Remote Year

Prague (with Poppa)* by Maya Yette

* My dad suggested this title and probably didn’t think I would use it. He also didn’t think I’d be writing this post until at least 2017.

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Prague was my first visit to a city in Eastern Europe and a great introduction to the region. Like many European cities, Prague is oozing with charm and all of the streets and buildings are just waiting to have their pictures taken. It also has a complicated history that is still seen when you walk the streets of this beautiful city.

I spent about two weeks in Prague in July (the other two weeks I spent in Sayulita, Mexico for a company team retreat) and the weather was great, especially after less than ideal weather during our month in London. I was based in a neighborhood called, Žižkov, which was extremely livable and removed from the craziness of all the tourists in Prague’s Old Town Square, but still pretty central.  There were a number of cute cafes and restaurants nearby, and we were a short 20-minute walk to our co-working space, K10, which is housed in the old Danish embassy and one of my favorite workspaces of the year. I also lived right across the street from the infamous Žižkov TV Tower, known as the second ugliest building in the world and which has ten giant babies designed by a famous Czech artist crawling up and down its sides. This tower, the tallest building in the Czech Republic, served as our guiding light home for the month.

I found Prague easy to navigate using a combination of Uber, train and my own two feet to get around. I usually try to do a walking tour of each city we visit to get my bearings early on. In Prague, the tour of the Old City took us from the Old Town Square to see the famous Astronomical Clock, through the Old Jewish Quarter to Wenceslas Square and ended with a visit to the Powder Tower.

My dad came to visit for a few days shortly before we left Prague and I had saved up the rest of my exploring for his visit. Our first stop was the famous Prague Castle, which is featured on many of the iconic images of Prague. I was surprised to learn that it’s not a castle in the traditional sense, but a complex of churches and an old palace, which has served as the seat of Czech princes and kings, as well as the Prague bishop. We also walked across the Charles Bridge to visit the John Lennon Wall for some obligatory photo ops.

Over the weekend, we tried to avoid the traditional tourist attractions and visited a couple of underrated destinations, which turned out to be some of my favorites. We started with a visit to the Vyšehrad Fortress, which offers great views of the city below and has some pretty cool architecture within the park grounds. After wandering around Vyšehrad we walked down to the Náplavka Farmer’s Market for lunch, which made me a bit nostalgic for Sundays at the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market.

During my month in Prague I was also surprised to learn that it’s home to a mini Eiffel Tower, built in 1891 as part of the Jubilee Exhibition, sitting atop Petrín Hill overlooking the entire city.

Within the Old Town, the Klementium, a complex of baroque and rococo halls is also home to, arguably, one of the most beautiful libraries in the world (no pictures allowed, sadly, so check out the link), in addition to the Czech National Library. These are the kind of attractions that I probably wouldn’t have visited if I were in Prague for a few days, but that I had the luxury of discovering because of my slow travel style this year.

Prague also has some pretty good food and, of course, beer that’s cheaper than water. Some of my favorites were Field, Čestr and the Letna Beer Garden (go at sunset for the best views). There’s a food tour that I didn’t have a chance to participate in, but which gets rave reviews if you’re ever in Prague. The owners also rent out a very cute apartment, so maybe that will be my next home base when I make my way back to Prague one day.

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Escapades in España by Maya Yette

I’d never really thought about it this way until now, but Spain is the country outside of the United States where I’ve spent the most time. It was the country I visited in middle school on an exchange program, staying with a host family in Madrid and taking a side trip to the university town of Salamanca, where I’d return years later for a semester studying abroad. I went back to Salamanca the following semester during spring break and I’ve been back to Spain on a few family vacations since then.

So, naturally, while I was in Europe this summer I made not one, but two, trips to the land of jamón, tapas, sangria and siestas. On my first visit, I spent a week with a friend traveling to cities both new and old to me. We started with a quick 36 hours in Madrid. To be honest, Madrid was not at the top of my list among Spanish cities based on my previous visits and I much preferred Barcelona (still do), but I was excited to give it another chance.

I woke up and got breakfast while I waited for the Vodafone store to open so I could get a Spanish SIM card (I can never go anywhere longer than a day without getting a local SIM card anymore and it is a game changer!). Armed with a data plan so I could navigate the city using Google Maps, I set out towards El Prado, the Spanish national art museum, where I planned to see a temporary exhibit featuring the works of the painter Jheronimus Bosch. I had not planned ahead and purchased tickets online, so when I arrived and saw the line that stretched around the corner of the building, I decided not to waste the precious few hours I had to explore waiting to get inside.

Instead, I settled for a couple of pictures outside the museum and then spent some time meandering through the Royal Botanic Gardens, which are located directly behind the museum.

After admiring the flowers I decided I wanted a museum fix after all. Lucky for me, one of Madrid’s other famous museums, La Reina Sofia, Spain’s national museum of modern art, is right around the corner from El Prado. I spent most of my time there at the Wifredo Lam exhibit and in the museum’s interior courtyard.  After the museum, I took a quick detour to Parque del Retiro, home to the Palacio de Velazquez and Palacio de Cristal, which are both operated by La Reina Sofia Museum, before heading to get some work done.

The next morning, it was time for a road trip to the city I was most looking forward to on this visit: San Sebastián! I never made it to San Sebastián while I studied abroad in Spain, so I was very much looking forward to visiting this city in the Basque country that sits in the northwest region of Spain. The New York Times recently came out with a “36 Hours in San Sebastián” piece that would’ve been helpful a couple months ago, but I think we still did a pretty good job exploring the city.  

The drive from Madrid took only about five hours, after a quick stop in Segovia to see the Roman aqueducts there that date back to the 1st century.

Once in San Sebastián, when we weren’t working, we spent our time sampling the variety of pintxos (small tapas-like dishes) that the city is famous for, wandering around the cobbled streets of the old town, and admiring the views of the city and its famous La Concha Beach from the Igeldo Hill lookout point.  

I could’ve stayed in San Sebastián much longer than two days, but it was soon time to move on and make our way to Barcelona for the flight back to London. We drove from San Sebastián to Barcelona in a whirlwind day, stopping off in numerous cities along the way. First, a visit to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, where we visited an Andy Warhol exhibit and admired the building’s beautiful exterior.

Next up, stops in Pamplona, Zaragoza and, finally, Montseratt, right outside of Barcelona.

My week in Spain was capped off with one night and day in Barcelona. I went with my friends to Park Güell, the famous park designed by Antoni Gaudí that overlooks the city, before dinner. The next day, rather than rush around trying to see all the tourist attractions I’ve already visited on prior trips, I found a great café in the Gothic Quarter, had a leisurely breakfast and sat in a nearby park to spend some time journaling before meeting back up with my friends for lunch at La Boqueria. I’m glad I didn’t rush around Barcelona, because about a month and a half later, I was back in the city for a weekend to celebrate another friend’s birthday. We ate and drank our way through town and I explored some neighborhoods I hadn’t gotten a chance to see before.

I’ll surely be back one day soon!

 

Cusco's Charm by Maya Yette

When I look back on the month that I spent in Peru in May, I realize that between two trips to Lima, two trips to Machu Picchu and a great weekend at the beach in Mancora, I only spent about half of my time in Cusco. As a result, there are regrettably some things that I did not get to see, like the Inca Museum and the San Pedro Market. But, what I was able to discover during my time in Cusco I loved.

Walking the cobblestone streets and mile high staircases, you can imagine people hundreds of years ago walking the same paths. The streets are impossibly steep and narrow, barely allowing one car to squeeze through (yet somehow they are supposed to let traffic pass in both directions!). Walking around on my first day in the city, I remember being in awe of how picturesque it is.

This, and its proximity to Machu Picchu, make Cusco a very touristy city and it is definitely the South American city where we encountered the most English speakers. I had to learn to ignore all of the street vendors and men and women crowding the streets outside of their storefronts and restaurants offering “masajes” (massages) and inviting us to come try the daily special on their restaurant menu.

While Machu Picchu is the most famous, and certainly the most impressive, it is not the only place you can visit Incan ruins in Peru. On one afternoon, we hired a taxi driver to take us around to some Incan ruins in Cusco, including Sacsayhuaman (pronounced “sexy woman”), a huge complex overlooking the city; Tambomachay, which were believed to be Incan baths; and a few other sites whose names I can no longer remember. We also made a stop at Cristo Blanco, a large statue of Jesus Christ that can be seen from different vantage points throughout the city. I think that because I had gone to Machu Picchu the day before visiting these sites, I was a little underwhelmed in comparison.

Cusco is situated very close to the Sacred Valley, thought to be the heartland of the former Inca Empire. We spent one Saturday there in a town called Chinchero, visiting with a local community and learning a little bit about their way of life.

None of us knew what to expect, but as soon as we stepped off the bus, the women greeted us with singing and dancing, grabbing our hands to join in after presenting us with a necklace of flowers. We went into their compound and, following their lead, introduced ourselves by name, age and marital status (Maya, veinte-ocho (28), soltera (single)). We then had some hot tea, flavored with our choice of chamomile, coca leaves and another local herb. After fortifying ourselves, we walked to the fields where the villagers showed us how to build a traditional mud oven where we would roast the potatoes we were about to harvest. That afternoon we learned how the villagers give an offering of coca leaves to Pachamama (Mother Earth) before planting any crops. I also learned how hard it is to use a hoe to turn soil in preparation for planting crops and I declined trying my hand at leading the bulls in plowing a field.

After all this activity, we were ready for a traditional Andean Buffet, which largely consisted of potatoes and other starches in various forms, and the traditional delicacy of cuy (AKA guinea pig!), which is reserved for special occasions – I tried a tiny bite and it wasn’t bad, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat too much.

Following lunch, we learned how the women make yarn from sheep’s wool, watching them wash and dye it with natural ingredients and then seeing how that yarn is turned into all manner of handicrafts from scarves to purses to camera straps (my souvenir of choice).

On another occasion, we returned to the Sacred Valley for a visit to the Sacred Valley Brew House where we had a beer tasting and tour of the brewery. In “the world’s so small” news, the founder of the brewery was born in Peru, but actually grew up in Montgomery County, Maryland, where I’m from, and went to a rival high school! The brewery is pretty awesome and definitely worth a visit if you’re in the Sacred Valley.

We also ate a lot of great food in Peru. If you’re ever in Cusco, be sure to visit KIONChicha, La Bodega 138, Morena, Cicciolina, Jack’s Café, Juanito’s, La Sanguicheria 154, Green’s Organic, Papacho’s and Inka Grill, among others.

This past month in London I have not missed the feeling of being severely out of breath when I walk up the steps to my hotel in San Blas (one of the most picturesque areas in Cusco), but I do miss the views of the city that such a vantage point affords.

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When I left D.C. for Remote Year, people often asked me which city or country I was most looking forward to. My response was always that I didn’t have one in particular, but I was most looking forward to visiting South America, a continent that I had not yet visited. This made my itinerary seem a bit anticlimactic since I’ve spent time in Europe and visited all of the cities on our Southeast Asian leg of the trip on my post-Bar exam trip. While I am looking forward immensely to the next eight months (seven, since it took me nearly a month to finish this post), I was sad to leave South America behind. Montevideo, Buenos Aires, La Paz and Cusco were each special in their own way. Spending time in South America allowed me the opportunity to regain a lot of the Spanish that I lost since studying abroad in Spain during college, and connect with wonderful cultures and people that I previously knew little about! 


Memorial Day in Mancora by Maya Yette

Mancora is a dream. Before setting foot in Peru, I had never heard of this tiny beach town situated on the Pacific coastline. About two hours south of Ecuador, Mancora offered a warm escape from the beautiful, but often cold cobblestone streets of Cusco.

At first, my plan was to head to the Galapagos Islands with a few friends over Memorial Day weekend. We’re in South America, so why not? Unfortunately, we waited until ticket prices were a little too unreasonable and searched frantically for somewhere else to spend the long weekend. We settled on Mancora -- another friend happened to be getting his dive certification there (for the aforementioned Galapagos trip) and sent word that we would love it.

Love it we did! We arrived on a hot Wednesday afternoon to sunshine and blue skies, which were a welcome departure from the gray winter clouds that blanket Lima this time of year (we had spent the past few days there for “Remote Nation”, the first ever meet-up of all three Remote Year programs that were in South America at the time). As we drove from the airport, we were all surprised at how desert-like the landscape was, but once we made it to the beach, quickly forgot about the dry, clay-colored mountains we had just driven through.

In Mancora, our hotel, K!chic, sat right on the ocean in an area known as Las Pocitas. We holed up at K!chic for the next few days, taking this whole “digital nomad” thing seriously and working from their open air living room, taking lunch breaks at the pool directly overlooking the quiet beach, and eating some of the best food I had during the past four months in South America.

When the weekend rolled around, we were ready for a slight change in scenery and had planned to transfer to a hotel closer to the heart of Mancora where we could go out on the weekend. Enter Eco Lodge. At first, we were wary of our decision to leave the comforts of K!ichic behind when our tuk-tuk turned off of the main road and down a dirt path, driving past an empty lot and a few stray dogs. Our fears only increased when the guy at the front desk welcomed us and told us that there was no power in Mancora –- we did not realize that we’d signed up for another weekend in Cabo Polonio! In reality, it was a scheduled power outage and he assured us that the power would return by 5 pm.

So, we headed out to explore Mancora and spend the afternoon at the beach. The difference from Las Pocitas was noticeable immediately. We walked up the dirt path, baking in the sun, and turned onto the main street, where tuk-tuks and motorcycles zoomed by a surprising array of street art and people hung out at all the restaurants lining the street.

We turned toward the beach and were surprised at the number of people we saw compared to the nearly empty beach we’d spent the last few days on, a mere 10 minutes up the road. Mancora is primarily a vacation destination for Peruvians and other South Americans, and everyone could be found at the beach. People rode 4x4s and horses up and down the sand, others played soccer and sat around with friends, while vendors walked back and forth, selling juice, fresh fruit and ice cream (I couldn’t drown out the sound of the ice cream lady shouting “helados” and honking a little horn attached to her cart long enough to nap or read).

While this certainly wasn’t the tranquil beach we had left behind at K!chic, it was great to hangout and perfect for people watching. Shortly after 5 pm when the power returned, the beach bars behind us began blaring music, alternating between two Calvin Harris songs and trying to see which could play their music the loudest. We headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and then ended the night back at the beach bars, which had not given up on their quest to see whose speakers were most powerful.

On Sunday, we met up with a non-Remote Year friend we met while traveling who also happened to be in Mancora. After a lunch of ceviche, octopus and grilled fish, we spent the day hanging out in Los Organos, another tiny town outside of Mancora. We ended the day with a beautiful sunset over the Pacific. Watching it, I couldn’t help but reflect on the other beautiful sunsets I’ve witnessed during my four months in South America and feel a tinge of sadness at the thought of flying to London to begin the European leg of Remote Year the following week.

Magnificent Machu Picchu by Maya Yette

When you live in Cusco for a month, it’s impossible not to visit Machu Picchu, the famed city built by the Incas in the 15th century. With two visitors in two weeks (first my friend, Janelle, and then my mom), I was lucky enough to visit Machu Picchu twice during my month in Peru.

My first visit to this UNESCO World Heritage Site was on a one-day trip with Janelle; we did the Llama Path one-day train and if you’re short on time, I highly recommend it. When my mom came to visit the following week, we spent three days at the Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, the only hotel at the entrance to Machu Picchu (all others are in the nearby town of Machu Picchu Pueblo - formerly Aguas Calientes - which requires a round trip bus up and down the mountain).

Getting to Machu Picchu

You can skip over this section if you’re interested in what it’s like to hike the Inca Trail or any of the other multi-day treks that get you from Cusco to Machu Picchu. I took a train both times I visited, for reasons of both time and convenience, not to mention a little luxury. The Belmond Hiram Bingham train ride has been called one of the best train rides in the world and it was definitely a treat! We arrived at the train station in Poroy, about 30 minutes from Cusco, and were greeted with live music and champagne. The train ride was a scenic 3.5-hour journey through the Peruvian countryside, which took us past remote villages and dense vegetation, across rivers and below mountains that stretched high above us. Onboard the train, we had a three-course lunch (trout carpaccio, steak and cheesecake for dessert) and wine, accompanied by more live music. On the return journey to Cusco, we took the Vistadome train, the main highlight of which was an entertaining fashion show put on by the train staff, showcasing all manner of clothes made from super soft baby alpaca wool. 

 The Citadel

In a word: breathtaking. The crowds at Machu Picchu are sometimes overwhelming and it is a very touristy place, but upon seeing the historic city, with Wayna Picchu Mountain towering in the background for the first time, it is not hard to understand why. In my opinion, the best way to start a tour of the Citadel is to climb the steep steps to the left as soon as you pass through the entrance gate and make your way up to the guard house. From this vantage point, you can appreciate the Citadel in its entirety before heading down the steps to get a closer look. Every aspect about the way Machu Picchu was constructed is a reminder of just how intelligent and advanced the Incas were. There’s the irrigation system that prevents flooding when it rains and still carries water down to the city from Machu Picchu Mountain. There’s the fact that the temples were constructed with such care and precision that there is no mortar holding the massive rocks together. There’s the Sun Temple, where windows were carved into the rocks to let in light in the exact spot where the light at sunrise hits on both the Summer and Winter Solstices. I could go on, but you really should visit and see for yourself.

Wayna Picchu

On a rainy and gray Friday morning, one week after I first visited Machu Picchu with Janelle, I woke up at 5 a.m., filled with excitement to climb Wayna Picchu. I ate a light breakfast at the hotel and then joined the other tourists already in line to enter Machu Picchu when it opened at 6 a.m. I was surprised to find no line when I arrived at the gate to Wayna Picchu around 6:30 a.m., so I sat and read my book until the gates opened at 7 a.m. Only 400 people are allowed to climb Wayna Picchu per day – 200 are allowed to enter beginning at 7 a.m. and another 200 beginning at 10 a.m., so it’s necessary to buy tickets in advance if you’re interested in making the climb. The hike to the summit at Wayna Picchu and back down is supposed to take about two hours – I entered the gates at 7:05 a.m., had reached the top by 7:48 a.m. and, after catching a few quick glimpses of Machu Picchu through the clouds and the rain, began my descent around 8 a.m., finishing in a little under two hours at 8:50 a.m.

The descent surprisingly took a little longer than the ascent because I frequently had to stop to let people pass on their way up. Many parts of the path are extremely narrow and only one person can pass at a time. In addition to being narrow, the majority of the climb to the top is really steep and up steps that only about half of my foot can fit on. This climb is not for the faint of heart or anybody who’s scared of heights. I kept my head down most of the way, making sure that I did not slip on a wet rock anywhere and fulfill all of my mother’s worst nightmares when I left her sleeping in the hotel to climb Wayna Picchu all by my lonesome. Many of the steep steps required that I use both hands and feet to pull myself up as if I was climbing a ladder. On the descent, there was one point where I had to basically crawl through a cave and was convinced that I had taken a wrong turn somewhere! Although the day was cloudy and never really cleared up, for me the hike up Wayna Picchu was not so much about the view that I got of Machu Picchu (which was fleeting), but about proving to myself that I could do it and experiencing another part of the vast Machu Picchu complex. Mission accomplished.

The Inca Bridge

Although still amazing, walking to the Inca Bridge was my least favorite of the walks I did around Machu Picchu (it was also the easiest). You can’t get very close to the bridge, and I don’t know why I assumed we would be able to walk across it, but obviously that’s off limits too. It took about half an hour to reach the trailhead for the Inca Bridge from the entrance to Machu Picchu, and then another 15 minutes or so before we reached the bridge itself. For the Incas, the bridge served as one of two entry points to the city of Machu Picchu, the other being the Sun Gate. You are able to get great views of Machu Picchu from the trail and seeing Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu from another vantage point is always incredible.

The Sun Gate

The Sun Gate marks the end of the Inca Trail and, as I mentioned, was one of two entry points that the Incas used to the city of Machu Picchu. The atmosphere was extremely festive when my mom and I showed up shortly after 7 a.m. on Saturday. Groups of hikers were celebrating the end of their 4-day trek and understandably excited to finally reach Machu Picchu. I felt a little like I’d cheated by walking up to the Sun Gate from the entrance to Machu Picchu, which took about an hour. We wandered around briefly and enjoyed the view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate, but I didn’t have time to linger because I had an entry ticket to Machu Picchu Mountain for the 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. entry slot.

Machu Picchu Mountain

Like a crazy person, I thought it was a good idea to hike Machu Picchu Mountain immediately after trekking up to the Sun Gate on our last day at Machu Picchu. Maybe it was because I was already a little tired (I don’t think so, though), but Machu Picchu Mountain was definitely harder for me than Wayna Picchu. The trail is longer and takes about an hour and a half to climb instead of 45 minutes. At times, there is nothing but another hiker standing between you and a very steep drop off the side of the mountain; I don’t get vertigo nor am I scared of heights but even this was a bit much for me. Thankfully, the weather was beautiful and when I reached the top of the mountain, the views of Machu Picchu below were crystal clear. I sat for a while and had a snack, pleased with another personal accomplishment and taking in one of my last views of Machu Picchu.

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Getting to Machu Picchu isn’t cheap, nor is it a short journey, but it is worth it. While the Citadel can be explored in just a few hours (most tours only last for about 2.5 hours), to really give yourself time to appreciate this new wonder of the world, I suggest spending a couple days there. About seventy percent of Machu Picchu is still the original construction. Since being designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983, the Peruvian government can no longer make any repairs or additions to Machu Picchu, though you will see people around cleaning the stones and trying to preserve them as best they can. Because of this, the sooner you get yourself to Machu Picchu (if you haven’t already) the better! 

The Spectacular Southwest...of Bolivia! by Maya Yette

One of the few facts I knew about Bolivia before visiting, besides the fact that it sits at an insanely high altitude, is that it is home to the largest salt flats in the world, Salar de Uyuni, which are about 4,000 square miles. A visit to the salt flats was one of the few side trips I knew I had to take this year and it did not disappoint.

Unbeknownst to me was the fact that the southwest region of Bolivia where the salt flats are located, Potosi, is also home to a wide array of other, equally stunning landscapes. In order to see them all, a group of us signed up for a three day, two night tour that took us to some of the furthest reaches of Bolivia.  

To get to the city of Uyuni, the jumping off point for the salt flats, we took a 10-hour overnight bus from La Paz (not as bad as it sounds, I promise). Upon arrival in Uyuni, we had breakfast and then met our tour guide, Nadia, and split into three jeeps that would be our refuge over the next few days. Our first stop right outside of Uyuni was a “train graveyard” where trains that were used to transport minerals across British-engineered rail lines to the Pacific during the late 19th and early 20th centuries now sit abandoned.

After climbing through and on top of old, rusted out trains that would certainly not be open as a tourist attraction in the United States, we made our way towards the salt flats. Before we could see this natural wonder, we stopped in the town of Colchani to see a salt processing plant, where people bring the salt they harvest from the flats and process it to sell.

As we left Colchani behind and entered the salt flats, our driver, Freddy, picked up speed and soon all we could see was the flat white expanse spreading out around us. We made a few different stops on the salt flats to observe the different areas. First, on the part of the salt flats closest to Colchani, there are a number of small pyramids of salt that people create to let the water run back into the ground and dry the salt out.

A little deeper into the flats there was an area that was covered in about 2 centimeters of water, which created a slight mirror effect. We stopped here to walk around and have lunch: llama steak and quinoa, staples of the Bolivian diet.

After lunch, we drove to see the first salt hotel (the bricks of the building are made of salt), which has since been closed because of the destruction it began to cause to the surrounding environment.

After driving even deeper into the salt flats, we stopped in a seemingly never ending expanse of white to take the silly, perspective bending photos that the salt flats are known for -- llama props were a crowd favorite.

My favorite part of the day, however, was arriving at Isla Incahuasi, an “island” in the middle of the salt flats that’s covered in cacti. The contrast was unexpected and beautiful -- from the top of the island you can really imagine that the salt flats were once a lake.

As we drove out of the salt flats, we stopped to take in the sunset before heading to our hostel. 

On our second day in the southwest region, with the salt flats behind us, we set out to see what else Bolivia had to offer. From pink lakes with flamingos to volcanoes everywhere we looked and more, it did not disappoint. For large parts of the day as we drove through vast expanses where it seemed like the only inhabitants were a few llamas or vicuñas, I felt like we must be on Mars, or at least what I imagine Mars to look like, with red, rocky land spreading out all around us. 

On our final day of the tour, we set out before sunrise to drive up into the mountains 5,000 meters above sea level. We saw geysers of smoke and bubbling sulfur all before the sun reached its peak in the sky. Because of the altitude it was also colder than any of us were prepared for and we quickly retreated to the relative warmth and comfort of Freddy’s jeep. After driving to view another lake and volcano combo, we drove to what is known as the Desierto de Dali (Dali’s Desert), for its similarities to one of the deserts in Dali’s famous painting (he is not known to have ever visited Bolivia, making the similarity all the more striking). Despite the frigid temperatures, some of us also braved the cold to enjoy some time in a natural hot springs. After drying off, we stopped in a little town called Mallku Villa Mar for lunch and walked among a field full of llamas before beginning the drive back to Uyuni. From there, I and a few others opted to catch a one hour flight back to La Paz instead of taking another overnight bus – so worth it!

Life on the Lake by Maya Yette

One Saturday morning I woke up early and headed to Copacabana, Bolivia with a few of my friends. Copacabana sits on the edge of Lake Titicaca, which is both the largest lake in South America and the highest navigable body of water in the world. The lake stretches between Bolivia on the east and Peru on the west. From La Paz, getting to Copacabana is an easy but cramped five-hour bus ride. When we arrived, we grabbed lunch in town, which was covered in what looked like snow (we later learned it had hailed that morning) and then caught a ferry that brought us to Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) after an hour and a half crossing the lake.

Isla del Sol, home to about 800 families, sits on the Bolivian side of the lake and is believed by the Incas to be the birthplace of the sun. As we arrived at the dock on the southern side of the island, we were greeted by numerous cholitas and all of the donkeys that are used to carry goods across the island. There are no cars or paved roads on Isla del Sol, a fact that I didn’t fully appreciate until we were actually there. Isla del Sol is around 4,100 meters at its highest point, about the same as La Paz, but the air felt thinner there and I was winded more than normal walking up and down the hills that crisscross the island.

After we dropped our bags off at our hostel, we set out to explore. We hoped to reach one of the 80 Inca ruins on the island and hike up to the mirador, at the highest point on the island, where we would have a view of the island and the lake below. Isla del Sol is beautiful and at every turn you run into one of the many donkeys, llama or sheep that call the island home.

We walked and admired the view, stopping to take pictures along the way. Eventually, we realized that the Inca ruins we were in search of were back towards our hostel, in the opposite direction of the mirador. Knowing that we planned to see the more famous Inca ruins the next day, we scrapped those plans and stopped for a bottle of wine on a patio overlooking the lake. Sufficiently rested, we continued up to the mirador and were rewarded with beautiful vistas of Isla del Sol and Lake Titicaca.

On our way back down the mountain, we ran into some fellow Remotes who we did not know were also on Isla del Sol for the weekend. We ended up having dinner with them and then trekking back to our side of the island in the cold, dark and rain, with only our iPhone flashlights to guide us (and wondering the entire way whether we were stepping on mud or donkey droppings).

The rain did not abate overnight and on Sunday morning we woke up to a torrential downpour. We had to catch an 11:30 a.m. ferry back to Copacabana to get the bus to La Paz so we did not have time to wait the storm out. We hired a ferry to take us to the northern side of the island where there are pretty extensive Inca ruins. The Palacio del Inca is a huge complex of stone walls and doorways overlooking the lake, also known as El Laberinto (the Labyrinth). As we reached the top of the mountain where the ruins are situated, the rain slowed to a drizzle and we were able to enjoy our last morning on Isla del Sol, walking through the ruins, ducking through doorways and envisioning what life must have been like for the Incas on Lake Titicaca.

Lots to Love about La Paz by Maya Yette

I’ve been in La Paz, Bolivia for two weeks now and although I've been lucky and didn’t suffer the worst effects of altitude sickness (I’ve been told it feels like a really, really bad hangover complete with nausea and headache), I still find myself short of breath when walking up a flight of stairs or one of the many hilly streets throughout the city. La Paz is anywhere between about 10,000 feet to 13,000 feet above sea level depending on where you are in the city, enough to make it the highest de facto capital city in the world – de facto because Sucre is the true capital but La Paz actually houses more government departments.

Despite the minor inconveniences of not being able to catch my breath due to the altitude and pollution, the fact that the altitude makes me constantly sleepy, and the fact that I only remember about half the time that we’re not supposed to flush toilet paper here (seriously!), I’ve found myself enjoying La Paz more than I did Montevideo or Buenos Aires. So have many other people in Remote Year, notwithstanding the broken bones, salmonella and general illnesses that have plagued our group this month. Perhaps it’s because I had little to no expectations upon arriving in La Paz late on a Sunday night a couple weeks ago or perhaps it’s because Bolivia is the first country we’ve been to on Remote Year that really feels different. Around 60% of the population is indigenous (in Montevideo, all of the indigenous people were killed off and Buenos Aires’ population looks largely European as well). In Bolivia, there are “cholitas” (not to be confused with “cholas”, which the cholitas view as a derogatory term) everywhere, walking around proudly in their colorful flowing skirts and top hats, long braids flowing down their backs. The traffic in La Paz is terrible and car horns serve as a constant soundtrack when walking around the city. La Paz has a population of roughly 1.8 million people but feels infinitely more crowded and busy than the other South American cities I’ve lived in for the past two months.

There is no shortage of things to do in La Paz and the surrounding Bolivian countryside and we’ve all quickly come to rue the fact that we only have one month in this amazing country. My first week in La Paz was also my first week on a new job, so I’ve had to make the most of my nights and weekends. From walking tours around the Sopocachi neighborhood where we’re staying this month, to dinners at Gustu and Ali Pacha, both of which offer delicious tasting menus, and rides up the cable car (in my opinion, La Paz’s best form of public transportation) from La Paz to the neighboring city of El Alto, it has not been hard.

El Alto is also home to the infamous and bizarre “Cholita Wrestling” show. Inspired by the WWE in the U.S. and lucha libre in Mexico, the cholitas deck themselves out in fantastic costumes and put on a show that is meant to empower the women and entertain their audience. Bookended by men’s wrestling matches, the cholitas are clearly the highlight of the show and what locals and tourists alike come out every Thursday and Sunday to witness.

On the weekends, I typically find myself heading out of the city limits to explore everything else that Bolivia has to offer (I wrote most of this from a bus heading back to La Paz from a weekend visit to Isla del Sol, but more about that in a later post). Last weekend, some of my friends and I went mountain biking on Bolivia’s “Death Road”, known as one of the world’s most dangerous roads.

The first 45 minutes of the ride are along a winding, paved highway that offers breathtaking views of the mountains and cold temperatures that require gloves, hats and layers of clothing underneath the helmet, jacket and pants supplied by our tour operator. Once we reached the start of the actual Death Road, which is entirely dirt and rocks, we were literally among the clouds and could not see anything but their white nebulousness off the side of the mountain. As we descended the narrow road into the jungle, the clouds cleared, we shed layers as the temperature increased and we never let go of the brakes on our bikes. It was really hard to fully appreciate the beauty around us while riding the bikes because I was so focused on not falling or riding over the edge of the cliff (there were no guardrails and it’s not called Death Road for nothing). Thankfully, we stopped often to rest and the guides were able to take lots of photos of us. During the last twenty minutes of our 40-mile ride the skies opened up and the dark clouds we’d been trying to out-bike all afternoon finally caught up with us. We arrived to the bottom of the mountain soaking wet, but with adrenaline coursing through our veins. It was a good thing too, because we still had to head back up the mountain to go zip lining across the jungle!