A first look at Angkor

Yesterday my mother and I arrived in Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat before continuing on to Vietnam to meet up with the medical group. Upon arrival we were quickly whisked away to the hotel and given an hour to freshen up. We then spent the remaining daylight hours seeing some of the temples. Here are just a few images from our first night in Angkor.
This is the sun setting behind some temple towers on top of Bakeng Hill. The stairs I had to climb (not a figure of speech in this case) were truly challenging. Especially in a skirt.
And of course the obligatory photo of the Angkor Wat temple reflected in the water. Since it is dry season here, the water levels are rather low and the water lilies somewhat scarce.

Winter Colors

This post is dedicated to my cat, Alex, who died last week. I think it will be a long time before we find another cat easy-going enough to allow us to bathe him in the sink and blow-dry his fur.

Just a few pictures today to showcase winter. It can get a reputation as a drab time of year, but that just makes those little glimpses of light and color that much more special.

My next post will likely be from Vietnam, so hopefully I'll have some nice views to share with you.

Barbados

Barbados is a lovely island. It has a Caribbean feel with some British charm and lots of interesting scenery. It has some unique animals as well. Below is a picture of my brother with a Green Monkey as they both watch the other animals eat. Besides monkeys, Barbados had strange deer and a creature that looked like a cross between a rabbit and a capybara.
As I am a seafood lover, I was very pleased with the local cuisine. Guys cooking outdoors on a surface with very large flames didn't hurt either. I didn't manage to catch a flare-up in this shot, though :(
Barbados is one of the most picturesque places I've ever been. And when you factor in that it is the birthplace of rum, it's one of the most perfect places to just chill on the beach.
Below is probably my favorite sign I have ever managed to capture on photograph. Admittedly I know next to nothing about cricket, but comparing a woman's private parts to a wicket is something new and frankly hilarious.

Back to the Frigid Midwest

So with my last post of Machu Picchu, I have come to the point in history where I returned to the United States. But as you may have noticed, my blog is titled "Gringa in the World," not "Gringa in Latin America." These pictures are from last winter, but they certainly fit the mood as our country is covered in snow and ice!
If you're going to be spending any significant time outdoors in Minnesota you have to be willing to deal with ice, even when it's on your face!
Keep reading for next time in Barbados!

Machu Picchu continued

As alluded to in my previous posting, here are some more views of Machu Picchu.

One of the more impressive things about the site is how steep it is down the sides.
Machu Picchu may be an abandoned city, but it does have some permanent residents.
The flora and fauna here were very impressive. It is located just on the edge of the mountainous region and where the land starts dropping off into the rainforest, so it is very humid in spite of its altitude and supports lots of flowers and birds.

After Puno it was on to Cuzco, the ancient seat of the Inca empire and the city with one of the strangest nicknames in the world. Its nickname translates as "The Bellybutton of the World". I actually couldn't travel between Puno and Cuzco directly; there was a massive demonstration going on completely blocking the main roads. I was going to wait it out, but as my train tickets to Machu Picchu were reserved in advance, and the guy staffing the desk at the hostel I was staying at made a pass at me and things were getting awkward, I instead backtracked through Arequipa. Finally, though, I arrived in Cuzco. Cuzco is a very popular tourist destination, primarily as a base from which to access the famous Machu Picchu. Definitely one of the most popular souvenirs, though is the city's rainbow flag.
I, like many others, set out to visit Machu Picchu. I didn't do the 4 day walking trail though :( I didn't want to cut my time in the country too short. The train was still a very pleasant experience. It winds through a region called the sacred valley until it reaches the small town of Aguas Calientes. The scenery is spectacular and awe-inspiring.
Below is the obligatory photo of the entire Machu Picchu site. I've saved a few photos from some more atypical perspectives for my next post. It would not be just to squeeze the entire experience into one photo.
No matter how many times you see this same picture, it is still an amazing view.

Las Islas Flotantes

After visiting Arequipa, I took the bus to Puno, a fairly small city in the altiplano of Peru. Its elevation is nearly 12,500 feet! Puno is a destination due to the fact that it is a main port on Lake Titicaca, which is the highest navigable waterway in the world. Here are the flags of Peru (in red) and the city of Puno (blue).
A trip to Puno isn't complete without a trip out to the islas flotantes, floating islands constructed by the indigenous people constructed entirely out of the totoro reeds and a few eucalyptus sticks.
The women of the islands all come out to greet you as the boat comes in. Most islands have only a few family groups, but there are larger ones that have a school and public use buildings.
The reeds are one of the only resources available to these people. In addition to using it for construction purposes, they also eat it! It doesn't have much taste, just sort of spongy. Luckily they also have fish and birds.
I got to ride on one of these cool boats too!