5 Things to do in Arequipa, Peru!

While in Arequipa’s central plaza filled with colonial architecture, these Peruvians are getting ready to take a group photo in front of the fountains of La Plaza de Armas.

Arequipa is Peru’s second largest city and between it being a UNESCO World Heritage site, it’s lower breathable altitude, and it’s comfortable, relatively stable climate all year, it’s a nice city to visit!  There are not as many tourists as in Cusco so you may feel a little less bombarded and relaxed while exploring this city, but it is becoming more popular every year especially because of it’s close proximity to Colca Canyon. Therefore more adventures are visiting the area to explore the canyon.

Read about the 5 things to do in Arequipa on Treasures Of Traveling Website. 

-- Luke Keeler

Visiting Piribebuy and Getting a Skin Rash!

Beautiful little waterfall in Piribebuy, Paraguay!

About two weeks ago, I went to visit another volunteer for four days to see what the life of a real volunteer is like and it’s very slow paced. He lived in a small community really far in the middle of nowhere called Mariscal Lopez. It was located about an hour walk from the small town of Piribebuy. He was a very nice guy and he introduced me to many of the people in his community. One day we went to a school meeting because school has just started for the year here in Paraguay (their summer vacation just ended) and the entire meeting was in Guarani and I understood nothing. I really feel like a baby right now, because I don’t know a lot and I’m just soaking up so much information every day. Anyway, he lived in a very small little one room house (12’x12’), but he has fixed it up really nicely (he has added a brick oven, a latrine, a floor, walls and a new ceiling). We didn’t spend much time inside because it was just too hot. He gets water from the local spring in the community which is where everyone gets their water. We purified the water by putting Clorox in it; one drop for every liter. We bathed in the river at the end of every day which really felt good because it was so HOT! It was really the only way of getting clean there where he lived.

Read more about Paraguay on Treasures Of Traveling Website.

-- Luke Keeler

Terere, Mandioca and Truco!

A cow traveling down the same road as me.

Paraguayans drink a refreshing drink multiple times a day called Terere. At first I was not a fan of it because the very first time I drank it, the individual serving it always liked drinking a very bitter type of yerba mate. Since my first experience of having the bitter terere, I have had plenty of other opportunities to try my other neighbors terere, in which they fix it using a different type of yerba mate that is flavored with mint so it is much more pleasing to the taste buds! I also have started to love it because since it is so hot outside, this drink is served ice cold and is refreshing! Over the last month, I have grown to love drinking terere, but I’m still not a fan of mate, which is the same thing, just served hot usually in the early mornings. One saying they use here in regards to terere, is that “we drink our weed instead of smoking it”, as the yerba mate is basically a ground up holly tree.

Read more about Paraguay on Treasures Of Traveling Website.

-- Luke Keeler

Mba’eichapa reiko (How are you? in Guarani)

Mba’eichapa reiko (How are you? in Guarani) Sunset on my walk home in Santo Domingo, Paraguay!

I am still in the middle of my three month training for the Peace Corps in Paraguay. In any country that the Peace Corps operates in, they hold a three month in country training that includes learning the language as well as having technical training for the things you will be focusing on while there. We have currently been focusing most of our time to learning about general public health here in Paraguay, from educating individuals about parasites and HIV/AIDS to water sanitation and dental hygiene. We learn ways of teaching to both adults and children. We are also learning how to build sanitary latrines and fagons (brick ovens) because these are some of the things we will most likely be doing when we reach our site in May! We are also learning about community development, globalization, culture exchange, just to name a few.

Read more about Paraguay on Treasures Of Traveling Website.

-- Luke Keeler

Bienvenidos a Paraguay!

Walking to my host families house in Santo Domingo![1]

I’ve been in Paraguay for a week now and it is a little bit of an adjustment, but it helps to be here with other Peace Corps Trainees. We flew into Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, where the Peace Corps headquarters is. Then we went to the training facility in Guarambare to meet the training staff. It’s about 45 minutes south of Asuncion. This will be our main training facility and we will meet there at least twice a week. That same night they took us to meet our host families. Mine lives in the district of Villeta in a smaller town outside of Guarambare, called Tacuruty and they live in a very small community called Santo Domingo/Inmaculada. From the main training center it’s about a 30 minute bus ride and then a 50 minute walk down dirt roads. We each are staying with our own host family, which is really nice. Mine is very big and are so wonderful. I have a Father, Mother, Sister, Brother-in-Law, two nieces and one nephew, plus other family members and friends who are always visiting. My father is a farmer, so they have every type of animal you can imagine and also grow vegetables and fruit (I have fresh fruit juice every day; DELICIOUS!!). The first day I was there and my niece was showing me the outhouse/latrine, my nephew was climbing all around and fell into a huge pile of crap that the cow had just dispensed of. It was really funny! The stable area kind of surrounds the cow area and the animals just kind of wonder all over their property.

Read more about Paraguay on Treasures Of Traveling Website.

-- Luke Keeler

The Uyuni Salt Flats are the Largest in the World!

The Salar De Uyuni is estimated to contain 10 billion tons of salt! A large amount of salt is harvested every year! The Uyuni SaltFlats is truly one of the Treasures Of Traveling in SouthAmerica that should not be missed because it is a beautiful natural wonder and is a must on anyone’s travel list so plan your trip with these tips!

After my bus journey experience where I was robbed traveling from La Paz to Uyuni, I came to the realization that even though all my photos had been taken from me, I still had my memories of those wonderful experiences in my mind and no one could take that away from me! I didn’t have much time to sulk and be depressed because from the moment we arrived in Uyuni, we had to start our new journey to see the Uyuni Salt Flats! They are the largest salt flats  in the world and travelers from all over the world love to visit this small town by the bus load, as it is an easy access point to visit the Salar de Uyuni, a natural wonder that for many is awe inspiring because of its unworldly landscape!

Read more about the Uyuni Salt Flats on the Treasures Of Traveling Website! 

-- Luke Keeler

Traveling by Bus Between La Paz and Uyuni!

This is a train town you wouldn’t want to miss!

I have had a few sad travel experiences, but my most devastating travel experience was when I traveled by bus between La Paz and Uyuni. It was one of the most sad days of my life. You probably are thinking, it couldn’t have been that awful and you might be right. It was just a devastating day to me and let me tell you why!

My friend Joni and I had just spent the last few days enjoying La Paz, the capital city of Bolivia and were trying to figure out where we should travel to next. Should we cycle down Bolivia’s Death Road, the most dangerous road in the world, or travel 348 miles to Uyuni, the southern part of the country to see the largest salt flats in the world? We were short on time and could only do one of the two activities so we chose to see the salt flats! We boarded a bus for a 10 hour overnight trip to Uyuni. I wasn’t thrilled by that aspect, but I wanted to see these salt flats since we were in Bolivia and we were so close to them.

Read more on the Treasures Of Traveling website!

-- Luke Keeler

Visiting Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley)!

The Rock Formations of Valle De La Luna showcase an unworldly landscape. Something you might expect to see on the moon; hence the name of the park, Valley Of The Moon in English. This lunar landscape of bizarre geological formations is located only 6 miles away from the city center of La Paz!

If you happen to be visiting La Paz, the highest capital in the world, make sure to set aside some time and check out the 10 must visit attractions in La Paz! Leave at least half a day or more to visit Valle de la Luna! You won’t regret it! La Paz is a big city so if you want a nice relaxing afternoon activity to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, look no further than Valle de la Luna!  

Read more about Valle de la Luna on Treasures of Traveling Website!

-- Luke Keeler