Easter Island Eclipse Trek - Day 1
THE HIGHEST ELEVATOR IN THE WORLD
July 4th, 2010
Traveling is vastly easier than it used to be. Early explorers had to spend months, even years securing funding from wealthy patrons, then picking and hiring crews, and ultimately pack shiploads of supplies for their grand voyages. Today, if you're lucky and can scrimp and save enough,
you can get online and find the vacation destination of your choice and be there in as little as a few days. With the world at our fingertips and so many destinations to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down your options. Me? I like to play a game of Cosmic Roulette and let Nature decide where I'll be traveling next. And in July 2010, that is how I came to be riding in "The Highest Elevator In The World".
I've centered my last few major vacations around something magical that happens in a tiny fraction of our skies; a grand celestial dance of light and shadow involving the Earth, moon, and sun. It occurs when the moon
slips between the other two bodies, and for a few glorious moments, eclipses the sun. It is quite astonishing to see. For a short time, day becomes night, stars and planets appear in the daytime sky, and most phenomenal of all, there is what appears to be an infinitely black hole in the sky ringed by fiery white light. Then before you know it, it's over. And you are planning a trip to see the next one, wherever that may take you.
My most recent journey was a dream come true. It combined several things at once - My love of travel, my enthusiasm for astronomy and photography, and visiting some place I've wanted to go since I first heard about it as a child: Easter Island.
The trip also got me that much closer to completing a travel goal: To set foot on all 7 of the world's continents. (Traveling to South America has put me on 5 continents. Only Asia and Antarctica to go.)
The first leg of the trip took me from Los Angeles to Miami. Due to delays, I nearly missed my connecting flight in Florida. When I got to the gate there was no one around, but the departure time printed on my ticket indicated I still had 15 minutes to spare. A woman came up the extendable causeway from the plane and saw me. She checked my boarding pass and passport then we ran down the ramp to the plane. She balled her hand into a fist and pounded on the plane's door until they opened up and let me in. As I crossed the threshold I did my usual pre-flight ritual: I patted the aluminum skin on the exterior of the jet alongside the open door, a gesture of my faith and trust in the vehicle that it will get me there alive and in one piece. (Since I began this ritual years ago, it has kept me safe 100% of the time.)
Miami disappeared into the distance as the plane headed southeast to Bolivia. Leg Two had begun. It was an uneventful flight (the best kind!) and we arrived at El Alto airport on the outskirts of La Paz just before sunrise. As people shuffled through the lines in customs, they spotted the familiar pink travel tags issued to us by Astronomical Tours, dangling on the bags of other travelers. It was our first introduction to the people with whom we'd be traveling for the next 2 weeks.
We'd arrived and made it through security, now came the next hurdle: the altitude. The majority of people on this trip had come from sea level and we were now standing at 13,325 feet (4061 m) above sea level. The air is much thinner and your body struggles to cope. It can take a few days to get acclimated, so a few things are offered to help lessen the effects, including doses of pure oxygen, coca tea (tea with small amounts of coca leaves) or dried coca leaves to chew on. Since we weren't acclimated yet, porters helped with our bags so we wouldn't keel over trying to do it ourselves.
Our local guide, Ivan, (pronounced EE-von) shepherded us into a large motorcoach and we were on our way! From Bolivia's Altiplano (high plain) we watched the sun rise over the snow-capped Andes and saw the city around us come to life. The bus ride to the hotel was about 90 minutes of awe and terror. It wasn't that the driver was fast or crazy, but every vehicle swerved, swayed, and honked as they made their way around. From what I could tell, the honking was the drivers' way of letting pedestrians, bicyclists, and cart vendors lining the streets know that if they stepped so much as an inch in the wrong direction, they'd be so much roadkill.
It was Sunday, so everyone was headed out to sell their wares, making the streets near impossible to navigate. People were sandwiched in minivans disguised as buses. Men and boys stood on top of buses and caught luggage tossed up to them for storage while traveling. Tiny women wearing large bowler hats and colorful woven shawls waddled from place to place. Stray dogs darted between cars, vendors, and pedestrians, and fought over scraps of garbage, while a few others napped in the early morning sun. The going was slow through El Alto, a lively and chaotic suburb of La Paz. But once we got through and were in the countryside, the driver was able to pick up the pace; there was less swerving, but still the occasional honk. We arrived at our hotel, the Inca Utama Resort, around 9am. After checking in I headed up to my room on the 2nd floor. Even though it wasn't very high up, Ivan still recommended I take the elevator which bore the gold plaque inside declaring its bit of infamy.
When I entered my hotel room I met Jeff, my roommate for the journey, for the first time. We hit it off instantly. A very funny guy from Kentucky who bears an uncanny resemblance to Brett Favre. Our stay in Bolivia was short, so no time was wasted lazing about. Not long after we checked in we clambored aboard one of the hotel's hydrofoils and cruised across the lake to a small village.
From there we went to Isla Chisawa, one of Lake Titicaca's Floating Islands, where we visited a family who lived there. Then it was back in the hydrofoil to the hotel where we had dinner in their restaurant. Earlier in the day we looked at the menu and signed up for that evening's selection. There was something for everyone. Among our options were fresh lake trout, llama, chicken, and vegetarian dishes. I opted for a llama steak. That was something special. It was so good, I had it again two nights later.
To see images from this trip, use this URL and click on the album "The Highest Elevator In The World".
CLICK HERE to jump to DAY TWO
July 4th, 2010
Traveling is vastly easier than it used to be. Early explorers had to spend months, even years securing funding from wealthy patrons, then picking and hiring crews, and ultimately pack shiploads of supplies for their grand voyages. Today, if you're lucky and can scrimp and save enough,
you can get online and find the vacation destination of your choice and be there in as little as a few days. With the world at our fingertips and so many destinations to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow down your options. Me? I like to play a game of Cosmic Roulette and let Nature decide where I'll be traveling next. And in July 2010, that is how I came to be riding in "The Highest Elevator In The World".I've centered my last few major vacations around something magical that happens in a tiny fraction of our skies; a grand celestial dance of light and shadow involving the Earth, moon, and sun. It occurs when the moon
slips between the other two bodies, and for a few glorious moments, eclipses the sun. It is quite astonishing to see. For a short time, day becomes night, stars and planets appear in the daytime sky, and most phenomenal of all, there is what appears to be an infinitely black hole in the sky ringed by fiery white light. Then before you know it, it's over. And you are planning a trip to see the next one, wherever that may take you.My most recent journey was a dream come true. It combined several things at once - My love of travel, my enthusiasm for astronomy and photography, and visiting some place I've wanted to go since I first heard about it as a child: Easter Island.
The trip also got me that much closer to completing a travel goal: To set foot on all 7 of the world's continents. (Traveling to South America has put me on 5 continents. Only Asia and Antarctica to go.)The first leg of the trip took me from Los Angeles to Miami. Due to delays, I nearly missed my connecting flight in Florida. When I got to the gate there was no one around, but the departure time printed on my ticket indicated I still had 15 minutes to spare. A woman came up the extendable causeway from the plane and saw me. She checked my boarding pass and passport then we ran down the ramp to the plane. She balled her hand into a fist and pounded on the plane's door until they opened up and let me in. As I crossed the threshold I did my usual pre-flight ritual: I patted the aluminum skin on the exterior of the jet alongside the open door, a gesture of my faith and trust in the vehicle that it will get me there alive and in one piece. (Since I began this ritual years ago, it has kept me safe 100% of the time.)
Miami disappeared into the distance as the plane headed southeast to Bolivia. Leg Two had begun. It was an uneventful flight (the best kind!) and we arrived at El Alto airport on the outskirts of La Paz just before sunrise. As people shuffled through the lines in customs, they spotted the familiar pink travel tags issued to us by Astronomical Tours, dangling on the bags of other travelers. It was our first introduction to the people with whom we'd be traveling for the next 2 weeks.
We'd arrived and made it through security, now came the next hurdle: the altitude. The majority of people on this trip had come from sea level and we were now standing at 13,325 feet (4061 m) above sea level. The air is much thinner and your body struggles to cope. It can take a few days to get acclimated, so a few things are offered to help lessen the effects, including doses of pure oxygen, coca tea (tea with small amounts of coca leaves) or dried coca leaves to chew on. Since we weren't acclimated yet, porters helped with our bags so we wouldn't keel over trying to do it ourselves.
Our local guide, Ivan, (pronounced EE-von) shepherded us into a large motorcoach and we were on our way! From Bolivia's Altiplano (high plain) we watched the sun rise over the snow-capped Andes and saw the city around us come to life. The bus ride to the hotel was about 90 minutes of awe and terror. It wasn't that the driver was fast or crazy, but every vehicle swerved, swayed, and honked as they made their way around. From what I could tell, the honking was the drivers' way of letting pedestrians, bicyclists, and cart vendors lining the streets know that if they stepped so much as an inch in the wrong direction, they'd be so much roadkill.
It was Sunday, so everyone was headed out to sell their wares, making the streets near impossible to navigate. People were sandwiched in minivans disguised as buses. Men and boys stood on top of buses and caught luggage tossed up to them for storage while traveling. Tiny women wearing large bowler hats and colorful woven shawls waddled from place to place. Stray dogs darted between cars, vendors, and pedestrians, and fought over scraps of garbage, while a few others napped in the early morning sun. The going was slow through El Alto, a lively and chaotic suburb of La Paz. But once we got through and were in the countryside, the driver was able to pick up the pace; there was less swerving, but still the occasional honk. We arrived at our hotel, the Inca Utama Resort, around 9am. After checking in I headed up to my room on the 2nd floor. Even though it wasn't very high up, Ivan still recommended I take the elevator which bore the gold plaque inside declaring its bit of infamy.
When I entered my hotel room I met Jeff, my roommate for the journey, for the first time. We hit it off instantly. A very funny guy from Kentucky who bears an uncanny resemblance to Brett Favre. Our stay in Bolivia was short, so no time was wasted lazing about. Not long after we checked in we clambored aboard one of the hotel's hydrofoils and cruised across the lake to a small village.
From there we went to Isla Chisawa, one of Lake Titicaca's Floating Islands, where we visited a family who lived there. Then it was back in the hydrofoil to the hotel where we had dinner in their restaurant. Earlier in the day we looked at the menu and signed up for that evening's selection. There was something for everyone. Among our options were fresh lake trout, llama, chicken, and vegetarian dishes. I opted for a llama steak. That was something special. It was so good, I had it again two nights later.
To see images from this trip, use this URL and click on the album "The Highest Elevator In The World".
CLICK HERE to jump to DAY TWO
Labels: Bolivia, Easter Island, eclipse, Lake Titicaca, Llama, Travel
posted by George Willis at 4:40 PM
2 Comments:
Great travelogue so far. I've not heard of air passengers being offered O2 before - mind you, the highest airport we've flown in to to date is Cusco at 3326 m (10912 ft), so a wee bit lower!
Lovely pictures of the floating island of Lake Titicaca. We visited the Peruvian islands - Los Uros - from Puno.
Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
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