Rapa Nui, Isla de Pascua, Easter Island

Call it by any name, this lonely little island is magical! After a luxurious 4.5 hour flight from Santiago (including fancy schmanzy meals and free wine, beer, and personal selections of movies, games, and music)... we found ourselves being whisked away from the tiny airport to a quaint hospedaje tucked under banana trees near the coast. Within a 2 minute walk from our brightly colored room, we could already see the mysterious stone statues looming not far in the distance.

Afternoon 1, we strolled along the coast with virtually no one around allowing us to respectfully soak in the magnitude of the scenery- the ancient heads with their peculiar grin and the crystal blue ocean with crashing whitecaps behind. Naive to the skills of island budget eating, we picked the nearest ocean front restaurant and ordered what the people next to us were having- fresh fish and cold wine. It was an Easter lunch of sheer bliss, but when the bill came we realized our mistake too late- our entire day budget for food disappeared in one meal! We tried to make up for lost pesos by buying groceries for dinner, but the only place open was a small tienda selling substandard dried food for triple the normal cost. Over the next few days, however, we became more savvy and enjoyed our meals for under budget- including our first stab at ceviche! Raw fish soaked in lemon juice and served with vegetables is a local delicacy- another culinary delight that we just could not quite wrap our taste buds around!

Day 2 we rented mountain bikes and set out to explore the far side of the island, stopping to admire statues (Moai) and their ceremonial platforms (ahu) as well as the fantastic coastline. Many of the Moai have been raised from their faces where they had fallen and laid resting for hundreds of years. Some have been touched up, whereas others are still ruggedly natural. They apparently served as symbols of ancestors watching over local villages which is why they face inland rather than towards the sea. We ditched our bikes and headed to 2 sandy white beaches for part of the afternoon. The only semi-casualty of the trip was when I made my best attempt at a scene from Baywatch and walked casually out into the surf on an isolated beach where we later noticed no-swimming signs. As I strutted my stuff, I turned to smile demurely at Cullen when a giant wave came out of nowhere and tossed me to the ground like a rag doll. I came away from the rip tide without injuries and without my sunglasses- a donation to the water gods in true Schneider fashion! That one is for you, Dad!

Day 3, we were exhausted from our marathon bike ride but the rainy and cloudy day left us few options. So instead of lounging on the beach again or seeking more Moai, we took a taxi to the far side and began the foot journey back to town along a rugged and sometimes not visible trail on the north side of the island. Again, our calculating skills were rusty because our host mom told us the trek would take 7 hours and we left at 2pm without headlamps. When we finally did the math, we decided to take long strides and hustle at more than a comfortable pace. We passed lots of desolated ground peppered with thousands of volcanic boulders and horses (yes thousands of each), but little else. It rained sideways and the wind blew hard as we walked gingerly above towering cliffs that dropped off into the now gray waters. We never saw another soul and the quiet walk was beautiful in its own way. We were thoroughly wiped out,however, by the time we got home and after making ourselves a quick dinner of pasta we fell fast asleep.

Day 4, we decided to give our poor legs a break and rented a scooter- aka un moto. Just like on our honeymoon, we cruised around the island with gigantic helmets on and even bigger smiles permanently spread across our faces. The breeze was cool and we jetted around to all of the highlights on the island including two volcanoes, an ancient ceremonial village, the beach, and the final most spectacular Moai. The day was perfect from the crepe and jam breakfast all the way to our oceanside glass of wine watching the sun set over the horizon.

Day 5, we departed for Santiago... the adventure continues!

Arica, Chile... Beach Daze

Aahhh, we´re still not sure what was more relaxing- lounging at the beach, or buying a hamburger at McDonald´s! After 2.5 months of mystery whenever we ordered food, it was a rare pleasure to see the golden arches- a moment of ecstasy for Cullen and a moment of joy I never imagined I would feel at the sight of a fast food place!

We climbed the nearest plateau to take in the scenery, went for morning runs along the coast, lounged on the gritty sand beaches, and spent little on food so that we spend more on cold drinks. The currency and time zone changed when we crossed the border, so now the sun sets after 8pm and we are spending thousands of pesos to buy a sandwhich- a drastic change in both actual and apparent cost after leaving Peru.

We bumped into Jim again in Arica on our way out of town (American amigo from the US who we met in Colca Canyon)... small world! We just landed in Santiago this afternoon and had our first Starbuck´s sighting... amazing how familiar the city feels- so close to a large American or European city, but somehow we are missing Peru. We want to wish everyone a very Happy Easter! We hop the plane to Easter Island in the morning where we will be a long, long way away from McDonald´s and Starbucks again!

Canon de Colca

Last adventure in Peru... for now! The last week was a whirlwind of hiking and bus riding, but now that we are parked in the beachtown of Arica, Chile we can finally update with a few new photos! Arequipa was a much more citified place than Cusco, but still ruggedly Peruvian. We went on a 3 day adventure with our friend and guide, Alain, who took us on a private little tour of canyon trails leading past cactus towards isolated little bungaloes, hotsprings, and hidden pools. It was a much more relaxed version of hiking than our last backpack trip. This time we walked hard and fast for part of the day, then spent the rest of the time in sublime relaxation. The accomodations were grass huts and the beer was warm, but we still felt like royalty the whole time. Alain is muy tranquilo and our conversations always ended with, ¨Todo es posible, nada es seguro.¨ It felt like we went on a meditation retreat with a little yogi- lots of laughing and spanish practice to accentuate the fantastic views. We got a little hungry in between meals, so we picked the fruit from cactus (they call it tuna- but it´s nothing like its namesake in the states!) and made ourselves a little feast at the cost of a few prickly spines in our hands. We met great people from Holland, Ireland, and Florida on the trail and spent St Paddy´s night in an Irish pub with all of them on our last night in Peru. The very bottom part of Peru is arid times ten- we saw sand dunes but nothing else for hours outside the windows of our speeding bus and taxis. It made Nevada look lush! More news from Chile to follow!

Our Spanish Teachers and Their Families

These fotos give and idea of how adorable the children are and also what a good view we generally had in Peru! We were always a full head above the crowd- made it easy to find eachother! The little boy with a green vest is Renzo and we made a goal of bringing him to the US to live with us when he is a little older. We took everyone out for pizza and jello- they were so grateful and polite that we wished we had done it every week! We also gave them soda pop and toothbrushes... they were more excited to receive the toothbrushes! Leaving Cusco felt like leaving home again...

We're Back!!!

After a dazzling 6 days of travel, we are back in Cusco... but only for a few more hours. We leave on an overnight train for the city of Arequipa on route to Chile. The last few days have been absolutely breath taking! We took a taxi with Fanny and John to a little Pueblo at the base of glacier-peaked mountains. We couldn't find a place in town willing to serve us dinner until finally one local agreed to make us fried rice for 5 soles each (less than 2 dollars) and we could bring in our own wine and beer to serve ourselves- it was a fantastic start to a very memorable journey. A young boy from town named Weiner (yes it was difficult for us to say his name with a straight face) latched on to us instantly and became our guide and friend for the evening. The next morning we left early with our sherpa and two mules loaded with 8 days worth of food and equipment. I will leave the details of the journey that followed for the next post, but in short it was the most spectacular and grueling trek we have ever been on! We're back early, and everyone survived which is worth celebrating with a glass of wine right now! More news and definitely more photos to follow! Sorry KC to keep you hanging!!! Lots of love from Cullen and I to all!

Laguna de Huacarpay

El domingo se pasó muy tranquilo... After a scenic bus ride past small pueblos and rivers that would be beautiful if not for the horrendous amounts of trash lining the sides, we arrived at a muddy street with no sign of much happening. We asked the locals where we could find a laguna, and they pointed us off in the right direction... We walked through misty rain past mud homes and locals doing their chores leisurely. We found the marshy banks of the laguna where cat tails were growing and women were knee deep in the murky water doing laundry. Eventually we came to an isolated but somewhat luxurious restaurant where we tasted the local specialties- duck and fresh trout. Later we meandered further along the lake, through small ruins, and past many farms. We passed a family harvesting their corn with giant kernels (choclo) and the mother called us over to give us each an ear of corn in yet another example of beautiful Peruvian generosity. We eventually found the small village of Lucre where we eased our aching muscles with a little home-made icecream and yogurt. It was still a long, but beautiful walk past marshes teaming with birds as we headed back to the main road to catch a bus. We flagged down our ride and made ourselves comfortable even though there were no more seats on the bus... then smiled as we left our small haven of serenity and headed back to the bustling town of Cusco...

Volley Ball with the Teachers

Well this weekend we played volley ball with our spanish teachers. It was an unforgetable experience watching the teachers bickering in spanish over the correct score of the game or argue whether the ball was in or out. The teachers actually played quite well and were extremely competitive. One of the best parts was comunicating the actions of the game with your team mates in spanish such as yelling ¨yo, yo, yo, afuera, afuera, afuera, es tuyo, es tuyo, es tuyo...¨