After 10 years: Back to Peru

My sister and I came to the United States in February of 1997. Settling into our new lives took some time: in learning a new language, a new culture, making new friends. When I arrived I started high school right away. A few years later I entered college; graduated; found a job; found love. Became comfortable with my life, and kept delaying my return.
Beacuse of my cousin's wedding my family and I decided to travel back for 3 weeks in September of 2008, to attend the wedding of course, visit family, and travel Peru.

Presidential Palace in the background

My first impression of a modern Lima was the remodeled Jorge Chavez International Airport [LIM]. The new terminal is bigger than the original, covered with glass panes, has a big parking lot. However of the remodeling covers the airport and some of the districts around the center of Lima (el Centro).

How does one define Lima? Well depends, Lima is divided into different districts. The city is moving into the moden era yet it is still rooted in colonial history (architecture wise).

 El Centro, is best defined perhaps by one of its most iconic squares: La Plaza Mayor, or La Plaza de Armas. The colonial style appears in all the buildings in the plaza, and this style is recurrent throughout most of the city. From the Presidential Palace to the Cathedral. This is because these were built by the Spanish conquistadors and royalty. The building have remain the same since them and little has changed.

 

Plaza Mayor or Plaza de Armas, Lima

The other districts are: North Lima, South Lima, East Lima, and el Callao.

During this trip we had limited visits to these districts as we spent most of our time with my family [in North Lima - in San Martin de Porres], and some time in Cuzco.

The best 20 wet holes on Earth

This is a travel blog, not a Rated X Blog people: http://egotvonline.com/2012/04/23/the-20-best-wet-holes-on-earth/, from Ego TV

I specially like the desert city: Huacachina, in Peru.

"Legend holds that the lagoon was created when a beautiful native princess was apprehended at her bath by a young hunter. She fled, leaving the pool of water she had been bathing in to become the lagoon. The folds of her mantle, streaming behind her as she ran, became the surrounding sand dunes. And the woman herself is rumored to still live in the oasis as a mermaid." From Wikipedia: Huacachina.

Next time I'm in Peru I should definitly visit this town. Looks like magical town that only exists in legends, only that this town is real.

The Berlin chapter: Die Weltreisenden

The first time I traveled outside to another country outside the U.S. was when I traveled to Germany to visit Sören. I had met him on my 26th birthday and we quickly hit it up. I was shortly invited to visit Berlin for a week a few months later.

I arrived in Berlin for the first time in November of 2008. The weather was chilly then and there was snow on the ground from previous days.

Berlin is definitely an interesting city; there is a fine combination of the old and new/modern and traditional. A modern city laced with old world history. Probably one of the most striking examples for this is the Berlin Wall, or what is left behind of this. One of the pieces of the wall is on the middle of Potsdamer Platz, which is one of the most developed areas in the city. The plaza also hosts the first traffic light in history, while being overlook by the vastly skyline of modern Potsdamer Platz.

  

But not only is this evident on the landmarks, but also ingrained in the culture. These days it is not uncommon for Berliners to ask others if they are form the "East" or from the "West." Although these terms no longer apply, "Westeners" are proud of their past location upbringing.

Also one of the biggest things that is settled in their minds is their history and its relation to world events (specifically the WWII Era and the Wall Era). Sören had commented that although this is not something their current generation feel responsible for, they are very aware of it and lies in their minds. Perhaps such traumas are hard to erase from the human consciousness and history and that may be a burden that they have to live with. But of course this is just an opinion based on a commentary. It is also good to learn about the perspectives from different cultures.

Germans although somewhat stereotypically characterized for their rigidness and strictness, know how to have fun. In my own experiences the many Germans I have met are friendly and warm people. Certantly give them a chance ;)

While in Berlin I also learn about the following: Gluhwein and Weihnachten markts (staples of German holidays in winter).

The American Travels Chapter: Aloha Hawai’i

In this post I am going back, way back: 6 years into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This was one my first vacations that I took without family. Although the flight was long, it was worth it. Vitaliy and I took a Delta flight from JFK to Salt Lake City (SLC), then wait for the flight to Honolulu International Airport (HNL), in the island of Oahu. If I remember correctly it took about 9 1/2 hours.

The first thing I noticed from the airplane window was the clear water surrounding the island. It was like nothing I have ever seen before. I also noticed there an unusual amount of clouds around the island. This is due to a high mountain range that run through the eastern side of the island and causes all the clouds gathering in the east of the island to topple over to the city side in the west of the range.
The day we arrived was one of those cloudy days However they don’t hang around, the comes and goes throughout the day and almost every day is sunny and warm.
We took a shuttle from the airport to our hotel The Coconut Plaza. The first day we explored the city for most of the day. Then on the second day we hit the beach.

                                                   

View from our room

Time out: London 2012!

I finally purchased my guide to London! I love the Time Out guides, they are very simple to follow, they give you many insights about the city and local tips to make you feel like a local. They also have a comprehensive section on Gay and Lesbian events/locals. I have been using these guides for my European travel such as Barcelona and Mallorca. Since I had a great guide in Berlin I didn't need to get one for that city.

The guide is broken down into categories (sights, dining, lodging, nightlife, etc.) and each category is divided by areas. The section about the city areas provides a brief description of it and what to look for. The maps of the city and the subway system map (the tube) is easy to follow.
Another great thing about Time Out guides is that not only do you get a guide of the desired city, but the cities around the area. So you can feel free to explore near by cities without getting lost.

My goal is to explore a different area of London each day. 10 years ago I stayed in Surrey (South of the city of London) for most of my visit and visited the city a couple of times to see the touristic sites. This time I'm staying in the city, so I think I'll be able to get a better exposure of London.

The other reason I bought this guide was for the Olympics Games. This year's guide has a section dedicated to it, everything form travel, to venues and tips for visitors. I will definitely use it.

So if you are visiting London this year I would highly recommend to use this guide. It has never stirred me wrong. To purchase this guide visit Amazon.com: Time Out Official Guide to London 2012.

Table of Contens

The Love Connection

 

So here is the truth: I travel with an agenda other than visiting new places. Well, at least I used to. Over half of all my travels have been to meet, visit guys that I had a love relationship with.

It all started with Ryan. Doing all I did to get to London was uncharacteristic of me. I actually put myself out there and broaden my horizon (literally).

When I met Vitaliy he was already working in the airline business and he loved to travel, so I had to keep up. He is the reason I got my passport when I became a citizen. We did not travel to other countries, instead because of our schedules we did all of our travels to other states, sometime that probably would not have happened without him. Although it seems like a silly reason to solely get a passport, I'm very grateful it happened.

After I became single I stopped traveling, until my 26th birthday when I met Sören. That was the first time I traveled back to Europe since my London trip. Ever since then I have been traveling to Europe every year. At first my trips were to meet Sören, but after we went our separate ways I decided to start traveling for my own enjoyment.

Unfortunaly I did not have the chance to travel with Chris, my last boyfriend, anywhere as our schedules never coordinated. I did get to see and explore Williamsburgh I suppose. Since we didn't go away on vacation, does that mean I own him a trip? Well I did offer, but even now as we go our different ways our schedules still do not coordinate. Sometime in the future perhaps.

Although I don't travel for love reasons any longer, I do travel from time to time to meet my friends in other countries. I did go to Munich to meet our friend Tom (and also for Oktoberfest). I have gotten offers to go to Poland, Serbia, and Holland. Maybe I should take my friends up on the offers sometime in the future.

Anyways, although it was great to travel to meet these special people, I'm glad that I don't have to have a love agenda in order to travel the world now. And I can set my own agenda from now on. 

Or, perhaps 'til next time I meet someone else ;)

2002: The London Chapter

My first trip to London, and first outside the U.S., was on 2002. I had taken a job at 7-Eleven during that summer to cover my my trip expenses. After 2 months of hard work I had gather enough money to cover for my flight, expenses and visa.

Since I was still a Peruvian citizen I had to go to the British consulate to apply for a visa. Being young and an inexperienced traveler I had bought my ticket before getting the visa. I remember praying to get the visa the same day I went to apply for it, and fortunately I did; by paying to do the paperwork on the express lane and explaining the emergency of my circunstances( I believe I went to the consulate a week before my trip), by getting helped by a great consulate employee that understood my odd situation, and by luck.

Finally on August 12th, 2002 I took a flight from JFK to LHR (London Heathrow Airport) on an American Airlines flight and started the beginning of my travels.

I've learned much since then and experience lots too, in travel matters, as well as in love matters.