Back by popular demand.

Well it has been a long time since I have last blogged. I apologize to my eager readers i.e. blood relatives. :) (why else would you care!) I would like to thank everyone for the nice comments that everyone leaves. They mean a lot to both Katrine and I seeing as how we don't always get a chance to talk or see you all as much as we would like. (Kien reaps the fruit of my labor! But I hear rumors that she might write a guest entry soon!.... Vamos a ver! )

Kien and I have seen and experienced many things in the past 2 weeks. This entry will try to do those experiences justice but I'm afraid I won't have the right words. First off for anyone that is pondering the idea of a South American vacation, I can personally say that Peru will not disappoint! You need to come and see it for yourselves. Despite first getting altitude sickness and then getting either food poisoning or Dengi fever from the hundreds of mosquito bites I accumulated of the course of the vacation, Peru needs your attention! (it's ok Kien had the Norwegian doctors handbook saved on her laptop... what a nerd! ;) She however never got sick! I'm lucky that way.

So yeah we had 4 days in Cuzco, which we used to get acclimated, explore and enjoy ourselves. We rented horses from a Quechua family and we went trail riding while their 2 youngest kids guided us on foot. They were very sweet! The girl was 12 and the boy was 7. The ride was fun albeit pretty lame. Suffice it to say, the horses were ready for the glue factory and the 7km tour that we had purchased ended up being like 3km by horse and 4km by a collectivo (rickety local bus). Oh and I can't forget that the horses were like pony sized. Kien looked like giant on her's and I was seriously worried about the health and well being of my "horse". In the end we had a nice time with the horses but most of all talking to the little kiddos about what Norway was like and what type of animals we have. It also struck me that some kids in this world don't always have an equal amount of time to be kids. Life is not fair. Had I just done the damn dishes at 7 years old, my parents would have been endlessly stoked.

After spending 4 days in Cuzco we headed off to Aguas Calientes which is a small town below Machu Picchu. It is nestled at the bottom of a canyon that has a river running through it and tree covered jagged mountains surrounding it. Despite the awesome location, we did not like A.C. whatsoever. It was really touristy and packed with tourist groups ready to buy a piece of "authentic" Peru. A.C. however was a necessary evil to experience the wonder of Machu Picchu. After a poor night of sleep Kien woke up at 3am to the sounds of thunder and torrential downpour. We got up determined to see the place that the Inca had built some 600 years ago. We bought disposable rain ponchos. Kien got an awesome blue one and I got a black one which ended up being a glorified Hefty sack! I tried to take it back but the shop owner wouldn't hear any of it! Then we waited in line for over an hour in the pouring rain for the bus that would take us to Machu Picchu. After many hours waiting and discomfort we ended up getting our first sight of the city.

I will forever remember my first impression of the city. It was about 6am and the rain had let up and the clouds rolled away, exposing the green and rocky terraces of Machu Picchu. It fulfilled and exceeded all of my expectations. To think that the people that lived there had running water, defense systems, advanced astronomy and a fully self-sufficient agricultural system. Truly impressive.

The reason for getting there so early was to get an entrance ticket to Huayna (Wayna) Picchu which is a peak that overlooks Machu Picchu. They only let in 400 people a day. After a lot of stress we got tickets #'s 81 & 82 and made the hike to the top. It was to say the least pretty damn scary. Heights are by no means something I savor and this hike tested both Kien and I. It was pretty much stairs the whole way up, the only thing is that I'm pretty sure there were the original stairs! Oh and in many parts if you slipped, you died. I am pleased to say that we survived to fight another day and the view of Machu Picchu from above was well worth the struggle.

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the ruins which are actually much larger than Katrine and I had ever previously thought. That evening we took the train back to Cuzco. We had only 1 day left there and I was laying in bed that whole day. I am really glad that we opted for the room with the private bathroom at our hostal although I was hesitant because it costed like 8 more dollars a night. ;) Thank god that I have a wife that likes to have some privacy because I definitely got good use of the genius positioning of the sink in relation to the toilet. Sometimes you need both! So it sucked that I missed out on our last day in Cuzco but super glad that I didn't get sick the day before.

We then had a full day in Lima on our way out of Peru. We stayed in an area called Miraflores which is by the sea. Kien and I had a long moment looking out to sea and smelling the salt air. Life is all about the small moments. At this point I felt way better and we took a cab into the city and did some sightseeing. It is a big city that in all honesty didn't really spark either of our interests. Good to have seen but I think that 1-2 days would be sufficient.

It was sad to say goodbye to Peru but we know that someday we will be back! On the flip side, it was good to get back to Buenos Aires. We got home and actually got all of our things packed because we were going to move to a new apartment the next day. Moving went smoothly and the new apartment is about 4 million times better than our last one! So both Katrine and I are happy campers.

Since we have gotten back we have spent time getting settled in as well as hanging out with our friends Mick and Ariel. (I have talked about Mick before, but Ariel is from Toronto and doing a term here). Both are very nice guys that we get along with quite well. We actually had a homemade pesto party at Ariel's last night. Kien was in heaven.

So after I have dragged this on and only about half of you that started reading this have finished, I will try to wrap it up. Kien starts her internship on Monday. She is excited and very nervous. We all know she will do great though! As for me, I will have to start studying as well. Time is flying by here. We still love Buenos Aires and we think she likes us too.......


Miss and love you all. When we figure out our phone number we will let you all know!

Besos,
Seany

ps- Check out our pictures on the right hand side of this page.

Viva El Peru!

Peru, I love you at least this much.... maybe more

So for those of you that didn't get the memo, Kien and I have traveled to Peru for a little over a week. :) Well actually the only people we really told was our Moms because we all know it's not ok to not divulge such information.

We got here to Cuzco on early Saturday morning and got checked into our hostel right away. Not a bad place minus the cold showers and the midget bed (read Inkan) we had to sleep on. The first day we kinda just walked around the city but I was not feeling so hot because of the high altitude. Felt like the worst hangover I could imagine. Katrine on the other hand must have inherited some high mountain lungs or something because she was mountain-goating cirlces around me. Cuzco's altitude is around 3,300 m (10,800 ft) which is roughly 800 m higher than Galdhøpiggen (for mine norkse lesere) or roughly the summit of Mt. Hood (for you Oregonians our there).

Today however, we both felt pretty good. We got up fairly early and did some practical things like buying tickets and booking hostels. Then we took the local commuter bus to a smaller village 30km away from Cuzco called Pisaq. They have a farmers/tourist market there every Sunday. It was very neat but we wanted to get to the hiking just outside of the city. There is quite a few Inkan ruins on the surrounding mountains. We spent the rest of the day exploring the remains of a great civilization that was cut short by the "discovery" by the Spanish. Quite awe inspiring and sad at the same time. Suffice it to say that Katrine and I had one of the best hikes either of us have ever had. Anyone that likes hiking (even remotely close) needs to take a trip to Peru. It will not disappoint.

We will be going horse back riding from Cuzco tomorrow to some ruins nearby. We aren't sure what Tuesday will bring but that's part of the fun! Wed. we are taking the train up to a small town called Aguas Calientes, which is right outside of the Machu Pichu entrance. We will hand out there for the day and stay the night. The next morning we are going to get up early to watch the sunrise from MP as well as try and get entrance tickets to hike http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huayna_Picchu . They only give out 400 a day so hopefully we will be one of the lucky ones!

Even though we still have the majority of our vacation left we have both come to realize how short a week is here. Peru deserves weeks or months. On the flip side of this, we have only been here 2 days and have 6 full days left!!!!!

Much love from Peru,
seany

Neighbors, New friends and Beautiful Places.....

In the last (almost 2 weeks) since my last posting, a lot has happened to Katrine and I. We have basically been sick for the last week and that is the main reason for the lack of blogging. We spent the last weekend in the apartment in a dream world of lack of sleep and malnutrition! Such is life though.... I am here to say however, that we are back up and feeling good (well Kien not so much 100% but I am feeling close to that!). We actually both missed school on Monday due to our short-term illness. uff og uff... :( We fortunately we able to make it to the rest of classes for the week.

Pretty much each day after classes we have been joined by our only other classmate to get a bite to eat. His name is Mike and is originally from Australia but has made his home the last few years in England. Very nice guy that both Katrine and I have grown to like quite a lot. Another bonus about Mike is that he will be in Ba As as long as we will be. (we just hope he likes us too ;))



It must be said for the foodies out there that read my blog, there are endless wonderful places to try for not a lot of money. We try to eat different places everyday but it is hard after you fall in love with new places everyday. Empanadas, tamales, pizza, beer, wine, steak, burritos and Chinese food, all have a special place in my heart! And if you come for a visit... you will for sure find room in your heart for the same!

So tonight was a very good night. Our neighbors from back home at Moholt are actually in Ba As for the weekend. Kari from Norway and her husband Cristián from Chile are here and we went out for lunch to our favorite restaurant Cumana earlier in the day. Katrine and I went home and took a little siesta and got rested up for the evening. We met them at Siga la Vaca. (follow the cow). We waited in a huge line for the better part of an hour to get a table, but I assure you that it was worth the wait! For 59 pesos or 100 NOK or about 19.50USD you got all you can eat steak and grill meat ( parilla), salad bar, one bottle of wine (per person), and desert! Definitely good value for your money! It was way good and we all gorged ourselves to excess. The only part I wasn't the hugest fan of was, was the grilled beef intestines I was coerced into eating. Think grizzly fat and then have it squirt something nasty into your mouth as you chew it. Suffice it to say, I almost lost the rest of my meal on that one bite! But hey, at least some people like it!!!!

After our dinner at Siga la Vaca, we went to the San Telmo neighborhood looked for a bar. San Telmo is an old neighborhood that has cobblestone streets and cool old architecture. We found a cool little bar that played live music and made good drinks! As we sipped out strawberry daiquiris and mojitos respectively we listened to old American blues tunes such as Johnny be good and My blue suede shoes. The place was hoppin`! It for sure wont be our last trip to San Telmo.

We love Ba As and Ba As loves us.....(at least we think so). She has at least treated us very well thus far. Porteños also have been nothing but kind and helpful to us. (Bad drivers though.....got into an accident in the taxi this morning..... Don't worry though.... no paper work was exchanged!) I love this crazy place!




Ps. Thanks to everyone that has bothered to leave a message! Even though this is technically my blog (and Katrine refers everyone here), we both very much appreciate everyones wonderful comments! We love you all too!


Much love,
Seany

Viva La Vida!

Hola folkens......
so yeah, we have been here in Bs As (the cool way of writing it) for a little over a week. We are having a wonderful time. The apartment is for the most part in order but not before a thorough cleaning with some Cif nb not Jif! It is a pretty old apartment with wood floors and high vaulted ceilings and a small courtyard that we get like 20 minutes of sun in per day! ;) Just when its right overhead. Pretty cool place overall.

This past week we have learned and experienced so much. First of all... there is nothing that is called fast here in this country. Everything takes time and there is lines for absolutely everything. I think it is very good practice for Kien and I who are not especially known for being the most patient people in this world. It definitely tests our Hochendoner/Hordnes genes respectively!

(First night in the new pad)

We have spanish class 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. All this week it has just been Katrine and I and our teacher Cecilia. She is a very nice porteña that studies literature at the university here and teaches us sorry souls spanish when she has breaks from school. The other students and teachers have all been very nice so far and we have spent pretty much every afternoon with them.

On Friday we went out and met one of our teachers (Paula) and one of her students in town. Since we don't have cell phones from here we just had to agree to a time and a place. I think that the last time we did that was probably in '94 or something :) We ended up going to a smoke filled pool hall for the evening. We ordered 1liter beer after 1l beer which we shared in small glasses. Pool took a backseat to conversations of broken spanish and 1 peso per song in the jukebox! I think I eventually settled on one ACDC, 1 Rolling Stones and 1 Eminem song. LOL The choices weren't huge but that did not correlate to my enjoyment! We ended the long night getting a pizza in a dimly lit cellar bar.

Pretty much everyday I walk around thinking about how lucky kien and i are to be experiencing the things we do. I mean just the other day while in the store, I was served a stiff drink while i was shopping! :) I have to admit we went back to the same store the next day to do our shopping. And yes i hovered around the free drink stand waiting for the lady to get back from lunch but since we had to wait like 45 minutes in the checkout stand line (again), I was able to achieve my mission. Great success! Also.... there is aparrently a market for whole cooked pig heads in the buffet section of the store. A security gaurd yelled at me for taking the picture!

This coming week will entail less eating out than the previous week and hopefully more schoolwork. But we have also decided to go with the flow of things and let life happen rather than plan it out. Next sunday however we are going to be going to http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/CirqueDuSoleil/en/showstickets/alegria/intro/intro.htm . Even though its overpriced, it is something I have always wanted to see. So that should be a lot of fun.

Well thanks to everyone who has commented on my blog! Very nice of you all. I will try to keep things as entertaining as possible but no promises.

Much love!

Katrine in a state of tamale bliss

Careful or I will shank your ass if you touch my squash pie.... :)

ps. Eirik, gracias por el título. Me gusta mucho

Hello life.....

So this is my first feeble attempt at blogging. I promise "all" of my readers many typos and grammatical errors. I don't care. ;) That's that kind of person I am. I don't worry about the details but try to enjoy life as it comes. This laid back attitude has some northwestern roots and certainly comes in handy in my and Kien's (Katrine) new adventure.

We are currently living in Buenos Aires, Argentina (f0r 5 months! Come for a visit..... but only if we know you and like you! ;) . It's the capital of Argentina and has about 13 million people living here. Suffice it to say that it's huge! So far it has been nothing but great. Porteños (Buenos Aires natives) have been very friendly. They are a wonderful mix of native americans, europeans and whatever else there is. Hard to describe their looks but they seem passionate. Red wine, red meat and tango are to be had in every corner of this wonderful city.

Kien and i haven't done a whole lot of sightseeing yet but we have done a good amount of walking and shopping for everyday things. The first full day we were here, we went to a huge supermercado to get things for our apartment. New smells and brands and ways of doing things were to be absorbed. Spent like 3 hours just looking around and reading labels. (good thing we agreed to eat before our shopping spree). When we actually decided to get checked out for our purchases, we didnt realize that we would have to stand in line for over an hour just to get to the checkout stand. After much chaos with credit cards that didnt work and my ass running up and down streets looking for atms, we finally we able to pay and get back to the apartment. In the meantime however we met a very nice porteña that gave us her number and insisted that we call if we needed anything at all!

Today we started our spanish classes. We took the subway that costs about 3o cents USD or 1.5 NOK. Not bad I would say. Only Kien and i and one other girl in our class. Very one on one in the class. Our first day went very well and we both have high hopes for learning some spanish before we leave. We are going to be taking the class for at least 4 weeks, 4 hours a day. (up to maybe 6 weeks). The teachers and students at the school seem great. After we are done with spanish classes then we are off to join the masses. Kien will start at a hospital in the gynecology and obstetrics department and I will more than likely volunteer somewhere as well as study for exams back home in Trondheim in December. (Anyone know of any good volunteer opportunities in B.A?)

Tomorrow it is back to the spanish class to make me feel dumb again. ;) Not always a good thing to go to class with your hardworking wife.... makes one feel like a slacker sometimes. Oh well, Im going to give it the 'ol collegiate go! After school, we are going to clean the apartment and make some dinner at home. Although the food is cheaper than norway, it still adds up to eat out every meal. But hey the vino tinto is very cheap! Cant complain, livet er herlig.........

ps- pics and more posts to come!


much love.........