Cholita Wrestling

Cholita Wrestling

Ok this may be one of the funniest, weirdest, and most awkward events I have ever attended. Probably not worse Then when my friends and I accidentally ended up in a locals only dance club in Nepal, but very close.

We were told to meet outside the San Francisco plaza where our guide would get us. To get to the bus we had to cross the road there. The lady was rushing so much that as she tried to help us down the stairs my mom tripped and hurt her ankle. More on this will come later.

One by one we picked up more people as we are stuffed into a run down and beaten up bus. It looked as if it was picked from the bus graveyard. The wrestling would take place in El Alto, where we ended up the day before. As we made our way up the hill to 4100m it sounded as if our bus would die.

Finally we were there. One of the leaders explained to follow him in because we were not in the safest of towns. I told him how we spent the entire day there previously without a tour and he looked shocked. Oh well! We had a blast and danced forever and all was well.

 Then we entered the arena. We had our tickets which included two bathroom trips, yes we had bathroom tickets, a snack, souvenir, and entrance. As we made out way through the dirty entrance and past the smelly toilets we could see the ring!

 

In the middle of a worm down gymnasium a big wrestling ring was set up. To the left were bleachers that were packed with locals eating popcorn and cotton candy. Around the ring two rows of picnic chairs were set up for the tourists. It felt as if we were put their not as a privilege but more of entertainment and to be gawked at by the locals.

 

The show became and consisted of different wrestles dressed up in ridiculous costumes fighting each other.

The real fun began when the cholitas dressed in their beautiful shawls, shirts, and hats came out. They would parade around getting the crowd amped up and excited. Next they would remove their jewelry and shawls and begin to fight.

These chicks don't play fair and have some massive balls. Nothing was held back as girls fought girls, guys, multiple guys, and guys and girls. It was a free for all.

During the 8 different matches you could tell who the local favorites were. When someone was cheating or doing something they didn't like oranges, bananas, and all different trash came pelting down from the audience.

 

One cholitas pulled out a volunteer. This tourist was so excited. After she danced with him in the ring everyone was cheering. He made his way through the tourist crowd running our the ring receiving high fives before proceeding into the local stands to do the same!

But the finale took the prize. The lights were shut off and in entered two witch doctors guided by men masked in black cloaks carrying torches. The one spotted me and walked over and shoved something in my face. It didn't register at first what is was. He turned it around and showed me the bloody side!

 

Omg it's a decapitated donkey head!!!!! And it's an inch from my face. I held my breath and tried to seem unphased to not get a rise from the locals. The next guy could not contain himself though. As the witch doctor showed him the head he jumped back knocking over chairs and ran. The locals Immediately began to cheer and laugh. 

 

The final match continued forever as these two witch doctors used a donkey head, llama head, and guts to beat up the two competitors. They were stuffing the intensities in their face and using them to strangle them. I thought I had seen it all before this show but I was clearly wrong.

 

Every now and then intestines would fly into the audience and r tourists would scream and run. By this point more than have of the tourists had retreated out of their seats and hid in the back or left to go outside. 

Fake blood gushed from many of the characters and local kids ran down with tissues to help them out. This was Bolivias WWF wrestling at its finest.

The show ended when every character from the entire show came out and dog piled the witch doctors. Even a tourist took the opportunity to run and jump on the very top of the pile.

Disturbed, confused, and entertained we boarded the bus back to town. We took in one of the look out points, funny because it was one of the ones we looked for the day before and never found. 

Galapagos update

Sorry I have not been posting as quickly as I would've liked. I will be trying to catch up and post all the ones up to where I am now!

As a quick update Ill tell you I have been traveling through all of the Galápagos Islands. Instead of booking the luxury cruise I opted to take small boats and stay on the island. The results have been interesting to say the least and I've gotten to spend time talking to locals! So here is a quick picture story of my 10 day excursion so far!

 

Puerto Chino

 

Scuba diving at Kicker rock! I was fortunate to see a school of 50 sharks, white tips, black tips, Galapagos sharks, and hammerheads!!!!

 

I got to copilot a 6 person plane between islands! Can't wait to write about how this one came about!

 

Snorkeling in a rock fissure at Las Grietas!

 

Baby sea lions everywhere. No really I mean everywhere. 

 

They steal your spot in the beach all day long!

 

I've been dropped off at secluded beaches only reachable by boat. This was the most beautiful. The beaches are so beautiful I don't have to edit a thing. Except straighten them since I've been a clutz snapping pictures.

 

In the highlands the tree grow massive and you can climb them by rope or vine...

Aymara New Year

Aymara New Year

It was a pleasant surprise to find out that there would be an Aymara new year celebration less than two hours away from us. With a little research, and not much info, we found out that we would have to travel out of the city two hours to the west to get to the ruins of Tiwanaku. Here the Aymara from all over South America would gather to catch the first rays of light through the temple gateway.

 

We asked out lovely hotel for info and they looked a little shocked. They warned us that before the sun rose a party would be going on all night long before. Oh well we wanted to see the experience for ourselves.

 

Leaving the hotel at the wee hours of 2:30 am we were on our way. With the high altitude, winter, and nighttime it was freezing. Slowly the car ride got colder and colder as the taxi did not have heat? At least we think he didn't. We tried everything with our little bit of Spanish but he didn't get the picture. My mom and I huddled close.

We slept most of the way except for when we reach checkpoints. Throughout the night we passed a few of them where the police would check drivers license, passports, and such. 

 

When we arrived it was packed with people. All along the roads people had tents set up to camp out and fires burning. As our driver helped us get tickets and put us in line we saw how massive this event really was. Once our driver left we jumped out of line to check what was going on with the fires everywhere. Down the street more and more fires were lit right in the road as locals danced and drank the night away.

 

Eventually we joined back in the line to wait to get into the site. Being that we were tourists we actually got to skip line for once! Following the line of people through he grounds we came to the spot where the sun would come up, at least we thought so. In the pitch black it was impossible to figure out where the gate was but the crowd was there so it seemed right.

Then we waited and froze. I probably lost a toe or two that night. Then we waited some more. I never realized just how long it takes for a sun to appear. It seemed so light yet no sun.

 

The Aymara people began to play music and their rainbow flags waved in the air. A huge fire began to burn as the head chanted some prayers to pachamama, the earth God.

Slowly hands shot into the air to wait for that first beam of light. Music erupted and everyone fell silent as the sun made its appearance over the mountains. I can truly say it's one of the most magical and spiritual experiences I've had. To see a group of people that still band together in their believes and worship the earth and sun.

 Hands up hands up everyone hands up!

 
 

Once the official ceremony was over people walked around the grounds to touch the sun at the gate, give offerings to pachamama, and meet with the leaders.

The fire pit was crammed with people throwing offerings such as coco leaves.

A group played traditional music so everyone could dance. 

The leader proudly walked around getting pictures with people.

 

My mom and I got the sun through the gate!

And everyone went around greeting and hugging each other. 

Around 8 am we slowly made it back to our driver and started back towards la Paz for more fun activities!

Go with the Flow part 2

Go with the Flow part 2

To make out tour we had to run down streets to find the bus meeting point. Twenty minutes of running at 3600 meters makes you tired very quickly! What time is it? No the bus is leaving now. We look around and don't find a bus anywhere. Frustrated, hot, and hungry my mom and I stood there. Oh no our whole day plan is thrown off! We decide to scrap all plans and just go with the flow.

We knew there was a lookout point named mirador Killi Killi. For some reason I thighs it was on top of a cable car. We wave down a taxi and I draw him a picture of a cable car hoping that will get the message. I mean this massive gondola is a major point of the city right. After some broken communication we think he has it right and are dropped off at a red gondola. Wasn't the gondola yellow? 

 

Oh well it gave us spectacular views.

Everywhere you looked the city was covered in buildings.

 

Even in the mountain sides.

At the top we explored first to the right. One thing was apparent there weren't any tourists up here.

Tracing back and exploring instead to the left gave of views into real Aymara life. Little stalls lined the street. I'm still unsure if these were houses or shops.

 

Cholitas sat outside burning fires and cooking in the chilly air. All around people were moving about, going somewhere, or selling something.

Reaching the their market we found that we were in the true witches market. Not the small street off if the main square that sold stuff for souvenirs but the real life market. Rows upon rows of shabby stalls stood selling talismans of all kinds. 

 

The market seemed to be in sections. One area had stall with men peaking their heads out ready to clean or make you shoes. 

 

One street was just plain dirty but had a certain charm to it. 

 

After hours of exploring beyond the market and just walking the streets we started to walk back toward where we thought the cable car was. On the way we noticed bands start to appear. The men were standing around playing while the cholitas watched and giggled.

The sun cast a pretty glow on the city below and the mountain in the distance.

Then we spotted a massive band standing around eating. We stood and watched as they ate popcorn off of the largest drum. Once all of the popcorn was gone the band began to strike up their tune.

 

The woman took the floor and began to dance. The music carried on and on in their native tone while the woman threw their arms up to the sun mouthing words. Before I knew it I was being swept up by one of the cholitas to dance with her!

She hugged and kissed me and begun to spin me around. 

For the next twenty minutes we danced and danced and danced. Locals looked on at us and some even took pictures. Everything I tried to catch my breath she would twirl me faster. I imagined the U.S. Newspaper would read "American dies by death of cholitas dancing!" I was having a blast! 

 

Luckily I was able to swap out with my mom. She had some moves too!!!

We discovered that they were going to dance for the next two hours until the sun finally set. This would be the start of the Aymara new year party all the way until the first rays appeared the next morning. 

Tired but thrilled at our day we made out way back down and to our hotel. We discovered that our fabulous day wasn't even in La Paz but a city above it at 4100 m called El Alto. Not exactly a tourist destination or spot. There are more than one gondola and we never even reached the right lookout point. Turns out that just exploring without a clue can lead to wonderful things. 

My Backpack and I

Fear, excitement, nervous, alive, shocked, and overwhelmed.

Saying goodbye and stepping away from the only person you know into a world of unknown evokes every feeling a person can have. I've been told Peru, Lima specifically, is full of microclimates and you can experience all different weather in small periods of time and area. Traveling alone and starting your trip can do the same but with emotions.

 I didn't want to let go of my mom. For two and a half weeks we have been constant companions. Laughing at the funny mishaps on our trip and sharing special moments together. This is a new feeling this time. Leaving someone at the airport in another country. I'm used to saying my goodbyes and being excited to leave the USA and enter the world exploring from there. The comfort of traveling with my mom made it hard. As I gave one last hug goodbye panic set in. As I walked away the overwhelming of feelings hit me. The time is here! Just myself and the things I fit into my one small backpack. 

As I sit in the back of the taxi, Lima streets pass me by. As you would expect from South America the colors, sounds, and smells are vivid and alive. A strip of the street is lined with walls that are painted with iconic images from around the world. My fear begins to dissipate and realization begins to take it's place. With each picture that passes I notice I have insight to many of the lifestyles and cultures that take place there. Not because I have studies the area or watched documentaries but because I have truly witnessed life there. I have lived a portion, whether a day or half a year, of my life there. And with every picture I look at I feel a connection to those places.

 

That is part of why I love to travel. I don't learn from a textbook. I get to actually touch, see, smell, feel, and interact with the people, the places, the monuments. 

 

Some of you think I'm crazy to travel alone. Many think I'm lonely or love to be scared at the unknown. I'll admit I'm not fearless. The thought of traveling alone and starting a journey terrifies me. I've done it many times and it's been amazing in every way. Yet every time without fail I forget how easy it is and I get nervous. 

Yes I love to travel but I'm scared just like anyone else. The difference is I push through that uncomfortable feeling so I can gain the benefits. Because without travel I would miss seeing the real world. I would miss meeting the beautifully diverse people of the world. I would miss learning from the people, their culture, and their land. I would miss seeing the world I'm inspired by, learning about the cultures I'm passionate about, and living the life I'm destined to live!

 

I do not want to miss any of those things. It's a liberating feeling to know I can travel wherever I want and when I want with only a backpack. 

Simple I was to dream it, live it, and then inspire!

Go with the Flow - Part 1 La Paz

Go with the Flow! Part 1

Ther  are days that you have everything planned. You know you want to see this, this, and this. Today was one of those days. Waking up in a big city, and I mean massive, I wanted to see so much.

The city is sprawled over massive cliffs and valleys. Buildings are in every single space you can see. It almost doesn't look real.

Never in my life have I witnessed a city that looks anything like this. 

The plan was to see the square, see a church, shop, catch the downtown city tour, and the outer city tour. Fail!

We managed to do the first couple parts. First, we were greeted with an unexpected police ceremony in the square. Massive amounts of pigeons were flying around the square every time the band started up.

Who doesn't love taking selfies!

 

 

 The kids loved to out food on themselves and have the birds cover their bodies.

 Brave girl!

 

Next stop was the San Fransisco church. As we walked through the cobble stone streets we arrived in one of the major intersections. People everywhere. With the Copa America games going on the entire plaza was filled with people. Soccer contests were going in everywhere, djs, bounce houses, and more. 

When we made our way to the church and entered we did so just in time to catch the end of mass. Here we were in a gorgeous church as everyone stood singing and praying. Chills ran through my body. It was a touching moment.

 

The markets behind the church were everywhere. They sold every souvenir you could possibly imagine. Handcrafted bags, chess sets, dolls, and clothes. The sweater selection was incredible. Beautiful sweaters for less than 12 dollars depending on your haggling ability.

 

We had heard about the witches market. We made our way to find it amongst the shops. There on the street we found them. A few shops in the street had llama fetuses hanging from the ceiling. These were meant to be burnt and buried under your house each year for good luck. They claim they were all miscarriages but I'm still not sure I buy it.

In the shops they sold many talismans for good luck, good romance, health, wealth, and more.

 

They also had many herbs and concoctions for your.. Umm... Relationship life!

 

Then we looked at the clock. Uh oh! We have to run if we are going to make our tours! And that my friends is where our plans went wrong and our real adventure began!