Saturday June 11

I had a very interesting day. I first visited a Nazca cemetery which is over 1000 years old. The Nazca mummified their dead and buried them with pottery. The site was discovered about 100 years ago, and was not protected until the 1980's. Before then grave robbers dug up the graves, primarily for the cloth and the pottery. Until then mummies, human bones were strewn over the ground. They are now restored in their graves, on view. There are still numerous bones, just lying around. There're also over 1000 graves still left to be opened.
We also had a little talk about local gold mining, which is still done completely without machines. Miners chip out ore, about 60 kg a day, and carry it 6 km to the road. At the factory the ore is ground with a small machine, and then reduced to a powder by manual labour. 60 kg of ore might produce 1 g of gold, worth 40 dollars to the miner. A tough way to make a living.

In the afternoon I took a ride on a small plane over the Nazca Lines, one of the mysteries of the ancient world. It's worthwhile checking the Nazca Lines out on the Internet.
The ride was a bit of a thrill, there lots of sharp turns. My stomach was quite happy to land.
Tonight I am off to Arequipa on an overnight bus.
Till later..

Friday June 10

I took a boat tour to the Ballestas Islands this morning. The fog is still with us. It doesn't affect the vision as much as makes everything look grey.

The islands are in the Humbold stream which delivers very rich ocean water. This attracts thousands of birds, seal, penguins, and sea lions. The biggest attraction are the birds that nest here, literally thousands and thousands. Before the islands were discovered by the natives the guano (bird droppings) were 30 meters deep. Every year it grows by 2 m. That's a lot of goano!! It has been harvested for many years, because it is a great organic fertilizer.
The scenery is very rugged, and the ride is a bit of a thrill.., lots of bumps and spray. I was happy I wore a rain jacket.
After the tour I continued my journey south to Nasca. Nothing but desert, although we started to see small mountains as we turned inland. I finally saw sun, by the time I got to Nasca it was beautiful.
Nasca reminded me a lot of rural Mexico, not very clean, not very attractive.
I did find a place to buy postcards. The lady also sold me stamps. They were not self-stick. She had to put glue on each one, and stick it on the card.
The bus ride down was great. Complimentary coffee, and the bus had Wi-fi. It was interesting reading the Hamilton Spec, while traveling through a Peruvian desert.
My hotel room was very nice, clean and large.

Peru.. ready or not, here I come

Thursday June 9
I flew to Peru yesterday, and the biggest excitement was waking up Wednesday morning in the middle of a storm, without power. Luckily I had packed and didn't have to do that at 5 am.
The flights were pleasant, the food very bad, but I landed in Lima at 9 pm, on time. Took a taxi to my hotel, and was in bed by 10:30.
Thursday Morning was not great.
First I had to find a bank for some cash. The first one didn't like me and didn't give me any cash. Luckily the second one, a Bank of Nova Scotia was more agreeable.
Breakfast was another let down. Instant coffee!!!!
I had researched what bus to take to Pisco, and had to take a taxi to the terminal. Each company has it's own terminal. Luckily the driver went in with me to buy the ticket. That's when I found out, that contrary what the Lonely Planet says this company does not provide several trips a day. Back in the taxi to try another one. Again no luck. Finally we lucked out with a third company, and that bus left 10 minutes after I got there.

The other problem was that the bus doesn't go into Pisco, but drops you off at the highway, 6 km from town.
The drive was also depressing. There is a constant coastal fog, and the drive is through a desert (next to the Pacific). It is a true desert, no greenery, mucho rocks and sand. In addition to that the poverty is staggering. I have seen a lot of shacks, but nothing as bad as the "villages" along this highway.
I visualized being dropped of in no-man's land.
As it turned out there was a buzzing business district ready to meet all the buses, and there were plenty of taxis.
Pisco was a pretty little town, until 2007, when it was hit with a major earthquake, and 70% of the town was leveled. Several hundred people were killed, 136 while at mass. It is still quite a mess.
My hotel has been rebuilt, and it is one of the nicest I have ever stayed at. Free wi- fi, breakfast, lovely room, all for 20 dollars.
Pisco is a nice little town. I had a great cerviche dinner, with a large beer. 10 bucks, including tip. I like it.

Greetings from Hong Kong

Let me start out by saying Hong Kong is a hell of a long way from Dundas.
There is a 12 hour time difference, so I guess it's about half way around the world. As my friend Bill describes Hong Kong- it's New York City on steroids. Another big difference is that NYC is flat, while HK consists of nothing but hills. There are a lot of steps. I know!
You want to go shopping at 11 pm?; everything is open. It's only you and 8 million other people. I cannot think of one name brand store I haven't seen represented here. It's a shoppers' paradise.
The transportation system in HK is phenomenal. You can purchase an "Octopus" card, which is like a debit card. You load it up with a certain amount of money. When you get on any of the modes of transportation, you swipe the card and it automatically deducts the amount of the fare. On the subway you swipe on the way in and out. The cost is dependent on how far you travel. No tickets, no money for change. It's fantastic, and it works for all forms. I used it on minibuses, regular buses, the subway, trams, and ferries.
My favourite sights have been, oddly enough, religious in nature. I visited a Buddhist nunnery yesterday. It was on a hill, of course, but it is a series of large wooden buildings, beautifully constructed. No nails, no screws, everything fits together like a wooden puzzle, only huge.
It's hard to tell it's a nunnery, because they all have completely shaven heads, and loose brown robes. Unless you watch them go into the womens' side of the washroom you can't tell.
It is amazing to see such a peaceful building surrounded by 50 story apartment buildings.
The nunnery also has one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever see. Few flowers, but lovely rock formation, and bonsai trees.
In the afternoon I visited a Buddhist cemetery, and a Buddhist monastery.

The cemetery is interesting. Because of the cost of land, cemeteries are large rooms, lined with "drawers" for the cremated remains. There are dozens of these rooms, each with a couple of hundred remains. Family members visit and burn incense sticks. There are also large furnaces where family members can burn offerings. They use fake money to gain favours from their ancestral spirits. As a spirit I don't know how I would feel about being given monopoly money. I think I would prefer a few nice sandwiches, and maybe some new DVD's.
Another feature of this cemetery is that it's on top of a hill, with 500 steps to get there. It wasn't until I went down again that I discovered there was an elevator. I was wondering how some of the older people I saw at the top got there.
Right next to this cemetery was another monastery "The Monastery OF 10000 Buddhas". Another 500 steps up.

By the time I got to the top of that one I wasn't sure whether it was 500 steps and 10000 Buddhas, or 10000 steps and 500 Buddhas. It felt more like the second one. And they aren't kidding about the number of buddhas. They do come in all sizes, from much larger than human size to tiny images. The walk up is along a path which is lined with several hundred life-sized statues, in various poses and facial expressions. Each one is unique.
It was quite warm and humid, and I lay down for an hour or so after I got home.
For my last meal in HK Diane, Bill and I went to a Nepalese restaurant. Very good food.
I have been staying with friends of a friends, a lovely couple, Diane and Bill. They have been perfect hosts, and these few days have been great. I am sure that this level of luxury won't be reached for the rest of my trip. I am off to Hanoi later today, and that's where the real adventure will begin.
Till the next time
Ralf
PS If you want to leave comments. please feel free.

Greetings from the land of the Dong

Just a quick clarification. The "dong" is the currency of Vietnam.
It took 2 hours to fly from HK, and almost 2 hours to drive from the airport into Hanoi.
I took a minivan from the airport to the city, and as soon as I got in it reminded me of Guatemala. There were 14 of us in the minivan plus all the luggage, Crowded wouldbe an great understatement.
The other thing that reminded me of Guatemala was all the garbage along the roads. The air pollution, I think, is worse than Hong Kong. At night the sky turns a metallic bronze.
And the traffic is insane. That's the only way to describe it. Think about rush hour traffic in any Canadian city, and then add a thousand motor scooters to all the cars. I kid you not. There are intersections like Yonge and Bloor, but no traffic lights. Nobody stops, traffic just weaves in and out. It is unbelievable that I did not see one accident. When you cross a road you just start to walk at a steady pace. You don't want to look towards the oncoming traffic. It would scare the hell out of you, and they would see the fear in your eyes; which is never a good thing.
I love it here though. The vitality of the city is unbelievable. And the motorscooters are priceless. You see everything from families of four, on one scooter, to ladies in fancy dresses and high heels, weaving in and out like professional motorcycle racers. And the loads some of them carry. I saw on that had about 40 flats of eggs hanging on the back. A flat is 12 by 12 eggs.

I did have one interesting interaction. A very beautiful lady in a red dress, with a slit up to her neck, high heels and all, stopped and asked if I was interested in a massage. Unfortunately (or maybe not) I hadn't been to an ATM yet.
That was another experience. I did go to one later, and withdrew 12 000 000 dong. Instant millionaire. The reality though is that's only about 600 dollars. The dong is not large. And size does matter. I did not encounter the lady in red on the way back.
I did have a great dinner. 8 spring rolls and a bottle of Tiger beer. My kind of meal. And all for 4 bucks.
My hotel room is right in the old city, there is a safe ( the kind to store money) in my room, air conditioning, mini fridge, fresh fruit, and beakfast included, all for 40 dollars.
As I said I love it here.
Tomorrow it is time to venture forth and discover Hanoi.
Wish me luck
Ralf

My second day in Hanoi

I had a very fortunate experience this morning. As I was walking I heard some music, and I followed my ears. I came across a street festival, which featured lion dancers, groups of ladies doing fan dances, tai chi (?), and martial arts exhibitions (not by the ladies). It turned out it was a celebration at a temple, and the occasion was the birthday of the founder of the temple. The ceremonies lasted about 2 hours, and it was great entertainment.
I also went to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. He is the country's most adored citizen, like Lenin in Moscow and Attaturk in Turkey. His body is preserved and on show 10 months of the year. The other two months he is in Moscow getting a facelift, and a formaldehyde refill. I had no intention of viewing the body, but it is in a huge park, and there is security all over the place. You can't just wander around, you basically follow the crowd. Because I hadn't expected to see the body I didn't check my camera at the security office, but I found myself in line to see the body. I was hoping I wouldn't get caught, and I didn't. He does look good for somebody who has been dead a few years.

The most amazing thing about Hanoi is the traffic. I know I have said this before, but I have to repeat it. It is more thrilling than any Disney ride. At one point you feel like Moses parting the Red Sea, the next you think you are a torreador in a bull fight arena. I had a coffee in a restaurant with a balcony, and I just watched the traffic for half an hour. It was like an RCMP Musical Ride, with motorcycles and cars weaving around each other.
Absolutely amazing.
The trick is not to look at the traffic, just look straight ahead and walk at a steady pace. You certainly must learn to have faith in your fellow human beings.
The weather today was much nicer, it was cool, and very pleasant. I have yet to see the sun on this trip. The air is so bad, the sun can't get through. There are a lot of people with face masks.
One more day in Hanoi then it's off the the northeast of Vietnam.
Till the next time
Ralf

Ralf gets a haircut

There are some "crafts"villages near Hanoi. I tried to decide whether to go to the "snake" or the "silk" village.The specialty of the "snake" village is to raise snakes for the specialty restaurants in the area. The description of a typical meal in Le Mat goes like this, I quote one of the guidebooks.
"  Usually the cook presents the live cobra at the table either tied to a stick, or held by a helper. First he cuts the snake's neck, allowing the warm blood to gush out and fill a glass. Then he slices its stomach and removes a small green balloon-like venom sac, pouring it into another glass. The heart is next; the cook makes an incision a little higher, carefully cutting out the snake's still beating heart, and presents the tiny organ on a plate or in a glass of rice whiskey. The snakes venom is blended with its urine and some more rice whiskey.The brave can down the glass and its living contents. Quite the cocktail, eh.
The rest of the snake is then cooked and presented to the table."
I decided to go to the silk village, Van Phu. I took local buses, and that is quite a challenge when you can't read the signs, and nobody speaks English. But I did persevere, and I did reach it. It was not what I expected. This village is well known for the handmade silk, and the silk sold at the boutique shops in Hanoi almost all come from there. So I thought it would be touristy, sort of like St. Jacobs, a little out in the country. Not in Vietnam. Even though it's listed as 7 km from Hanoi, it is simply a small part of the urban sprawl, actually "urban slum" would be a better description. I never saw another tourist, on the way there, while I was there, and the way back. There were some nice silk pieces, very reasonable, and I actually did some shopping.

The other interesting adventure was that I passed a barber who had set up shop on the sidewalk. I needed a haircut, so I sat down and got a haircut. The good news is that it was only a buck fifty, the better news is that I won't need a haircut for six months. The only bad news is that I might have a problem getting through passport control; they might not recognize the photo as being me.
I did another brave thing today. I took a "xe om", which is a motorcycle taxi, and interprets as "I want to die young, riding a motorcycle, hopefully with a scared shitless Westerner on the back". I think the guy thought I was gay, I was holding on so tightly. Beats any rollercoaster ride I have been on, and is cheaper, even if you include the cleaning bill for the pants.
This is my last night in Hanoi for a few days. I am off to the "Wild North". I am hoping for electricity, but I doubt I will see a lot of internet, so if you don't hear from me in a while that is the reason.
I was thinking today, as I wandered like a lost cloud, thank goodness I am doing this while I am still yound. I don't think I'll be doing this in twenty yeras.
Have fun
Ralf