Viajes

This week was good. We had Tuesday off of school for teacher day (if there’s one thing they know how to to do here it’s have days off of school). So anyway we joined the teachers and some of the other volunteers here in Yantalo (there are quite a few) for a paseo (outing). First we went to a playground/pool/volleyball place to play some volleyball, a favorite pastime here. Prefoessional soccer might be the most popular sport to watch, but I would bet that volleyball is about as popular if not more so to play, especially for adults. We had a US versus Peru game, and we made our country proud. It helps that Thilan, Viral (two med students from New York here with a big group), and Caleb are taller and can really spike it. After volleyball we went to a different place that is the spring of one of the big rivers here. It was absolutely beautiful—a jungle paradise. We got in and swam (it was pretty cold, even by my standards) but super clear and beautiful. We swam for a bit, then climbed out and, you guessed it, played some volleyball, then got back in an swam for a bit again. It was a fun day. I have also discovered that I’m very fond of roasted bananas stuffed with peanut butter or cheese.

We had a couple days of work, then headed out for a trip of our own. Caleb and Jenny didn’t have school on Thursday, and I didn’t on Friday, so we decided to take off for the weekend. We went to Chachapoyas, about 6 hours from Moyobamba in what is considered the sierra of Peru. We spent Thursday afternoon traveling, and that night I got to take my first hot shower since I arrived in Yantalo May 9. Friday we went to Kuelap, a really cool archeological site that is one of the major attractions near Chachapoyas. It was a fortress on top of a mountain in the Andes, so cool ruins surrounded by panorama views of patchwork fields climbing up and down mountain sides. It was awesome. But I think Saturday was my favorite. After some issues with a bank ATM malfunction that ate Jenny's card (machine malfunction, not theft), we headed out for the Cataratas de Gocta--what the locals claim is the third highest waterfall in the world. The internet only said number five at 771 m. Whether 3rd or 5th, it was absolutely spectacular. We did a horseback ride through Andean jungle type landscape for about an hour and a half, then hiked in to the falls. The whole valley was pretty much falls though. There were 3 other sets of falls you can see from the falls themselves, and the valley overlook you can see six. The falls were incredible. I was expecting a huge torrent of water, but instead the water spreads out so much as it falls that there's only ripples in the pool at the bottom. The fall ends up being tons of spray and really strong wind, which is cool. The fall right next to it never even hits the ground. It just blows away. The whole thing was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen. I'll try to get pictures up... as always.

I'm moving into my last week here in Yantalo. Next Thursday I set out to be a tourist in Peru, and in three weeks I'll be home! I can't wait to see my new neice, who is absolutely adorable by the blog pictures. Have a good week everyone!