After spending a day or two becoming acclimated to the altitude, We set off to visit and stay on the small islands within Lake Titicaca, the largest and highest freshwater lake in the world

As if the name Titicaca wasnt funny enough, it ultimately flows out to Bolivia’s Lake Poopo (pronounced poo-poo)

Andysensei almost missed the boat

Our first stop was the small Island of Taquile, where we hiked a few miles along a stone path to find the village of male weavers (my own name,  I dont know what they call themselves)

I find some of my best vacations are just spent walking around doing nothing in particular

A hearty quinoa corn soup

And some Coca Tea

Followed by a little dancing. All in all, a great lunch. Then it was on to Amanti Island, where we each would bunk up with a local host family for a cultural exchange and to help do their farmwork

But first, more dancing!

The Three Amigos

Some more amigos

The remaining amigo

And the whole tour group

Our host family, who I amazed with sleight of hand and finger tricks from my childhood. I would highly recommend this if you get the chance!

After a fun filled weekend of wine, flight, and sandboarding, we began our tour proper, meeting the remaining 2 members of our group as well as the rest of the tour and set off for our first destination, Puno

At 3800m above sea level, it was an introduction to high altitude living and our first real glimpse of peruvian culture

The hats the women are wearing are actually modifications on the english bowler hat.  Bowler hats have been worn by Quechua and Aymara women in Peru and Bolivia since the 1920s when a shipment of bowler hats was reportedly sent from Europe to Bolivia via Peru for use by Europeans working on the construction of the railroads. The hats were found to be too small and were distributed to locals who have since put their own spin on them

Admittedly, the style is not for everyone

The local supermarket

We wandered about the city, taking in a multitude of sights along the way, but mostly becoming adjusted to the altitude

After getting a feel for the surrounding culture, we started really exploring

The Incas, much like the egyptians and the celts also practiced mummification, although due to a lack of written records we dont know how or why. However, all the mummies whether noble, common, or sacrifices, have been found with knees drawn up in the fetal position.

Then we decided to sample some local delicacies, like this quinoa mousse cake.

Next up was some alpaca steak covered in fried quinoa and alpaca skin and sauca berries

A side order of yucca, or what we took to calling “jenga fries”

And finally the piece de resistance, Cuy!

Or as its better known in english, guinea pig.

Quite the mouthful!

Ending the night by watching some traditional peruvian dances from around the country

We also saw a band with a humongous pan flute

But as they say, size isnt everything, it’s how you use it =P

After a long day of flight and sandboarding, we opted to spend the evening on a tour of several wineries, starting with Tacama

We began to sample a number of wines

A rather large number

Our Guide on this winery tour went by the name of big willie

Quite the rascal that one

A couple of bottles later, we were ready to head on to the next winery. But not before we got our hands dirty learning about how wine is made

Or, more accurately, our feet

We stomped the daylights out of those grapes, while being given copious amounts of pisco, and even samples of juice from the grapes we had just crushed. Yes, we drank our own dirty foot wine

We may have gotten a little tipsy

But in the end, we took it all down, like a sir.

A short distance from Ica where we were staying lies the small desert town of Huacachina. I am not exaggerating when I say small, that is quite literally the entire town you see laid out below you. As resort towns go, it is mostly aimed at backpackers and mostly for one type of activity

Sandboarding. Like snowboarding, but hotter.

We all piled into the dunebuggy, Aytch offering to drive and kindly being declined and set off for the surrounding hills

Then we grabbed our boards, waxed up the underside and set off on an awesome few hours of sandboarding

Wheeeeeee!

A very good day indeed

What has two thumbs and is back from sabbatical? THIS GUY!

Yes, in one of the wiser decisions of my life (and I dont mean that facetiously), I took some time from the job search to make the yearly trip abroad with friends, this time to South America, where we were off to Peru. The next handful of posts will be about that trip, and by the time I am done, hopefully the last post will be about a job. But I digress. We landed in Lima, where we stayed just long enough to have lunch and then set out for a 5 hour bus ride to Ica, near the desert. It would be our staging base for the next two days of adventure before beginning the big tour.

New additions to the travel group this year are two of my oldest friends, aytch and andysensei. I have known these guys since I was in elementary school, and my first trip abroad with a friend was to Japan with andy nigh on a decade ago. So this ought to be interesting.

First order of business was to down a pitcher of Pisco sours, which were….well, okay, not great, but still fun. Then we set about planning our activities on the ground. But before that…

foreign playplace!

My enabler in mischief.

Our first decision was to head out and flyover the Nazca lines

The Nazca lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the desert of southern Peru. Visible only from the air or atop the surrounding foothills, they were constructed with mathematical exactitude by sweeping aside the pebbles to reveal white gray ground underneath

The whale can be seen in the lower right corner

The astronaut

The monkey

Although discovered in 1927, the purpose of the lines remains unclear to this day. SOme scholars have proposed that they were meant to represent astrological data, constellations and planets as an early observatory

The hummingbird

others have theorized that they had religious significance and were meant to bring rain or other blessings to the harsh surroundings

The condor

hands

Still others have theorized that they were landing strips and welcome signs to extraterrestrials.

Above the hands and the tree you can see the highway running by and get an idea of the relative size of the lines. Though smaller than we had initially thought they were still quite impressive. We also got to listen to the pilot talk to us with unique peruvian slang…every other sentence started with “my friends”. 

Though no one knows their purpose, the lines remain quite prevalent around Nazca

Best. flyover. ever.

Hello Again, internet.

It’s been quite some time since I checked in here, and even longer since I put up a travel post. So, in brief: I am finally out of my residency and in the midst of a job search. More posts on that when I have something worth reporting. In the meantime, I am going to focus on finishing up the Scotland Posts, and enjoying time with the new ladyfriend. Free of my residency at last, everything is coming up milhouse!

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Years and Years of books and films about Scotland have taught me one thing; namely, no trip to Scotland is complete without a visit to the highlands, for in the end, there can be only one

 

so off Brian and I set for the home of William Wallace and the highlanders, with a brief stop along the way to visit one of the most well known residents of the highlands

Hamish, the Hairy Coo, the most photographed animal in all of Scotland

Friendly. Powerful. Dopey. These are all descriptions that immediately leap to mind at the site of these gentle, goofy beasts

Hamish is a single dad, with his two calves, Hamish Jr and I forget.

A couple veggies are all it takes to get their undivided attention

But we had to bid a fond farewell to Hamish and his fold as we set off for the deep highlands, where along the way we hoped to catch a glimpse of the Hogwarts express coming back from summer break

Sadly, either the express was not running, or the train was not visible to our muggle eyes

The highlands are covered in bogs, peath and heather. They are Magnificent, marvelous…

And incredibly, freaking cold. These mountains create hardy folk, and being a bit of a mountain person myself, I can vouch that you do not want to mess with anyone who grew up in these hills

On rainy days, this river turns into a raging torrent that weeps for the slaughter carried out on the highlanders by the british king Longshanks

however, even the greatest sorrow must eventually heal, and even the worst weather will pass

and without rain, there would be no rainbows

As the fog lifted briefly, we journey deeper into the highlands and deeper into mystery, to begin our search for one of the most infamous lost legends still around

The waters of the local lochs began to darken, obscuring what may lie beneath. This region is no place to go unprotected

so we paid homage to the fighting men of the green berets

They trained in the highlands, some of the harshest conditions imaginable to survive in

hope and blessings restored we continued on to the little town of Ness

locks at the loch enable ferries, and perhaps other things to travel uphill and upriver

The sun briefly came out, but the fog quickly rolled back in. A mysterious and enchanted place this was

The townsfolk pay tribute to their patron

The black waters of Loch Ness are 21.8 square miles across and 230m (755 ft) deep, deeper than the height of London’s BT tower

It contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined and the low visibility of the water is due to the high peat content

seriously. freezing.

Scanning every inch from bow to stern, looking deep within the murkey waters, our eyes strained for a glimpse of the fabled monster

 

The earliest report of a monster associated with the vicinity of Loch Ness appears in the Life of St. Columba by Adomnán, written in the 7th century.According to Adomnán, writing about a century after the events he described, the Irish monk Saint Columba was staying in the land of the Picts with his companions when he came across the locals burying a man by the River Ness. They explained that the man had been swimming the river when he was attacked by a “water beast” that had mauled him and dragged him under. They tried to rescue him in a boat, but were able only to drag up his corpse. Hearing this, Columba stunned the Picts by sending his follower Luigne moccu Min to swim across the river. The beast came after him, but Columba made the sign of the cross and commanded: “Go no further. Do not touch the man. Go back at once

A brief glimpse of the monster confirmed its existence, and though we gave chase, it slipped away in the storm. So Brian and I had no choice but to turn back, wondering if any would believe our tale. It mattered not however; we knew the truth. So we climbed back on our bus and returned to Edinburgh from the highlands

and watched as the sun set on another adventure filled day.

I’m a scotch fan. It’s true, I said it. Back in my younger days, couldnt stand the taste of beer, much less brown liquor. Then, on my entry into medical school, I suddenly found the incentive to drink. And the universe provided me with a wonderful teacher, one of my closest friends, Jayan, who tragically, is now deceased. One of the last gifts I received from him was a bottle of Aberlour 12 year single malt liquor. And my drinking life changed forever. 

So of course there was no way I was going to go to Scotland without partaking of the national drink!

Prepare to have a Scotch Whisky Experience!

First we went on a pirates of the carribean style ride in a whisky barrel, learning about the distilling process and signing yo ho yo ho, lets drink some whisky!

This was my favorite room on the ride.

After a brief tasting (to be fair, though brief, it was already the 4th tasting for us of the morning, and we were perhaps a little tipsy-hence lack of detail in these posts) we went on to see one of the largest scotch collections in the world. Please brace yourselves

Headless Monk Scotch on the right…

Golf Scotch center

The oldest bottles in the collection, almost entirely evaporated to the Angels

Yes, I drank all of that

And might have believed that barrel was also full of scotch, or that I had developed super strength. Things get hazy at this point, but use the redness of my face to light your way home

I spent about 300 on Scotch to bring back with me, including An Noc Peter Arkle limited 1st edition, Mortlach Flora and Fauna and Ben Riadh 15 year…all single malts, all difficult to get outside of the UK and all delicious. They have been added to my current collection which also includes the standard Aberlour 12 year, Lagavulin 16, Ardberg 10, Cutty Sark, and The only blend in my collection, a bottle of Johnny Blue.

Other adventures were had that day, but with the warmth in my belly and the smile on my face, I have all the memories I need.

Slainte! (pronounced slan-ja) to all of you, i’ve inspired myself to have a glass of scotch before bed.

That right there is my family Coat of Arms. Pretty sweet, right? But what is a coat of arms?

Well the introduction of armour in the twelfth century made it essential for knights to wear appropriate colors or markings by which he could be recognized on the field by friend or foe. Since the use of armour and heraldry became widespread in Europe, there was danger that two or more knights might choose the same identifiying symbols, and so to obviate the confusion, the sovereign appropriated the right to approve the particular distinguishing marks to be used by those entitled to display a coat of arms. Therefore the right to use specific and distintive devices became a mark of nobility or honor in the realm

While in Scotland, located at Edinburgh Castle, Brian and I came across a herald who had a large logbook of family crests and coats of arms, so on a whim we decided to see if our family was registered as I had been told often by my parents as a child that we come from Russian Nobility. As it turns out, we do! 

The shield is in red, representing fire and fortitude, depicting three scythe blades issuing from a rose in the center all done in silver which stands for peace and nobility. The scythe expresses the hope of a fruitful harvest of things longed for and the rose, reckoned the first among flowers is held to be typical of beauty, grace, and hope

The crest, shows a knights helmet representing wisdom in defence and is topped by a ducal coronet denoting royal or seigniorial authority in gold, the color of purity and valour. Rising out of it are a plume of five ostrich feathers signifying willing obedience and serenity, also done in silver

The heraldric supporters are two bulls (my zodiac sign is Taurus-score!) which represent valour and magnaminity

The family motto is Nichevo which roughly translates as “Let things take their course”

This discovery came at a perfect time and really touches some important notes with me. I have some blue blood, apparently associated with bravery and serenity, family values which are right in line with my history of risk taking and remaining calm under pressure, I can be magnanimous as noted by my very own zodiac sign who is my heraldric supporter. 

I am slightly less thrilled about my family motto although it is still very appropriate. I had hoped for a badass family motto, like never say die, or strength in all things. Instead, Nichevo is a uniquely russian word that translates as “let things take their course” or “it cant be helped” or basically “shit happens”

A family motto to me means something your family can draw on in times of hardship, reminding you from where you came, where you are going. Mine is basically a shrug. When the going gets tough, …eh, it is what it is. 

The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that like it or not, this is exactly what most of the men in our family have done. My grandfather, My father, Myself, we are not big complainers. When faced with challenges, we tend to carry on as usual and let the universe sort itself out. This doesnt mean we dont constantly work to better ourselves, but that we acknowledge we can only change ourselves, not our circumstances. 

Thinking back to my work drama, I have lived this motto wholeheartedly. The decision to hold me for probation and all the the chaos that ensued was never in my control. Not the length of time, not who I worked under or with, and not the terms. I was angry, and depressed, and the more I struggled and fought the situation, going to lawyers, counseling, bitching nonstop to friends or online, threatening to leave medicine, the less things changed. When I simply accepted that I couldnt change my circumstances but could work within them, I ended up rediscovering my love of teaching students and interns, becoming a more careful and meticulous physician, and getting some of the best evaluations I have had in the entire residency. I still dont care for my hospital, but when I just let things take their course, everything solved itself.

So although my family motto may not be as badass as I hoped, it taught me that since 1413 my ancestors have bred an impressive equanimity into ourselves, and if I tap into that family faith in the universe, things will be okay. Trouble may often come to call, but that doesnt mean it has to stay

SO the next time I have drama or problems, I will look at this over my desk, throw up my hands, and say “nichevo”

After all, it’s in my genes.

Day one in Scotland, and Brian and I decided to start the morning off with a wee dram of whisky.

Then we took a look at the volcano we were planning to climb, and had another. 

Okay, we definitely had about 4-5 drams of whisky before beginning our hike, but hey, vacation, right?

Situated right in the center of Edinburgh, the views offered throughout the hike were amazing

The climb kept getting steeper and more gravelly, but finally the end was in site

Graceful as always, I levitated my way down

Fee fi fo fum

A entire city surrounding an extinct volcano, and more nature and countryside surrouning that. The city is like an urban donut!

At last! On top of Arthur’s Seat

Love Rocks

So you know I wuz here

Watch for those falling rocks on the way back!

An exploration of Edinburgh proper next post

Quite a long break in between posts (oh no you moan, as you realize there is another metaphysical intro coming…) NaNoWriMo is almost here and the goal is to finish all the trip postings by then and just write every day for a month to get back into the swing of things. To start commenting back and participating in this community again. Partially because I miss all y’all and partially because I dont have a lot else going on for me IRL right now. But on to the last of the Irish posts…

On A last minute whim (see! I CAN be spontaneous) Brian and I booked a tour to go out and visit Newgrange, one of the oldest known dwellings known to man, a stone age construct predating the pyramids

The majority of the tomb has been reconstructed, but the duel entryway you see is original, as is the large rocks with glyphs and whirls in the front

As large as this thing is around the outside, once you enter it is roughly the size of a broom closet

It is unclear what the newgrange tomb was intended for, but we know it had something to do with the solstice as twice a year a single ray of light shines through the upper entrance and reached the back of the tomb

The prevailing theory is that all these whorls and spirals were drug induced. Cheers to the human drive, getting effed up on whatever is available

Another abandoned hut, but not quite stone age, Brian and I discovered while wandering where we werent supposed to. As usual =)

Hello Hobbittesses

Oh look we have found the shire in Ireland

Hidden throughout these rolling fields are other remains of stone age societies and tombs

The narrow winding walk to the center of the tomb

Next stop was the Hill of Tara, seat of Irelands high kings

Although the scenery is lovely, the was not worth paying to take a tour for. Ireland is filled with equally stunning scenery wherever you turn

It is said from the top of the high seat, you can see 30 of the 36 counties in Ireland

I only count 25 COWnties though. get it? haha I kill me

Ewe know what I mean

As it turns out, boy sheep are spray painted blue, girl pink, and all of them run away when you come toward them. Sheep are nervous creatures outside of petting zoos

I tried so hard to catch a sheep and boy, do I make a terrible sheperd. At least I had more fun running around like a maniac and rolling down the hill again though

And handily located nearby were these celtic crosses!

Well, this concludes the Ireland portion of our tour. Later that night, Brian and I hopped on a plane and crossed the water to arrive in Scotland, where we will continue our tour, but now with more scotch!