Born Free

Going with the flow in Arequipa, and being blown away...

oliviadj — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:50:00 GMT

Arequipa, the Colca Canyons and the unexpected highs and benefits of having no preconceived expecations...

The last few days have been completely beyond my expectations. I have just come off an extreme high (and even more extreme low - homesickness?!!! What the?!) after completing the spectacular salkantay trek, which culminated in the magical and mystical macchu piccu, to venture off in the trusty Peruvian buses to Arequipa. A city i had no preconceived expectations of, thinking of it simply as a stop-off for any pre-colca canyon trekking... My, i couldn't have been more wrong! A gorgeous little, historic city surrounded by snow-capped volcanic mountains and beautiful spanish Architecture.
I joined a very economical 3 day canyon trek to visit the deepest canyons in the world. It was cheap, allowed me to see condors cruising high above the wild river thundering far far below, through the worlds deepest canyons, whilst at the same time witnessing some of the most beautiful, breathtaking and spectacular mountains, landscapes and scenery. We did the 3 day hike, which involved only a few easy hours of hiking each day. Upon reaching camp 1, most of us were disappointed that we did so little hiking, not to mention being all downhill. But today. Today, I am very pleased for having chosen 3 rather than 2 days. It has allowed me to recharge the batteries, to get to know my fellow hiking group, to dawdle and sightsee in peace as well as allow us to actually enjoy our 'Paraiso' today. A true Oasis. A tiny camping town, nestled between huge canyons, a wild river far below, not to mention the shrub & cactus-filled slopes, where to see the sky, you really need to crane your head high. The skies seem a life time away.... It is absolutely beyond description. No words can do this justice, a sparkling fresh mountain/water filled pool cut out of the rocks, beautiful strelitzia, frangipani, geraniums, calla lilies, daisies and lavender, corn and fig trees, sunflowers, passionfruit (or as it is called locally maracuja) and chilli vines, avo trees, palm trees. It makes me want to stay here forever, and question why we take the rush and stresses of our 'normal' London lifestyle for granted. Maybe these people appreciate life more than we do?! But this debate I'll leave for another day... Right now, I might go for an after lunch siesta, listening to the rumble of the river and cascading waterfalls, and the young kiwi lads playing volleyball outside... If only I didn't hurt my knee and wrist on salkantay trek, you'd find me out there showing them how it's done!
If you find yourself in Peru, make sure you don't miss this hike, which to me, personally, nearly beats the hike to macchu piccu.... Amazing!

A Love Affair... In Buenos Aires.

oliviadj — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:47:00 GMT

Buenos Aires
I have been told that you cant claim to 'really' have been in Buenos Aires until you have stepped (with much gusto of course!) into one of the prolific dog poohs scattered everywhere through out the city...
This is no difficult feat in BA... Some cities have cats... Some cities have cows... (or so I have been told!) BA has dogs... They roam the streets freely. Big dogs... And with big dogs come big poohs... Everywhere...
I managed to make an elegant, and clean, escape. Does this mean I cant claim to have properly experienced BA?
Hopefully not!
This is (another!) city that I have fallen in love with... This time, though, for new reasons...
A country famous for steak. For leather. Great wines. Iguasu Falls. Sensual dancing - the tango and merengue. Flirting.
I hate to say this, but the expensive steakhouses left me wanting for more (Elton - thanks for making me the best steak to date on this trip... Lawrence, thanks for getting such a great cut of meat! It is true... sometimes nothing beats home-made! Even when it is in a hostel with less-than-desired equipment! I'll miss you boys!)
But it is Buenos Aires that made me identify what is important to me... To allow me to be me. To hear what I needed to hear. To face what I have needed to face. To say what I need to say. To be free. How?! I hear you say! It's difficult to explain. They are a unique people. They appear to love life. They love people. They know what is important to them, and make sure they live according to these. They don't rush. (The tube only starts after 8am!). They don't appear to be stressed. They often say they dont speak english, yet are able to have 'a' conversation (of some sort!) with me! They dine late and slowly, they talk, they laugh, they share a bottle of wine. They dance. They aren't ashamed of sharing their emotions. Men included. They live in the moment. It certainly makes for a colourful city! And gosh - it is so refreshing!
If you ever find yourself in BA, make sure to visit Palermo on a Saturday. A beautiful little suburb that reminds me of a much larger, much cleaner, prettier, and leafier Fitzroy in Melbourne. Here people are scattered along cobblestone pavements having a late, linger-longer lunch with a friends and good wine, being serenaded by local, live bands... The market stalls are also quirky and adds to the holiday atmosphere...
On Sunday, San Telmo is another beautiful cobblestone suburb that comes alive with locals as well as tourists... Beautiful stalls selling locally made goods - and refreshingly - barely any food! (Not sure about other countries but in Aus, markets tend to sell predominantly foods!). Old flutes handcarved out of rock releasing the most beautiful, tranquil tunes, hand made clothes, leather jackets and fur coats (I was so tempted, an exquisite, white, sensously soft mink (?) fur coar costing only £120!!!!!!), pottery, jewellery, photography and art. BA is a city for art lovers. There are art and photo galleries scattered throughout, with stalls and markets allowing smaller artists to showcase their talent.
After San Telmo, catch the bus (public transport here is a steal at £0.35 per trip!) to La Boca. After strict warnings to watch myself and not to go anywhere near the back streets, I did not at any stage feel insecure or concerned... Having said that, I did stick predominantly to the main streets. This area is famous firstly for the Boca Juniors - the football stadium, and subsequently for the bright colourful, beautiful little houses, cobblestone streets, as well as the pubs, cafes and restaurants spillling out on to the streets, with locals dressed up as tango dancers, always ready to pose for a photo or willing to teach you a tango step or two (if you are brave enough - you will have about a hundred pairs of tourist eyes watching your every move!).
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 11 am, the La Recoletta Cemetery hosts free English tours through the very famous Argentinian cemetery.   Initially built around an old convent, this cemetary is sprawled over more than 14 acres, with more than 4691 vaults, all above ground, of which 94 are classified as national historical monuments (Make sure to walk past vault #26 - Evita Perron - it is very non-descript. Unbeknownst to me, I walked past it several times on my hunt trying to locate it!).
This was an absolute must-do on my to-do list for BA. It was with some surprise that I entered what I was expecting to be a beautiful, peaceful and leafy cemetery. Alas - was I wrong! This cemetery turned out to be exactly the opposite. My first reaction was that it is a 'marble jungle'. Similar to a small city, though instead of being a concrete jungle, all the vaults are made of marble or some elaborate rock or metal. And not really peaceful. It is quite confronting. Actually quite the reverse. I would hate to consider the amount of money spent on the majority of these vaults. For politicians. For men in the military. For university professors. Surely Argentina could have distributed this money - spent on the 'reincarnation of the dead', for better purposes?! Surely there were millions of homeless, millions of hungry, millions suffering, who could've have desperately used this money for the mere necessities in life they couldnt even afford?!
Bronze statues representing the individual who had died. Huge 'buildings' for a mere coffin (expensive coffins too - no doubt!), constant fresh flowers outside. To consider we will all turn to dust, to fertilise the soils and set the path for our future generations, do some people more than others really need this elaborate final showcase of their achievements? Does death not make us all equals? Isn't the quiet achievement much more honourable than that done purely for recogntion? Ok, purely a personal view, but hey, guess we are all entitled to our views...
The area around La Recoletta is beautiful. Very much what I would call 'snobville' smiliar to Toorak in Melbourne. Wide, quiet and leafy roads, expensive hotels, boutique stores, expensive jewellery stores. Despite considering myself quite (ok, very!) non-extravagant (preferring $2-shop necklaces, earrings and rings - this is how 'I Roll'), I could have admired, and 'window-shopped' these stores for much longer than I normally would care to admit to. They were beautiful. The window displays an art work in their own right, not even to mention the diamonds, the watches, the cuff links, the leather boots and fur-coated saddles! Surreal!
Do make sure to enjoy the parks around the cemetary. The old cork trees - sinewy, spindly, twisted and gnarly.   They look as though they could tell a thousand tales, as well as feature in any Lord of the Rings, thriller or horror movie!
Another to do is the parks south of Palermo, on the way to the domestic airport (sorry - i never got the name of these!). People are out rollerblading, cycling, running and tango-ing around lakes, monuments and statues...
I got slightly lost on my run, only to be helped by a country-argentinian who took up running a year earlier after having been relocated from his family 500km away for work. What a delight. A slow amble around the lakes with an older gent giving me the history of the park, telling me his story of how he only started running to keep himself busy as a result of being away from his wife and 2 children whom he missed despite driving to see every weekend.   Despite the language barrier (and my being apparrently too fast!), we managed to have a wonderful little jog - enjoying the beautiful balmy weather, the clouds rolling in, the geese hissing at us as we ran past... (oh, and yes, my fitness levels are GONE!!!! backpacking is NOT good for aerobic fitness! for any fitness in fact!).
So... Buenos Aires... A city that I will ALWAYS remember... For many, many reasons... For the amazing culture. The generous people. The friends I made. And last but definitely not least, the old acquaintances I was fortunate enough to catch up with whom I now consider special. Thank you. Buenos Aires! Do it! You wont regret it!

Paraty - and meeting a kindred spirit - a local brazilian

oliviadj — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 06:59:00 GMT

Brune. A beautiful young brazilian woman I met in Paraty at a youth hostel. Someone I would call a kindred spirit. Young at heart, full of life with an energy that glows from deep within. Maybe this is typical of Brazilians? I dont know, but she will be someone I will definitely stay in touch

We met at the bar of a hostel, both of us waiting for our traditional local drink to be mixed and shaken - the caipirinha, a deliciously refreshing cachaca based cocktail made with plenty of lime and mint. In true 'Olivia'-fashion, I promptly managed to spill mine all over myself as well as Brune's handbag. A great way to meet someone! Guys - take note!

We started chatting and immediately clicked. Within no time, we arranged to meet the following morning to go mountain biking up to the waterfall where there is a wonderful natural slipperyslide with my fellow travel buddy Julien.

The next day, it was so hot, it was so tempting to bail on the biking and stay indoors in the comfort of airconditioning. But gosh, am I glad I went.

What started out as a group of 3, very quickly turned into a group of 8, though we also very quickly lost 2 of these (softies!!!!) who turned back within less than 30 minutes. It is definitely not an easy cycle - steep uphill. But at least you get to the top in just under an hour, including a 5-10 minute stop to catch your breath.

It turned out to be a great group - a canadian, american, argenitinian, frenchman, australian (me - yeehaa!) and a brazilian. What a great representation of countries!

I will try to post a video later on to show exactly what this slide is like. No words can describe it. It really is beyond belief.

Being a Sunday, there was a great turnout of local 'experts' including one, the 'daddy' of the slide, who would run at full speed before hurtling himself - standing - down this huge slide, making the final leap into a tiny pool where an enormous rock stands ominously within a meter of your 'bombing' it in to the water. It gives you the fright of your life as your body is hurtled at immense speeds straight towards it - i doubt any fun ride could ever compare! All i remember as I went down was that I would without a doubt resemble a squashed mosquito on this rock - but thank goodness, I made it out unscathed.

If you want a visual image of what this setting is like, just picture a beautiful waterfall surrounded by lush tropical trees and vegetation, cascading down glistening rock, in a paradise setting, and you pretty much can imagine what this day was like...

Anyway, back to meeting a kindred spirit. Brune invited us to her 'little' sail boat which she had just bought a few days earlier in Paraty. It was docked in the harbour 4km outside of the old town, allowing a postcard view of the town. Dramatic. Beautiful. And the side of the town you wouldn't see if you didnt venture to this harbour.

We cooked up a mini 'gourmet-storm' as an appertiser before the bbq being held at the hostel. (Gents - please note - if you want to impress the ladies, make sure you know how to make a fire for a bbq - none of the 3 men on this trip were able to light the bbq! sorry guys, but the truth has to be told! otherwise, just make sure you have an aussie chick nearby to show you how it's done :-) )

If it were not for the generosity and open hospitality of this beautiful woman, we would never have had this opportunity to enjoy our own bbq, a cold beer and a breathtaking view.

If you ever find yourself near Paraty, make sure you explore not only the old town, but venture a little further afield to the waterfalls and to the harbours where you can view the town with the mountains in the background.

Oh, and make sure you go to the mudbath beach within an easy 20 minute walk of Paraty. It is called Jabaquara and is an absolute must-do. You can roll and frolick in the mud like a little pig that knows it managed to escape the butcher. it was sensational - sensual nearly! Smooth like silk, thick black, hot and apparently great for the skin thanks to all the minerals from the leaves of thousand year old mangroves and seaweed. Pitch black, you can walk combat-style back to the normal beach to allow it to dry and soak in, where you can either wash it off in the beach shower, or why not just run back in to this hot water beach and wash it off the the lovely salt sea water from this cleaner stretch of beach? I promise you, you will have a great time. I am now no longer surprised why the Europeans pay a fortune for mud-treatments in beauty salons!

ok, enough from me for now! hope you enjoy my ramblings! Hopefully you dont find it too boring! Send through any thoughts on what you'd like to hear more of. I am trying to do a bit of research on places I visit too, so am happy to share what I learn if this would be of interest.

Next post will probably be on Iguasu Falls (including my monumental 32 hour bus trip from Paraty to Foz do Iguasu - all thanks to the bus leaving a bus stop in the middle of the night without me!) But this is for another post...

in the meantime, please enjoy these wonderful photos of paraty as per the new york times - top places to visit in 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/01/08/travel/20120108_paraty.html

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/travel/45-places-to-go-in-2012.html

Life Inspiration?!

oliviadj — Fri, 9 Mar 2012 14:34:00 GMT

backpacking... it allows one to meet people from all walks of life.

throughout my many years of backpacking I have met many different people. Some I talk to on the travel, swap details with but leave on the bedside drawer. And then you meet those you instantly connect with, you feel an affinity or connection with, that you might only stay in touch with over emails but love nevertheless...

This trip is throwing all sorts at me.

Today we talked about feeling like a failure... interesting thought. a young, very likeable guy, lots of potential, with what should be a fulfilling life ahead of him. he has it all going for him. intelligence, education, wit, great background and family. why then did he confide today that he is probably depressed with life? that he was sick for 2 weeks and these 2 idle weeks made him 'flick the switch'? you know... i guess anyone of us could probably be the same. an idle mind allows for much misdemeanour. it is so easy to lose sight of your end goal in life. in fact, what is an 'end goal'?

do you have one? how do you define this? i tried to think about this today. I walked for 11 hours. I had a lot of time to ponder it. Yet I couldn't come up with one determinate way of forming my one end goal!!! ha! does this make me a hypocrite? i recommended he creates a to-do list - sometimes nothing beats that feeling of satisfaction of being able to tick another to-do odd the list. a short term, a medium term and a longer-term list... sounds so easy. but i dont have on, so surely i AM a hypocrite! I wish i could come up with my ultimate long term goal and to do list!

Anyway, what i thought would be interesting would be to hear whether you have read any great books, studies/articles, blogs etc around this topic. It would be great to share and hear your thoughts... if you'd rather send it privately, email me at olivia.jongeling@gmail.com and I can share it with the rest of the group anonymously.

Carpe Diem people! Seize the day! remember life is short, make the most of it!

Love you all!

ps.. my view on inspiration..... inspiration comes from perspiration. the more you work, the more inspired and energised you become!

as Nike says... "Just do it! nike!" how many times has your alarm gone off and you've talked yourself out of going for that run? next time, why dont you just do it? you wont regret it. trust me! that fresh faced look and the buzzing adrenalin high? nothing beats it! and you KNOW IT!! Love life!

Ilha Grande, Brazil

oliviadj — Thu, 8 Mar 2012 14:23:00 GMT

It's been a while, but trust me, i have not missed any form of computer/network or laptop...

Ilha Grande is one of those islands that just hypnotises you. it draws you in. it forces you to love it.

yesterday was all about 'the' tourist activity - the much talked about boat cruises. dont let me discredit it. it is worth every 100Real, for nothing other than an unshaded speedboat, 11 hours in the glaring sun and nothing else other than stopping at 7 beaches. but boy. These beaches are not simply just any beach. the water is a colour that I have never seen before. well, i lie. i have seen this colour before. on postcards. in magazines. no doubt 'magically enhanced' to make sure the colour looks surreal. these colours were not 'helped' or 'enhanced' in any way shape or form. if you want to witness turqouise water, with perfect, clear visibility and schools of fish, come to ilha grande. it will blow you away.

oh, and the fish dinners? they will blow you away here too. it is unbelievable.

in fact. ilha grande is nearly too good to be true!

Day 1 - Rio and the taste of freedom

oliviadj — Sun, 4 Mar 2012 10:11:00 GMT

For the first time it has finally sunk in. I am no longer employed. No need to report in to anybody. Able to get up as and when - and where! - i feel like! What a feeling. Surreal. In fact, I have still not been able to stumble on the right words that manage to describe this...

And all this in a city as surreal as Rio. What an amazing city! How many cities can claim to call beaches such as Ipanema, Copacobana, Leblo - so many more, a part of their grid?! Definitely not many that I know of!

My day consisted of walking, lots of walking. Sundays in Rio see the roads along the beach closed to traffic to allow cyclists, runners, rollerbladers and skateboarders to freely exercise along the vast stretches of beaches. Dogs are paraded, partytricks and acrobatics are performed, dimply derriers are shown off in all their glory in skimpy brazillian bikinis... it is an easy way to idle away the time - life here seems to have no rush, no major need to 'be' anywhere...

And if you ever feel like temptation is getting the better of you, or that you are being led astray, just turn your eyes upwards... the giant statue of Jesus stands calmly above - arms stretched out protectively over us, his eyes seeing all. Quite a very reassuring and calming presence....

Did you know that the city Rio has the largest population of Japanese relative to any other city (outside of Japan) in the world? No wonder there are so many sushi restaurants! (note, this fact was sourced from a slightly outdated travel guide book!)

My life - all 8 kilos of it!

oliviadj — Sat, 3 Mar 2012 09:58:00 GMT

8 kilos. Yes, that is right. You read correctly. 8 kilos is what my backpack weighed at the airport. That is all I will have from home as I set off to start my 4.5 month adventure as a newly fledged backpacker.

My list - obviously, was rather short. An all weather 3-in-1 jacket (pink - do fashion/clothing companies not have any colour other than pink for females?!). Hiking boots (well.... let me correct myself, cross-country running shoes with an identity crisis). About 3 sets of underwear, 2 bikinis, a sarong, 2 light dresses and 1 pair of shorts, jeans, jeanskirt, 3 tshirts and longsleeves. Bingo! Easy! Light as a feather and free as a bird...

So.... Let's see what i collect along the way... Will keep you updated. Number 1 on the list - havaianas - or as some of us like to call them - flip flops!

How much would your backpack weigh? What could you live without? And what are those items you absolutely cannot leave behind?

interesting questions!