Le Pêcheur

On my way back from Perú to Germany, I decided to make a quick stop in Paris to finally pay a visit to the city of love. It was in this lovely city that to my delight I meet le pêcheur--the fisherman.

It was a typical Parisian summer day with lovers at every corner making out, the smell of coffee and baked goods in the air, and the sun shinning strong through a cleared blue sky. A scenery I had by now grown quite accustomed to. After 9 days of aimlessly walking every corner of this beautiful city, eating all the cheese and tarts I could muster, I decided to make way to the  Île Saint-Louis (the last destination on my list of places to visit) to watch the sunset from there with a bottle of wine.

As I unpacked my very, very, INCREDIBLY stinky triple cream goat brie, I noticed there was a little Chinese man to my right struggling with his line. My first thought was there is no way fish live in these waters. Think about it. The Seine! In the heart of Paris! How can anything live in these waters!? Well ladies and gentleman, to my astonishment this man not only caught a fish, he caught a 2 meter long catfish! That is 2 meters of fish mass (it even had really long whiskers!!). Being that the biggest fish I have ever caught is a mountain trout in the Sierras, this was a bit of a shocking business for your girl here. Yeah people, I was astonished!

He slowly reeled in that giant creature on to shore, and mind you it was not an easy task. The catfish put quite a fight all along the way. After many minutes of struggle, the catfish, left with no hope, finally gave in and was dragged to shore for all of us to watch. I must confess I felt an awful sense of sadness for this catfish. He seemed so old (he had to be for its size), tired, and defeated. He laid there submissive to his new captor struggling for air.

No one seemed happy with the sight of this catfish, until to my satisfaction, and that of all of the tourists that gathered at the bridge to watch the fisherman, after a quick measurement of its size, the catfish was carefully dragged back to its homely waters by the fisherman. Hurray! Like in the movies people crowded the fisherman shaking his hand and hugging him for what he had done. A beautiful day indeed.

        

Trekking the Santa Cruz Trail

This little gem nestled within the Cordillera Blanca in the Huascarán National Park is a definite mustie for any nature-loving peeps out there traveling to Perú.

The journey began in Cashapampa and covered 30+ miles of breathtaking scenery along the world’s highest tropical mountain range. Dramatic 18,000 - 23,000 feet glaciated peaks, turquoise lakes, and fairytale-like valleys with sheer walls of striated granite striped by flowing waterfalls are just a few of the many attractions we found along this spectacular 4 day hike in the Andes.

Joel and I started our journey in Huaraz where we geared up with food and clothes. That same day we caught a collectivo  for 6 soles to the town of Caraz, a charming little town with delicious peanut and banana ice cream! After acclimatizing overnight we left Caraz to Cashapampa and started our ascend along the Santa Cruz trail.

Day 1

It was a solid 5 hour trek up the Santa Cruz canyon to the first campsite Llamacorral (12,303 ft). We gained about 2,800 feet in elevation and spent most of the hike walking along small villages and some unusual landscapes. Luckily for us we found a wooded shelter where to crash and escape the really low temperatures at night.

Day 2

Its a fairly easy hike with FANTASTIC views!!! We caught sight of mountains like Santa Cruz, Quitaraju, Artesonraju, Alpamayo and walked along the Ichiccocha lake, which boasted some of the most spectacular views in Cordillera Blanca. After a good 5 - 6 hour hike we arrived to the second camp Taullipampa (13,940 ft) from where we contemplated the beautiful peaks of Taulliraju.

Day 3

Its the toughest yet most rewarding day. A 4 hour hike brought us to the Punta Union pass at 15,580 ft (highest point on the trail) where we had lunch and enjoyed the magnificent panoramic views of glaciated mountains, blue skies, and unique landscapes. We started our decent towards Vaqueria and camped some 30 minutes before the Paria campsite. A bonfire and some yummy spicy couscous kept us cozy and warm throughout the night.

Day 4

A solid 4 hour downhill walk to Vaqueria with more impressive views along the way. We passed through several villages with friendly Quechua people, experienced the explosion of some rocks, became besties with a 3 year old, and spend the night at a Peruvian family-run hostel in Vaqueria where we had the chance to meet some interesting political fellas that happened to stumbled at our door.

All in all, 4 days of pure beauty with my love. What more can a girl ask for? ;)

A Little Bit of Everything...

So tomorrow its the beginning of my last month in Peru (yes, time flies!), which leaves me with nearly 4 months of my life down south going undocumented. Oh well haha, there is so much to say but rarely enough time to write it down, but here's a few things I consider to be the highlights of my stay in Peru thus far:

LIMA:

Big ol' grey Lima. Oh will I... sort of not miss you. And I say this in a semi-jokingly way for Lima and I have a love-hate relationship. On the one hand, there's the people, los amigos :). The friendly, loving extrovert Limeños that I hold so dear to me. Always ready to show you a good time and welcome you to their lives. There's also the nightlife, the concerts, the free cultural events, not to mention lots of really good fruits and veggies, and of course endless supply of ceviche and pisco sour. Perfecto. But then there is also the never-ending traffic, the smog, the constant honking and yelling, and the weather the horrible, horrible weather of Lima well known for its obnoxious levels of humidity. Not so bueno. So yeah tho I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Lima, I must confess, I am also very much looking forward to heading back to my German paradise pronto.

SELVA CENTRAL:

Cuenca Rio Tambo

My 17 day stay in the jungle was without doubt an unforgettable experience. Living among the Asháninka people definitely opened my eyes to a simpler yet happier way of life. I visited a total of 4 communities along the Tambo river, which we mostly navigated by peque peque--small canoes with motors that can carry about 4-6 people. It was a long journey from Lima. 10-14 hours by road, then 3-4 hours by boat to the first community. Upon arrival, most natives would gather at the community assembly to receive us. Since I went there to gather information about their cacao production for my research project, I spent most days interviewing farmers, visiting their homes and farms, and learning about their way of life. Some of my favorite things included: masato (a kassava-based drink), suri (a palm tree worm that they roast and eat), the festivities for Father's day and community anniversaries, which I was very lucky to presence while staying there, and the streams and rivers, where I spent many mornings and afternoons either showering or escaping the heat.

LAGUNA RAPAGANA

Laguna Rapagna

My most recent adventure as of a couple of days. A beautiful mountain lake at 4575 meters in elevation. An easy trip from Lima that you can fit in 3 days. Started the hike from Rio Blanco a small town near San Mateo de Huanchor, where I spent the night at a hostel. Because of the elevation and the constant uphill climb, it took me a good 5 hours to reach the lake. It was a tough hike, the kind that leaves you breathless multiple times, where the recurring thought is "screw this!" But oh man was it worth it! A beautiful pristine lake surrounded by rocky mountains slightly covered by snow. Blissful.

Canta encanta!

Hola desde el sur mis queridos!

Two weekends ago the urgent need to escape the city kicked in and me and my friend Lennart decided to pack a bag and head to the nearby towns of Canta y Obrajillo. These quintessential campestre towns are a mere 3 hours from the city of Lima by bus. For those of you new to the city or planning to visit Lima, this is a perfect weekend trip that you can easily fit in 2 days.

Canta is a peaceful and picturesque town with narrow and steep streets, large old houses, and beautifully framed by the green sierras. From the moment you set foot in this little town you are transported back in time to a place where people trust each other enough to leave their doors unlock and invite strangers to their dinner table. Amazing. Locals go about their lives without much stress, and the feeling of tranquility is so contagious that you can't help but sit back and soak up the peace and happiness that surrounds you. 

As for me and Lennart, after eating some delicious trucha (this is the local staple in Canta) we headed out by foot to the nearby town of Obrajillos (a 20 minute walk from Canta). Here the main attraction is the several waterfalls you can hike to along the hills. The first waterfall was a beauty hidden between the hills and a bit hard to get to. We were lucky tho to meet a sweet local boy that decided to guide our way. After taking a dip in the fresh cold water we navigated ourselves through several more trails and waterfalls. We ended up spending the night at a grungy hostel that smelled of nothing but mold ha, but to our luck, near one of the only 2 cantinas in town where we got to sip pisco, and strike up conversations with the locals.

Here some photos:

Yoga in the Park

Peace Revolution and
Caleidoscopio Yoga Comunitario 

A quick note before I head out tonight to dance some Peruvian cumbia with my new patitas (a los Puertorros: esto acá significa amigazos no mas ;) ).

Yesterday, my new favorite person in Lima, Daniela, hit me up at work and invited me to a yogi gathering at a park in Miraflores. It's a pretty small group of yoga-lovers and meditators. They get together every Thursday at night and together work through yoga exercises with the help of an instructor. Then after everyone is loosened up and feeling good, one of the girls guides the group through a meditation session.

Head scratchies before meditation :) 

Now, let me tell you about my experience with meditation. I have none. I have tried left and right, stayed in monasteries, read books, and sipped milk tea with monks, all with the hope to extract some insight on how to enter the state of stillness but nada. So not only was I pleased, but also, utterly surprised when in a park near a main street in one of the busiest parts of town in Lima, I was able to successfully meditate. My mind went quiet, and I felt how my face softened, how the pressure at the back of my neck released. I lost sensation in my fingers, and my legs, they slowly synced with the grass down below. The air which felt cold before no longer did, and two images prevailed in my mind of a very special place of my childhood. It was beautiful. I left feeling pretty darn good and definitely excited for the next meditation session.

Highly recommended if you are new to the city. Here's their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/peacerevolutionperu

Now off to la fiesta! ;)

Dos Amores: Pisco y Ceviche!

Would I have ever imagined that 4 years ago when I was backpacking through Peru with my bestie Amanda, sipping pisco sour at cafes and bars, and eating all the ceviche I could get my hands on that somewhere down the road, I would find myself living in the wonderful city of Lima? Not in the least bit. But here I am, one week in out of my expected 6 month stay in Peru.

Me with 2 pisco sours at Bolivar's house

Frankly, I am not a big city gal. Though I appreciate them for what they have to offer, I prefer cities that are small and cozy, ideally next to the mountains. Lima however, has slowly worked itself through me. In Lima you can find a little bit of everything: hippies, yuppies, artists, emos, hipsters, burners... you name it. Being that I work with a conservation project, I am surrounded by nature-loving philanthropists finely balanced by my flatmates, some of which are artists while others are simply smart, adventure-seeking, life-loving individuals. And this my friends feels perfecto!

It's no surprise that being among Latin Americans feels like being back home. For obvious reasons (i.e., I am Latina), I am very much in tune with Peruvians' philosophy of life, their values, their culture, and most definitely, their priorities. It also helps a lot to live among a family, allowing me to experience Peru from a whole new perspective. Not to mention, the ease with which one can make friends with Peruvians. Their kindness, sweetness, and openness really stands out everywhere I go.

Plaza near my house

Roomies Lennart (Germany), me, and
Gustavo (Peru) at a wicked bar in
central Lima

So far I have not been much of a turista and rather spent my first week in Lima meeting new people and letting locals drag me to their favorite spots. In no time, I developed a little crush for Barrancos: a colonial charming town in Lima that reminds me a lot of the Old San Juan in Puerto Rico.

My current town on the other hand is not quite as charming, but rather carries a hearty dose of Peruvian history. Pueblo Libre or "Free Town" where I live, was rightfully named by Jose de San Martín in 1821 after Peru won its independence from Spain. What's more, both Simón Bolívar and San Martín lived in my little town--Bolivar's house only a couple of blocks away from my flat. Fortunately or unfortunately, his home is now a hole in the wall restaurant that serves 2 pisco sours for only 15 soles... hells yea!!!

As for my work here in Peru, the more I learn about my project (Conservación de Bosques Comunitarios), the more I feel honored to be part of such an amazing cooperative. It's truly rewarding to partake in work that has such a large impact in the lives of many indigenous communities in the Amazon forest. The love and dedication, and especially the relationship that some of my coworkers have with these communities is inspiring to say the least.

I will definitely fill you in with more details about my project later on, but for now, I will leave you with a video of an awesome artist-collective type event I went to on Friday. A group of dancers came in playing what sounded much like bomba y plena and my heart felt the joy:

It's Happening Mi Gente!!!

Because studying for finals is a total drag, I've decided to fill you guys in on the latest news in the life of Gabby:

As those closest to me know, I've always been passionate about both poverty alleviation and natural resource conservation, and my goal come end of my master's program was to find a way to piece these two together. Well people... it's happening!!! A little over a month from now your Gabby will be off to work on her dream internship! As part of our master program it is required to write a master thesis by your third or fourth semester. A month or so ago, one of the PhD candidates in our department came to class to offer a position for a master thesis in the Amazonian forest in Peru. The thesis involves working with indigenous communities in the Amazonian forest to ensure environmental conservation and sustainability for the purpose of improving the well-being of these farming households. My heart skipped a beat. This was exactly what I wanted to do for my master thesis! I applied, and to my surprise and delight, I was the selected candidate for this amazing opportunity. This is HUGE in my book people!

Field work starts beginning of March and goes on for 6 months until the end of September. Initially, I will be stationed in Lima, where the main office is located. Then after summing up what my research is going to be about and developing the needed questionnaires, I will head out to the jungle to work in the villages. Since this is a research project my main job is to first brainstorm with our team a super creative way to improve these communities' conservation efforts. Then I will collect data, and last draft my master thesis as well as a report for the sponsoring organization behind my internship. Pretty darn cool!

I've already spoken to the team in Peru and they seem like such an excellent and supportive group to work with. The project is organized by three different organizations: GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), University of Goettingen (my university), and the Federal Ministry of Environment in Peru. Since the project started about 3 years ago, I am very excited to learn about what has been done and what can be done to preserve the Amazonian biodiversity. Goes without saying this is an incredibly exciting learning and challenging experience that I'm anxious to begin. Oh, and yes, definitely super grateful that all costs will be covered by the sizable scholarship offered along with the internship. Hurray to that!

So why do you care?
Pretty much because this is definitely your chance to visit Peru. Seriously guys, mi casa es tu casa. Peru is a beauty and definitely a country worth a visit. Plus, I'll be there to show you around! ;)

Here's info on the program plus master thesis:
http://www.giz.de/en/worldwide/13301.html

Con amor,
Gabby

The Perfect Ending: Prague!

The best way I can describe Prague is imagine there is a white canvas and all of the best painters in the world, in the history of humanity, came together and painted a masterpiece... that's Prague. Because really this city is a work of art! Every angle is mesmerizing. At any point in time you will be blown away by the beauty that surrounds you.

I got really lucky too. On my first day in Prague, the skies cleared and the sun was out, which is rare during winter days. I got to see the city in the morning as the sun was rising, in the afternoon during its hectic hours, and during sunset, which reveled to me why this city is often praised in lovers' stories. Truly, truly beautiful.

The Church of Our Lady before Týn

View of Charles Bridge

Beer tour in Prague

Miss. Canada and I

I have to say, what made my stay in Prague most memorable was my discovery of the super cool free walking tours by Sandemans. I normally don't like tours. I find them boring and I get impatient. I always prefer to explore on my own, but this tour, my gosh, these guys are incredible. They are all volunteers (which means they don't get paid i.e., they only do it because they love it!). I was lucky (again!) by landing the awesomest tour guide ever. His name is Declan he is Irish and literally looks and talks like a pirate. It was a 3 hour tour that felt as if I was sitting in grandmas lap listening to stories of when the world was a different place. We learned the history of Prague while walking its streets, we laughed, we experienced... it was pretty awesome. He navigated us through the Old Town, the Jewish quarter, the entrance of Charles Bridge among many other places. In fact I loved them so much that later that day I decided to do a beer tour of Prague with them. For those of you that travel alone... this is a gem! For only 12 euros (student discount) they took us to four different breweries and served us 3 free beers. I got to taste some of the best Pilsner I have ever tasted in my life. One of the places (name escapes me, sorry!) their Pils was so fresh made 4 days before, no preservatives, uber good!!! During the walking tour I also got to meet a really nice girl Brianna from Canada, since we were both travelling alone we decided to stick together for the remainder of the day. We visited a castle nearby and the dancing house and met later that day for the beer tour. Great meeting you Brianna! I also met another amazing gal from the states, Eryn. Her and I meet on our way to Budapest but later in our travels we got to meet again on my last night in Prague. We ventured to a local bar on a different district where most Czech students hangout, and there we literally shared a sample of 12 0,3 L beers. Pretty delish tho not nearly as good as the ones I tried on the beer tour. 

I must say Prague is a beautiful place definitely worth visiting again... preferably with a love one ;)

Me and Eryn

Dancing House

 The astronomical clock

Pearl of the Danube

Pearl of the Danube a rightfully given name to a beautiful city--Budapest totally blew my mind!

I met Eric and Judith at the train station, and we immediately headed out to explore the nightlife of Budapest. Given that it was near Christmas eve bars weren't "full" as usual, but mind you they were full! As noted to me by my Hungarian friend people in Budapest don't mess around with their social life. It doesn't matter if you are completely broke, you go out and spare a few forints on restaurants and bars, you socialize, you always hang out with your friends and enjoy all the wonders that life has to offer. I really liked this about Budapest. In more ways than one it reminded me very much of Buenos Aires.

One of the ruin pubs

In my opinion Budapest is more of a night city, its charm and eccentricity definitely surfaces during the dark hours. There are restaurants in every corner. At any time you'll find a little hole in the wall that for a few bucks will serve you excellent food. Since Judith and Eric are total foodies, we got to enjoy some of the best of Budapest's culinary art. Two of the most memorable tastes: goose liver pate and the stuffed cabbage (both hiiiighly recommended!!). Drinking is also no joke in Budapest. Hungarians love their pálinka, and I can't blame them, it is freaking delicious. This fruity brandy is distilled from a variety of fruits, and its strength varies depending on the fruit and age of the pálinka. 40-60-80% alcohol it didn't seem to matter much, for the most part, it went down like water. On our first night we went to what are called ruined bars. These retro looking bars are basically old abandoned buildings transformed into club/bars. Every room resembles a different theme. Within these buildings you can find up to 3 bars and 2 dancing floors depending on the size of the place. Definitely a spot to visit. We also got to go to a very cool ice bar in Budapest. Here everything is made out of ice (duh!) and temperature is as low as -5° C. In this chilly little bar I also discovered the greatness of grapefruit infused vodka (seriously you have to try it!).

Although Budapest's nightlife is incredible, this gorgeous city  has also lots to offer during the day time. 10 minutes outside and you will be blown away by its architecture. Everywhere you look it's fascinating. Many Gothic cathedrals along with majestic forts and bridges that will make you feel as if you are part of a fairy tale story. What's really magnificent about Budapest is that in no way it resembles the perfect cities of the West. Budapest is dirty, grungy, it has an edge (in some ways like Berlin). The walls and streets they have a story a long painful story of many invasions and constant struggle. Its beauty is not just in its buildings but also in its personality--something that I hold to high esteem. The people are amazing. Hungarians regardless of their difficult past are one of the kindest and sweetest people I have encountered in my travels thus far.

For a wonderful time in your lovely city I thank you Judith, and a million thanks to your family for their hospitality and warmth.

Hope you've enjoyed reading!

Love,
Gabs