Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Bucket List (1-5)



1. Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, Bali, Indonesia- This famous water temple dedicated to Lord Shiva Hindu god. Located on Lake Bratan surrounded by the beautiful Bedugul Mountains. It was built in 1663, it is used for the ceremony praising Dewi Danu the Bali water goddess.  You can hire a car for $45 (500,000 Indonesian rupiah) a day and explore the mountains. In the same area you can enjoy the Bali Botanical Gardens, canyoning down waterfalls, and my favorite trekking. I cant wait to experience the serenity of this beautiful place.

Chittorgarh Fort
2.  Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India - On my visit to India I missed one of the most beautiful states, mainly due to it was summer and the state is completely desert. Rajasthan is known for its immense fortresses. Chittorgarh Fort is the largest fort in India, and one of the most famous. It was buit in the 7th century AD. Its control was fought over in many battles, and it housed some of the most famous warriors. It sits majestically over a hill sprawling 691 acres (Over one square mile) featuring beautiful carved towers, temples and reservoirs.


3. Angle Falls, Venezuela - This is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world at 979meters (3212 ft). It was named after Jimmie Angle, the first aviator to fly over the falls in 1933.  Its located in Canaima National Park. To get to the park you must fly from Ciudad Bolivar. You must take a dug-out canoe to the falls, which are located deep within the park. You can swim in the pools below the falls, you can also explore the rest of the jungle. Three day treks are also offered to the small village of Uruyen from there you can climb Auyan-tepui which is where Angle Falls arises. Its a rock scramble up, but I have heard the views are amazing.

4.  Neuschwanstein Castle Bavaria, Germany- you can say I am still a little bit of a Disney princess, I have always wanted to live in a castle. Germany is home to many famous castles, Neuschwanstein being one of the most famous. It was finished in 1892. It was contracted by King Ludwig II. It houses 200 rooms, but many were not finished. Its attracts almost 1.3 million guests a year.


5. Everest Base Camp, Nepal - Since I have given up all hope of actually climbing Mount Everest, I have settled on Everest Base Camp. I climbed to Throng La Pass 5,416 metres (17,769 ft) a little less than 2 years ago, so Everest Base Camp 5,364 metres (17,598 ft)will be a piece of cake, right? From Lukla it takes 9 days to reach the base camp. With 2580m (8,464ft) of elevation gain its a somewhat grueling hike. Maybe at the bottom of Everest I will have some inspiration and next thing you know I might be on my way up to the top...probably not, but I can dream.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Student Doctor Says Increase your Salt Intake - Uyuni Salt Flats Bolivia


One of the most famous tourist locations in Bolivia is the Salar de Uyuni. Its the worlds largest Salt flats and draws the adventurous, the photographers and the hypotensive (people with low blood pressure).

The Salar offers a various range of tours from 1-4 days. In one day you can do a quick visit to the famous expansive salt flats. In two days you can see the salt flats, stay in a salt hotel and see some other local sites.

I did the 3 day tour, I paid 800 Bolivianos ($115 USD). It was a toss up of how good my tour was going to be. I have heard lots of horror stories of tourists going hungry, guides rushing or even skipping things. I have heard of terrible jeeps and flat tires. Luckily I was placed in a tour that was organized through one of the best run agencies. I was very lucky, everyone in my group paid over 1000 Bolivianos.

Salt Hotel
The first day we visited the salt flats. We had the opportunity to eat in the middle of salt flats. Remember that if your food it not flavorful enough all you need to do is grab some salt from the ground and sprinkle it on top. We also were able to spend time taking the quintessential funny salt flat photos that you see all over the internet. At midday we stopped at an Isla (island) Incahuasi in the salar covered with cacti. Entrance here was  30 bolivianos. Its very interesting island in the middle of a sea of white salt.  

After this we drove through the salt on our way to our salt hotel. Yes I am not making this up, it is a hostle made of salt bricks. The chairs are salt, the tables are salt and floor is covered in salt. Even the beds are made of salt, don't worry they put a mattress on top. We then headed over to a close burial ground. Here we got to see how the local pre-inca cultures burried their dead. It was kinda creepy but really interesting. 


That night we enjoyed dinner, boiled chicken, papas fritas and a bottle of wine. One complaint for the tour was not enough food. We were six hungry people and after a meal we were still typically hungry. We went to bed after some karaoke and Bolivian beer. The nights are cold. Bring a sleeping bag, rent one if you don't have one.

The next day we woke up before the sun came up and hopped back into the jeep. We headed to on a
beautiful journey traversing high altitude dessert, flying by active volcanoes and enjoying the sun coming up over the mountains turning the sky into a painting.


We stop at each of the iconic Laguna Colorada (colored lagoon), with flamencos still frozen into the water. The flamencos sleep overnight in the lake, the water freezes around their legs, when they wake up in the morning they have to wait until the ice melts so that they can move. 

When you enter Avaroa National Park you will have to pay a 150 Boliviano entrance fee, that is not covered in the tour price. This price is mandatory if you want the tour to continue, so make sure you are packing at least 150 Bolivianos with you. 

Thermal Baths
The lagoons range in color, from red, green, blue, and rainbow colors. Warm thermal springs drain into the lagoons which are painted by the sediment and algae that thrive in the subzero temperature. On the way to Laguna Verde, we stopped at the hot springs. Probably one of the smallest hot springs that I have ever bathed in. They are surrounded by fridged open desert on one side and rocky mountains on the other side. There is no where to change so just use your pack towel as a changing room.

After a 30 min dip in the baths we dried off, had a bite to eat and headed off to Laguna Verde, usually this is done on the 3rd day, but since the blue/green color is best seen in the evening we decided to do it on day 2. At 14,000 ft (4,300meters) its cold and windy. Its blue color rivals Pangong Tso in Northern Inida/ Tibet which I visited a year before. The backdrop of Laguna Verde is the 19,000ft inactive Licancabur Volcano

Geysers
We continued to our last stop of the day... the geysers. They were amazing. You could stand at the edges, watching the muddy water bubble and spurt into the air giving off clouds of smoke. We took pictures with the setting sun illuminating the smoke as it swirled around us. 

After a long day we reached our hostel to eat and sleep. We woke up early again and headed off on our last leg of out 3 day trip. We flew past the lagoons and through small towns. We stopped to eat around some interesting rock formations. We kept our eyes open for road runners and watched the desert land rush by us. 


Our last stop was the train grave yard. Its a strip of land where old rusted trains and left for tourists to climb on. After swinging on the metal swings that hung from the underside of the train cars we headed back to the town of Uyuni. I bought a bus ticket back to La Paz for that evening and enjoyed the rest of my time in Uyuni eating cookies and pizzas at Minute Man Pizza. I jumped on the overnight bus back to La Paz unpacking my sleeping bag to cover myself for the cold ride through the high altitude dessert. 

Some things to note:
1. Take snacks, you rarely get enough food from the tour company, don't buy then in the tourist part of Uyuni, or you will be paying almost two times the regular price. 
2. The guides don't speak English so either make sure you have someone in the jeep to translate or just be ok not know what anything is.
3. Bring a sleeping bag (a sub zero one is the best) or rent one, if you don't you will be an ice cube at night.
4. Bring warm cloths (especially wool socks) and good walking shoes.
5. Bring at least 180 Bolivianos for entrance fees. Extra for snacks is recommended
6. Bring extra batteries, there is no where to charge your camera, unless you give it to the workers as the hostels, who will look through your phone or camera.
7. Bring a bathing suit, its worth taking a dip into the hot springs to warm up after a long cold day.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

"A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurtureand transform." - Diane Mariechild

Halloween came and went, I spent Halloween night in the school library studying for exams. I did take advantage of the $3 burrito if you come in costume to Chipotle.

Since my school could not celebrate Halloween on the 31st we decided to celebrate it on the 4th after our grueling 4 hour cardiology exam. I had about 4 hours to put a costume together, and if you know me I never buy out of the box costumes.

I really love to put costumes together because its usually cheaper and I am usually more satisfied with how it turns out. This year I decided to be one of my hero's Amelia Earhart. I had all the parts of the outfit, minus the pants (that cost $3 at the Goodwill) and the goggles (which I made out of paper cups and duct-tape). We share the same birthday, which I only realized after I had already put together my costume and I even took my first flight lesson a little under two weeks ago so I was all ready to get into character.

I have been influenced greatly through my childhood and even today by many strong women, who persevered even through rough times and inequality. They have given me the courage to pursue higher education, travel the world alone, and advocate for women's rights. I would like to tell you a little bit about my present female role models.
Me and Amelia Earhart


Amelia Earhart - first woman pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic. She disappeared in 1937 when she was flying an around the world trip with her copilot Fred Noonan. 
"Women, like men, should try to do the impossible. And when they fail, their failure should be a challenge to others" -Ameilia Earhart

Malala Yousafzai- This young advocate for the education of women was shot riding a school bus at the age of 15. She continues to promote the education of women around the world. My favorite quote from her was a recent episode of The Daily Show with Jon Steward where she says:

Malala Yousafzai
"I used to think that the Talib would come, and he would just kill me. But then I said, “If he comes, what would you do Malala?” Then I would reply to myself, “Malala, just take a shoe and hit him.” But then I said, “If you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others with cruelty and that much harshly, you must fight others but through peace and through dialogue and through education.” Then I said, “I will tell him how important education is and that I even want education for your children as well.” And I will tell him, “That’s what I want to tell you, now do what you want.” - Malala Yousafzai

Rachel Carson - One of the leaders in the environmental research, she uncovered the dangers of synthetic pesticides. The wrote a famous book Silent Spring which helped initiate the movement that banned DDT, a harmful pesticide that was jeopardizing the coastal aquatic ecosystems.

Clockwise from top left: Marie Curie, Rosa Parks,
Rachel Carson
Marie Curie - Her work in radioactivity and chemistry made her the first woman to ever win the Nobel Prize in 1911. Her and her husband discovered two elements polonium and radium. Marie gave the money she won from her Nobel Prize as well as other gifts to further scientific study.
"life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained."- Marie Curie

Rosa Parks - Known as the first lady of the civil rights movement, Rosa became an role model by resisting to give her seat up to a white passenger on a bus. She was arrested for her act of defiance but it made her an icon in the civil rights movement.
"You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right" - Rosa Parks

Clockwise from left: Joan of Arch, Elizabeth Blackwell,
Susan B Anthony
Joan of Arch - In knight's attire Joan of Arch lead the French army into many victorious battles. She was condemned of heresy due to her improper wearing of men's cloths and sentenced to death.

Susan B Anthony - known for her work as a suffragist, Susan also promoted women education and fair pay for female professionals. She served as Vice-President for the National American Woman Suffrage Association where she campaigned in western states to allow women to vote. She died in 1909 before women were given the right to vote. In 1920 the Susan B Anthony amendment passes finally allowing women to vote in all 50 states.

Elizabeth Blackwell - The first female physician to graduate in the USA. She promoted women in healthcare and revolutionized the teaching of medicine. After being asked to excuse herself during the lecture on reproduction in the attempt to protect her "feminine modesty" from such a dirty subject, she replied by saying that reproductive medicine is an important part of medicine and that it should not be viewed as dirty or immodest. She always believed that women deserved the same education as men.
"It is not easy to be a pioneer - but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world." - Elizabeth Blackwell
Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall - Known as the worlds expert on chimpanzees after her 45 year study in Tanzania. She discovered surprising new insight into their abilities, including their use of tools and their violent behaviors. She is an advocate for animals and a strict vegetarian.
"Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don't believe is right." -Jane Goodall

Mother Teresa - After being overwhelmed by the suffering in India, Mother Teresa started the Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic organization which still provide soup kitchens, orphanages, schools, HIV/AIDS, leprosy and TB clinics in 133 countries. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa