tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47931593662043475412024-02-18T17:49:09.188-08:00 Big Heart, Small WorldFollow me as I explore the world with an open heart. Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-8525905038502499452022-01-24T16:58:00.005-08:002022-01-24T17:06:59.600-08:00Liz Cervantes Portraits <p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYXGE4InLvSTsot-42GV0FBkcN5D0vyAvCwr2yzkYwiZvvchMIn5yG-bZnZY2x4NSTxIHMDXmo0JXHwucWFYyiBf11ICpv7AtgQyf0F4knhixBHeMaVmONyOdezBorZ2y7GPYxQoV_5Vu1JJfkJo_vJXZS_AaYMVuRNaXjv-fxo2eGr08StkIAAUlTlQ=s9000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="9000" data-original-width="7134" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYXGE4InLvSTsot-42GV0FBkcN5D0vyAvCwr2yzkYwiZvvchMIn5yG-bZnZY2x4NSTxIHMDXmo0JXHwucWFYyiBf11ICpv7AtgQyf0F4knhixBHeMaVmONyOdezBorZ2y7GPYxQoV_5Vu1JJfkJo_vJXZS_AaYMVuRNaXjv-fxo2eGr08StkIAAUlTlQ=w364-h459" width="364" /></a></div></div>Watercolor Original - $150</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajQ0WS1ZpGdy6Is12cuF9P3kB6bNKyTSnDkk66X1V4Tl_nUhBd-YeGy8fSlcigEtvzvlfO4ziQKHyeSOiTL5sc01yuTRdROJaRsH4IATmvIvP-A44r2oXKIXzetMTBRTPlqxv9HKbLpYZ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="612" height="415" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajQ0WS1ZpGdy6Is12cuF9P3kB6bNKyTSnDkk66X1V4Tl_nUhBd-YeGy8fSlcigEtvzvlfO4ziQKHyeSOiTL5sc01yuTRdROJaRsH4IATmvIvP-A44r2oXKIXzetMTBRTPlqxv9HKbLpYZ/w327-h415/image.png" width="327" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Watercolor Original - $150</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODyCebdx8OupoX_VK9RYzLPRGB32JV97yff0ESYrD7NLai0wAC23QIlJCUtJP_lU41OwsWChDh0NwD_S-7gzsD1-ieA_3XY5JPugPsIBhoeF6rhV9VSNwyZ0yhb-O29A13GAxeEB6f7pg/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4900" data-original-width="3500" height="437" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODyCebdx8OupoX_VK9RYzLPRGB32JV97yff0ESYrD7NLai0wAC23QIlJCUtJP_lU41OwsWChDh0NwD_S-7gzsD1-ieA_3XY5JPugPsIBhoeF6rhV9VSNwyZ0yhb-O29A13GAxeEB6f7pg/w312-h437/Jannis+Watercolor.jpg" width="312" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Line drawing with digital watercolor - digital ($45) and print + digital ($50)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2s-ehbWE5eo9zL_HB0KNMSm2Dzw4Lf40HU3uSw_I_7PXIS0e0vtxvFUYIqUpi_HxwAnd2ZzQcq22jdyYntkWgb8LYkLVdjxRkKuGVRHSyxwC5dcG_zf6qB5B1fXB9Wbgcd0QdRv7j74q/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="317" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2s-ehbWE5eo9zL_HB0KNMSm2Dzw4Lf40HU3uSw_I_7PXIS0e0vtxvFUYIqUpi_HxwAnd2ZzQcq22jdyYntkWgb8LYkLVdjxRkKuGVRHSyxwC5dcG_zf6qB5B1fXB9Wbgcd0QdRv7j74q/w603-h371/image.png" width="603" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Line drawing with original watercolor - $55 (print)<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-67ZRjLpGGWWvJLA_TKAkEOsbLiR1F-0Nr9-P8l9c-OmGiFbsAx9R1aRcp0lUXo8_fEVDBL162YL0to1-3pTdNDDS0RbxeLzH8V5fmEjwzuTmJd6Y-kXCQsWmm-a_GXDB9-tcudlwDuRk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="556" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-67ZRjLpGGWWvJLA_TKAkEOsbLiR1F-0Nr9-P8l9c-OmGiFbsAx9R1aRcp0lUXo8_fEVDBL162YL0to1-3pTdNDDS0RbxeLzH8V5fmEjwzuTmJd6Y-kXCQsWmm-a_GXDB9-tcudlwDuRk/w314-h390/image.png" width="314" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Original Watercolor - $150</div><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvNAU4xkr-QiwDtDudDxrfxwzyoSNowlCE1jF7W3J8BzsOyKYGUtrfE9HnQsJoOlW4bRlTkykgqBX3j-G0eDlMvJOl04c9ImjLsykQWLj8k2Fe7b_hz7E5bYZzCOe374JZ5PNHazkRhMT/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="768" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvNAU4xkr-QiwDtDudDxrfxwzyoSNowlCE1jF7W3J8BzsOyKYGUtrfE9HnQsJoOlW4bRlTkykgqBX3j-G0eDlMvJOl04c9ImjLsykQWLj8k2Fe7b_hz7E5bYZzCOe374JZ5PNHazkRhMT/w460-h368/image.png" width="460" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Original Watercolor - $150</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8piNJw9oM-hTHH1YZZVJtyfWzibCuS861yDC8tyvX6ZPU_yWtwQDe8ymA2HNW9vr5pqUdmCwNKkdCHRC0RkDaIn_OZM7JR38UZis6Jm3WVmRw3YfAIcowN6OOYysIw6KEWM-xjktwQreN/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="768" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8piNJw9oM-hTHH1YZZVJtyfWzibCuS861yDC8tyvX6ZPU_yWtwQDe8ymA2HNW9vr5pqUdmCwNKkdCHRC0RkDaIn_OZM7JR38UZis6Jm3WVmRw3YfAIcowN6OOYysIw6KEWM-xjktwQreN/w421-h335/image.png" width="421" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Original Watercolor with two faces- $200 (+$50 per extra face)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-JQoZfNpLW5p_RRC8mF3dZcmCAWihMBhslHy8XfetVMMyDN83J1UGDkLDQHDauMIknrkN47ICo98CJA_jiFjkEKYkt0PaoJuQL35xlULiNZMjOdORBi0SdNqv-qt_k31AMrgEwkxjVgr/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2100" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm-JQoZfNpLW5p_RRC8mF3dZcmCAWihMBhslHy8XfetVMMyDN83J1UGDkLDQHDauMIknrkN47ICo98CJA_jiFjkEKYkt0PaoJuQL35xlULiNZMjOdORBi0SdNqv-qt_k31AMrgEwkxjVgr/w447-h320/Amigo.jpg" width="447" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Line drawing with digital watercolor - digital ($45) and print + digital ($50)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVfxuWs_GLh3xB7d3_TAEzjmYBZ8nrqjb5acF3UjTCjk4W5H9zhFqOCF6-kMWhp6-qOpb4Fq4dcvTM3kcraa1OW9Y-T5Ff-mdlzfKa64mmNHX3eTSGRap8POqsKRLZSQdMCuw4loQbeNy/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3000" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVfxuWs_GLh3xB7d3_TAEzjmYBZ8nrqjb5acF3UjTCjk4W5H9zhFqOCF6-kMWhp6-qOpb4Fq4dcvTM3kcraa1OW9Y-T5Ff-mdlzfKa64mmNHX3eTSGRap8POqsKRLZSQdMCuw4loQbeNy/w435-h348/Chillo%25CC%2581n+Elote+Watercolor+digital.jpg" width="435" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Line drawing with digital watercolor - digital ($45) and print + digital ($50)</div><br /><br /><p></p>Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-16581670041713204152018-04-28T14:03:00.001-07:002018-04-28T14:04:45.658-07:00Small Islands and Scooters<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The boat was leaving in 15 minutes and I am at the wrong port. I arrived to Cebu a little less than 12 hours before with my eyes set on Siquijor Island. I was told to take the bus/ferry from Cebu City to Dumaguete and from there a ferry to Siquijor. That is two ferries and one bus and over 7 hours. I thought to myself there has got to be an easier way. I boarded the bus before the sun rose in Cebu, loading up with snacks and water to stay hydrated in the humid heat of the Philippines.<br />
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The bus ride was relaxing. When we finally reached the port of Bato where I eyed a huge poster reporting that a ferry left directly from a nearby port to Siquijor in 15 minutes. I grabbed my backpack, determined to make the ferry, and flagged down a motorcycle taxi. The driver promised to get me to the boat on time, he flew down the windy road abutting the beach towards Liloan Port, which on google maps is 12 mins away.<br />
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I made the boat. and saved myself 3 hours. This story is a common occurrence on my wild worldly vacations. Two and a half hours later I was standing at the port of Larena in Siquijor looking for a scooter to rent. Of course the selection is much better in Siquijor city, so I found a taxi to take me. I found the perfect scooter for 350 pesos ($6.50) for a little over 24 hours. After a quick tutorial on the scooter controls, I donned my orange helmet and speed off into the humid air to my first destination.<br />
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The scooter was easy to control and the breeze felt nice on my skin as I followed the main windy road that circumnavigates the small island along the coast. I made frequent stops to take pictures of the rice fields and beaches, checking google maps for the turn-off to Salagdoong Beach. On the way I stopped in for some food at Hard Rock Cottages.<br />
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Salagdoong Beach and resort is known for cliff jumping. If you dare jump from a 15 meter cliff into crystal clear waters it's the place to be. Tucked into a forest this resort has many different water activities. I found a small private room at ocean level with views of the small cove for $20 a night with free scooter parking outside my door.<br />
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After a few rounds of cliff jumping, I laid in a reclining chair to watch the sunset and read over a plate of adobo squid. It was quiet without too many people. I was exhausted after a long day and with hopes of waking up early I went to bed.<br />
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I rose as the sun rose. I ate a small breakfast provided by my hosts and set off again on my small white scooter. My first destination was Cambugahay Falls. After a instagram feed full of pictures of these aqua blue cascades, I had to see them for my own eyes. I arrived early, parked my scooter and hiked down the stone stairs. A bunch of men asked if I need a guide. After a handful of "No Thank you's" I made it to the first of the three cascades. It was around 8am and there was only one other person.<br />
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It was beautiful, the water was truly an aqua green color and warm. For $1 you can have unlimited swings on the trapezes set up around the falls. I floated on a tire enjoying the sun and the sound of the water crashing down.<br />
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It was time for the next destination. I hiked back up the stairs and mounted my scooter. As I was heading back to Lazi I saw a sign of another waterfall called Kawasan. I followed the sign to find a small shack with a couple women waiting to guide tourists to the falls. Another group arrived and we headed through the jungle to a small waterfall with a cave and a trapezes. We lazily floated in the warm water before our hike back up out of the jungle.<br />
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With all this exercising my stomach started rumbling and it was time to search for lunch. I wanted a restaurant right on the beach. This wasn't hard to find since the island was small and most of the towns were built next to the ocean.<br />
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I found Coral Cay Resort Restaurant and it was exactly what I was looking for. I had fresh fish and a mango shake as I admired the clear blue water. In addition they had free wifi. I strolled along the white sand beach before I headed back to the restaurant for an iced coffee.<br />
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I had an hour before I was to turn in my bike and catch the ferry back to Cebu. I stocked up on souvenirs and drove one of the scooter shop owners to the ferry port. Siquijor was hands down one of my favorite places in Philippines. Still not well known and rugged, yet easy to navigate and plenty of options for sleeping and eating. All of the people I met on the island were very nice and laid back. I would definitely recommend a trip to Siquijor.<br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-86602158628953319832018-02-16T15:55:00.001-08:002018-02-16T16:02:07.107-08:00Puddles and Palm Trees in Tayrona<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The hammock swung smoothly back and fourth as I listened to the rain falling on the thatched roof above me. Only a foot to my right swung a stranger who I had yet to meet, on my right a woman I had met only the day before on the bus traveling from Cartagena. We all swung like pendulums from the wood beams, staring into the sheets of rain, debating running to use the restroom which was a good 100 meters from where we hung.<br />
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Twenty four hours earlier I was riding a shuttle with my backpack to the trailhead at El Zaino to Tyrona National Park. My only plan was to hike. I had no reservations, no hiking group and just my backpack filled with items procured on my trip through Colombia. It was on this windy road I would meet my hiking buddy.<br />
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When we arrived we booked our hammocks for Cabo San Juan de Guia at the entrance of the park, and set off on our two day adventure. The first part of the trail took us through the forest before it spit us out onto the beach. From there, the trail skirted the beach winding back and fourth into the jungle that abutted the sandy beaches. The strong sun beat down on our skin and the cool blue water tempting us to jump in as we trudged through the sand. Halfway to our proposed destination we stopped at a small wood stand under the palm trees for egg and cheese pupusas with a view.<br />
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Finally after six hours we wandered onto the grassy meadow of Playa Cabo San Juan de Guia. We were shown to our hammocks, immediately changed into our bathing suits and ran to the beach. Cabo San Juan de Guia is famous for its rock formations jutting out of the light blue water. After a long nap on the beach and dip into the Caribbean we turned in for a warm meal of arroz con coco y mariscó with a glass of jugo de lulo (which of note is now my favorite natural fruit juice). After a filling meal we turned in for bed.<br />
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The air was warm and humid, the hammocks comfortable. I fell asleep quickly with my backpack between my legs and my travel pillow under my head. The thunder and lightening started in the night, the rhythmic rain only soothes me deeper into sleep.<br />
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That morning we waited patiently as the rain subsided. We dressed, acquired a new hiking partner, and set off back to the entrance of the park. We quickly realized hiking with shoes was impossible. The rain turned most of the trail into either a river or ankle deep mud. I hiked through the palm trees feeling the mud squish through my toes. The small streams that we crossed the day before, transformed into deep fast rivers. We waded through the water keeping our eyes out for crocodiles.<br />
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Again we stopped for pupusas enjoying for the last time the beautiful beaches lined with rocks and palm trees before we dove back into the jungle to meet the bus to Santa Marta.<br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-69392840491882848612017-10-24T05:16:00.003-07:002017-10-24T05:16:33.284-07:00No Sleep in El Capital - Bogota <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>La Candelaria </b></h4>
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I arrived in Bogota after a long red eye flight from LA. I arrived at at my hostel The Cranky Croc exhausted ready for a nap, but before I knew it I was hiking up the hilly streets of La Candelaria and drinking chicha from a gourd. Let's rewind ...<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When do I ever choose sleep over adventure? If you know me ... it's never. The first day should have been a warning of how dangerous Colombia was going to be for my sleep. I started off my first day on the Free Walking Tour of La Candelaria, Bogota, Colombia. We walked the narrow cobble stoned streets of the colorful and historic district of La Candelaria. On the way we tried various Colombian drinks and street food. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first stop was in a small restaurant to share a gourd of chicha. What is chicha? Its fermented maiz drink, originally produced after chewing and spitting a portion of the maiz juice and allowing it to ferment. It tastes a bit like Kombucha but much stronger. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We then headed deeper into La Candalaria to see the graffiti and street art. In Colombia Graffiti is currently legal, artists are even paid to create works of art on the streets of Bogota and Medellin. </span>It's<span style="font-family: inherit;"> absolutely beautiful and only adds to the already colorful Candalaria streets. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bells rung around the city at each change in hour. Over 90% of Colombians identify as Christian, therefore churches in Colombia are almost as common as coffee shops. We stopped by the famous Iglesia Nuestra Senora Del Carmen to view its elaborate architecture and interior design. From the church we headed to Chorro de Quevedo, a small plaza lined with cafes and groups of people. One of our tour guides Fredy bought us coca tea to combat the altitude. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next stop was the Palacio de Nari<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 16px;">ño where we had a photoshoot with the guards. After which we wandered down the streets trying almost every street food in sight, including: </span></span></div>
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<li>Obleas which is queso fresco, arequipe (dulce de leche) and jam</li>
<li>Bunuelos, which are balls of fried dough, </li>
<li>Yuca Rellena - stuffed yuca with beef and veggie</li>
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After we were completely stuffed we walked to Plaza Bolivar. to one side of the plaza is Capitolio Nacional which houses the congress, Palacio Justicia (the justice building) which has a long tumultuous history and Cathedral de Colombia, which was began in 1802 by the Spanish and completed after Colombia's independence from Spain.<br />
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From La Candelaria we wandered into the heart of downtown. Food traffic picked up and the quiet streets of La Candelaria transformed into the hustle and bustle of downtown Bogota. We passed by the museo de Oro, the famous gold museum.<br />
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We ended our tour at Distrito Chocolate and Cafe Magola Buendia, where we tried an assortment of chocolate and the famous chocolate con queso (which is exactly as it sounds cubes of fresh cheese dropped into a cup of piping hot chocolate. We ended the tour with a round of Tejo a famous bar game. This game is similar to cornhole, but instead of holes you aim heavy weights at small paper packages containing gun powder. The goal is to hit the small paper packages which creates a loud popping noise. It was much harder than I thought.<br />
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If you are interested in this free tour you can find them by searching: The True Colombian Experience - ask for Fredy he is great!</div>
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<br />Monsarrate </h4>
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Overlooking downtown and La Candalaria is Santuario Monsarrate, a large white traditional spanish style church perched at the top of a mountain overlooking Bogota. Its one of the most popular and famous tourist attractions. To get here you must first get to Funicular and Cable-Car station. Depending on the time of arrival and tourist season be prepared to wait in line. We got there mid-day during low season and still waited approximately 1 hour before we boarded the Funicular.</div>
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There are two ways to get up the mountain: the funicular and the cable-car (check time tables as they operate at different hours of the day). I suggest you try both. On the way up my friend and I rode the Funicular which is a train that is pulled up the side of the mountain on a ground level track by a rope. It is very steep and at one point dives into a tunnel before arriving to the top of the mountain. The cable car on the other hand is a gondola which is suspended in the air several tens of feet off the ground. </div>
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When we arrived at the top we spent several minutes in awe of the view. If you haven't realized how big Bogota was yet, this view will give you a great perspective. with over 10 million people, Bogota is the largest and most populated city in Colombia. Even on a clear day it's nearly impossible to see where Bogota ends. The large downtown skyscrapers seem like toys as you look down from Monsarrate.<br />
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If the altitude and height as not incapacitated you yet, continue up the stairs to the small white church. Unlike Iglesia Nuestra Senora Del Carmen, Santuario Monserrate is very simple, with its white washed walls, simple paintings and lack of stained glass windows, though its peacefulness gives space to pray, think or meditate. </div>
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If you dare to continue further up the hill, the small street is shrouded on each side by souvenir venders and food places who will not let you pass until they ask you 3-4 times to buy something. Overall it's a great tourist destination, if only for the view and the ride up/down!<br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-58384348263910995682017-08-19T17:16:00.004-07:002017-08-19T22:26:28.446-07:00A Pirates Life for Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you ready to board the most dangerous pirate ship in the world? Hopefully you won't walk the plank before you reach your destination.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a warm night on Gili Air. I decided last minute that I wanted to join a pirate expedition to Komodo Islands. After being told by several agencies that I would have to wait for a couple days I finally found an agency with a boat leaving tomorrow. I handed over 170,000 IDR ($135 USD, which was to include all park entrances).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I went to bed early under my bug net and my dreams were filled with scenes from <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://2" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="2" x-apple-data-detectors-type="misc" x-apple-data-detectors="true">Pirates of the Caribbean</a>. <span class="contextualExtensionHighlight ms-font-color-themePrimary ms-border-color-themePrimary ident_830_962" customtabindex="0" disabled="true" role="button" tabindex="-1">In the early morning I packed my bag and set off across the small island of Gili Air to meet the ferry that would take me to Lombok.</span> In Lombok I found a man who took me on the back of his motorcycle to a parking lot where I was to load onto a bus with my new pirate family.</span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Day 1</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was evident from the start that this lot of pirates was going to be dangerous. I loaded onto the bus with new pirate recruits from all over the world. We headed on our journey across Lombok to the port of Labuhan Lombok. Here we met our home for the next 4 days: Floressea Kencana. The large wooden ship hailed two large masts. The exterior was stained wood with a red tint. It had three levels: the hull which consisted of the engine room, small basic cabins and a storage room; the main deck with kitchen, cabins and a large covered deck with seats along the edge, and an open small deck at the bow; the top deck had a small covered deck towards a he stern, several higher-end cabins and the helm where the captain could be found. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As we boarded we were handed a small packed lunch of Mi Goreng. From that point on all the food we ate would be cooked directly on the boat. We set sail to our first destination: Kenawa Island. Here we donned flip flops and hiked up to the top of the small hill in the center of the island. Once done with our short hike we spend a couple hours bathing in the clear waters surrounding the small island. Kenawa was a very peaceful island with very few people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We headed back to the ship for our overnight cruise to Moyo Island. This was the hardest night to fall asleep. The rocking of the boat was soothing but the winds were strong along the deck. I tucked the thin blanket around me as I lay on the questionable thin vinyl covered mat that was distributed to us before dusk.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Day 2</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";">In the morning I was awoken by the call for breakfast. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";">Breakfast consisted of dry pancakes or sandwiched banana in toast. Tea and coffee was set out periodically through the day for extra hydration and energy. Soon after eating we anchored off the island Moyo. Here we put on walking shoes and climbed into the thick forest to find the natural freshwater waterfalls. Here clear water fell over smooth rocks and tumbled into natural pools below the shade of the densely grown forest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We walked back out to the beach for snorkeling where the fresh water river met the open ocean. After several hours of sunbathing and swimming we headed back to the pirate ship to take us closer to Komodo Island.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">During the day as we sailed onwards we relaxed on the deck soaking up the sun, getting to know each other over tea and coffee. The second night was much better. The rocking of the boat soothed me and the thin vinyl mat seemed to grow more comfortable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Day 3</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The following day we woke for our Komodo Island trek. Immediately when we landed on shore we saw one of the monstrous Komodo dragon lizards strolling along the beach. Guides with long sticks walked with us as we learned about the deadly beast. Just a couple weeks before a man was killed after being bitten by one of these huge lizards. The bacteria in their mouths sufficient to kill large animals with one infectious bite.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";">Later that day we headed to Pink Beach, where we were able to relax after a long hike on Komodo Island. Here crystal clear water lapped against the pink sand created by fragments of red coral washed on shore. We enjoyed a couple Bintags and snorkeled with cuddle fish and clown fish. From here we headed to Labuan Bajo</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";"> where we were to dock for one night. For the first time we were able to eat dinner off the ship. We headed first for ice cream at <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="misc" x-apple-data-detectors="true">La Creperie</a>. Then we headed to the open air fish market for grilled red snapper coated with a sweat sauce. After a satisfying meal, we headed for drinks and dessert at Bajo Bays Fisherman’s Club, where they also have free wifi.</span></span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Day 4</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the morning we embarked from Labuan Bajo to Rinca. Rinca is the second island inhabited by the Komodo Dragons. Similar to Komodo Island, we were led by guides with long sticks on a trek through the island.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As a reward for our search for Komodo Dragons, we headed to Manta point to snorkel with manta rays. With goggles and snorkel on we waited for one of the ship guides to yell jump. On command half of the boat jumped into the strong current below. Large waves and strong currents pulled us away from the ship. We searched keeping our eyes peeled for the infamous manta ray.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The waves were strong and it took a lot of effort to stay afloat in the deep water. Many gave in to exhaustion, boarding the small dingy to take them back to the ship. When I was almost about to give in, one of the girls in out small group began to scream and point. Only ten meters below us on the ocean floor a massive manta ray swam effortlessly against the current. Like a majestic bird its large wings beat slowly. I swam hard trying to keep up. In a matter of minutes she was gone. Satisfied I boarded the last dingy back to the pirate ship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";">We headed back to Labuan Bajo on a small boat, stopping at Angel Beach for a short swim and snorkel</span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif , serif , "emojifont";">. Sad to part with the Floressea Kencana pirate ship and my new found sea legs a group of us headed to Centro Hostel only a block from the marina. This hostel boasts one large room with over 50 bunk-style beds and very little privacy. After a refreshing shower we headed to Bajo Taco for fish tacos and milkshakes. The view of the sunset from the third story balcony over the Labuan Bajo harbor was an excellent way to wrap up the day. Despite being exhausted we headed to Paradise Bar for live music and drinks before returning to the crowded dorm.</span></span></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Day 5</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next morning we decided to head off on our own small pirate ship to Padar Island. We hired a small boat for $12 each or 100,000 INR ($77) for the 8 hour trip to Padar Island. We awoke as the sun just peaked over the ocean. Our guide arrived at our door to let us know he could not find petrol for the boat. After he ran around town for over an hour trying to find petrol our chances of leaving for Padar Island seemed bleak. Finally he returned with cookies and bananas and told us our boat was ready.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Known as one of the wonders of Indonesia, Padar Island boasts one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen. After the three hours boat ride on the obnoxiously loud wooden boat and a 30 minute hike up the steep mountain in the humid heat we arrived at a breathtaking view. Three coves of aqua blue water each with different color sands were partitioned by jagged mountains covered with soft yellow grass. After several pictures we headed back down the mountain and back to Labuan Bajo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall I was sad to leave my seafaring life back to the realities of life in the USA. Overall Komodo Island pirate cruise was worth it and I would do it over any day. It’s no wonder why Komodo Island is one of the New 7 Natural Wonders of the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tips:</span></h3>
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<li>Make sure that you have in writing on your receipt that the amount you paid covers both entrances for Komodo Island and Rinca Island.</li>
<li>Sleep on bottom deck when moving to avoid wind and upper deck when at port or anchored for ventilation. Scope out our sleeping area early.</li>
<li>Don’t spend extra for the cabins in the hull, they get very hot from the engines and most likely you will move your mattress up to the deck for fresh air.</li>
<li>If you get motion sickness bring medications. More than 75% of the passengers got sick the first night.</li>
<li>Take a life jacket to Manta Point if you are not a strong swimmer.</li>
<li>Sunscreen. </li>
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-22134840524970461752017-06-16T00:38:00.004-07:002017-06-16T00:46:55.690-07:00Bali Biker Club <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I saddled up on my light blue scooter with my bright blue child-sized helmet with cartoon bunny decal sticker on back. I looked pretty awesome and fierce. Who knew that I could be a part of the infamous Bali Biker Gang!<br />
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It was my first day riding a scooter and I was already outfitted in rad gear, had an equally fearless partner in crime sitting on the back of my light blue scooter, and belonged to one of the most notorious biker/scooter gangs that ever roamed Bali. After paying 60,000 for 24 hours ($5), I packed my bag full of the essentials for a day full of trying-not-to-crash: make-up, swimsuit, cute sunglasses, cellphone and other distractions for the road. I saddled up with my partner's in crime: Aurore from France, S<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">ö</span>ran and Michael from Germany, and Julia and Erica from Philippines, and set off through the windy and busy roads around Ubud. With our treasure map (MAPS.ME, Google and Ways) in hand, we set off to uncover the wonders of central Bali. </div>
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Our first stop <span style="font-family: inherit;">was <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Tegalalang </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Rice Terrace, only 30 minutes outside of Ubud town, depending on traffic and the number of angry monkeys that attack along route. Here we parked our chariots for a whooping 10,000 Indonesian Rp. By far the most expensive parking on our treasure hunt. After a mini photoshoot, we descended into the rice paddies, with the help of coconut ice cream. Along the way we had to cross dangerous bridges which required sacrifice of around 5,000 Rp each person. We ended up turning back when we discovered that we had to pay extra toll multiple times along route. In the process I managed to step off the path into the unforgiving swamp. My shoe was then covered in mud, but that did not stop the Bali Biker Club. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Our next stop was the Pura Tirta Empul (AKA the Water Temple). Following our handy treasure map, we drove down some really steep windy roads with many </span><span style="color: #222222;">obstacles</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">. The landscapes were breathtaking rice fields and lush green jungles. We crossed over bridges and by waterfalls. After 30 minutes of driving we noticed that our treasure map had lead us astray. We ended up in some tiny village. The locals saw our confused faces and tried to help us get back on the right path to Pura Tirta Empul. After another 30 minutes of driving we finally arrived.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pura Tirta Empul</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Pura Titra Empul was one of my favorite stops. We spent over two hour here. We dressed in fancy robes and then learned after many failed attempts, how to cleanse our </span><span style="color: #222222;">souls. We dunked our heads below each fountain in a sequential fashion with a huge gaggle of locals who tried to help, while also laughing at our failed attempts. We finally emerged purified and soaking wet to conquer our next mission. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gunung Kawi</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Next on our voyage was the Gunung Kawi (AKA the Rocky Temple). Here we doned team inspired matching sarongs and wandered the grounds of the temple. We found a couple poor chickens and a parakeet that were in serious need of water and attention. After saving the birds from thirst and a couple group pictures we headed outside the temple for lunch. Just on the other side of the road we had nasi goreng (fried ric</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">e), n</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">asi campur (just google it)</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">, c</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">ap-cai (mixed veggies) and </span><span style="color: #222222;">sayur urap (similar to cap-cai but with more leafy greens). After a nice meal with a beautiful view we headed out to our last stop: </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Goa Gajah which translates to Elephant Caves.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gunung Kawi</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />They call them the elephant caves, because hundreds of years ago elephants would make </span>pilgrimages from all over Indonesia<span style="font-family: inherit;"> here to meditate inside the cave ... just kidding. No one knows how the place recieved its name. Some archeologists suggest that the river that passed nearby was once called Elephant river, or that people believed the menacing </span>creature's<span style="font-family: inherit;"> mouth that </span>encircles the cave opening is a giant Elephant. <span style="font-family: inherit;"> Nevertheless the name stuck. We arrived after the ticket office had closed. We realized that like most of the other stops, the temples don't actually close at night, just the box-office closes. We parked our scooter for free, which was a first all day. We then wandered down to the bottom. There we haggled with a gentleman for a reasonable price for sarongs and entry. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goa Gajah</td></tr>
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Very few people were at the temple as the day faded to dusk, just a lady selling snakefruit and coconuts. With coconut and snakefruit in hand we wandered the temple grounds. We explored deep into the elephant cave, which was not that deep at all. Sitting in the cave are various statues of Hindu gods. After we sat for awhile on the roots of a majestic tree, contemplating life and being attacked by mosquitos. As the sun set behind the rolling mountains of Bali we wandered up the path to reach our final destination on our treasure maps: fried squid dinner at a local restaurant and beer while bathing in the cool pool at our hostel. </div>
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Overall the day was full of adventure. I recommend highly to rent scooters to explore Ubud (as long as your wear a helmet with a bunny on it). We did not have any encounters with police, though we heard lots of horror stories. We encountered a significant amount of traffic immediately around Ubud but very little traffic outside the city proper. Remember stay safe and have fun! </div>
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-58603375205687096332017-06-13T00:55:00.000-07:002017-06-16T00:59:57.986-07:00Ticket Not Required - Bromo Volcano Heats Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Travelers beware, Bromo is a hot spot for scammers taking advantage of travelers. Today I headed out to Bromo mountain to first watch the sunrise at the view point and then to the base of Bromo to hike up to the crater. Bromo is an active volcano and one of the most popular on Java island. It erupted recently in 2015 and 2016. Hundreds of bule (foreigners) and locals flock to this place each day.<br />
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A couple days ago Constance and I booked an overland tour to Bromo and Ijen in a mini-bus for 760,000 Rupiah. We started from Jogja the day before our tour of Bromo and drove around 11 hours to Probolinggo with an hour stop for lunch. We were very tired when we reached Probolinggo to transfer to another vehicle<br />
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When reaching Probolinggo we were shuttled into a tour agency office called Master Holiday. At this point we were told about our itinerary for the day and costs associated with the trip. We knew from reading that Bromo entrance would be 227,000 Rupiah and Ijen would be 150,000 for entrance on holiday/weekend and 150,000 for a guide. The tour operator named Mantok, was very pushy and told us if we did not buy at the office we could not go up in Jeep to the view point and Mount Bromo, despite the fact that we had already paid for the jeep.<br />
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He immediately quoted us much higher than we had read online. We ended up negotiating down to 230.000 for park entrance. Constance did not feel it was worth it so she decided not to buy the entrance ticket. The agent said that she would have to stay in the hotel and not get in the jeep. I booked the entrance ticket as it was only 22 US cents (3,000 rupiah) over the online stated price. I did not want to miss Bromo, especially since I had already paid the jeep which was half the cost.<br />
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The next morning we woke up at 2:30 AM and left the hotel around 4:00 AM to head up to the viewpoint for sunrise. I enjoyed he sunrise, it was beautiful despite it being very cold. The rays of sunlight streamed out across the sky turning the sky in to a rainbow of colors. Fluffy clouds surrounded the base of Mount Bromo. It was a bit cloudy but it was still gorgeous. No where along the road did they ask us or the tour company to buy a ticket.</div>
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Next we took the jeep down the windy roads and across a barren dessert of volcanic sand to the parking lot at the base of Bromo. Again no where along the way did they have a place to buy or receive a park entrance ticket. When we arrived to the parking lot, men with horses rode beside our car and surrounded it when we parked. They asked if we wanted to ride a horse up. We declined multiple times, almost every 5 minutes on our way up. Many of the horses were skinny and sweaty. Most did not have shoes despite the fact that they had to ride back to the town on paved roads. Most of the horse riders rode the horses quickly down the mountain to pick up another bule and make more money. I recommend not taking the horses and instead exercise by hiking up. In addition the horses only take you to the stairs, which I thought was one of the hardest parts of the trek.</div>
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In total the hike is only 30 minutes but it all depends on your fitness level. At the top my new friends and I hiked along the rim, across some pretty narrow paths to a secluded view point. At first the sulfur smell was strong as we arrived at the top. A constant spew of steam bellowed from the crater. As time went on the smell diminished. We sat listening to the roar of water boiling at the bottom. The sound was somewhat soothing yet intense, it reminded you of the power and unpredictability of nature. <br />
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After an hour at the top we headed back to the jeep. We road the jeep across the black sand back to our hotel. We realized that no where along the way did we receive a ticket. We decided to investigate why. Tripadviser and Wiki travel both warn against paying for tickets in advance. The reason why is that the money paid does not go to the park but instead the travel agency. In addition if stopped in the park, the receipt is not sufficient evidence of paying the entry cost. This means that some travelers might have to pay a second entry fee.<br />
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Frustrated by that and the fact that the guide was very rude. Our guide threw all our trash on the ground in the park, which we had to pick up ourselves. In addition he then proceeded to move us to a different jeep that was already full so that we were crammed in with another group who looked frustrated that they paid for their own jeep tour. Our guide was not very helpful and didn't speak any English, he gave us very few directions for where we were suppose to go and what we were to bring.</div>
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In the end we decided to confront the tour agency when we reached Probolinggo. At the agency the same man: Mantok, who has sold us the tickets handed us fake tickets (we had read many tourists are given fake tickets that are printed on white paper without serial numbers) and yelled at us that we complained too much. Instead of listening to our complaints he pointed to a couple people in the vicinity and said they were police officers. The people pointed at seemed very hesitant to interfere. At one point he grabbed my arm quite hard, and dragged me out of the shop trying to have me ask a friend about the ticket, saying "I am going to kill you." I told him not to touch me and after he said he would kill me, I decided not to continue. He was very rude, vulgar and he made a huge scene in front of people who were on the sidewalk, to the point that people came to rescue us. The driver said "Lets just go to Ijen" and a couple pedestrians offered to take our bags.</div>
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On a positive note our wonder-woman friend in Jogja who runs two amazing hostels (Bunk, Bed and Breakfast and Hoz) called the agency to help us. We sent her a video of the man being very rude to us. She talked to the owner of Master Holiday and he offered us his apologizes. In addition the man Montoz was fired today around 1pm. Only a couple hours after we left Probolinggo. Although we have no guarantee that he is gone my recommendations to all tourist going to Bromo is:<br />
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1. Don't book entrance tickets at the agency or before you get to the park.<br />
2. Insist they take you through the correct gates so that the national park gest the money they deserve.<br />
3. Watch out for a man named Mantok, or Monk or some variation.<br />
4. Have fun and be positive even through hard times.</div>
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Safe travels! </div>
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-77435907963302206412017-05-30T08:20:00.002-07:002017-05-30T08:24:28.530-07:00Becak Adventures in Jogja<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was 6:40pm and we were waiting for an Uber to pick us up from the hostel. Our friend Rafi had a ticket for the train at 6:55pm. We knew the trip would take at least 15 minutes, but the Uber was running late. A Becak (Rickshaw/tuk-tuk) pulled up to the curve. We all looked at each other and began negotiating with the becak to take us to the station.<br />
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Before we knew it we were zooming through the street in the open becak, the wind blowing in our hair. We drove for a long time down the lit streets on Jogja, we started thinking the driver was lost. We kept asking how long until the station. He was uncertain.<br />
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Finally around 6:54 we arrived at the station. We saw the train waiting at the platform, the announcer calling for departure. We ran through the entrance, down a long corridor, and across the platform to the ticket counter. When the ticket takers and station police saw us running down the platform they told the train to wait by holding up their hands to the conductor. Rafi ran through the gate not even stopping to print her ticket. She jumped on the train just as it was leaving the station.<br />
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We were so relieved. We walked back to the becak, which was waiting for us at the entrance. We still had not paid him. We told him to return to the same place, he didn't seem to understand us. Another person came to help translate. Finally we said sama-sama (which means same) and he seemed to understand. We headed off back to the hostel.<br />
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After about 5 minutes the becak began to slow and then finally puttered to a stop. We looked back at the driver with perplexed looks. He said "tedak bensin" it took us a couple minutes after he began running and pushing the becak to realize he had run out of gas. He started asking people on the street "Bensin" and people din't seem to have an answer. As he ran pushing us, he became out of breath so Constance and I began asking "Bensin" to everyone who was on the street. Finally, after 10 minutes we found a Bensin. Usually these are little wooden stands lined with plastic and glass bottles.<br />
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Ten minutes later we reached the hostel safe and sound!<br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-67232835757952572792017-05-29T00:17:00.001-07:002017-05-29T00:17:48.301-07:00Flower Festival at Fujisan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It was below freezing in the ice cave. Blocks of ice lined the path as we ducked under and crawled through narrow passages. Stalagmites and stalactites of ice loomed ahead of us. This was a welcomed change from the blistering heat outside the ice caves.<br />
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We started off the day riding a train an hour outside Tokyo city center to rent a car. Along the way we met up with a couple friends from Russia and Canada. Together, the six of us, pilled into a small Japanese style mini-van, which was no bigger than a small car. With my knees hitting the seat in front of us we took off to the flower festival at Mount Fuji.</div>
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I was impressed by the green rolling hills covered by thick forest as we traversed the highway getting closer to our destination. It was almost suddenly that Mount Fuji appeared from behind these rolling hills. I was impressed by its size. Towering over all of the hills around it, covered with snow at its peak.</div>
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We arrived at the flower (Shiba-sakura) Festival after an hour and a half of driving. The entrance was 600 Yen for both locals and tourists. From pictures I had seen prior to going I thought it was going to be thick sheets of vibrant flowers. The flowers were more sparse and not as bright but the view was still amazing with Mount Fuji looming in the background. </div>
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We spend an hour and a half walking the walkways taking many pictures and eating baked sweet potato. We then pilled back in the car and drove to the ice caves. These were only 20 minutes away. Here we paid 200 Yen each for an entrance ticket and received a helmet. As we descended into the cave it grew cold and wet. The tunnel began to narrow to the point we were crawling on hands and knees. Multiple times our head smacked against the rock ceiling, but we were protected by the helmets. </div>
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After going through the cave twice we returned to the compact mini-van and took of to Lake Kawaguchi. This was our last stop on our Mount Fuji day trip. At the lake we took a long walk across the bridge and watched as the sun set behind the hills. It was a perfect ending to our magical day at Mount Fuji. I would definitely recommend seeing the mountain and visiting some of the sights in the area. </div>
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-71119837839516159532017-05-06T20:15:00.000-07:002017-05-07T10:26:06.950-07:00Fall in Love with Michigan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Muchacho stood up on the bow of the kayak trying very hard not to fall off into the Thorneapple River. We told him to sit but he loved to stand and balance on the rocking kayak. He is a natural surfing dog who loves the great outdoors.<br />
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Muchacho was the best host and guide for the area. He lives with his owner (my uncle and aunt) on the banks of the Throneapple river near Grand Rapids, Michigan.<br />
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Not only does Muchacho love to kayaking, he also enjoys hiking. We visited Saugatuck Dunes State Park. To get to the dunes and beach you must first hike through a beautiful fall forest. Yellow, red, and orange leaves float down from the trees. The forest opens up to a beautiful beach on the edge of Lake Michigan.<br />
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The small waves lapped up on the white sand along the beach. The tall grass that grew on the dunes swayed in the wind. The water was freezing at this time of the year. Lake Michigan looks like an ocean, you can't see across and the waves created by the wind make you feel like your looking out over the ocean, minus the lack of salty smell.<br />
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After a pleasant walk at Saugatuck Dunes State Park we headed to Saugatuck town only 20 minutes drive away. Here we walked along the marina. The small town has many cute mom and pop restaurants and shops. We stopped at this cute coffee shop called Uncommon Coffee Roasters. I had a pumpkin latte which was fantastic. We sat out on the balcony enjoying the temperate fall weather, muchacho enjoying the view of the small main street.<br />
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For dinner we meandered over to The Southerner to meet with my cousin and his friend. Here they serve southern and Louisiana style cuisine. They specialize in fried chicken, fresh biscuits, smoked pork and other comfort food dishes. After a satisfying meal we headed back to my uncles house along the banks of the Thorneapple River. <br />
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On my final day in Grand Rapids we visited Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. This was a lovely park to stroll through on a warm fall day.<br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-4813614801646581712017-04-17T10:35:00.001-07:002017-05-07T10:27:33.812-07:00California Bound: Lonely Roads and Sleeping in the Car<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I tucked myself into my down sleeping bag as best as I could in a sitting position. I listened to the audiobook that was covering the sounds at the truck stop in Wyoming. Outside it was 21F (-6C) and soon it would be close to freezing in the car. I tucked a blanket over the window to shield the lights of the street lamps from disrupting my sleep. I shifted every couple of minutes trying to find a comfortable position banging my knee on the steering wheel.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere in Utah</td></tr>
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My car was packed to the ceiling with all my worldly possessions. I starred over to the passenger seat where my friend had drawn a set of eyes on a piece of tape. She named him <span style="text-align: center;">Quacker McQuackpants. </span>For some reason iQuaker McQuackpants made me feel a little less alone. The cold night lasted for what seemed to be years.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging with Quacker McQuackpants</td></tr>
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Less than a month ago I found out that I matched into my top choice for residency. That day seemed like just yesterday. I held the letter in my hand, written inside was going to be the residency program where I would spend the next three years. My whole body was shaking as I waited to for the dean of our medical school to count down from three. Around me a hundred and sixty other students held their own letters.<br />
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As the dean counted down to zero I thought about what my life would be like if I ended up in Ohio or New York. "3... 2 ... 1 ... Open your letters." I could not tear the letter open fast enough. Part of me was scared of what I would read, another part of me was anxious to see where I would be moving.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
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Pediatrics at the University of Southern California!</h3>
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Fast forward a month later .... It was only 40 hours ago that I left New Jersey. I am driving my gold Prius back to California. The first day I drove through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and slept in the Worlds Largest Truck Stop in Iowa. Now I was freezing cold zipped into a down sleeping bag sitting in my gold Prius in a truck stop in Wyoming. After drifting in and out of sleep I woke up to my Pius covered in ice.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Somewhere in Nebraska</td></tr>
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I let the car warm up while I purchased a cup of coffee and an egg and cheese sandwich at the gas station connivence store. It was the last leg of my three day cross country trip. Only half of Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California left to reach my home in the San Fransisco Bay Area.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bonneville Salt Flats - Utah</td></tr>
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I completed two audio books and listened to the same playlist six times in the span of my trip, the lyrics of Drake's Passionfruit permanently ingrained in my head. I drove through the Appalachian mountains (hills) in Pennsylvania, the flat farmlands of Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska. I was awed by the moon-like terrain of Wyoming and Utah. I tasted the water from the salt lakes. I would not recommend it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Donner Lake</td></tr>
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Finally I passed the sign "Welcome to California." I stopped in Truckee and Donner Lake to reminisce about the mountains and see how much snow has fallen this year. Lastly I stopped at In-N-Out before arriving to my parents home. I drove close to 15 hours a day to reach California in three days. Finally I am home and I am here to stay... at least for the next three years.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Animal Fries- In-N-Out</td></tr>
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-35075364687839784702017-03-05T10:52:00.000-08:002017-03-06T18:41:07.391-08:00Winter Wonderland - White Mountains, New Hampshire<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On Friday a group of friends and I headed up to Lincoln, New Hampshire for a winter weekend getaway. Little did we know that that weekend would have summer-like weather back in Philly. As we traveled north dressed in down coats and snow pants, we watched friends back home snap chatting in summer dresses eating ice cream.<br />
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After almost eight hours of driving and stopping at random rest stops we finally arrived at our hotel.<br />
We stayed at Franconia Notch Motel, which was a relatively cheap option for those going to the White Mountains for skiing and hiking. It was already dark so we decided to stay in the motel to play Dirty Minds. We laughed late into the night.<br />
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The next morning we woke up early to go hiking. Of course we had only one set of micro-spikes, so we headed into Littleton to buy some cheap boot spikes for the hike. At first we could not find a shop that sold them in small enough sizes for our boots. My friend Constance decided to use bright yellow rope to create a make-shift traction device on her boot. To prove that it would work she jumped up and down on an icy pile of snow. The rope unraveled in a couple seconds. Luckily we found a small sports store that sold cheap spikes.<br />
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We headed to the Lonesome Lake trailhead and began our ascent to the Lonesome Lake Hut in Franconia Notch State Park. As we began to climb the steep icy trail, we were immediately grateful for our micro-spikes. One step at a time we climbed into the clouds. The trail was well marked and easy to follow, but if you happened to step off the narrow path your foot would sink immediately into snow up to your knees. Within an hour and a half we stumbled out onto the lake.<br />
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The lake was completely frozen over. The thick clouds made it impossible for us to see across. After a long photoshoot jumping in the snow we set off to find the Lonesome Lake Hut. We followed a narrow trail across a couple bridges to a small set of cabins tucked away behind the trees. As we opened the door warm air and the smell of fresh coffee hit our faces. Inside the main cabin was a handful of cafeteria style wooden tables, a small wood stove, and a smattering of warm smiles. A young woman greeted us. Brownies, hot chocolate and coffee were waiting for us on the counter.<br />
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We took off our heavy jackets and warmed up over a cup of coffee and a topographic map of the area. Other hikers trickled in. A nice gentleman started up a conversation, intrigued by the group of female student doctors warming up in this remote mountain lodge. He turned out to be a malpractice lawyer.<br />
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After a hot bowel of soup and toasted bagel we put back on our winter jackets and micro-spikes and headed back out into the cold. As we starred out across the lake before turning to head back to the car, the clouds began to lift and briefly we could see the other side. The Lonesome Lake Hut offers bunks for travelers hoping to stay in the area. Its a great location for day hikes in that area.<br />
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Heading down was harder than expected. We lost one spike on the way up so I offered to go down with just one boot spike. The slippery trail was challenging until my friend Shelly had a brilliant idea. Before you knew it, the four of us were sliding down the steep trail on our bottoms. The clouds began clearing giving us a view across the canyon to Mount Lafayette. Until the clouds cleared I didn't realize how far we had actually hiked.<br />
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Exhausted, we finally reached the car. Not wanting to miss a beat we headed to Flume Gorge. During the summer Flume Gorge is a popular destination for families. It boasts wooden walkways taking hikers deep into the green gorge. In the winter these wooden walkways are taken down but the gorge is still breathtaking, with its ice palisades, spilling over the edges, making it a popular destinations for ice climbers.<br />
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We finally headed back to the motel just in time to take off again to rent ski's for the next day. We headed to Exit 28 Ski and Snowboard Rental to pick up skis for $25. Its much cheaper than the resorts in the area. On the way back we stopped into Lincoln for Thai food. We headed to bed early, allowing the sounds of the river passing below our window to lull us to sleep.<br />
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The next morning we woke up early, outfitting ourselves in ski clothes to head to Waterville Valley Resort. It is a medium size resort, but due to the poor winter season was for the most part closed. Only the lower runs were open. The runs were very icy and hard to navigate, especially for new skiers.<br />
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My friends Lakhvir and Shelly wanted to learn skiing. We headed up to the top of the bunny hill, but at the top I realized I am a terrible ski instructor. My friends decided to take a professional lesson. I headed up the only other lift open. The conditions were terrible. Half of the trails were covered in ice. After 10 runs I decided to call it a day. I went back to the bunny hill to check on my friends. They were still in their lesson. They looked exhausted.<br />
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The instructor seemed really nice and very patient. He happened to be from Chile. After his lesson I convinced him to join me on one last run. We talked about Chile and he gave me a few tips on how to handle the icy patches on the trail. We piled back into the car and headed back home to Philly.<br />
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Overall we had an adventurous weekend. I will definitely return, maybe for some ice climbing and to stay in the Lonesome Lake Hut. Who wants to join?<br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-36337661131743875272016-10-18T11:01:00.000-07:002016-10-23T21:41:28.746-07:00Are You a Stealers Fan?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I am currently in Pittsburgh for a medical student rotation. Its perfect time to be in Pittsburgh, the leaves are changing color and hare turning the city and surrounding forests into rainbows.<br />
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Recently I visited McConnell's Mill, which is 45 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. This is a 7 mile trail. To the hike the entire trail you either have to take cars to both ends or hike 14 miles. I decided to hike as far as I could in a half a day. It ended up only being about 6 miles. The trail follows Slippery Rocks River which runs through the park.<br />
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I also visited Mount Washington and took the "Incline" tram up. This is an old trolly that takes you up and down the mountain. This is a great adventure for both day and night. If you plan to go at night don't forget to have a bite to eat at one of the restaurants at the top. The views are amazing.<br />
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Other than hiking there are plenty of restaurants to try. Check out Shake Shack, Meat and Potatoes, Primanti Brothers, and Big Dog Coffee.<br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-29049142884085575322016-10-16T10:29:00.000-07:002016-10-16T10:31:44.024-07:00Celebrating with Family in Kenya<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am jumping back into time when I spend Easter with an amazing family in Kenya. I went with my coworker Judy and her family to her rural home for Easter celebrations. When we pulled in, our group was welcomed by signing and dancing. We exchanged hugs and handshakes with all the family members and were escorted into the home dancing, signing and clapping.<br />
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We had arrived a bit late so lunch was already ready and waiting for us. We sat down in the small living room and were given an enormously large plate of food. The plate had brown ugali, sakuma wiki, cabbage, beef, fried potatoes, rice, beans and stewed chicken. I struggled to eat the large portion of food. When the meal was over we headed to a small make-shift tent.<br />
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The next two hours consisted of sermons from many of the party attendants. We sang and clapped between sermons. After two hours it was time to give gifts. One by one each person, group or family offered something to the host family. We clapped and sang as lassos and blankets were put around the necks of the elders. We sat Judy's parents in front of a small table and began setting gifts of milk, sugar, flour and cooking utensils in front of them.<br />
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When the singing was over we said bye to party attendants who were leaving that evening. I explored the estate with some of the kids in the neighborhood. I had a photoshoot with Judy's father and their cow. I took many pictures with the family.<br />
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Soon it was dinner time. I was still stuffed from lunch but I forced myself to eat the rice, potatoes and beans. As the sun set the family illuminated a small solar powered light. Other than that light there was no other power in the house.<br />
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As guests we were ushered to another small home still under-construction to sleep. We lit the small oil lamps and prepared for bed. The next morning we boiled water over the open fire and took showers behind curtains in an opening field.<br />
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Once clean and fed, the family loaded into Judy's brothers car and headed to Lake Bogoria. Lake Bogoria is an hour drive from Judy's rural home. Its located at the bottom of the rift valley surrounded by dry dessert-like scenery. The park entrance is 500 ($5) for resident students and 300 ($3) for citizens.<br />
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Before driving into the park we loaded up with snacks, raw eggs, cookies and soda. We headed off through the dirt roads, keeping our eyes out for wild animals in the shrubbery surrounding the lake. We headed straight to the thermals, located 45 minutes from the southern entrance of the park.<br />
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When we arrived at the thermals we were starving. With the the help of a guy near the thermals we were shown how to cook our raw eggs in the hot water. We watched them boil in the bubbling water. The water was so hot that it felt like a sauna around the thermals.<br />
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We then headed back down the dirt road and stopped to enjoy the group of flamingo's that bathed in the lake. On the way back home we stopped in a small town for lunch. It was a small hole in the wall restaurant with only one dish. They called it the "special." It was a mixture of potatoes, rice, noodles, beans and broth. After filling up we headed back to Eldoret.<br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-52869785742493655462016-08-25T19:21:00.001-07:002016-11-17T12:20:43.157-08:00Not so Dry Tortugas National Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Have you heard about Dry Tortugas National Park? Four weeks ago I had not. When I stumbled upon it on google maps it immediately went to the top of my bucket list. In commemoration for the centennial birthday of the U.S. National Park Service I will be telling you about my experience camping at <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dry Tortugas National Park. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: inherit;">Dry Tortugas National Park is located 67 miles from Key West Florida. It's a small remote cluster of islands that is home to Fort Jefferson, built in 1846, to protect the U.S. From the gulf. Most of the fort walls still stand today giving the island an interesting lure for tourists. This hexagon shaped brick fort with two story high walls takes up the majority of Garden Island, the most popular of the Dry Tortuga Islands. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: inherit;">As you approach the islands, it's red brick walls and it's perfect polygonal shape, contrast from the other islands passed on the two hour journey from key west. There are many ways to get to Dry Tortugas National Park. You can sail your own boat, you can hire a seat on the pontoon, or you can use the cheapest option; the daily ferry. You can choose between a single day trip or a multi-day trip. Single day trips leave at 8am and return around 5:30pm. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: inherit;">Of course when I heard there was camping on the island, I could not imagine a better way to learn and explore Dry Tortugas National Park. When the 175 people board the ferry at 3pm back to Key West, the island is left to the handful of campers, the private boaters and the park rangers. This gives campers the feeling that they are on a deserted island. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: inherit;">Immediately when I disembarked the boat I made my way the the most prime real estate to pitch my tent. I erected my tent ten strides from the beach behind a gnarly tree furthest from the other camping sites. Seconds after I threw my bags into the tent it began to pour. As there was not much else to do I ran out into the water. I floated near the beach watching bolts of lightning strike the sea around me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: inherit;">As the rain began to calm I decided to try snorkeling. I headed to the north beach and swam out into hundreds of thousands of small fish. Large tarpon swam by eating the small fish. After I walked over to south beach and swam through the pilings of an old ruined dock. Here the posts had been covered by coral and many colorful fish swam in and out of the posts. Swimmers are warned to stay far from the coral, as most of the pilings were covered with fire coral, which stings if you touch it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: inherit;">As I swam back to shore I saw a large dark fish swimming towards me on the sea bottom which was only 3 meters down. The large dark grey fish turned out to be a shark. I tried to stay calm as I watched the 6 foot long shark swim only meters from me. Quickly I swam back, checking once to make sure I was not being followed.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: inherit;">When I reached shore I realized everyone had left. The the island was quiet now. Storm clouds loomed in every direction. I began exploring the fort, walking through the parade grounds, climbing the walls, and inspecting the cannons. I was intersected by a ranger who asked if I wanted to catch some dinner. Other than a veggie dog, I didn't have much to eat, so I agreed and followed him and the other four campers to the dock. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: inherit;">The park ranger showed us how to cast a circle net to collect bait fish. I practiced a couple time but wasn't very good and the fish were too fast for me. After a couple tries I decided to try my hand at fishing with the bait fish that had already been caught. I threaded the circle hook through the small bait fish and cast out the line of the hand fishing reel. The ranger sad it was like fishing in an aquarium because there were so many fish. I didn't have much luck. The smart snappers were just stealing my fish right off the hook. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: inherit;">I was getting hungry. I cashed out the line one more time. When I felt the tug, I released my line a bit. The line still felt heavy so I began to reel it back in. Something tugged at my line as I pulled. I watched in astonishment when I hauled in a foot long snapper. This was the second fish I have ever caught, the first was the piranha in the Amazon. The ranger taught us how to clean, gut, and fillet the fish. I wrapped my fish in foil and took it back to my campsite to cook.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">That night I feasted on snapper and veggie dogs. I hauled my dessert up to the fort ramparts facing west to watch the sunset just as it began to pour. I gave up on my hope to watch the sunset as all </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">could see was the rain in my eyes and the dark clouds blocking the sun. I decided instead to walk around the moat wall the lined the fort. At night, alone, it's a bit scary. Waves turned up by the storm hit the moat wall and sprayed water over the surface. I walked hoping the crocodile that lived on the island would not pop out and scary me. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: "helvetica neue light" , , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">As the storm passed the clouds began to clear. Thousands of stars began to shine over </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Dry Tortugas National Park. They say on a clear day you can see the arm of the Milky Way, I could begin to see it as I headed to bed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: inherit;">The night was windy, humid, and hot. I am never that comfortable sleeping on a small camp mat, adding all the other elements made it very difficult to fall asleep. Once I did, I didn't want to wake up. That morning I packed my bag and I set it out to be picked up by that day's ferry. It was the 100th birthday of the U.S. National Park Services so they had a special treat for visitors. After a flag raising ceremony and cutting of a huge cake, they had reenactments of what it was like living on Dry Tortugas so long ago. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: inherit;">I then headed out with the other campers to snorkel. The visibility on both sides of the island was poor and there were more jellyfish so we gave up and decided to tour the fort. As I walked around the fort again I bumped into a friend I had made at Key West. We decided to try snorkeling one more time. We went back to the piling and it had cleared up a bunch. There were still jelly fish, but they were not the dangerous ones. We got out of the water just in time to board the boat back to Key West. I slept half of the boat ride back, the rocking of the boat was soothing and I was very tired.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); font-family: inherit;">Overall Dry Tortugas was a great experience. It's definitely one of those places you got to do at least once. I have always supported the National Park Service, so it was great to spends its 100th birthday on Dry Tortuga. Maybe one day I will be back, hopefully with my own boat. </span></div>
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-33766955275440978772016-05-11T00:01:00.002-07:002016-11-17T12:26:12.409-08:00What is Body Safety Education?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I arrived in Kenya eleven months ago. I am only a month away from my return to the USA. I am a bit sad that I will be leaving but I am hoping to leave a positive change here in Kenya since Kenya has made such a positive change on me. Kenya has taught me so much. I have learned about new cultural practices and traditions. I am nervous I will return to the USA and greet everyone in a room with handshakes and cheek kisses. I have learned a good amount of Kiswahili to the point that words like "sawa" (ok), "pole" (sorry), "asante" (thanks) and "sasa" (whats up) are integrated into my vocabulary. USA get ready to hear a mzungu speaking random words of kiswahili.<br />
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In addition Kenya has taught me so much about medicine. I have been working with AMPATH Clinic on a project helping children living with HIV. I have learned the resilience of these children and the dedication of the people supporting them. Kenya is such a beautiful country with so many kind and generous people. I have made life-long friends here and I hope come back and visit soon.<br />
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Kenya also taught me how to manage a research project and work with a team to meet our goals. Six months ago one of our research assistants brought to my attention a handful of cases of sexual abuse of children at his clinic. He was asking for help and guidance and we saw an opportunity to fill a gap.<br />
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One in three girls and one in five boys experience sexual abuse before the age of 18 based on a survey in 2010 in Kenya (1). Unfortunately sexuality is a taboo subject in Kenya and there is a large amount of stigma that surrounds children who have been sexually abused and their families. Rarely children in Kenya receive education about how to keep their private parts safe and prevent inappropriate touches. For many educators and healthcare providers its hard or embarrassing to talk about these topics of sexuality.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpd8AiasyWnhDFZFtgvcDU86k1-lE7ahyphenhyphenQDpEVtcirt9s2hEF1g5-w43E-xkHtZp3l1IgQ59k3Dk60WNgsCPaYh8lJKpw5qUqSXD9sRrAc8tRdxgeEqrnxvIfQL6I1e2i4UTj0XcDV_RXC/s1600/Private+Parts.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpd8AiasyWnhDFZFtgvcDU86k1-lE7ahyphenhyphenQDpEVtcirt9s2hEF1g5-w43E-xkHtZp3l1IgQ59k3Dk60WNgsCPaYh8lJKpw5qUqSXD9sRrAc8tRdxgeEqrnxvIfQL6I1e2i4UTj0XcDV_RXC/s640/Private+Parts.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks Maria Schlatter (Mom) for the book illustrations</td></tr>
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In the hopes to fill in this educational gap my team developed a culturally friendly book that would educate children about private parts, good and bad touches and what to do if they experience inappropriate touches. At the same time the book helps healthcare providers and educators feel more comfortable about this topic. In addition it helps raise awareness in the community about the importance of educating and supporting our children.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwLpi1K_MPFMnfC-dEkaIanilEM7RCNHoQZMPLKyoovQ-jk6xe8nhX9YqivnOdfi0YXBw5V3Mt_W0S9epti1nAT37Tn3uSQFMmMARdJoX-s1-cEIrHlXfBdOG01FGEfGobylMZ57Phfga/s1600/tell.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="534" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwLpi1K_MPFMnfC-dEkaIanilEM7RCNHoQZMPLKyoovQ-jk6xe8nhX9YqivnOdfi0YXBw5V3Mt_W0S9epti1nAT37Tn3uSQFMmMARdJoX-s1-cEIrHlXfBdOG01FGEfGobylMZ57Phfga/s640/tell.PNG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Thanks Maria Schlatter (Mom) for the book illustrations</span></td></tr>
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After a four month study we are finally ready to bring this book to the community. Surveys of study participants have created a list of where we can send these books. This includes orphanages, schools, churches, mosques, village elders, community outreach events and more. In the hopes to get these books out we hope to p<span style="font-family: inherit;">rint a thousand books, but we need all the help we can get. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Please visit: </span><a href="http://www.gofundme.com/bodysafetykenya">www.gofundme.com/bodysafetykenya</a> to donate! Thanks so much for all your help.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 25px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(1) UNICEF, CDC, Together for the Girls, Kenya Vision 2030, (2010) Violence Against Children in Kenya Findings from a 2010 National Survey. </span></span><br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com48tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-38317870274733850312016-03-29T02:14:00.003-07:002016-11-17T12:35:20.670-08:00So Many Monkeys!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I arrived In Kakamega forest Easter Sunday. Kakamega rainforest resides in Western Kenya, less than two hours from either Kisumu or Eldoret. It's abundant wildlife and activities makes it a great weekend getaway.<br />
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Kakamega has many places to stay for any budget. If you are interested in saving money you can stay in the Isecheno Keep bandas between $6-9 depending on your residence status in Kenya. The Isecheno Blue Shoulder Lodge which is approximately $5 for a dorm-style lodging. If you are interested in higher end accommodations Rondo, a Christian retreat offers room and board for $60 a night.<br />
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On a smaller budget my friend Kris and I decided to stay in the bandas for 700KSH ($7) a night for residents. We also packed food and snacks to minimize costs. When we arrived to kakamega forest ranger station we paid park entrance ($4 for residents) and were given a small tour of the area. Next we were shown where we were going to be sleeping.<br />
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Our banda was a large thatched roofed house with cement walls. It has a small covered porch for sitting. Inside were two bedrooms, each with two beds and a mosquito net. Inside the thatched roof was lined with spider webs and probably many other bugs. The bed was a small twin sized mattress with a small slope in the middle from overuse. The pillows were thin and the chicken wire over the windows to keep out the monkeys was mended with rope. Despite the place not being very appealing it was a roof over our head, something soft to sleep on and only $7.<br />
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The banda was in a compound with five other similar bandas, an office, outdoor toilets and a large covered sitting area. The compound was surrounded by large trees and a green lawn. The thatched roof bandas fit perfectly with the surrounding forest. On the compound resided a group of seven German volunteers and a lone German traveler. Once Kris started speaking in German it felt like I was in Germany rather than Kenya. Everyone was very nice from the other group and helped us navigate around the area.<br />
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A five minute walk down the road, by the green house, across the main road was a small wooden shack called the canteen. This run-down building was where you could order lunch and dinner. Its small menu boasted local favorites such as ugali, matoke, and sukuma wiki. The prices are a bit more than what you find in the cities but still reasonable.<br />
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Kris and I decided on dinner, matoke, cabbage and beans, and placed our order. Since there are only two cooks and food perpetration take many hours, they recommend you place your orders hours in advance. Our bill ended up being only 200 KSH ($2) for both of us.<br />
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After ordering dinner around 2pm we set off on our first hike. Limited on money we decided on the short hike for 500KSH ($5) and the sunrise hike for 1200KSH ($12). This is the priciest part of the whole trip, but they are worth it. Ask fro Abraham as a guide, he is fantastic and very knowledgeable. He is a avid birder, so if you like learning about the different bird species he is the one to hire.<br />
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We walked out into the forest stopping every 5-10 minutes for a story. He explained to us about the medicinal properties of the plants and the history of the forest. His eyes were excellent, he was able to spot birds and animals and name them in seconds. He had a pair of binoculars which he he lent us to see birds and monkeys that were far away.<br />
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As we walked, monkeys jumped through the branches over our heads. Cricket and bird calls filled the forest with sounds. Soon we arrived to a clearing. He explained to us that these islands of grasslands within the forest were shrinking as the rain forest swallowed them up. We climbed to the top of a watch tower which was missing quite a few steps. A the top we met another group consisting of two American's from Oregon. We sat at the top talking and looking out at the monkeys jumping through the trees.<br />
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We headed back down and back to our banda. We sat on our porch talking and listening to the sounds of the rainforest. At eight we headed over to the shack for dinner. Despite order only matoke (stewed green bananas) beans, and cabbage we still had food left. We said goodnight to the other group of volunteers and headed to bed early.<br />
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The next morning we awoke at 5am to head out to the sunrise hike. The sunrise hike is a 4km walk down the road and up a large hill. This hill, due to its volcanic rock composition, was clear of trees. It was the highest hill in the forest and therefore offered an amazing view of the sunrise. We hiked in the dark with our torches and finally reached the top.<br />
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The two American's from Oregon were sitting at the top. We handed out the five PB&J sandwiches we had made and we ate as we enjoyed the sunrise over the rainforest. After sunrise we headed down the mountain and stopped at a cave. The cave was 50 meters long and was filled with bats and crickets. If you are afraid of bats or creepy crawlies this cave is not for you.<br />
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After the cave we hiked home. At home we enjoyed another peanut-butter and jelly sandwich under the covered sitting area and took tea with the Germans as we talked. After lunch we went exploring. We found a small trail leading into the forest and began walking. We made markers at each fork to lead us back. The trail began getting narrower and narrower, until we reached a point when we were ducking under trees and jumping over logs.<br />
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Finally we turned around and headed back to camp. On the way, we were surrounded by monkeys. They were close enough that you could reach out and touch them. We watched them as they played in the trees, running over the thatched roofs, running around our feet. Small babies clinging to their mother's bellies as the monkeys swung from branch to branch. After several minutes of watching we got back into Kris's car to head back to Eldoret.<br />
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Over all Kakamega was very relaxing. The forest was beautiful and green. The hikes were leisurely and not very strenuous. The forest was warm and humid, but not too hot. The nights were chilly, perfect for a sweater. Overall I would go back and visit. Its a great weekend trip that won't break the bank.<br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-12802355845245273772016-03-17T01:09:00.002-07:002016-11-17T12:45:46.950-08:00Hold On - Rafting the Nile, Uganda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On Friday I headed to Jinja with my roommates. We left at 2pm in the hopes that we would arrive our our campsite in Jinja before dark. As we drove Claudia played DJ and we danced all the way there, which should only take 4-5 hours from Eldoret, depending on boarder traffic.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally arriving at our campsite Jinja, Uganda</td></tr>
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<br />We arrived to our small hostel in Jinja, right on the Nile river. We were exhausted and hungry. Of course the kitchen at the campsite was closed. So we ordered rolexes (chapati stuffed with egg and veggies) from a local shop. We headed to bed only to wake up before sun rise to go rafting.<br />
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In the morning we woke up early, stopped at the bank for Ugandan currency. After loading up on Ugandan shilling we met our fellow medical student Fogarty Fellows form Kampala. They seemed as tired as us since they woke up early to take a matatu (local bus/shuttle) this morning to reach Jinja in time for rafting. We went with Nalubale rafting company. They are one of the highest rated and safest rafting companies in Uganda. They offered us a sweat deal for a full day rafting trip which included a guide, lunch and pictures of the whole experience.<br />
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I have been rafting a handful of times so I was excited for this class V rapid down the Nile. We started of the trip practicing some safety skills. What to do if the raft flips, what to do if you fall in. It was important that we practiced because the first rapid was a class V waterfall.<br />
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As we perched on the top of the rapid watching the safety boat and then a kayak flip over we were all a bit nervous.<br />
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We inched closer. Paddling swiftly to get to the perfect path down the waterfall. Of course as we edged closer to the edge we got stuck on a massive rock. We all paddled hard trying to dislodge ourselves. We felt the pull of gravity as the front of the raft tilted down. I was sitting right in the front. Everyone on the raft was screaming and yelling.<br />
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All of a sudden the boat tilted forward and became vertical as it slid down into the churning water below. We all held on for dear life as the raft slammed into the water below. The impact was so hard our raft penetrated the water and we all flew every which way.<br />
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When we surfaced again everyone was still on the raft. We had survived.<br />
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This was just the first in a series of class III, IV and V rapids. The eight hour day of rafting was full of adventure. We would jump out and lounge in the river enjoying the cool crocodile infested water as we floated down the Nile, the longest river in the world. We tried front and back flips off the boat. Enjoying spraying each other with our paddles and water guns. Holding onto the safety kayakers as they dragged us around the river.<br />
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We had lunch on the edge of the river. It was a satisfying salami wrap, pasta, carrot cake and fresh fruit. After lunch we ran the last four rapids before washing up on the shore of the island campsite we stayed at that night.<br />
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It was a perfect day with all my friends.<br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-42176160485175975662016-03-14T01:06:00.001-07:002016-03-14T01:23:51.036-07:00Where can you find hairy lemons? - Camping on the Nile<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After a long day of white water rafting down waterfalls we washed up on shore of Hairy Lemon Island Lodge. Hairy Lemon is situated on a forested island in the middle of the Nile River in Uganda. This small island hosts an eco-friendly camping, cabins, glamping and hostels. With a fully stocked bar, board games, and volleyball court in the middle of the river, its a perfect place to relax and have fun with friends.<br />
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The island is very quiet and quite small but has lots of hidden treasures. If you love being active, play a round of Nile River volleyball or go for a kayak outing. If you want to sit back and relax, have a drink at the bar or recline in the hidden natural Jacuzzi. Its the best of both worlds.<br />
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Within the cost of lodging you receive three meals and chai (tea). For dinner we had soup with home-cooked warm bread, tender beef stew over rice, cooked cabbage, mixed veggies and baked butternut squash. For lunch we were packed veggie pizza, cookies and mango juice, breakfast was eggs, warm bread, bacon, fresh fruit and muffins. Fresh cookies and chai are served at 4pm each day.<br />
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We arrived to the island straight from white water rafting and received a quick tour of the island. We got settled into the dorm room and then headed to the volley ball court in the middle of a small river going through the resort. We played a competitive game of volleyball.<br />
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After dinner inhabitants of the island gathered around a bonfire and roasted marshmallows on long skewers. I have not had a marshmallow for over a year. They are so hard to find in Kenya, but sure enough Hairy Lemon had them. We were given complimentary Hairy Lemon signature shots to get the mood started. We joined in deep conversations and played board games on the large family tables.<br />
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The next morning I woke for the sunrise. As I sat on the beach watching the sun rise over the green forested sides of the Nile I heard monkeys swinging from the trees over my head. Red tailed monkeys play through the trees day and night at the resort. That's why its important to clean up all your food remnants before you go to bed. <br />
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After breakfast we put on our bathing suits and headed to the natural Jacuzzi for a swim. To get there you must either ask the owner for directions or have someone show you. To find it you must hike from the beach around the far side of the island, under a mangrove tunnel, along a shallow stream up to a shaded area with a small waterfall. Here you can sit in the pool as the waterfall creates a vortex in the pool. Its a bit dangerous. If you get swept by the current it can carry you down the small waterfall and over some dangerous looking rocks.<br />
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At the end of our stay we took a short boat ride back to shore to meet up with our driver to head back to Kenya. Overall Hairy Lemon was wonderful. It seemed like a hidden piece of paradise. The island has poor cell reception, no internet, compost toilets and natural cold showers. Its vegetarian and vegan friendly and great for any age. With many things to do around the island you can spend days here escaping the hustle and bustle of Kenya's and Uganda's big cities.<br />
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PS: There are no hairy lemons on the island its names after where the couple who owns the resort met. </div>
Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-28123309208824190232016-03-05T07:51:00.003-08:002016-03-16T06:24:07.204-07:00Rift Valley Exploring<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Today I visited Samich Resort on the rift valley. Samich is
a high end restaurant and hotel located on the edge of the rift valley in
Western Kenya. It’s a day trip from Eldoret. The resort is hidden behind a huge
gate on a 4km dirt road off of the main road. </div>
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When we arrived we started off on the “Nature Trail” which descends
into the rift valley. The trail is well maintained but very steep. Almost every
part of the trail is a perfect photo opportunity of the rift valley. After
about 30 minutes you arrive to a small banda/hut with an amazing view. This is
a great place for a snack or lunch. </div>
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There are more trails that descend further. We continued a
bit more then turned around. The hike down is not too hard, but going up is
steeper and much more exhausting. Once you reach the top you can enjoy a cold
drink and lunch at the restaurant. The view from the restaurant is also beautiful.
There are many shaded tables to choose from. </div>
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-85692685870037748482016-02-22T05:46:00.000-08:002016-09-06T17:32:57.682-07:00Road Trip to Wote<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wote is a small rural town in </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.12px;">Makueni County in Eastern Kenya. Its a two hour drive east of Nairobi and a seven hour drive from Edoret the town I live. Its also home to one of my close friends here in Eldoret, Dr Musa. My friend was very excited for me to meet her mother and brother so I joined them on an exciting and </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 16.12px;">unforgettable</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.12px;"> roadtrip to Wote. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSc2pq5K-7aVEbRhN10m997RUTNArwFpMAxkn4Fqyqt_UXsOHxvAifmRgg2V07MUw6JzDq5D1JDkbdiFBQDQekSN043VrUw1UmAjg4q9Fc_NluZk2DOUyqcEeiiLzsywxPFQG07FxyblS/s1600/wote6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUSc2pq5K-7aVEbRhN10m997RUTNArwFpMAxkn4Fqyqt_UXsOHxvAifmRgg2V07MUw6JzDq5D1JDkbdiFBQDQekSN043VrUw1UmAjg4q9Fc_NluZk2DOUyqcEeiiLzsywxPFQG07FxyblS/s640/wote6.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.12px;">The first part of the trip is the standard Eldoret to Nairobi highway. We stopped at Kikopey a famous roadside dining experience. Kikopey is known for its wide selection of nyama choma. They thrown almost anything on the grill. Chicken, cow, goat, intestine, kidneys, liver you name it. There are many stalls to choose from. Each of them offer samples. Hanging in the window are </span></span><span style="line-height: 16.12px;">carcass</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.12px;"> of cows and goats. Its a bit overwhelming for a recovering vegetarian. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.12px;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 16.12px;">After a satisfying meal we smashed back into the small car and headed to Wote. On the way to Wote we stopped in Machakos to pick up a card for Dr Musa's brother. It was just before the national exams for primary school children. Its ceremonial to give them an over-sized card and school supplies before exams. Dr Musa also decided to pick up a pair of shoes.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.12px;">We headed off to Wote, or at least in the direction we thought Wote was in. We drove about two hours through the arid terrain, passing many small rural towns. Finally our driver, Vinny, realized we were not anywhere near Wote. We stopped in one of the small towns and asked a gentleman which direction Wote was. He shook his head, its about three hours the opposite direction. We had to head back to Machakos and then take a different road. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihc663iMAVWLEXToLO8kTM7GhteOKRliyVScTu247ZtIxpM-4qLhv9hPldG9NwurklhJKCv3NCoUQPwhpX7R_DLWjKyoiH6H2CeXBUjtwnteXGTmLiukGc0GfIlyZ_wczGGnk9TQTviDjf/s1600/wote+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihc663iMAVWLEXToLO8kTM7GhteOKRliyVScTu247ZtIxpM-4qLhv9hPldG9NwurklhJKCv3NCoUQPwhpX7R_DLWjKyoiH6H2CeXBUjtwnteXGTmLiukGc0GfIlyZ_wczGGnk9TQTviDjf/s640/wote+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shortcut</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.12px;">We were already late and three more hours on the road seemed long. There has to be a short cut. I opened google maps and found Wote. Sure enough there was a road that took a more direct path to Wote from where we were. Determined we set off for this shortcut. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.12px;">The shortcut happened to be a dirt road (rough road) that took us through the hilly dry terrain. All of a sudden we heard a pop and the car began to lean to one side. We all hopped out of the car to find one of our wheels had blown out. The view was beautiful so I decided to take a small hike up while we decided what to do. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMPJr48AJTKmuT4baY7J4q57i9gq_7hNhOc_LKjuwn3Ye04I-YDUOqAXVYri-Y2U_Jwq9m-G6Vq436iHdMQFs8gGEQMgDCqyaW8sbO2UYWeeFFS1As2XDMGy4ZOWn0Arz2w85mLorgIAe/s1600/wote8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZMPJr48AJTKmuT4baY7J4q57i9gq_7hNhOc_LKjuwn3Ye04I-YDUOqAXVYri-Y2U_Jwq9m-G6Vq436iHdMQFs8gGEQMgDCqyaW8sbO2UYWeeFFS1As2XDMGy4ZOWn0Arz2w85mLorgIAe/s640/wote8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where our tire popped</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.12px;">A piki-piki drove by and told us there was a town only around the corner. We drove with the flat tire a couple minutes to a small town that had to be a population of 50.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.12px;"> We stopped near a shop under the shade of a small tree and let Vinny change the spare tire. At the same time Musa and I went off in search for a cold drinks for the three of us.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 16.12px;">Of course it was dangerous to drive without a spare so we asked around for someone who could mend the tire. There was nothing in this town so we headed on our way hoping the next town would have more services. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbWc5Ui8crRsGwgLPUXkDwXa-K0JQ5DMED-9vMJe38KvtebGZyv01i4ni51kKnXpxWKaQvaMAnaavkX7ajPkhaJDGhc0mCulb4wnXry3K8HQ8RmabaGPPYYMEvkHB2UNyLg3X00KxPcLH/s1600/wote4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbWc5Ui8crRsGwgLPUXkDwXa-K0JQ5DMED-9vMJe38KvtebGZyv01i4ni51kKnXpxWKaQvaMAnaavkX7ajPkhaJDGhc0mCulb4wnXry3K8HQ8RmabaGPPYYMEvkHB2UNyLg3X00KxPcLH/s640/wote4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.12px;">In the next town we found a tire repair place. Dr Musa and I decided to take a tour of the town while the tire was being fixed. We wandered through the dry town. It was very hot and there was barely any shade. Donkeys walked around carrying buckets of water and milk from place to place. Ladies sold clothing and vegetables from small wooden stalls. A woman sat with her baby under the shade of a building. Drawn to babies, I walked over and started playing with the baby boy. The mom got up from the seat, handed me her baby and walked off without a word. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmAyHMgsFMjHuFDRna_DHAq0mmYWCnzfY_ube6kKL-WZIsXtAF-dFENL9Lwhu6kXSdjiIpK9NQJOPHc0hR6kYsx1CAC6GqpInhusel3jbc5haFtmaTOFlP4cKE-_hxjOlloo2ql6cHPRD/s1600/wote1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmAyHMgsFMjHuFDRna_DHAq0mmYWCnzfY_ube6kKL-WZIsXtAF-dFENL9Lwhu6kXSdjiIpK9NQJOPHc0hR6kYsx1CAC6GqpInhusel3jbc5haFtmaTOFlP4cKE-_hxjOlloo2ql6cHPRD/s400/wote1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.12px;">I sat down on the chair with the baby on my lap. I was hoping she did not just leave me with her baby forever. At one point a man from a nearby shop came out and took my picture with the baby. He ran back into his shop. Minutes later he came back out with a printed picture with a "pintrest" style boarder. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.12px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.12px;">The man fixing the tire finally gave up. He said the puncture was too big to fix. I sat for couple more minutes, I was getting worried the mother would not comeback. Soon I saw her in a shop across the way. I carried the baby over to her. I thanked her for letting me play with her son and gave her the picture of me and him to the mom as a keepsake. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3DvM1Hce3RrmETdpG-NG_BMq1CEPFRPStl0QkUxg_BevSK05CKrjENv5B83DdKW3CFuUt5YGuvhsKG0uAs1OoXJgy5Tr3qeQkriRZwUlVtFPJGRshAZXVNE_VJdCjN8BpiskuRXVEqsV/s1600/wote5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3DvM1Hce3RrmETdpG-NG_BMq1CEPFRPStl0QkUxg_BevSK05CKrjENv5B83DdKW3CFuUt5YGuvhsKG0uAs1OoXJgy5Tr3qeQkriRZwUlVtFPJGRshAZXVNE_VJdCjN8BpiskuRXVEqsV/s640/wote5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.12px;">We headed off again towards Wote, still without a spare tire. As we drove we heard another bang and I looked back to see the trunk of the car bouncing up and down. We stopped again hoping that nothing had fallen out of the trunk. Turns out the piece that hold the trunk shut had fallen off with all the shaking. Vinny had a rope which he tied around the trunk to keep it from opening. We then continued. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16.12px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 16.12px;">Finally about 3 hours later we finally found Wote. We met at a small restaurant, entirely too late for dinner. Despite all the bad luck we made it and Dr Musa's family was very excited to see us. </span></span></span><br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-17379698815062252892016-02-17T08:31:00.001-08:002016-03-17T23:38:29.520-07:00Beware Scammers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Many people are cheated out of money everyday. People steal for many reasons, but stealing is never good and never justified. Stealing occurs due to inequal distribution of wealth and often promotes inequal distribution of wealth. We often hear of the Robinhood of robbers, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, but this glorified form of robbing is no more justified than the others. Rather in a perfect society those with funds should give to those who have nothing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3obu3OCJ0jpD3J5uxQKEi6Hk_pH44YuIobTTLNDHqQxOLkmnqZ9Olzp92ea_AHEDkXppgTmi9pJ_9EAzZEg-h6fQHhGsbiQZItT-yzptR-XRPuW2HApPPsp-mgaO9qMbxIYPEHqgXSqLo/s640/blogger-image--820762561.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3obu3OCJ0jpD3J5uxQKEi6Hk_pH44YuIobTTLNDHqQxOLkmnqZ9Olzp92ea_AHEDkXppgTmi9pJ_9EAzZEg-h6fQHhGsbiQZItT-yzptR-XRPuW2HApPPsp-mgaO9qMbxIYPEHqgXSqLo/s640/blogger-image--820762561.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These children would jump in the photo in Peru then demand to be paid.</td></tr>
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Today I sat in my office as a man came by asking for money for a prosthesis. He hobbled in with a cane and handed us a paper with a letter from the university promising a prosthetic leg if he could collect the funds. I gave him 100 KSH. Most had warned that many of these individuals will ask for money for one thing and spend it on another. On the other hand if we always see the worst in every situation, then the ones who need help will never be helped. </div>
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Sometimes when I take the street children out for dinner or give them a goodie bag I am warned that they often have ill intentions. I usually don't give cash, if one asks me I will usually stop and buy corn or a snack on the roadside and give that to them. I wold often carry stickers in India and hand those to the street children. Street children in India don't benefit from the money you hand them, they often must give the money to the adult they work for. </div>
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Today I recieved a text which said that someone had sent me money through MPESA (a phone linked debit account). Then I recieved a call from a frantic man asking for me to send it back, that he accidentally sent me the money. Not sure what to do I consulted a Kenyan friend. We realized it was a scam. I reported him to the company immediately. </div>
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Scams are easy to miss, especially when you are traveling in a foreign land. Often parks with no entrance fees will ask for entry from tourists. "Genuine" souvenirs, such as the coins sold at Petra kiosks and Kashmir scarves sold in the markets of India are often fake. Street children in Kenya fill empty phone bodies with mud and sell them to passerby's for hard to resist deals. Electronic shops in Chinatown, San Fransisco will give you the specs and price for better electronics but sell you last years model. Combi's (similar to matatus or small vans used as buses) in Peru would charge double or even triple of my friends who did not speak Spanish or the bus boy's would return incorrect change. </div>
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Careful consideration, checking what you are being sold, learning "how much?" And the numbers in another language, and consultation with a local might help you avoid these scams. In the end karma always wins. </div>
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Be careful and travel safe. </div>
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-3971082838732026262016-02-11T09:40:00.001-08:002016-09-25T11:27:13.507-07:00Smiles Make My Day Better<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Rotating through the pediatric hospital can be taxing. When a child is admitted they are usually very sick. My morning starts early, checking on my patients before major ward rounds with the attending doctor.<br />
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Wandering the hallway today I met a girl named Judy (name changed for protection). She looked like one of those children on the ads raising money for kids in Africa. Her legs are as small as broomsticks her cheeks and eyes sunken in. She was wearing a princess dress covered in dirt. She smelled of urine. Her hair was tangled and falling out. She barely could walk to the play room. She is being treated for malnutrition. Slowly she is is being introduced to a high calorie diet. Everyone seemed to be avoiding her so I sat down and I handed her my phone to play a game of candy crush. She pressed her little fingers on the touch screen and smiled. </div>
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Charles (changed) is a boy with Burketts who wanders the wards. When I wave he smiles despite the huge mass on his cheek. He is a normal boy of 12 and wonders why he has to be in a place with such sick children. Burketts has a 60-90% survival rate in the states. But in our hospital chemo is expensive and his dad just can't afford the treatment. When I pass him in the hallway we high-five.<br />
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Faith (also changed) is a small girl with HIV, she is so weak she can barely lift her head off the bed, but evey time I walk by her bed she reaches her arm out to greet me. When I walk away she waves bye. We greet each other and wave bye about 10 times a day. She loves highfives and loves funny faces. </div>
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Mary (changed) is a girl with epilepsy. She is on so many anti-seizure drugs that she seems intoxicated. She falls side to side as her mom props her up. She hit me today when I placed her IV. Despite that I got it on the first try. She smiles now when I walk by. </div>
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A boy without a name was found left for dead on the street. He lays in a cage, isolated from everyone. He has cerebral palsy. His only form of communication is screaming. Every couple of hours he screams. All the staff walk by him seaming not to notice. I opened the cage the other day and held his hand. He stopped screaming. He just wants love and that's all I have to give. </div>
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-67984355475487996062016-02-10T09:54:00.001-08:002016-02-22T05:55:12.458-08:00Upendo Ward<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Upendo means love in Swahili. It's a fitting name for the ward that I am currently rotating in at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH). Upendo Ward is on the 2nd floor (3rd floor in american standards) of the Shoe 4 Africa Children's Hospital. This huge building is the newest on the MTRH compound. Bright yellow and blue accents contrast with its plain concrete sides. The building is simple. All concrete, no elevator but plenty of windows.<br />
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When you walk into Upendo or any of the other wards you first notice uniformed nurses and people in white coats walking around slipping into corridors to either side. Despite being one of the largest buildings on the campus it still has too few beds for the patients. As you turn into one of the "cubes" or rooms for the patients you notice many people standing, sitting or laying down. Each "cube" has 12 beds. Each bed is resident to two children and their caregivers. Often four or five people will share a bed.<br />
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Other than the large number of people you will see large metal oxygen cylinders, most split for two children sharing one tank. This provides poor oxygen delivery to both children but there is no other way as oxygen tanks are hard to come by. Fluids and blood bags hang from poles suspended from either side of the patients beds and personal belongings are strewn about the floors.<br />
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Children cry in pain as their caregivers try to comfort them. To your right is a boy with cerebral palsy, left to die on the streets of Eldoret. He cries for food so often that you wonder how he could be so malnourished.<br />
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Children with blue lips and fingers gasp for air as their mothers cradle them. Another girl with a huge abdominal mass sits coloring a paper. A boy with hemophilia rolls by you on a rusty old wheelchair. Children lay unresponsive on beds as their bodies try to fight brain and blood infections. Mothers fan their children who are febrile from malaria. A boy with a mass on the side of his face wanders in and out of the room. A girl barely able to see stares out the window from her bed.<br />
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A girl grunts as she takes her last breaths, her mom wailing, but she is pallative, so all we can do is calm the mother. Other caregivers come over to offer condolences and kind words. In the next door room a priest yells loudly over a girl in her bed as she convulses ... now she is cured.<br />
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Its a sight I never see in the states. Its a scene attributed to poverty and corruption. A scene that could be prevented had resources been divided equally. Often I am frustrated at the doctors and nurses that they don't do more, but what can they do? Nurses work tirelessly day and night administering medications, food, cleaning patients, hanging bags, checking vitals, bedside blood sugars and comforting caregivers. One intern covers over 50 patients all night while the residents and consultants (attendings) moonlight at private hospitals to make a living.<br />
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Illnesses such as pneumonia and anemia that can be treated successfully elsewhere lead to death because we lack oxygen and enough blood. Everyday we see children suffering or dying due to congenital heart diseases that are treated at birth in the states. Children die of type I diabetes because they have no access to daily insulin while at home or the tests that would check for metabolic disorders are not provided where they live.<br />
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I asked the intern yesterday, after we finished seeing a patient with a congenital heart disease, "What will we do next?" He shrugged and replied. "Nothing." In reality we do a lot with what we have, and if all else fails, we just provide love. Isn't that the most powerful medicine anyways?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15EQZaT2QvPVAcr_NWJTO8yer2NknFmOLf4iKD-8W5gKxcCjs7U_S3je-vJ88UsIHaKjuMiqc8XnSdsXfZlRP7dl-M121vVunlAL7sATCwuXlolDQeGt055XpBCKC6HosT_Hl1CVViw65/s1600/IMG_7665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg15EQZaT2QvPVAcr_NWJTO8yer2NknFmOLf4iKD-8W5gKxcCjs7U_S3je-vJ88UsIHaKjuMiqc8XnSdsXfZlRP7dl-M121vVunlAL7sATCwuXlolDQeGt055XpBCKC6HosT_Hl1CVViw65/s640/IMG_7665.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Intern and I</td></tr>
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4793159366204347541.post-68930934604028051522016-02-09T14:54:00.001-08:002016-02-22T05:59:34.984-08:00Another Angel in Heaven<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A baby boy died in my arms today. He took his last breaths as I propped him up on the bed. Death is all too familiar in the wards in Kenya, but not for me. Many diseases that could be treated in the developed world lead to death in developing and resource-limited countries such as Kenya.<br />
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Yesterday I began my pediatric ward week at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, one of the largest public hospitals in Kenya. I was excited and a bit nervous to start. It has been over 8 months since I last did any clinical work. The first day was rough, we had lots of very sick patients. Slowly we went through the patients deliberating over what our assessments and plans would be. Congenital heart disease, pediatric heart failure, hemophilia, respiratory distress, sepsis, infective endocarditis, rheumatic heart disease, malaria, meningitis, severe anemia, and burketts lymphoma to name a few.<br />
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I spent the day trying to help the interns take blood and check on the patients. I went home exhausted. In the morning I arrived on the pediatric floor. I was notified that two of our patients had passed away overnight. I felt terrible but this was not an uncommon occurrence in the Kenyan healthcare system.<br />
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It was an admission day today, which means any new pediatric patient comes to our ward. As soon as rounds were over we received our first two patients. One of the Kenyan medical students and I took the most urgent case. A baby boy who was having trouble breathing. Anemia was the suspected cause from the emergency room. When I first saw him laying in his mothers arms his body was limp, he was agonally breathing and his eyes were rolled back. Immediately I knew something was wrong. The mother was crying and I knew she knew something was wrong too.<br />
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We laid the baby down to examine him. His pupils were nonreactive, his breathing shallow, and his body limp. When I tried to stimulate the baby with a sternal rub, no response. I sat him up hoping he would have less difficulty breathing but nothing changed. His breaths were sporadic. I knew that we needed to start resuscitation now but it was just the medial student. I looked around but the medical student and I were the only ones in the room.<br />
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We called for help from a nurse in the hallway. "I need the bag mask stat." The nurse walked out of the room. A minute later she brings me a mask for the tanked oxygen. I was a bit frustrated about the communication barrier and the urgency of this situation. "No bring me the resuscitation kit." Again she went to find the kit.<br />
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Frustrated I called over a physician on the palliative care team from the states. "Can you help me with chest compressions?" I asked desperately. Finally the mask came. We started resuscitation. I tried to get a seal over the babies face, the bag was so large and the baby so small.<br />
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"Would you like me to give epinephrine?" asked the nurse. "Yes" I replied frustrated on why she was asking me, I am just a medical student. I had the medical student check pulse and listen for breaths and heart sounds. Still no pulse.<br />
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My hands were shaking as I held the bag mask. Then I realized I was leading a code. I was sweating and shaking. The mother was crying on the bed next to me. 5 minutes went by, then ten, then fifteen. Finally I looked up at the doctor across from me. We knew it was futile at this point.<br />
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I realized that I needed to end the resuscitation measures that I had initiated, but it was so hard. As a medical student my goal is to preserve life. I did not want to pull the mask from the babies face or tell the team to stop. But at the same time its Kenya and even if we did get a pulse and we could ventilate properly, there are no ventilators to maintain breathing and no ICU beds available.<br />
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"I think we should let the mother sit with her baby for a bit." I said hesitantly. The doctor across from me nodded in agreement. I stopped the resuscitation. I turned to the mother, I wanted to cry but I had to stay strong. I could feel my eyes welling up. I sat next to mom and I put my hand on her back. I don't speak much Swahili, I just said "Pole." Which means sorry. I gave her a tissue and I sat with her for a half an hour. I prayed with her and brought her something to drink.<br />
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I was pretty distraught and felt terrible afterwards. Could it have been my fault? I was still shaking as I debriefed with the medical student. At that point I was no longer mad at the nurse for bringing me the wrong mask or the interns for not being around. They know better how the system works in Kenyan hospitals. Lack of resources would have prevented this baby from surviving even if resuscitation would have been possible. At this point I was just sad. How can such a young life be taken from us?<br />
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RIP baby boy. I hope you are in a better place now.<br />
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Liz Cervantes Arthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10523019810940309846noreply@blogger.com1