Lima Peru
The last time i was here me and matt thought it was horiable. It rained and was foggy for the entier time. This time it is much much better. I decided to come here and meet up with my buddy that i studied with in Gutemala. Pretty cool to meet up with him 3 months later and share our trip stories. Lima is a really really cool city. Lots of parks and old cool looking churches and buildings and it is right beside the ocean. You know one thing i have really began to understand is how i like being in the mountains or a small town but i love being in a city. Its almost sub- concious but i can feel just how much more comfortable i am in a city. Ahh the things you learn with your alone. The next couple of days i am just going to hang by the beach and hang out with jimmi. Last night we went out me , jimmi, and his argentina girl friend(cant remember her name but she is super fun) so we were having drinks all day and none of us got even the littest bit drunk. I swear they were feeding us no alcholic beer all night. It was very very odd. The hostal i am staying at is the heven for all the travelers that want to be drunk 24 hours a day. So to say the least it has been very interesting!!!
Last night we were talking about all the jobs that they have here that they dont have at home. Such as they have people standing outside each resturant waiting for you to walk by so that they can try and sell you into coming into their resturant. There are alot of local fights about this! i swear they pull and fight over you and then fight about it after you have made your mind up. They also have security every where. Like super markets, on some popular streets, banks, electronic stores. These security guards are aloud to carry shot guns, ya littel bit different.
Guys that are dressed up in some kind of costume sitting in the park start telling all the kids stories. Like last night he pretty much told the story about the little mermaid but they loved it. You will be sitting at you tabel eating or talking and then a band will come up and play music for you but then you have to tip. It happens all the time and dont even try to say no because they will not listen. Matt once made me tell this little boy who was playing a gitar to go away and you should have seen it he was so pissed off!! Thanks matt! Break the littel kids heart!!!There are much more other examples but i bet you have the idea.
I also really enjoy how on every corner there is a fresh fruit stand and always really cheap.
Yesterday there was also a Food Fair. Yep so you go into the central park and there is everything to eat. Including pies after pies after pies. I think i gained back the three pounds i lost. Sad really.
These things are what makes traveling. This is what it all sums up to. The differences! Its so interesting!
Anyways got to go just thought i would write a littel note!
Love
karalynn

Ahhhh Love day! Happy Valentines! Matty and everyone eles. Still here in Arequipa and not doing alot. Hanging out with all the different travelers and working out about sums it up! Last night we played giant Jinga. Its so fun, there are ofcourse rules and if you break them you ahve to take a shot. But when it falls you got to watch your head because it can hurt! I think i will have to make this when i get home because it is just such a great party game. So we were all feeling nice by the time we went out to the club. We danced and danced. It was alot of fun! One of the girls that work at the hostal came out and its either normal to dance with girls all the time and say no when guys come up or she had a thing for me. Very strange!
The weather has not been very nice here. Its actually quite cold. Raining almost every night. So that has kinda sucked for getting some sun. So i am going to be here for awheil i think. But i will have to come up with something alittle more productive with my time i think! Its a hard life doing nothing you know !!!!! WEll everyone enjoy our over rated consumer holiday of love!!!!
Love
Karalynn

Since the last i wrote i have been to quite a few places and on even more bus rides. I left Puerto Varas and arrived in Santiago the next morning. I had the day there, the next morning i had to leave for Arica(Northern chile) I met some really nice people and we went out that night for some food and drinks. Now the restaurant we went to was saposed to be a nice place. We walk in and it is nice so we sit down. Now i ordered a steak. The waiter asked what kind of sauce i wanted so i went for the mushroom sause. He also asked me if i wanted the rice and salad on the side i said yes. Lots of places here put bread and salsa on the tabels before your meal. We get our bill and he has charged me for the mushroom sauce, he has charged me for the rice and the salad and he charged us for the bread. We didnt even order the bread. I was not the only one that had this done to me. What they do is make it sound like things are included like at home and there not.But at some restaurants it is. So needless to say we were not impressed, we are budget backpackers. Ouch! But then we went for drinks and forgot all the problems! What eles was funny was when we were sitting there having dinner this other guy walks in and it turns out to be this guy that matt and i hung out with for New Years in Bolivia. What a small world! The next day i start off early attempting my longest bus ride to date 31 hours. It was hell, but i arrived finally in Arica. It was in the middle of the desert but had the ocean right beside it. On the beach it was so windy you would get out of the the water and be black from the sand. So not very fun. I love sitting on the beach but i hate having sand on me! i know i am a strange one! The hostal by far was not the nicest but i had my own room wheil paying the dorm price and the old Kiwi (new zelander) ran the hostal. He was so nice and had a great breakfest. I also met alot of more Kiwis here along with some Auzzies. I realized as we had more and more to drink how much they are like Americans and Canadians. We get along but once we have some drinks we are bold enough to tell each other our country is better. Needless to say i went to bed before the argument was over!
I called mom and got the potato soup recipie and made it for the entire hostal. They loved it! I also did my first kick boxing class and felt like a total fool wheil i was doing it but hey whatever! So moving on i then left, crossed the border into peru and here i am in Arequipa where i think i am going to hang out for awheil. The hostal is great and well ya! They have programs to go and volenteer at a school or an orphanage. So i might do that mabey some more rafting or i dont know!
Matt driving in to the bus station all i could think about is us getting here the first time and you being so mad at the bus. Funny! Hey i will take some Alpaca pics for you i know how much you love them! I will also go to some ruins for you cuz i know you have only seen a couple!
Jenn you really should work harder at school! Just joking!Glad everything is good!
Kathy and bud very nice to hear from you! I am ok thanks for the concern. Matt should be there right now giving you your gifts i hope you like them. Keep reading!
Dad you never said anything about the truck! is that a no?
Sheila i have tried calling you so many times but it is just not working!
Anyways dinner is almost ready so i should go(they cook big good meals every night here at the hostal for only 3.50)
Love
Karalynn

The support that i get from my family and friends is just amazing! You guys have no idea how much it means to me when i log on and see your messages. Uncle Darren and Auntie Marlean Thanks so much and i love you both very much! Interesting to hear about Kris. I didnt know that he was interested in the Military. Well thats an awsome thing to do for Canada. I just hope he does not get sent off into a war that shouldnt be happening in the first place nor is it our fight to fight but i geuss if you join you dont have much of a choice. Does he know what he will be doing? Mitchell is graduating this year right?Ya i am really really going to try to come up to Grand Prairie before i have to go back to work to see all my family!!! I really regreat that wheil i as growing up i didnt strive to have a deeper bond with everyone. Now that i am grown i regreat that all my little cousins dont really know me. Once all the aunts and uncles are gone we are all eack other have and that is really important to me. Mabey dad will let me use his new truck to go up there?? hey dad, i could show it off for you!!!!!!! I hope that the weather did not ruin your time with mom. To bad you didnt get to stay longer. I know that the phone connection has been bad latley i hope that it will get better when i leave here. SO i will traveling for the next three days. Hope and pray that everything goes smoothly and i have no problems. If you guys dont hear from me for a bit theres no cause for concern. Matt are you out there? I have not heard from you. Its not like you work or anything!
I am really ready to get going. I have been here for way to long doing nothing. Chile dose not have any culture what so ever. I really think that they lost who they were because of money. This is not part of the third world country. they are doing just fine over here. As i said it kinda feels like home. This is why i am excited to get back into peru where i can see something different. However i am not looking towards the food. Its not very good in peru. Small portions and nothing is really what your expecting. Like Fetteccini alfredo. No alfredo sauce it is like a white mushroom sauce with ham. Every where in south america they are crazy about ham. You get it on everything. Kinda sucks. Hey matt you remember that breakfest place we went to in Arequipa. I am going to go there again! hahha! Mabey buy my self a blanket!
Anyways again thanks you for the continued suport!
Love you all
Karalynn

The support that i get from my family and friends is just amazing! You guys have no idea how much it means to me when i log on and see your messages. Uncle Darren and Auntie Marlean Thanks so much and i love you both very much! Interesting to hear about Kris. I didnt know that he was interested in the Military. Well thats an awsome thing to do for Canada. I just hope he does not get sent off into a war that shouldnt be happening in the first place nor is it our fight to fight but i geuss if you join you dont have much of a choice. Does he know what he will be doing? Mitchell is graduating this year right?Ya i am really really going to try to come up to Grand Prairie before i have to go back to work to see all my family!!! I really regreat that wheil i as growing up i didnt strive to have a deeper bond with everyone. Now that i am grown i regreat that all my little cousins dont really know me. Once all the aunts and uncles are gone we are all eack other have and that is really important to me. Mabey dad will let me use his new truck to go up there?? hey dad, i could show it off for you!!!!!!! I hope that the weather did not ruin your time with mom. To bad you didnt get to stay longer. I know that the phone connection has been bad latley i hope that it will get better when i leave here. SO i will traveling for the next three days. Hope and pray that everything goes smoothly and i have no problems. If you guys dont hear from me for a bit theres no cause for concern. Matt are you out there? I have not heard from you. Its not like you work or anything!
I am really ready to get going. I have been here for way to long doing nothing. Chile dose not have any culture what so ever. I really think that they lost who they were because of money. This is not part of the third world country. they are doing just fine over here. As i said it kinda feels like home. This is why i am excited to get back into peru where i can see something different. However i am not looking towards the food. Its not very good in peru. Small portions and nothing is really what your expecting. Like Fetteccini alfredo. No alfredo sauce it is like a white mushroom sauce with ham. Every where in south america they are crazy about ham. You get it on everything. Kinda sucks. Hey matt you remember that breakfest place we went to in Arequipa. I am going to go there again! hahha! Mabey buy my self a blanket!
Anyways again thanks you for the continued suport!
Love you all
Karalynn

Wow dont all talk at once now you hear. Nothing new here. Did mention how this places is like all germans. I am not joking there are like 11 different rooms and 9 of them had all germans. Yep last night there was one big german party. I did not attend. whats the point when you cant understand anyone? Today is a pir festivel. Yep in the center of town just a bunch of people selling/eating/buying pies. Really good for karalynns weight! All i have been doing is going to the beach, reading and working out. Its so boring on monday i leave here to go to santiago i have one night there and then i go north to a town near the chile/peru border called Arica. Its saposed to be nice there so i will hang out there for two days before i cross the border into peru. I think i am going to head back to the first place matt and i went to called Arequipa. Its cheap and nice.
sheila thanks for writting. Yep your going to be there once i get home, i know it. Darcey must be disappointed. Sorry that life is kinda boring but you know how it is during the winter. People hibernate.
Mom and dad i hope your having fun. I have tried to call but both of your phones are turned off. I hope everything is ok. Thanks if that was you guys!!!! I think it was!
Grandpa you havent answered my question about if i could come and see you guys for aweek after i get back. It would probley be as soon as i get back. Pls let me know!
cam are you out there? tell me whats going on.
Kathy and bud i hope everything is good havent heard from you in awheil.
Anyways i should get back to my buzy life over here dont want to miss anything! ya right
Karalynn