started innocently enough: I woke up early, packed my bags and then waited for my pickup. After hearing a lot of problems with the crossing, I decided to give it a try with a local tour agency. D.D. Mhuek travel and tour promised to send me safely to Siem Reap, Cambodia with all expenses included. The internet warned me of scams such as : agents persuading you to change money at their shop; offering to do visa for Cambodia for a small fee (even though there is visa on arrival); and he infamous government bus that awaits after the border that takes you to the bus station, where you must take a tuk-tuk to city center. Part of me wanted to prove these are untrue, but I was also prepared to have a long and sweaty day of traveling (I.e., I brought lots of water and snacks). 

I was pleasantly surprised: the pickup, taking ferry and the drive to the border went really smoothly. Our Thai driver liked to speed an overtake cars with minimum clearance (trust me, I am a bad driver and even I thought he scary). We stopped once for petrol and made it to the Thai-Cambodia border by 2pm. This was when things went sideways really quickly. Everyone was told to get off the bus and to sit around a table. I took the chance to use the bathroom, and aaw lots of travelers sitting in the restaurant area having lunch while waiting. When I got back, the new guide immediately asked me to fill in a Cambodia travel visa application form. I filled it in, but told him I prefer to get the visa at the border. He immediately became hostile and told me to follow him with my bags. I was placed into a truck alone, and was told o would be dropped off at the border. When I asked why I am going alone, he said it was because applying visa would take more time, and I should wait for my group after the border at the bus terminal. (This, I knew from research, is all a lie. The so called bus terminal with government bus is actually a private business. It drops everyone at the bus station outside of Siem reap, where you must take a Tuk-tuk to the final destination.) To be honest, I was quite disheartened by the whole exchange. He was basically lying about everything and wanted me out of the way, because I was a solo traveler and an Asian. He kept all the other foreigner, and used me as an example on what would happen to them if they do not apply for visa through his agency. 

Being dropped off at the border (which, on the Thai side, is surprisingly modern: there is a huge KFC and lots of cafes), I grabbed a quick coffee and cake, before setting off to get my Thai exit stamp. With my paper lost by the Vietnamese embassy back in Bangkok, I suffered through some ridicule by the Thai border agent. (He told me to fill a new form in with my name. When I did that, he said I need to fill in the rest and gave me an example form of another traveler, complete with the passport information. When he saw I did not sign the form, well, the other form was not signed, he actually asked do I know what that word starting with S is…so much for the Thai hospitality. Thankfully, I was the last one in line, so I did not hold anyone else up.)

I walked across the border, and went into the “on-arrival” visa application office. It was completely void of tourists, but had more than 10 border agents all milling around watching: The High School Musical (I actually laughed). The official cost of visa was printed on a sign above the window: US$30 for a tourist visa. However, I was also told 1200 bahts (about $35), and must also include 100 baht “service fee”. In the end, I paid on US dollars, 100 baht and got my visa in 5 minutes (while watching Troy and Gabrielle sang their hearts out on tv). The area after that is no man’s land (since I have no officially entered Cambodia), and is filled with Chinese casinos. It is also the most modern part of the border: right after a very nice historic gate. I then entered a room and waited for my entry stanp, which took another 30 minutes (thankfully, there were lots of fans). I came out to find the bus stop, but was quoted US $20 to get to Siem reap directly. Of course, I also got lots of Pay me now, pay $25 because I can’t find other passengers, I can drive you directly if you pay me in bahts, etc. I got to Siem Real about 5:15pm, only for the driver to tell me I must switch to a tuk-tuk. The tuk-tuk then demanded a time for them to take me on a tour, not taking no for an answer. I finally told them I will meet them tomorrow and see.

The whole day, I kept wondering if I am being too harsh on my fellow Asians. Times are hard, and everyone needs to make a living. However, this should not be an excuse for people to mistreat others. It seems like everyone is in on the scams, and no one is left as an honest person making a living. It really does not create a nice image for the country, and reminded me a lot of my time on Cuba. It also made me admire Colombia, a country that while with a traumatic history, still has the most welcoming and friendly people. That said, I am still hopeful. From what I can see, Cambodia is pretty beautiful in an undeveloped way. Maybe someone somewhere soon will make me forget today’s bad taste in my mouth.

(I ran into some others who dos the tour and it seemed I was the only one kicked out from the group: everyone else was brought over the border by agents and had no issues. Part of me likes the adventure and experience, but the other part suspect it had to do with my race and country of origin. Ah well, lessons learned. I need a foreign passport next time!)

Same Difference

12/12/15

   
    
    
   
   
    
 Before I started my trip, I read a lot about the difference of being a tourist and a traveler. Some thinks travelers are a breed superior to tourists (I guess like a dog with pedigree?), since they usually want to do more local things with locals (that came out a little weird..), and venture outside the normal tourists area and activities. There are lots of essays online calling people who are traveling to be more a traveler and less a tourist. At first, I quite agree with that idea. It is true: we should all try to appreciate different cultures and customs, and venture out of our comfort zones. However. I have came to realize this distinction is not quite what it seems. 

Since I an only on Ko Chang for 2 days (well, that is dependent on my net leg actually), I decided to join the local 1 day 4 island tour. The tour was highly recommended by my hostel, since I will get to visit all four islands with meals included. I woke up around 7am, ate breakfast (which was surprisingly good), and was picked up for the tour around 8:20am. The truck traversed across the island and we were brought to the launch area. The driver, who struck up a conversation with me along the way, warned me that the boat will be filled today: it is a Saturday and lots of locals from mainland are visiting the island for the weekend. I thought it was actually interesting, for I would have a chance to do some sightseeing with locals.

Of course, I was overly optimistic. With the large number of locals, the guide gave up trying to use English altogether, forcing some of us to ask them: what was happening? How long are we staying in this area? And what are all these islands and why are they special?! Unlike other boat tours (such as those in Lake Titicaca, which I am using as an example just so I can type Titicaca again), I soon realized the locals are not interested in the history or names (or they may already know all about those). The trip was more or less just the boat crushing to different islands, and everyone hop off board to swim or snorkel. This is not to say it was not a good trip. The water is amazingly clear, and you can see the lots of corals and fish just looking down. The water temperature was great and it was fun swimming and floating around, relaxing while enjoying the day. The sceneries were beautiful and we got to see some interesting rock formations. These, together with the sunny weather, made it a great ezperience.

The problem (solely my own prejudice die to my work, I must admit) was how the locals treat the environment. Having traveled to areas where conservation is a big concern (Galapagoes Island), it was very disheartening to see all sorts of trash thrown into the sea. Plastic cups, plates, bottles and more rolled overboard. Cigarettes were smoked, with ashes flocked into the sea and the butt tossed into the water. More alarmingly, the guides actually threw food items into the sea to attract wildlife to the boat. While that made the passengers very happy and all wagered to swim with fishes (actively swimming, not being sunken into the sea mob style), it made me a little wary on how this may affect the feeding habits. On one hand, as a tourist, you feel powerless to stop the locals  from what they have been practicing. On another hand, you really want to, because the survive of our race kind of depend on conservation (wow. My work has trained me well!). As I was pondering these deep thoughts under the hot sun, we came to the national park, which tourists have to pay an additional 200 bahts. Turned out, we could only swim o that island, and there is nothing much we could do after that. It was quite a let down after such a great day, and further made me wondered about tourism, especially when I witness the crew throwing dish detergent laden water into the sea while feeding the fish leftovers.

As I sat down and write this entry, I could not help but wonder: is this all a matter of perspective? For the tour operators, they see clean and clear seawater full of fishes (mm…sushi) everyday, so the effect of pollution and how it affect everyone is a distant concept to them. (And one that probably is lost  when compared to money and profits). The same can be said about being a traveler and a tourist. Both support the local economy, albeit is different form and different ways. Maybe the traveler get to hang out with the locals, but they end up polluting the environment. The tourists may pay more and do a luxury cruise, but that boat may have been trained to be Eco-friendly (or forced to be by publicity). I am a fan of understanding the local customs, history and people over shopping and drinking Starbucks. As long as we all try our best to fit that bill , I am happy. 

The Return to Reality

9/25/15

       

    
    
   
      
   
 When I am traveling, the world become a lot smaller (again, not literally. If that is true, that would mean I am a wizard). Actually, it would be more accurate to say MY world became a lot smaller. All I have to do is to be concern about myself and my trip. I no longer read international and local newspapers daily (you’d be surprise how much we have to track those as an engineer planning for future work); or watch the stock market; or be concern about other worldly events (except when the Pope showed up and caused a city wide shut down). It is actually a very nice break: my brain processed less facts and numbers, freeing up space for more philosophical thought (e.g., how much ice cream is too much ice cream? Why do I crave ice cream even during cold seasons?). However, as time of my return draws closer, I feel the need to read more (well, except the U.S. election. I think that one became a joke that is going too far). After all, I might have gone on a big adventure, but the world still rotates about its axis and revolve around the sun. 

It was odd returning to a city I have already been 6 months ago. So far, I have followed the pattern of visit and leave (I could say I was having one week stands with cities…). I woke up in my new hostel, spending a few minutes reorientating myself before trying to orientate the breakfast procedure (apparently i have to cook my own eggs. No not my eggs, I don’t produce egg. I mean they provide eggs, but I have to cook them). I managed to finish breakfast within 0.5 hour; and then ran off to drop off my laundry before heading to a walking tour. 

As usual the tour was very informative, and here are some facts:

The locals of Buenos Aires are called Porteno, due to the importance of port for Buenos Aires. The city contains about 15 million people 

The city was founded in 1580. The Spanish expected to find silver (they found gold in Peru and silver in Ecuador), hence the name Argentina.  Since no gold nor silver was found, Argentina became the poorest colony in South America In 1880, Buenos Aires was made the capital of Argentina after civil war. From 1889-1910, the production of agricultural product enabled the GDP to grow grew 10 times in 10 years. With so much income, the local rich folks destroyed almost all colonial buildings to build new structures. They favored huge structures and opulence decorations. The city became a playground of architectures, and it is known for its “eclectic but not  exotic” style. Surprisingly, Argentina is a country of immigrants, with Italian as the major group.  Fun fact for engines: the 9th July Ave is 140 Meters wide with 22 lanes. It was built in 1936. 

As the tour went on, the guide also touched on some politics,especially with the black market currency situation (well, it was also a ploy to ask us to tip more, since he claimed no one but the banks use the official rates). With the black market rate at 1:15 instead of 1:9, I was reminded how much the pesos has dropped in value. It was 1:13 six months ago, and with the election coming, the citizens are hoarding even more foreign currencies just in case hyperinflation occur. I was told Argentina now has the second highest inflation in the world, and the future looks bleak. 

As I walked back to the hostel (and the laundromat), my mind was on the issue of inflation, and how the situation has worsen. It was easy to forget the worldly problems when I am traveling, but the time has come for me to re-join the modern world. It seems I really should catch up on world events, and hopefully it will ease my re-entry to the real world. 

(But of course, I am delaying it as much as possible. I really should finish the book on Che, the history of Colombia….) 

Cycling and Sightseeing

7/23/15

   
    
    
    
    
    
    
 Memory is a funny thing. Sometimes, you remember things way back from childhood (or maybe infancy? In mother’s womb? Previous life?!). Other times it takes lots of effort to remember something simple (like telephone numbers. Who knows 10 digits can be so taxing on memory? Or that I just have lousy memory. Must be due to the fact I used to knock my head against the desk a lot. Err…what was I saying?!). When I was studying, I often wished I had photographic memory (then I would not have to write formulas under my ruler…wait a min…). I am pretty useless when it comes to remembering names, telephone numbers and faces. I am always envious of people who seem to be able to remember and associate names with face just after one meeting. This is especially bad when j am on day tours, since I won’t remember the person even though we might have spent 8 hours together.

Woken up again at 5:30am by my neighbor who loves to chat on her phone everyday, I slept poorly until 8am and decided to just got out of bed. Finishing up the blog entry from yesterday, I grabbed some bread and went for my tour of the day: a bike tour around Bogota. Due to the immerse size of Bogota (Mexico city and New York City are the only cities bigger than Bogota in North America), it is difficult to visit everything in a few days. Even with the bike your, we covered only the historical and mid-north area. 

We started off with a drizzle on a bike. One things about bike tours I have been on so far: the bikes were generally pretty worn down. Everything I try to climb the curb, I could feel the rim hitting the pavement. In retrospect, I should have just ignore the bike condition and just ride normally. The extra caution almost landed me in a few brushed (literally) with cars, motorcycles, and pedestrians. We visited the bull fighting ring, which elicited a little negative feeling from everyone. Apparently, bull fighting and cock fighting (heh. Sorry, could not resist) are legal in Columbia due it the popularity and history. I am not quite sure why these activities are fun to watch (I’d rather play board games or go running), but I guess each to his/her own. After that, we visited a coffee factory (which also sold awesome coffee), the redlight district, the abortion district, and a lot of talk about the dead drug lord Escobar. It was during a talk about prison in La Paz that I realized: I totally forgot I had already seen the prison the guide was talking about back in La Paz. It is amazing how little I remember from all the things I did in the past 3 months. That was a bad sign, especially after my birthday yesterday (senility setting in?). We also played the Columbian national game of Techo: it is like corn hole, except instead of a hole, you toss metal plates into a clay board, with packets of gunpowder. You get points when your plate lands on the clay, and extra point when it lands in theft powder and go boom. (I am pretty sure this game is invented by a drunk person with too much gunpowder and very good health insurance). Oh, and everyone plays this game when drinking heavily. 

For dinner, I had the traditional dish Ajiaco. It is actually a bowl of mash potato, with a ear of corn, with chicken slices on top, a plate of rice, a slice of avocado, and then a glass of juice with milk. They also add either milk or cream on top of the potato, which made it a meal for for U.S. I was so stuffed (with food!), so I just went back to the hostel. As I was typing this, I reviewed some of the blog posts and realized how much I have done and how little I remembered. It is a little disheartening: how much will I remember by the end of this trip? But then again, that’s what this blog is for: to remember things for me (once it is on the Internet, it will exist forever!). More importantly, I would prefer to just remember the good parts of my trip. I am more than happy to forget the bad things (except for Quito, of course), just so I will be motivated to do more traveling. 

(Hmm…someone should invent something to let everyone remember who they have met. Wait, I think that’s Facebook. Or maybe Tindr?)

Walking tour and Free dinner

6/12/15

   
               (I am heading to Iquitos for a 5 days 4 nights Amazin jungle tour. There will be no internet at the lodge I am staying in, so I will not be posting for 5 days. Well, there was a lodge with wifi, but it is under renovation.)

I know we say a lot of things about fate and random coincidence, but sometimes planning ahead works out pretty well too. I was in the middle of Bolivia when an old friend (that is, I have known him for a long time) of mine told me he might be coming to South America. The original plan was to hike Machu Picchu together, but in the end with all the schedule conflicts and changes, we agreed to meet up in Lima. 

I managed to check into Ibis hotel and waited up for HuanJie. He finally arrived after midnight and we caught up a little before my exhausion took over. One of the most interesting fact I discovered: he planned less than I did, and was happily unaware it is now winter in Sputh America. He came armed with a jacket only, which impressed me a great deal. 

I woke up and had the most scrumptious breakfast: eggs, toast, ham, etc. Thanks to HuanJie, I was able to partake in the continental breakfast buffet, which reminded me the good life I used to have in U.S. It was fun to stuff my face with delicious food, and try to save money by skipping lunch. (Ah, the wonders of trying to stretch budget.) After breakfast, we decided to walk around the city- mainly looking for Plaza de Armas. As we were walking past Kennedy park, we noticed a huge group of people gathering, all speaking English. Deducing a walking tour was about to start, we just happily blended in with the rest of the tourists.

I have done quite a few walking tours by now, and it is interesting to see how differently they are ran. Some try hard to be interactive, others follow a script, and some are a happy mixture of both. Today’s tour was closer to a scripted tour. We boarded a bus to plaza de armas, and the guide told us about the history and architecture. For example, he said that the Spaniards used inca robes against one another, and created civil conflicts to allow minimum Spanish casualties. There were also a lot of explanation on how to tell if a sweater is made from baby alpaca wool (not itchy, flexible, retains body temperature, etc.). I have to say, while I like the tour, our guide was not very good at it. It also did not help that the group was way too big for a good tour: I think we had more than 30 people in one group. Nonetheless, it was a good experience and we ends with a pisco tasting.

I came back to the hotel to pack and move my giant backpack to storage whe HuanJie went to take a look at the mall. Eventually, we met back at the hotel and went for dinner at a seafood restaurant: Alfresco seafood. The food was excellent, and HuanJie even paid for the entire dinner. I am truly grateful for his hospitality and friendship. 

It is amazing how he and I managed to meet up in Lima, Peru of all places. It has been quite a while since we have met, and it was really great to see a familiar face in a long trip. I am also thankful our schedules worked themselves out so we could meet up, albeit just for a day. Sometimes, with a little work, you can meet old friends in a new world.

(Well, and free dinner always make me grateful. It’s free!!)