Breathtaking Machu Picchu

Giving Thanks at Machu Picchu, Peru

Happy Thanksgiving 2010 is all I have to say. Who knew that I would be standing on top of

David Wolfe and Peru Gang, Wayna Picchu

WaynaPicchu (the mountain which watches over the ruins) giving thanks this year. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate than to be taken with all its glory. To sit and wonder why I am so blessed in this life. To bow down to the young and ominious Andes in all their jagged rock and green vegetation. To celebrate living on this planet. That’s a reason to give thanks, a big thank you for being alive in this moment in time. Pacha mama (Mother Earth) is a great source of energy in all her magesty.. if you attempt to tap in, you’ll feel it, experience it, relish in it. She’s alive and kicking and we are all connected to her in a very big, big way.

Our group (David Wolfe’s Adventures) wanted to be one of the very first people in line to get the stamp we needed to climb Wayna Picchu. They only allow

The High Altitude Waters of Lake Titicaca

I just got back from an impulsive trip to Lake Titicaca – which was spectacular and much needed water therapy! Sunday I was here at

Arriving at Tequile Island, Lake Titicaca

the hostel in Cuzco talking with a German girl and realized that my time in Peru this trip was winding down, and I hadn’t done as much far away exploring as I’d hoped. Could it be the bus rides to get here from Ecuador ruined me?

I start work this weekend as David Wolfe’s retreat is coming to town and my friend

The high seas of Lake Titicaca

Matt and I will be doing the raw food for them for 10 days. Then I only have a week left before I go back to the states.. and so much to do, visit the jungle, visit the coast, visit Titicaca and the floating reed islands. That later seemed the most doable in a 3-day trip, so I packed a bag and grabbed a taxi to the bus terminal.

Sometimes things just go like clockwork. There was a bus leaving within the hour. A

Gorgeous day for boating!

7 hour bus ride got me to Puno around 10am. I headed straight for the easiest hostel which was right on the main gringo strip – Hostel Monterrey. The guy at the front was a total sweetheart. He got me checked in for 8 soles (basically $2.50) then directed me to the nearest bar. Not that I needed a drink, but I definitely needed to walk after 7 hours.. and as a solo lady traveler, I like to pay attention at night. So I walked up and down this pedestrian street trying to catch some air. I did find one place still open, a raggae Venice looking hole in the wall, that happened to have some pretty good scotch, a night cap never hurt anyone J

I knew I had to get up extremely early to catch a boat to one of the islands. There are dozens of tours offered but I’d rather go it alone and work it out with the locals. I got to the port about an hour early and figured out my round trip for 25 soles ($8.00)

Visiting the Reed Islands and Uros People

now I just had to wait. The scene got pretty ugly really quickly as hordes of tour buses sped in and deposited their large groups.. off the bus, onto the boat and off. I have to say they have it down to a science and I was sure glad not to be in that scene as I watched from afar with some “momitas” who were running the small tiendas where you could buy food and water. I was told the islands have no water and since I feel dehydrated most of the time at this altitude, I bought tons!! I also didn’t have a clue where I was staying or the meal situation, so I bought enough food to sustain myself – not great food.. but snickers satisfies right?

Lake Titicaca is super stunning. It is situated where the Andes meet the high plateau grasslands, like this great big blue gemstone in the middle of all this arid land. The lake is South America’s largest lake and the world’s highest navigable lake with passenger boats. You can definitely feel the altitude in your breathing.. even though when you are looking at the clear blue-green waters, it’s hard to remember you are so damn high. 3826 meters.. around 13 or 14-thousand feet. Now I’ve been living at 11-thousand in Cuzco, so I much more acclimatized than some others on the boat. Still I made note of the extremely thin air.

Tequile Island, Lake Titicaca

I decided to stay the night on the island of Tequile.. which takes somewhere between 3-5 hours (these boats go really slow). The lake is basically split down the middle by

Locals on the Island

the border with Bolivia, so tourists have two options. One is to go out of Puno (which is what I did) and either day-trip to one of three islands, or stay the night. The other option is to take a bus around to Copacabana, Bolivia and visit their famed Isla del Sol. I just didn’t have the time.. but damn I need to visit the Bolivian side sometime, I just saw pictures on the bus ride home of there, highly recommend it.  Tequile is a fairytale on its own. Only 7 km long, this island of 2,000 has no roads to speak of and some very steep stone walkways and steps. It takes a workout to experience this quiet and tranquil way of life. The locals here are in hella good shape, they have no choice!

Local who lives on the island, Uro tribe

On our way out to the island, we stopped by Uros Islands or Isla Flotantes.. which are probably what Lake Titicaca is most famous for. Haven’t heard of them? They are the unique islands made entirely of the totora reeds that grow in abundance in Lake

Woman from the floating islands selling her art

Titicaca. The people of Uros managed to figure out if they weaved enough reeds together, they would float and sustain a community. It’s amazing to see and experience. The first step onto the island is a crazy spongy one, you have to have faith the damn thing is going to hold. There are dozens of these islands each holding 3-7 families. The Uros people began their floating “life” as a way to isolate themselves from the aggressive Colla and Inca tribes. Nowdays it is pretty damn commercialized and they people know exactly how to pose for pictures and to bargain prices. Most don’t speak Spanish but either Quechua or Aymara, two native tongues. They use the reeds for everything. Boats, benches, houses, islands, arts

Primitive Meals

and crafts.. they even eat the reed, so it provides food too – don’t know how good it is or how

Life on a floating island

nutritional.. but pretty darn incredible huh? I just had to buy something from these people and help support their livihod. Maybe I’m a sucker.. but it is beautiful artwork and it afforded me a great conversation with my friend Julia who has 5 kids, bless her heart. It was nice to hear 4 o them were at school. It’s a life of hard continuous work. The Uros must lay down new reed every two weeks so they can keep up with the amount rotting away on the underside. They assured me some of the islands had been around for 20 years, so they must be doing something right. Imagine though, it’s like winter proofing your house every two weeks. We in America just don’t know what hard work is sometimes. As our boat passed through, we saw all sorts of men and women harvesting

Island Life, Tequile, Lake Titicaca

reeds for who knows what reason. Could be a patch job on the ole island, or time to make a new boat. The trip was already worth it and I hadn’t even reahed my destination.

I had some really cool moments on the boat trip. One was sharing my ipod music with one of the local gentlemen. If you can share 5 songs with another culture what would they be? A very hard questions and at the time, I went with old stand by like Paul Simon and the Steve Miller Band, mixed it with some Bob Marley and the Shins. I stayed up on the top deck the entire time, a lot of it by myself which was perfect. I got to meditate and soak in all the gorgeous healing energy the waters provide.. and to BE in the present. Such an amazing scene, I think I smiled the whole time.

When we arrived, the chore became hiking yourself and your possessions up to the town square which  is located in the middle of the

Tequile Island, Lake Titicaca

island with great views. I grabbed a quick lunch at one of the only restaurants there (everything closes for dinner) and a beer never tasted so good. I then quickly found a family to stay with for the night. There are no hostels or hotels here. While touristy,

Happy and Peaceful, Island Time

most come for just the day.  I had been told to get a real taste of island life, you stay the night, so that’s exactly what I did. I negotiated a room plus dinner and breakfast, dropped my bag off and went exploring. Oh what a damn cute island. The locals have obviously been doing some work. There is one main stoned path that reaches from one end to the next. I first took this path out to this white sandy beach, where I instantly took off my shoes and waded in. I had the intention of skinny dipping in the clear blues waters.. but also didn’t want to scare or offend anyone, so decided to keep the clothes on. The water was perfect temperature. Cold definitely, but not like glacier cold, like the lagoons at Ausangate. This water was refreshing and crystal clear. It reminded me somewhat of Lake Tahoe.. but with a much calmer feel. You could easily mistake Lake Titicaca for an ocean if you didn’t know. I then jammed it down to the other side of the island to visit the ruins. Stupid me forgot my camera so I only had an instant to work with, which sucked… tied to only 27 pictures There are paths and walkways weaved all over this island and it could be very hard to navigate in the dark, I made note. I hit the ruins at the most

Tequile Island, Lake Titicaca

perfect time to catch a sunset. Ahhhhh, the peace and quiet of the island absorbed my thoughts. The ground below me, the wind in my ears, my heartbeat, the warmth of the sun. This is what it means to be connected to Planet Earth, to truly relish in her divine beauty. Love you Titicaca, thank you for existing and for affording me this pleasure!!

Made it back to the house just in time to sit and break bread with another young couple. I pulled out a bottle of red wine and some nori and olives to “perk” up an otherwise very bland dinner of potatoes, corn, rice and eggs. That’s the big downer about these islands. It’s too high of altitude to grow really good vibrant colored

The Perfect Ending to the Perfect Day!

vegetables and fruits, so they stick with the basics which can grow.. and have to buy the rest from Puno. Of course, we are talking about very low wages and well, a red bell pepper I just don’t think they would pay for. We ate by candlelight and watched the most spectacular lightening storm roll in on the other side of the lake. Cloud to cloud lightening all night long, seriously. I got up to go to the bathroom around 3, the light show was still going off, so I grabbed my sleeping bag and sat outside for a bit. Such a cool scene to have all the stars above and the ominous clouds and lightening strikes in the distance.

I managed to make it up before sunrise and to hike up to another section of ruins for meditation. Cold and windy, then the sun hits and life seems to just glow. The boat to come retrieve me and others was scheduled for 2pm, which was a long ways away and I had explored every inch of the island. What to do. After talking with some locals, I heard of a collectiva leaving around 9am from the other side of the island, so I put on my backpack and hoofed it over, passing so many children on their way to school. You wouldn’t believe how steep of a hike they have each day just to go to school. Again, I realize that perhaps we don’t’ know what tough is in America. These kids were so happy and smiley and they all were eager to say hello at the tall redheaded gringa. The boat didn’t leave on time, however it did go. I wish I had a picture. It was me and 10 local guys all dressed in their regional attire, red stocking caps which resemble Santa’s helpers, black pants, brightly colored thick cloth belts, little vests and huge smiles. Oh how I wish I had a picture to share!

It’s a good thing I took an early boat as absolute drama at the bus terminal. Turns out there’s a protest happening down the way and no busses are leaving for two days… 2 days!! That just can’t be. I need to be back in Cuzco to meet my group. How can this be? Only in South America. I was told it was way too dangerous for any bus to try to get through and that the roads were blocked off. Shiiiiit. Fortunately I happened to be there when two guys from Spain said screw it and talked two taxis into taking 8 of us backroad around the protest to a different town where we could catch a bus. It was like a damn movie I tell you. Super back dirt roads in the middle of nowhere. These taxi drivers were angels and I think they enjoyed the renegade trip. It was super dusty and dirty and took about 2 hours.. but all of a sudden we popped back out on a paved road and the town of Juliac was 30 minutes away. Grabbed a bus… and just like that, I’m back in my bed in Cuzco with visions of Titicaca to put me to bead. Ahhhhhh, such a nice trip!!

Know your Llamas, Alpacas!

Mountain Animal

If you didn’t know, llamas and alpacas are the animals you see most here in Peru, at least up at this elevation. I had never really given them much thought before arriving here. They are awkward cute animals who seem one part curious, the other half scared to death. There are actually two more types which are less known called the Vicuna and the Guanaco, four in all. The llamas is the largest of the four and is used as a pack animal as well as for its  wool. Believe it or not, these funny looking animals can carry up to 55 pounds which is large compared to their size. Alpacas are much smaller and will be a lot furrier most times. They are almost exclusively used for their wool which is finer than sheep’s wool and the preferred type used for clothing – althought I’ve seen many

Giving Animals

restaurants with Alpaca on the menu as well as the poor little guinea pig – so sad!

On my bike trip to Pisac, I stopped by this farm which happens to be an association of several indigenous towns. They’ve banned together to generate money and have established somewhat of a petting zoo and educational establishment about the use of their dear animals. It proved to be a much needed break from the bike (my seat was killing me) and such a wonderful experience. One of the “tour” leaders allowed me to put my bike on the side so I could  walk around in all my biking gear and check the place out.

The wool from both animals is truly part of their tradition and how many indigenous people in this area still make their money. Man oh man what gorgeous designs and patterns they can make, such a useful skill to have. I was told by one woman they she learned how to weave when she was just 7 years old. She looked to be about 25 now.. and so very fast at her work. I find speaking Spanish affords me much

Gorgeous and skilled Peruvian at work

more opportunities to connect with people. While the rest of the gringos snapped away pictures without asking or even trying to muster up an “hola” hello, I sat right down and started chatting with the cutest little boy and

My spirit child

his mom and what looked to be another friend. They were all dressed up in their traditional wear and their purpose was to pose for pictures. You can imagine their surprise when I started to speak to them and ask questions. I love connecting with kids, probably because that is about the level of Spanish I speak these days, although it is getting much, much better. I managed to get the boy laughing at my terrible language skills and facial expressions. Once you get the kid, the adults usually follow which they did. Love this little boy. Actually I fall in love with kids here in Peru over and over again. Guess my clock is ticking J Although the place was quite touristy, I loved seeing communities to ban together and benefit from the flux of people coming through the area – good for them I thought. They each take turns posing for pictures and showing foreigners the fruits of their labor. Incredible work, the time-consuming skill is one to always respect. Handmade products.

One part of the place was set up exclusively to show visitors how they take the natural wool, spin it into thread (you see a lot of women sitting on the

My Trip to Pisac, Sacred Valley

Gratitude and appreciation come in absolutely random ways; today mine was climbing to Pisac ruins and being humbled by nature, community, hard labor,

Pisac Ruins, a room with a view

and faith. I sometimes now want to pinch myself to be sure I’m in the right lifetime, because the adventure and exploratory missions are so profound these days. I know I’ve been shaped through the years of crazy travel experiences, but now this soul journey –spirit quest – is kicking my ass it so many fantastic ways. I’m learning to stretch and grow a dwarfed side of my existence on this earth.  It is the art of being quite, connecting with planet Earth, immersing into a different culture, honing intuition, being present in every moment letting go of expectations and relishing on the enlightened path. There’s nothing like a magnificent ancient civilizations imprint on this earth to make you feel so insignificant, to realize how far away from nature we’ve become. The Incas are teaching me thousands of years after their existence.

 

Absorbing the Energia

I know, even I think I can sound so hippie these days, but I write every honest word I am experiencing as I grow. I’m seeking like the rest of the millions of people on this earth. The good news is that number is increasing as times get worse and more confusing, deceitful. There’s hope though, I feel it in my bones and my head is in the right set of clouds I think. That has a lot to do with my new friend Alex Putney, who’s breaking all molds in his theories for the future. He told me about Pisac, that it would be a special and unique adventure… then I decided to add more thrills to it all by setting out on a mega day – I can barely keep my eyes open as I log the days activities – my body is already asleep and it is now just the direct route from my head to my hands.

Pisac is a pueblo (town) about 34 km northeast of Cuzco. Although it is much lower than the big city, as it sits at the entryway to the Sacred Valley here in Peru, there’s a mega ass hill to climb to

Riding bikes into the town of Pisac, Peru

get to that valley. When I asked while renting my bike, they said it is very much up and down – the road to Pisac. I forgot that locals are used to climbing all the time. San Francisco has nothing on Cuzco. Just to get to my hostel from the main plaza, I climb over 200 steep steps – and I picked this hostel to be closer to Sacsayhuaman, a very energetically charged ruin which sits about 1000 stairs more above the downtown area. I love riding bikes, that’s no secret. I love a challenge, a good suffer fest to remind myself I’m alive. I just forgot how much suffering I might do at this elevation. Although I’ve been here for days now, altitude can always be felt at 11-thousand feet. I got myself somewhat conditioned by hiking up to Sacsayhuaman every morning to meditate. But my lungs hadn’t been put to the test yet.

So at 5 am (which is my usual wake up time it seems here) I got up, fixed myself some tea and a green drink (I’ve introduced it to a the family who runs the hostel, alright reviews which I see as a good sign). and looked at the ominous skies. It had rained and thundered last night (so welcomed, so cleansing as long as your not caught out in it). I was told it was to rain all day, although there was a break at the moment. My young good looking friend Julio which I met at a restaurant here was the one who came up with the bike ride idea… and I

Mi Amigo, no show!

didn’t want to cancel, so I packed a bag full of goodies, including an extra pair of clothing in case I got absolutely soaked, gloves, hat, warm stuff and headed down to the plaza to grab a rental. Leo – the young Peruvian who practiced his English on me the day before met me at the shop at 7am. Now, for $20 I was hoping for a bit better looking bike. It was definitely more like a downhill mountain bike instead of cross-country and I started kicking myself right away for not looking at the bike and checking it out BEFORE the trip. But the tires

Biking to Pisac, the Sacred Valley, from Cuzco

were inflated, the brakes worked and I could adjust the seat, so off I went. Julio never showed, so I was on my own. Instantly the road climbs up at out of Cuzco, the same road I could see on my way up the old steps to the ruins each morning, so I knew a couple of the twists and turns. I made it about halfway before my heart was going to jump out of my body and I had to get off and walk. Hey, no ego here, not at this point in my life, not at this altitude. Once up on the plateau it seemed like the climbing never ended and I started to reconsider my day. However, the scenery continues to blow my mind. I had a “get it together” talk with myself. Yes, I was suffering and my legs were already tired. But then I would look at the dozens of Peruvian women and men heading down to the market with piles on their backs twice as big as their bodies. They did this climb up and down from their home every single day. We don’t know suffering, true suffering. These indigenous

I really didn’t understand when I kept hearing “sexy woman”.. what were these people talking about! What she’s up on a hill? Who?

Sacsayhuaman Entrance

These ruins perched high above Cuzco instantly found a place in my heart and deep in my soul. It only took me two days to understand that just past the crest of one of the northern mountains lies an intriguing structure, you just have to climb a thousand stairs to get there!! It’s probably good I waited a couple days to give my body time to acclimate to the 11-thousand foot elevation of Cuzco.

The view from Sacsayhuaman above Cuzco

This huge ruin is the closest accessible ruins to Cuzco.. which made me originally think it would be so touristy and hordes of people (and it may be during the day). One lovely woman gave me the best advice, go there early in the morning.. for free. Yes, they charge for every ruin here, although you can get a tourist “boleto” ticket which allows you to visit many sights.. but just once. Since I’ve always been an early riser and can’t seem to sleep past 5 am here, I decided it was time to visit. (side note, seriously, the sun rises at 5:30-45 and it is fully light out by 5am. I’m not sure how it works here in November or how at this elevation in between all these mountains the sun comes up so early, but I’m going with it).

The ruins open at 7am and that’s when guards and people start arriving. I figured a good two hours by myself would be ample. I threw on my blue poncho which has traveled everywhere with me, my security blanket if you will, and climbed up, up and up. I saw not a soul. It was so quiet, so peaceful. I decided to avoid the actual entrance which brought me up the back side of the ruins. I honestly gasped when I first saw the huge stone zig-zagged wall. How in the hell

Temple Hopping in Kyoto

I know it’s crazy and sounds a little backwards, but I’ve been in Kyoto for 4 days and am just now getting time visit some of the well known temples and shrines.  The truth is you just can’t visit them all or you would go nuts running around this city, so I picked a few after reading, asking questions and looking at pictures and set out. My day excursion would included starting from the southeast side of town – Higashiyama and working my way up, then hopping a bus to Nishki market to buy some gifts.  It was early – hoping to beat the crowds – cold and windy (hoping to weed out the crowds) and the last day of 2009. Green tea in hand, camera in pocket I briskly walked about 30 minutes to  the Fishimi Inari Taisha – the shrine dedicated to the gods of rice and sake. Well, ok, it’s actually the god of harvest and agriculture. It’s basically where you go to pray for prosperity in business… and with starting Raw Trips this year, I figured a good pray session was in need. Now this is my kind of shrine. It’s built into the Inari-yama hill and requires some physical work to see it all. The path up the hill is lines with some 5-thousand sacred gates called Torii. According to custom, as one passes through a gate, one’s request “passes”, so I made sure to think only happy thoughts on my trek. Truly a stunning sight walking through these tunnels and the trek to the top had me huffing and puffing. I actually dropped to my knees when I got to the top, half out of exhaustion and half out of  homage.

It was my first view of Kyoto from high up. From a distance it looks like just another big city in Japan, heck even walking the streets feels like just another big city, but it’s true charm comes from getting off the beaten path, taking that small side street, wandering the footpaths between neighborhoods, exploring into the hills and parks – that’s when you fall in love with Kyoto.

Another half an hour walk put me at the steps to Kyomizudera, one of Japan’s most popular temples. It stands 4o feet tall and has an impressive large deck held up by a hundreds of  strong pillars. Here the crowds got pretty intense as it has one of the best views. It’s also where you can pray for love – another big one on my list. Supposedly if you can close your eyes and safely walk from one stone in a straight line to the next stone about 50 feet away, you’ll be sure to find successful love. I missed the first time, shiiit. I’m not sure how but I veered waaay off to the left – which means my desire for love won’t be fulfilled. I’m not a quiter, so I tried again and this time, I hit it right on the money. A group of Japanese girls had been watching and cheered for me as I made it, it was a really fun “girls” moment. I decided not to take chances so I paid to pray, then bought a good luck charm AND a fortune in English.. which made me feel better. Another woman in line with me pretty much had the same luck and we both bought all the same things.. then laughed and laughed. I love when you can communicate without speaking each other’s language. I planned on taking some holy water to ensuring even more success but the line was entirely too long and I just couldn’t hang, I had to find some lunch.

I had asked around and was told there was a great little rice and noodle joint I should try nearby, but hell, the line was a block long, so I just picked whatever I could from a street vendor – which happen to be grilled eel that cost me $16… shiiiit – super good, but not worth the money. Eel has something to do with bringing luck in the new year, but I couldn’t quite make it out. I weaved my way through some of the charming old time streets and filled my backpack with all sorts of little gifts for friends at home before arriving at my third and final temple, Nanzenji. This place is huge. It started as a retirement villa for an emperor but ended up being dedicated as a Zen temple in the 1200’s. This place just seemed to go on and on and on. I paid and prayed at as many shrines and temples inside the complex I could before running out of money. Did I mention that it gets damn expensive to hopefully get your prayers answered? I think the holiday season is when all the shrines and temples make their money to support them the rest of the year!

I hopped a bus back into the center of town to go to Nishki market, the main market where you can buy just about anything, maybe even a kid. I only really wanted to go to one store – the famous knife store Aritsugu. I mean, a chef really gets into their knives and these babies are super expensive in the states, pretty damn pricey here too, but of course I dished out a healthy handful of Yen to get my own knife, complete with my name on it – in Japanese of course, the best souvenir possible for me.

The crowds were just too damn intense for any other shopping, besides it was time to get ready for new year’s night… a big night out on the town – well not really. My plan was to go to my friend Masako’s house an hour away – which I did and had a wonderful dinner with her family. We then planned to go stand at a temple and pray in the new year.. but did I mention how damn cold it was? I think she wanted an out and somewhere lost in the translation, I was put back on the train home… which had me bringing in the new year at a transfer train station. Well, you just can’t win them all! So much for the sacred night of New Year’s in Japan! I never liked the expectations which come with this night anyhow…  besides I prayed all day for the great year to come. I think I’m safe!!!

Nutopia in Ecuador – Meeting of the Minds

One of the reasons for getting back to Vilcabamba in October was to be part of a free global gathering of conscious minded individuals. The slogan is “Now,

Vilcabamba locals

Now or Never, Ever, Nuptopia 2010. The conference was to be two weeks long and filled with interesting speakers (like myself) and to hold space for discussion about the future and our global situation. Galen’s hope was to come together, learn, grow and start taking action where we see fit.

During opening ceremony Mother Nature took center stage with the most incredible rain I’ve ever seen in Vilcabamba. It was soooo loud that I couldn’t help but look out and stare and laugh. Yes, she was present and wanted us to know she was listening and supporting. The valley needed the rain so badly, it usually doesn’t come in such doses. You got to just love nature, love, love, love planet Earth! The rundown of speakers was incredible and as we went around the circle introducing ourselves, I knew this was a special group and that I should prepare to listen and learn. It was also an incredible way to realize what a unique group of people live right in town. Yes, I see them at pot lucks and knew what some of them did, but I had no IDEA how talented and knowledgeable our community was!! I learned all about the benefits of MMS – so cheap and accessible for people of all economic status looking to heal. At it is providing some amazing results for all sorts of diseases and illnesses, and quickly too – which is why in America they are trying to ban it from use. Can you imagine a world where people could heal themselves without spending tons of money? The medical and pharmaceutical businesses will never stand for it, they’d lose big time!! I also listened to my friend from Guayaquil talk about alkaline water versus acid water (which I’ve been doing now for years). I even got to speak about what raw foods means to me and about the raw lifestyle, what it is, how it works and about reconnecting with our life force, our food. I had such good feedback afterward, it just made my heart sing to share my knowledge with others in a very comforting and open platform!

Peru via Ecuador

Local "Mamita" with her alpaca

My really close friends are so used to my crazy schedule, so this won’t come as a surprise to them.. but I’m now in Cuzco, Peru. When I left the states a couple weeks ago, I was returning to

Getting into the local culture

Vilcabamba, Ecaudor, a place I’ve called home for this year. When I arrived however, my living arrangements were changed drastically. I had been staying at my biz parnter’s guest house and looking after her land, creating a huge organic garden for her and supervising construction. However Jan backed out of our business Raw Trips. She had told me I could stay at her place till January. When I arrived, she asked me to move out. WTF!!! Yes, that was my first reaction. She’s been going through some trying times and I have a feeling she’s projecting whatever on me. We had no big fight, no disagreement, she just said she wanted me out. This really came as no surprise when I thought about how business partner’s go. In fact, I guess I’m nieve to think that friends who go into biz, then one backs out, can still be friends. I had absolutely no hard feelings about the business, got over that really quickly when I saw it was a silver lining for me, the universe was taking care of me – I needed to have faith in that!

the city of Cuzco

Anyhow, long story short, the next morning I had this strong urge, like my gut was yelling GO TO CUZCO, PERU. Now, I’m just learning to really listen to my intuition. It is something that is becoming stronger and stronger the more raw

Peru’s Giant, Mt. Ausangate

I’ve been trying to live my life wide open and ready for anything and I love the freedom that gives me to do anything at anytime. Today

Out for an adventure with Tansar

my friend Tansar who lives here at the same hostel Apu Wasi.. invited me to go the mountains with him. He’s been in Peru for 3 years and has fallen in love with Mt.

Mt. Ausangate, Peru

Ausangate, Peru’s highest and most ominous mountain of 22-thousand feet. He goes to the mountains as much as he can and had already planned it all out with one of his local friends. We would meet them at the bus station in Tinque – 3 hours from Cuzco. We’d then take a cab to Maurio’s house to grab his horses, pack up and hit the trail. I couldn’t resist such an offer.. and well, I’m a sucker for the mountains and camping!

False start in the morning. I got sick the night before and was up all night with a stomach bug, so when that alarm went off at 4:30 a.m.

Do I speak Italian?

I received the funniest email this morning from my late boyfriends mom. She said she and her husband were just in Italy for 3 weeks and while there, they watched me spout out Italian every afternoon on television. I thought, whaaaaat? I don’t know Italian. Apparently my Treasure Hunter: Kirsten Gum show which airs here in the US on Travel Channel… now is being shown in Italian but with some other girl dubbing over my voice. How crazy is that! I mean for a number of reasons, it just tickled me.

For one, I have not shot a new episode of Treasure Hunter in a year and a half. That’s not my doing as I loved traveling the world searching for unique gemstones and artifacts. The VP of Production had decided he didn’t think Treasure Hunting was hip, nor had he ever gotten dirty in his life (he had come over from Style), so he didn’t see the sheer joy of being on a scavenger hunt as an adult. Not ripping, just saying. He had other ideas of how to spend his weekends. What he didn’t realize is that most people who watch Travel Channel aren’t like him, they are more like me.. ready to go and get down and dirty.. or at least they like watching me do it.. which I’m 100% ok with. I’ll share my experiences with anyone who will listen or watch. See, I see it as a grand opportunity to get knowledge out.. maybe even open viewers eyes where they once held them tightly shut. Anyhow, even though the ratings were good and much better than most shows on the network, he decided he wanted to bring a little show called “Bridgette’s Sexiest Beaches” to light instead, spending millions on the marketing of one of Hugh Heffner’s little girls next door.  It failed MISERABLY.. which gave me some sweet satisfaction. After a few in-house b.s. things that he pulled, this VP tried to bring another one of his amazing ideas to air “America’s Worst Driver’s”. He though it was going to be a huge hit.. and again it easily was one of the weirdest shows to air on Travel Channel and it was horrible. It just didn’t fit what people turn to TC to watch. They want exploration, they want to see places outside of their comfort zone – even if they’ll never trek there themselves, it is still cool to watch. That VP is no longer there, thank goodness. I haven’t approached them to see if they want to re-up the show.. but I will once the new leaders have some time to get situated. I’ve got proposals for shows brewing in my mind constantly… but the right one has not fully formed…. yet.. it will within the next 6 months, I will be back on tv doing a show I believe in, that will help educate and entertain and will help viewers move in the right direction to save this planet, to relish in its beauty and to live compassionate and kind lives.

So… back to Italy. it amazes me that the show is running in different countries, let alone still running here in the US. I know they pulled my page off their website some time ago, and I figured that meant the show would stop airing. What are those pesky people doing over there in programming I wonder? I’m glad it is still running and I’m glad that Italians can follow along as I dig, dive and drudge my way to hopefully a lucrative end each and every show. That’s one thing I can say for myself, I found something every show… some definitely were more exciting than others… but there was always something to show for my efforts. Wow, talking about the show makes me miss my crew so badly. We had so much fun together, talk about one big happy family!! I still keep in touch with many of them, no not daily or weekly.. but you see that’s the kind of great friends they are…  we can pick up where we left off no matter what!

Ah Italy, it’s been almost 7 years since I rode my bike around Tuscany and gulped good red wine. It was a wonderful trip. Little did I know that it would ignite a massive amount of European trips. You see it was my first bike trip and it finished 10 days before I was hired by OLN to go cover the Tour de France.. the real thing It sometimes feels like so many chapters ago.. really it hasn’t been.. and as I’m finding out these days, on a daily basis… it all comes back around if you set your intention.

I was just contacted by a friend from my NASCAR days in Charlotte, NC. That was almost 9 years ago and really waay at the beginning of the book I’ll someday write. It feels good though, to reconnect and do it with no regrets. This life is starting to make sense to me. Why I had certain jobs in my life, why I lived certain places, who I’ve dated, all of it has led me to who I am right now, all the pieces are making sense… oh what a fun journey this is.. and I can’t wait for the next twist!