You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!

Although we have some things to share about our time in Peru so far, we also have to pause to reflect on the fact that we've reached our midway point of our trip as of February 16^th (yes a few weeks back)- a.k.a., our 3 month trip-a-versary! Haha. It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone, considering we have no set schedule or defined itinerary on the trip, yet here we are halfway through.

Happy days at Carajas National Park, Ecuador

We do our best to share the best of what we've experienced, and we appreciate all of the love and likes out there, it really makes writing worth-while when we know our loved ones are following us along. We love you all, and send so many warm fuzzies right back! Of course there's more to the story, beyond the mountaintops, beaches, and goofy selfies. Brian and I both have done a lot of growing together, both individually and as a couple. Traveling can be as frustrating as it is exhilarating, and even though we thank our lucky stars for this adventure we are on, there are days when sometimes the little inconveniences of the road get to us, and we sometimes just wish for our own space and familiarities of home. So bear with us as we switch it up and share another side of our story this go-around. Please don't mistake this entry as a venting session, or that we are out to complain... “oh poor us, traveling in South America... Life is hard!” No, no, no mi amigos! We only offer the flip side of the traveling coin, that as much as we adore our time here, it's not sunshine every moment. :)

Classic veggie meal in Colombia

For example, be it our age or the length of time we're out, staying at hostels can at times wear you down, although we do switch them up with Air BnB from time to time. We meet people who are little piggies and leave messes that drive you crazy in a shared kitchen. There are others who are finished their breakfast and stare blankly at you as you stand there waiting for a space at the table. We find some hostels with excellent cooking spaces, and others where you can't even find salt, nevermind the joys of a selection of spices (we've stayed in maybe 3 places so far with such luxuries!). We've seen a couple of cockroaches here and there too. On the whole the fridges are usually frightful, and you dred putting your little plastic bag of ramshakle groceries in there. Oh, that too- only shopping for what we can make that night, and to try to not have too much to carry around. Or the sad moments when those leftovers, or that delicious block of herb cheese you just bought in the cheese capital, Cajamarca, Peru, was left behind. It's can be a heartbreaking realization ;) . On the topic of food- being a vegetarian in South America isn't always easy either. We've eaten more rice and beans, lentils and plantain than we care to remember, and have on many occasions searched long and hard for something we can eat amidst all of the fried chicken and bbq vendors. We admit we've lost some weight, unintentionally, and there's no doubt our protein intake isn't quite what it should be. We plan to make up for this quickly come the end of May of course. Tofu and tempeh and our favourite haunt, Cornerstone- YUM!

Squishy collectivo van in Peru

There are travel days that are long and tiring. Hours and hours on buses that can be, in the case nearly every one in Colombia, absolutely freezing, or in Peru, bloody hot. The mountain roads are often windy and can make you feel a little queasy. Sometimes you're squished into terribly tight seats where you almost feel claustrophobic, while the person in front of you has their seat fully reclined and you're stuck in the last row with the unreclinable ones. (This problem is of course worse for Brian than for me). More recently we've taken bus travel for granted, that a 3.5 hour journey will be a piece of cake, only to be driven around to 5 different terminals in Chiclayo looking for a ride to Trujillo. Terminals can be inexplicably closed, or every single bus is simply all sold out. Lesson learned- always buy your ticket in advance while in Peru.

Although this is less of an issue 3 months on than the beginning of our travels, the language barrier can be tricky, and sometimes we find ourselves with tired, fried brains at the end of a day just struggling to convey our instructions to a taxi driver who may be speaking a mile a minute. On the whole our Spanish is getting better all the time though, and we're having fewer issues in that department.

Heading into Cartagena, Colombia. Lanes are optional, just honk.

As for the taxis? Well aren't they just somethin'. Looking the way we do in the places we travel, we are forever on guard against the “foreigner tax”, with people ready to take you for a ride- literally and figuratively. Taxi drivers who accost you as you come out of a bus terminal, yelling over one another to get you to their cab. It can be overwhelming at times and you just have to get down the road to a quiet place to not be bombarded. Sometimes they tell you they know where they're going, only to find them asking for directions as you get closer to your destination from multiple other people. It's smart to always agree on a price beforehand, or better yet ask them to turn the metre on. Unless of course, the metre is “broken”, or better yet, “out of receipt tape”. Other times they mistook the hostel you showed them on a piece of paper for another, which was of course closer and therefore a cheaper fare. And so we are always on our toes.

Traveling as a couple is full of so many rewards and magic moments. We have each other through it all, the amazing moments and the crazy ones, we are always there for each other at the end of the day. As absolutely amazing as it's been, we've had some adjusting to do too. A close friend likened it to retirement, when you go from each having your own job to go to everyday to suddenly being together 24/7. So there's been days when we're hangry, or tired, or just plain crusty, and there's just not much to do about it but put up with each other. But we are always learning along the way, about each other and ourselves, and so we doing our best not to take things too seriously and take a little space if we need it. We got the love we need to see us through, right Florence?

The sights are almost always beautifully stunning, and the views from the road can be postcard-worthy. Infrastructure here isn't near what it is at home of course, and things like recycling facilities, or even just a garbage can downtown are more often than not... just not there. We notice here in Peru to be especially lacking in that department, and along most every road-side or neighbourhood you'll see garbage strewn about. The other hard thing to see that is always pulling at our heartstrings is the very high numbers of street dogs roaming about, some in decent shape but others in severe need of care. It's a problem bigger than either of us, and although we aren't shy to share leftovers as much as we can it's only a drop in the bucket. We don't know if it's feasible to bring a pup home with us, but we know adopting a rescue isn't far off in our future!

You rock, Tess!! 

Brian and Cocha pup at our hostel
in Huaraz, Peru

Despite all of these silly things, the inconveniences, or frustrations and the rest, it is all so completely and entirely WORTH IT! There is sooo much out there is the big old world of ours. We have met some of the kindest and most genuine people on this trip, both backpackers and locals who have become lifelong friends. We've showed up on doorsteps as strangers and left as family, with new Peruvian sisters and moms. There are others who have taken time out of their day to walk us to our hostel, or a laundromat, or a restaurant we're trying to find. Taxi drivers who have made phonecalls from their cellphones to call ahead for directions to where we're going. We've bonded with a boy who sat our our laps for 2 hours when the bus was entirely packed and people sat in the isle, and who gave us huge hugs and chased our taxi down the street as we left from our next stop. The people we've met along the way have been so kind, helpful, and giving. And the furry critters have been super sweet too (except for that one that Brian met...). All in all, Brian and me have shared so much these past three months, and feel so grateful to be living this South American experience together.

Glora and Katian, our Peruvian family from Chiclayo :) 

Sunset at Huanchaco, Peru

And that's our story for this entry, of the other faces of this vagabond life we are living. With 3 months to go we have so much more to look forward to! Southbound we go into Peru, through Lima and then Cusco and the infamous Macchu Picchu. We are stoked to have a couple of our dearest friends join us in a few weeks, yay Damien and Erica! We haven't worked out all the details, but we hope to see la Paz and the Salt Flats of Bolivia- and from there hopefully Argentina or Chile- but we shall see how we do for time. We'd like to do some volunteering at an animal sanctuary in the jungle, and squeeze in some Spanish classes too. There are hikes, and deserts, and so many more wonderful people to meet! 

Thanks for reading, hasta luego!