Lulu

     

 As much as I've meant to get back to blogging; both because I enjoy it and also because I get bullied about my lack of writing regularly, I definitely didn't want my comeback to be because of the loss of Lulu.  I definitely didn't think that I was the kind of person to write love letters to my pet, but this has been especially difficult and since many folks hadn't gotten the chance to meet her I felt the need to share.

Lulu snuggles were the best!

Even when she only wanted to snuggle with my feet...weirdo!

I was gifted with Lulu for 13 years and was honestly surprised when my mom called me last Monday to tell me that she had to make the decision to put her to sleep. I was just there this summer and Lulu was energetic and loving...definitely not to the point of an unhappy life.  But, had been living with an enlarged heart which caused her liver and other organs not only to swell, but also to slowly shut down. Mom knew that was the best choice for Lulu and called me to talk with me about it.  Honestly, I don't know what was worse, accepting the fact that Lulu was going to pass or watching my mom cry talking to me about it and realizing that was probably more difficult for her at this point.

Staring out the window was one of her favorite activities.

Lulu was a lover of ALL snacks; apples, carrots, bonito, dog treats, cheese, but especially popcorn. She was an avid guard dog, not only protecting the house from mailmen and local children on the sidewalk, but even managing to notice birds and squirrels, and even dogs who were three blocks away.  She was a vicious destructor of fluffy toys, who especially enjoyed emptying all the fluff in order to target the plastic squeaker.  She had more toys than most children, but she definitely did NOT share.

Love!

First, you need to know that Lulu was an unplanned grand-dog on my part.  I was going through a separation from my then husband and was living alone in a fairly large house.  My mom surprised me one weekend as I walked in her house and found a puppy had joined her menagerie of animals.  At first I thought she had bought herself a new dog, but it turns out that she knew me better than I knew myself.  From that weekend forward Lulu was my best friend.

She has been there for me through the divorce, a couple other relationships, some major surgeries, the loss of a job, five houses on two continents, and a myriad of other life events.  Some folks doubt the benefits of having a pet, and I might have too, before actually having one.  For those of you who met her, you know that she had some serious personality; loving and silly and playful and always hungry, but also could be quite the bitch. In fact, I often said that she was more like my younger brother while mom's other dog Roxie was more like me.  Lulu HAD to be the center of attention, but this revolved more around hogging ALL the toys, bones, and snacks; claiming it all for her own. If she saw that another dog got something, she would immediately go and claim the item for her own; sneaking off to hide her bounty.

Funny thing is that she didn't particularly like other dogs. She preferred to sit with humans and keep them company.  She couldn't be bothered to play with her own kind, but would rather sit on a chair paying attention to conversation (or really waiting for food scraps). She acted like a ferocious guard dog, but actually was scared of nearly everything; including children, dogs, cats, even a crow.  She'd bark and growl until the opposition grew close and then she'd hide behind me and pretend to be confused at the confrontation.

I am thankful everyday that my mom made the decision to find Lulu and gift her to me. And speaking of that...Mom, thank you for not only knowing that I needed a companion during that rough time 13 years ago, but also for treating Lulu like your own. I know that it was a pain to keep her while I initially moved to Japan and even more of a pain to bring her over to me when you came to visit.  Again, you saved the day when I moved to Okinawa and knew that it wasn't ideal for Lulu (she HATED heat and water so a tropical island would have been torture).  I know she loved that you worked from home and could spend so much time with her. I think the only part of that deal she disliked was that she no longer had sliding glass doors to peer out of all day. Instead of making me feel constantly guilty, you loved her like your own...even giving her WAY more snacks than I approved of.  Every visit home I looked forward to spending cuddle time with her and even though I gave you a hard time about her, I knew that she was well cared for.  As awful as it was to get the phone call from you Monday, I'm so glad that you were on that end to hold her. Thank you for making that decision, I know it was hard.  I love you and appreciate all that you did for Lulu. She was an amazing dog and lead a pretty awesome life.    💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕

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Bizarre Bolivia

After a taxing 19 days exploring Peru we headed to Bolivia, paying what is essentially a bribe to the Bolivian government in order to cross the border.  Thankfully, they let us pass and we walked across the border and board a bus taking us to La Paz. A few hours later, we arrive and look down into a stunning, bowl-like depression nestled between the snow capped Andes mountains.  La Paz is the capital of Bolivia, and the highest capital city in the world at over 3500 meters.  It is a beautiful place both architecturally and geographically.  The Spanish invaded the area in the mid 1500s and settled in the area.  Nowadays La Paz and the surrounding areas is home to over 2 million people and they inhabit every possible piece of land in the bowl.  The oldest areas are at the bottom and are relatively flat, while the newer areas extend up the extremely steep sides.  

As we arrive to our hotel on the lovely San Pedro square, we find out that it's directly across the street from the infamous San Pedro prison.  I had never heard of it before, but our Australian friends highly recommend reading March Powder, a book about the prison and it's amazing sub culture.  After settling in, we headed out to explore this amazing city.  

I absolutely LOVED La Paz.  It had funky art, great restaurants, and the marriage of contemporary urban with traditional Quechua ethnic.  It's landscape was breathtaking, as was it's elevation.  Despite thoroughly enjoying my time there, I could barely walk a few blocks without huffing and puffing.  The steep city streets didn't help matters any.  All in all, I would go back to La Paz in a minute and I definitely recommend it on any travel itinerary to Bolivia!

The National Congress of Bolivia in Plaza de Murillo.

 Check out the clock on the congressional building!

 The presidential palace, which is also in Plaza de Murillo.  

 A view of the plaza from across the way.  This one includes the Cathedral of La Paz.

 Some amazing street art done by Mamani Mamani.  My only regret was not buying his art while I was there...I'm currently working on my internet purchase!

 The witches market in La Paz was much less creepy than I was hoping.  Though there were lots of dead, baby llamas, it was mainly lots of tchotchkes like these.  

 More fun little things in the witches market.

 Seriously, the basin was FILLED with buildings.  Each direction I looked, it was the same...homes and businesses as far as I could see.

 The city recently built these cable cars that stretch in all directions across the city bowl.  The people are thrilled because it cuts tons of time off their commute and it's much cheaper than taxis.  We rode several lines and it was so exciting!!

 As we entered the Moon Valley, this Cholita was greeting us.  I love that I'm taller than her even with that huge hat!!!  This was what most of the women dress in all around the country.  The color of the band on their hat indicates their marital status.  

 This is Moon Valley, which is right near the city hub.  The whole area is covered with formations like this which were caused by erosion and high winds.  It's rumored that it got it's name because Neil Armstrong was playing golf at a nearby golf course and caught sight of this area.  He remarked that it looked just like the moon and the Bolivians stuck with it and named it Moon Valley.  

 I loved the food in Bolivia!!  This was one of my breakfast favorites!  They're called Saltenas and are  cornbread-like with a filling of chicken or beef stew.  I chose to get the spicy variety...yum!

 A view of La Paz.

 Another view.  I know the pictures do it no justice, but it was beautiful!

 Mark and I hanging out at the viewpoint.

This is the oldest road and neighborhood in La Paz.  

On one of our wanderings, we nearly got lost...but I got some great photos of everyday life and graffiti!  I love going off the beaten path!!

 Our last night in Bolivia was spent at Cholitas wrestling.  It was completely ridiculous and amazing!

 The ladies came down the stairs and strutted around.  Then they entered the ring and removed their overcoats and hats.  

Mark and I got a group photo with these badass ladies!!!

Sandwiched between my exploration of La Paz, was a quick trip to Uyuni to explore the salt flats.  Mark and I landed on this tiny airstrip and were met by our guide.  Picture a slight Bolivian man with jet black hair, spiked in the front with a full mullet.  He is wearing aviator glasses, an oversized puffy coat with brown fur lining, and pumped up kicks.  When he reached out and shook my hand, he took my hand in his doll-sized one and enthusiastically pumped my arm while welcoming me with his broken English.  This was the exact moment when Bolivia turned bizarre.  

Day one commenced with a trip to a locomotive graveyard.  Our guide really couldn't explain anything other than there were many trains here before and now they don't use them.  So, instead they bring hundreds of tourists here to take pictures with old trains which are covered with graffiti.  But, after some research, I discovered that Uyuni used to be a hub for trains carrying minerals to the Pacific Ocean ports. In the 1940's when the mining industry collapsed, most trains were abandoned where they stood.  In any case, it would have been a really cool location for a music video...or senior pictures...or wannabe glamour shots.

 One of the locomotives in the graveyard.

 My glamour shots.

 Just practicing my deadlifts on vacation.  

Mark and I were playing with perspective on the railroad tracks. 

After that wild stop, we headed onto the salt flats.  These are the world's largest salt flats at over 10,000 kilometers and surrounded by mountains.  The miles and miles of perfectly flat salt makes it easy to use perspective and create mind-bending photos. The landscape looks amazing when dry, but we got to see a bit of it after a snowfall had melted and it was even more amazing.  The water on the salt created a mirror reflection.  I recommend you google Bolivian Salt Flat photos to see some of the magnificent shots taken here.  Our guide did say that many Japanese tourists have started to fly in for just 24 hours to take photos and leave.  After my 37 hour journey here from Japan, that sounds like a terrible idea!

 A picture of the salt flats up close.  

 Mark and I riding a salt llama.

 This is the small area where the snow melted and the ground appeared glass-like.  It was tricky because all my experience with white ground is snow and ice.  I walking lightly like I expected it to be slippery.  It was mind-blowing!

 Some fun play on the salt flats.

Godzilla riding on the range.

Hahaha!  We had so much fun and took hundreds of pictures out here. 

Some stops in the middle of the salt flats include the island of Isla Inca Wasa, covered with rocks, cacti, and coral-like structures.  Another was the town Jiria which is located at the foot of the Tunupa Volcano.  It was there that we explored the Coquesa Caves where there was a family of mummies over 1200 years old.  Honestly, it was really creepy.  The bodies were laying there in the open without being protected like you would expect after seeing other exhibits of ancient mummies.  We walked right up the mummies and could have literally reached out to touch them.  Again, through broken English, our guide didn't really have any explanations and didn't understand many of our questions which was quite frustrating. Even after getting home to research, I can't find out much information.  At the end of the day, we stopped to take in the sunset which might be the most beautiful one I've ever seen.  The sun setting over the salt flats made it seem like the earth was bending and the colors were so vivid!  After soaking up the picturesque views and taking as many photos as possible, we headed to our hotel which was made from salt bricks.  The accommodations were basic, but comfortable, even in the freezing cold!

 It was so wacky to see the cacti out in the middle of the salt flats.  

 Me and my knee had had enough hiking.  I stayed put and enjoyed the day while the others hiked to the top of the island. 

 My pictures do no justice for the beauty of this sunset. 

 It was absolutely freezing out here.  To go from 100 degree weather in Okinawa to below freezing here was a shock to my system!

 I loved the scenery here!!

 The salt was so hard and rough.  I thought I was going to rip my pants just sitting down!

 We look like statues that belong in Cambodia!

 The sun set so quickly...we could have spent hours enjoying the colors of the flats. 

 Just another stop along the way.  This was part of the town where the caves were located. 

 This is the view from the volcano.  Looking down, it was white as far as I could see. 

 A picture of Uyuni...the town that we flew into.  This just gives you an idea of what we were dealing with. 

 Another shot of Uyuni.  The roads were dirt and there were stray dogs everywhere.  It was weird though...like a ghost town. 

This was a playground near the mine.  Everything has been abandoned.  

The next day we returned to Uyuni and caught a flight back to La Paz for a bit more exploring.  Our farewell to our guide was less than difficult.  I had experienced more frustration during these two days than in the last month on the road and I never like to be cranky.  All in all this trip went so quickly...probably because we were constantly on the move and because it was so physically demanding.  I'm not going to lie, by the time we got back to La Paz I was exhausted and just ready to relax.  So this is where Mark and I split ways, I headed to the airport to catch my flight back to Lima, then Atlanta, then St. Louis and he had another day in Bolivia before heading home.  This was my first time exploring South America and I loved (nearly) every moment of it!  I loved how the locals wore traditional attire, to include their neat hats.  I loved how the food was so healthy and included tons of quinoa (instead of rice).  And, I loved the landscape and culture.  This trip ignited a passion in me that I have recently found lacking.  I'm not sure if it's because I have primarily been traveling in Asia for the past six years or if I'm jaded, but after this trip I am more excited to explore the world and return to my globetrotting ways.  I'm back bitches!!!