And the Adrenaline Rush continues….

It was winter time and I was walking around a neighborhood in the city of La Paz, Bolivia. Suddenly I hit a street called Sagarnaga, for my surprise it was a street highly frequented by tourists. I noticed many hostels and extreme tourism agencies, and the latter caught my eye. I walked into one of the agencies and some of the packages they offered consisted of hiking in the Andes, at above 5500m, jungle expeditions, 4×4 tours, among others. What interested me the most was biking down the famed “Death Road”, one of the best descriptions I found was from Mark Whitaker, a BBC reporter “A gigantic vertical crack appears. Way below, more than half a mile beneath your passenger window, you can see – cradled between canyon walls – a thin silver thread: the Coroico River rushing to join the Amazon.” Nevertheless, I reserved a bicycle for the next day and went to sleep early for what would become an unforgettable experience. The next cold morning, I headed towards the agency at 6 A.M. the group boarded a bus, we made a stop to refuel and eat a light breakfast and afterwards the bus, which had a small engine, kept pushing itself up the Andes to our destination, “La Cumbre”. At that point we were at an altitude close to 5000m above sea level, ready to commence our bike descent. We rode down the highway until we hit a detour which would take us to the Death Road… we kept cycling for a bit and a few minutes later the guide stopped us and got serious with us… “OK, this is not a joke, rule number 1 you cannot pass me, rule number 2, if you misbehave or do anything to put the other’s life’s in danger you’re getting back in the bus…. And so on. Once riding on the Death Road, there were no side rails, nothing to keep you from falling down the precipice, it was incredibly foggy and humid, but I was able to see crosses throughout the Road and vehicle remains that had fallen down the mountain side, and there was also a memorial in Hebrew along the way, turned out that many Israelis after serving in their army go backpacking around different countries, and some of them, unfortunately perished there. How did I learn that? I was the only non-Israeli in the tour. 65Km later and after descending to an altitude of 1000m above sea level, we reached our destination, the town of Coroico in the Yungas region of Bolivia (many coca plantations here) and arrived at a German owned hotel to shower, have lunch, and rest a little to prepare for the long ride home (fortunately we had the bus to ride back).

A recap of how I spent my time before arriving at HWR

It’s incredible how time goes by. I clearly remember the day I left Fresno and my first week away was a bit tough for me, considering I was going to be away for the next 8 months. Certainly not my first time abroad, but first time alone. It’s been 6 incredible months so far. Many great memories captured so far and only a couple bad ones; Lost baggage, which lead to a delay in the start of my trip and a person jumping in front of my train provoking a 5 hour delay to clean up his remains, crazy huh? Second week abroad was great… of course the fact that I was spending New Year’s in Berlin made it much better and the alcohol did nothing but help. I’ve done most of my travels by train, so far I visited 16 countries in Europe and want to keep going, never thought traveling by train could be so fun, you get a chance to appreciate the landscapes and the scenery. Traversing the Alps from Zurich to Milan was probably the trip I enjoyed the most… not sure if it was because of the girl that kept me company aboard the train or the sights of the lakes and the snowy peaks. I’m just glad I gave myself the chance to open my eyes a bit more, to learn about other cultures to give me a better understanding. I highly anticipated Italy…See Milan, the Duomo, the Last Supper… I’ll probably pretend it’ll be the Last Supper for me as well and overindulge in Pasta, Gelato, Espresso and Wine hehe, and then kept going on to other cities. I had about two weeks to regain all the weight I had lost and then took off to Eastern Europe. Poland was by far the cheapest, and Dublin and Scandinavia… made me readjust my budget, it’s incredible how expensive those places were. I’m glad I’ve gotten the chance of clearing some clouds that I had in my head. And very happy to have met people that maid my travels more enjoyable. The more days that go by the more I think about relocating to Europe. The places I’ve seen. The people I’ve met. The stories I’ve heard. The food I’ve tasted. But not done traveling yet… a couple more weeks and then off to Dubrovnik…

The Strenuous Inca Trail: What to expect and How to prepare…

Last summer I embarked myself in an adventure to South America. I headed to Peru and hiked the strenuous Inca Trail. What is the Inca Trail? The Inca Trail refers to a path that courses through the Andes located above the Urubamba River. It traverses parts of an authentic Inca roadway, which leads to the ruins of Machu Picchu, a renowned Inca fortress city built in the 15th century. Inca Trail tours allow travel enthusiasts and historical buffs alike to get a small taste of what life might have been like during the Inca Empire

The Inca Trail ensures physically challenging experiences, the light at the end of the tunnel rewards adventurers with impressive views as well as a site to reflect on who and what once thrived and lived on such a majestuous site. Leading you to one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Inca Trail Tours guarantee  fascination.

Life abroad…

It has been 5 months since I left California and 2 since I arrived in Berlin. I must say that life in Europe, based on what I have seen while traveling around before arriving to Berlin, is not as stressful as life back home. Who wouldn’t enjoy to live like the Spanish and even have time for siesta around noon time? Life in California and in the United States in general revolves mainly around work, there’s not enough time for socializing once you walk into the workforce. But it’s not only about that, there is more culture in Europe. I don’t have to worry about a response like “where’s that at?”"Is that in Mexico?” after I tell people that I grew up in Bolivia. Yes it is true that “America” is a melting pot of different cultures, but it does not compare to Europe. The newer generations keep losing their values, traditions. Whereas in Europe those traditions are alive. I also never imagined how cheap my living expenses would add up to… back home I need at least $500 to rent a room in a shared apartment, and here, you can find something for less than 200 euros. Hopefully it lasts long because I’d certainly like to give Berlin a longer shot than 5 months.

I am afraid of…

We all like to think we’re unique. But when it comes to our fears, we’re anything but. Snakes, spyders, and heights are all it takes to send many people cowering in the corner.Public speaking, glossophobia, may as well be called public sweating. I would say I´m part of the statistics, I would say I would rather die than present in front of a large crowd. At a funeral, I´m the one who would prefer to be in the casket than to be the one giving the eulogy. I guess it is about time to start working of fixing that phobia.

Christmas Day

So here I am… Minutes away from taking off!

In a few hours I’ll begin new chapter in my life. I’ll try to live abroad and maintain myself while I’m at it. I’m definitely looking forward to the next 9 months in Europe and all the travels I have planned out and the prospect of living in Berlin, in my opinion one of the world’s most vibrant cities. I never thought I would get to spend New Year’s in Berlin for the 2nd

time in a row. Only that this time it will be different, I will spend it with people my age, going to a club, the way it should be. It’ll be different than last

year in the sense that last year I had a dinner with aunts and cousins and

friends of theirs. This will be my second time in Europe, but this will be an entirely

different experience. Away from my parents… hmm… there are pros and cons to that idea, but I’m growing up and living away should make the

transition of moving out of their home easier once I return… I still have to give it more though because not paying rent is my main source of travel money. Well… that’s all for now, I’m being asked to turn my laptop off, soon I’ll be in Berlin!