Chan Chan

The pre-columbian city Chan Chan was built around 800-850 AD. The Incas conquired this city too in 1470. About 30 000 people lived here and it's about 20 square kilometers wide. There are about 9 different areas very near each other and I visited one of them. The others are closed due to on-going research and they constructions are also a lot weaker. Maybe in the future the sites will be opened to the tourists.

In Trujillo I took a bus to this site and first the bus left me in the middle of the desert and I was confused. Where is this historical city?! I asked a old local man sitting by the road and he told me to "start walking that way". After abut 20 minutes of walking in the heat I started to see big walls and inside of them was one of the temples of Chan Chan. I was alone with my tour guide. The walls were carved full of pictures of fish, pelicans and fishing net. The city had a traditional big main plaza were the Chimu leader held ceremonies and shows by musicians, priest, singers... Behind the last wall of this city is the Pacific Ocean. That is why the people in Chan Chan mostly ate marine wildlife. Chan Chan was never used as a religious center so the Chimu-people usually travelled to other cities like Pachamac to practise their religion.

Main Plaza.

Fishnet carves.

Long corridors to the Main Plaza, so the Chimu leaders could follow what is going on there.

They had also acces to water inside the walls.

Chimu people looked something like this.

National Museum of Peru

I visited the biggest museum in Lima, Museo de la Nacion. There was mostly pictures of the past. The most interesting was the years of terrorism 1980-2000 that I have already written of before. Here are some shocking pictures and stories from that time.

A woman accused of being a member in a terrorist group in Cusco prison in 1985. The child was the product of rape perpetrated by law enforcement officials.

Parents of Ernesto Castillo Paez show a photograph of their son, a student at the catholic university, who was detained and then was dissappeared by the members of the national police in Villa El Salvador on October 21, 1990.

Rescue efforts after a car bomb from the terrorist group exploded in Lima September 9, 1992.

Relatives of one of the thirteen victims murdered on February 11, 1985 by alleged terrorist group members in various of the Marginal Road, in Tingo Maria.

An undentified woman was transferred to the morgue of Ayacucho after a confrontation between members of the terrorists and the national police. November 1983.

Survivor of massacre of Lunamarca recovering at the regional hospital of Ayacucho in 1983.

Exhumation of the remains of journalists killed in Uchuracay, Ayacucho in January 1983.

Enjoying life

After the first week of staying in Kusillus hostel in Miraflores, I had to move to Puriwasi hostel a few blocks away for one night. There was no room in Kusillus and I was supposed to stay with a friend because we were going to the same party last saturday. It was too complicated due to his work and he lived so far away so I just went to the next hostelin the area and slept in a dormitory with couple of other people. I would highly recommend Puriwasi hostels to other travellers. The staff knows english, the place is higher up in a building with a very bohemic athmosphere and nice facilities. There is a roof terrace with a bar and restaurant too! Big spacy bathrooms and rooms.

Otherwise I have met a lot of my friends, I have been going out for dinner, movies, drinks with Carolina, Jorge, Adrian, Ale, Xiomara, Daniela and others... I made cupcakes with Ale last week too at her home. I've only seen Renatto a few times since there is a visitor restriction due to his wound being uncovered, it's a risk to go there and bring bacterias to it. Tomorrow I'll see him before I take a buss to northern Peru to a city called Trujillo. He maybe will get home before I go back to Finland, so there would be more time to hang out with the guapo. Trujillo is known as a the capital of everlasting spring. It is also close to two historical and archeological monuments from the pre-Columbian time. Chan Chan is  the largest adobe city in the ancient world. It is also a part of World Heritage Site like Machu Picchu too. It was designated to UNESCO 1986. The another monument is The Temple of Sun and Moon, it is the biggest pyramid in Peru. These two monuments will definitely be worth checking out. There is also a famous beach 10km from Trujillo, the beach of Huachaco. I will only be staying one night and two days in Trujillo so the schedule is tight. After that my plan is to continue to north to the city of Chiclayo.

Last week I visited Museo De la Nacion, biggest museum of Lima. I will be posting about that when I get the pics on my computer. Last weekend there was a reunion of last years Pasteleria and Panaderia class, it was at Melissas house and it was fun to see old friends and get to know new ones. Melissa will take me to a salsa class before I go home... I will die of shame that day.

 Here is couple of photos of Puriwasi hostel taken from online, since I dont have my computer with me I will upload most of my journey posts when I get back from Finland.

Thank you for donations!

Denise Lindh

Johnny Winsten

Heidi Grönqvist

Alexandra Grönqvist

Josephine Grönqvist

Hannu Hänninen

Arvid Lönnberg

Emma Augustsson

Mira Lehtonen

Martta Kaskinen

Kristiina Laxell

Anna Törnqvist

Emilia Harlin & family

Alicia Jalava

Laura Lackman

Eveliina Korpela

Victoria Siren

Salon Workshop

Malin Karlberg

Milja Suihko

Pekka Saarelainen

Sirja Konttila

Cecil Fagerström

Johan Korpi

Mikko Knuutila

Eva Lindroos

John Lindh

Hanna Lundström

Zinita Grönqvist-Lindh

Teija Grönqvist

Jörgen Grönqvist 

Kim Lindh

Johanna Lindqvist

Saga Strömfors

Gretel Grönqvist

Kurt Grönqvist

Jacob Aalto

Marika Mehtälä

Henri Stenberg

Josefine Winsten

Maija Pentti

Jenny Winsten

Eva Nilsson

Linda Kaira

Oskar Henriksson

Gustav Nöjd

Simon Eklund

Victoria Sundblom

Miko Hietanen

Cassandra Sell

Lisa Lemberg

Juho Käyhkö

Niina Kyrö

Tytti Elo

Fredrika Wulff

Nina Kjellman & family

Patricia Grönholm & family

Henriikka Iivonen & family

Finally here

After 30 hours of running around London and Miami airports I am finally "back home" in Lima. It felt like a year, exhausting to travel with 3 different flights and the waiting between them is even more annoying. Miami... talking about strict security control! Finger prints screened, photo of my face taken, questions why I'm travelling alone and why Peru... Standing in hundred different lines to check passport, luggage and VISA. Yes you have to apply for a visa to the US even if you are only passing by. It's only 14$ but still. I didn't get so much sleep on the flight from London to Miami but from Miami to Lima I was completely passed out. Otherwise I could recommend British Airways and American Airlines to other travellers. Friendly staff and better food than on the other airlines that I have flewn with. On my last flight my hand luggage (I only took hand luggage with me because I was afraid that my bags will not arrive in Lima) didn't fit anywhere. The flight was so fully booked but the friendly staff got a place for my bag in business class. Unfortunately I myself had to sit in economy class.

I'm staying my first week in a hostel in Miraflores, my favorite neighbour hood in Lima. Hostel is named Kusillus. It's 9euros per night. The room is allright nothing special but what to expect in Latinamerica and with this price. The location is excellent. It's amazing how much you can forget in 4 months in Finland. Here is soooo much people, where are they coming from. Like ants on the street enjoying from the heat. It's 25 celsius degrees and the sun is shining, Im loving it. Tonight I will meet up with Hector, one of my class mates from Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas. And on saturday with the girls! Carolina and maybe the others. On sunday I get to visit my favorite peruvian Renatto who is hospitalized at the moment. I will give him the surprise that some of you may know of ;) Here is pic of my room.

Back to Lima!

I have booked a trip back to Peru ;) I will be there for one month. From 18th of April to 14th of May. Exited but the flights are very long Helsinki - London - Miami - Lima. My dear friend Martta got a job from Chiclayo, it is a horsefarm and she is giving riding tours to tourist so Chiclayo will definitely be worth checking out too! I wanna take a vacation after a difficult start of the year and I wanna see everyone again. Especially someone I think about daily :)

The Child of Bad Luck

Many times in my life I have been wondering why do I always mess things up and Why do I have such a bad luck in life. This day was one example of it. I hate my internship work and today I was assigned to clean hotel rooms in a big hotel with a lot of rooms and big ones. Later in the day we went swimming with my sister and at the hall I broke my shampoo or it did actually explode all over my faces for no reason. Then I broke not only one but TWO hairdryers at the same place. Also when I tried to enter the locker rooms through a automatic gate my bag got stuck at the gate...

Last year I broke 7 chairs only by sitting on them. A couple of chairs lost their legs and a couple the seating part. Time to loose some weight huh? And the year before that I had a curse with bicycles. Within one week I broke a lock on a bicycle two times and finally the tire exploded too...so my dad decided to buy me a completely new bicycle. While I was holding the keys to my old bicycle lock, I was sitting on the toilet and at the same time when I flushed I dropped the f*cking keys to the toilet and there they went far away somewhere... Then with the new bicycle I fell about five times and it's a little broken now but I am not giving up on hope. Oh by the way my toilet exploded a week after I dropped my keys into it. One beautiful morning I opened my bathroom door and a tsunami of shit entered the whole apartment. That was what they call 'Let's fuck this shit - o'clock'. I just left the shit at my apartment and went to work, I called the maintenance guy from work and told him there was a little surprise at my apartment... Fix it porfavor.

This year... 2013. I was born 13th of Jan 1991. This year I have been in a car accident, that fucked up my lower back... I have caused the car two big injuries this year and last year one big crash and the year before that a smaller injury... Oh and also my credit card was copied so I lost over 400 euros. Also my knee is injured not only because someone surfed on top of me last year in Peru but when I was jogging with my dog I just tripped on my own two legs and smashed my knee in the ice and face in the snow.

What an update on a beautiful monday like this, I love my life! :)

Photos from Finland

From my parents house, -15 degrees!

My new adoption dog

Messing around

Me and my littlesister and our dog Viidu

From a little town called Ekenäs

I'm praying for you

My dear friend in Peru have been in an accident, I don't know what happened because it's hard to keep contact from 12 000km away. I only know that he is now feeling better but are still at the clinic. I have been worrying for 4 days now without proper sleep and I haven't been eating much either. It feels frustrating to be here and not be able to support him or take a flight there. I wish I could start my internship later so I could go visit him. God be with him and hope he will not have sevear damages afterwards. I miss him like hell.

A photo from the past

It's a picture of me and my littlesister, I don't know the year. Maybe 1995 or something like that :) My childhood was happy. If I could decide a age and I could live that old the rest of my life I would choose 5 years old. I had the first memory of how happiness felt when I was 5. Later in life maybe after I turned 13 my inner devil started coming out and the teenager years was difficult to handle and happiness wasn't anymore a big part of my life. But hey who is not a bitch as a teenager?

A special person

Day 05 - A picture + 5 facts about a special person in your life

1. She is my littlesister
2. She has been playing football in womens national team of Finland
3. She always says nice things to me even if I'm a bitch
4. She has her own style and doesn't give a fuck what others think about it
5. She graduates from high school in 5 months

Day 02 and 03

Day 02 What do you think about your friends?

Well I'm really happy to have a lot of friends and while I was away many of them came to me and said that they really miss me. It was surprising to know how many people actually cares if I'm in Finland or not. I had really dark times 2 years ago and I would not have made it without my friends. They kept me going and gave me hope. I have a couple of best friends. From the girls we have a 4-girl tight group, they are my best friends from the girls. From the boys my favorities are Pekka, Tomi, Jacob and Miko. Even tough I haven't seen Miko in years we were really close 2006-2008 and still keep contact trough facebook and stuff like that.

Some of my friends have their bad sides, they talk a lot about people behind their backs. Mine too, but I always act that I don't know what they have said about me. I don't like to cause drama. But I always am careful what to tell these friends because they will not keep my personal things as a secret.


Day 03 Your idea of the perfect first date?

Well I haven't been on so many dates, but my perfect first date would be something exciting for example paintball war or going to the zoo. Something fun and that we can also talk at the same time. I'm not so picky, I'm happy if somebody even bothers to ask me out on a date. I just don't say yes very often. I must fancy him a lot before saying yes :D

After the exchange

Some of my peruvian friends are at least intrested in knowing how my life is here in Finland. I am going to keep writing this blog at least for a while. Here is a challenge that my friend Tytti did in her blog so I am going to follow this, maybe you will learn more about me. Each day I tell a different story or thing about myself.

Day 01 – A picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself

Me at work

  

1. I'm born in January

2. I'm very independent

3. I love animals

4. I study hospitality management and I will graduate probably 2014

5. I hate people who talk about and judge other people without knowing them

6. I work at Viking Line cruise ships

7. I'm moving to Finlands capital city to an own apartment in April

8. I love to meet new people and getting new friends

9. I don't like talking about my feelings

10. My dream is to travel around Southern America, Africa and Asia

11. I'm going to adopt a dog for the next 2 years

12. I have a sponsor child in Uganda

13. I'm bad at math

14. I hate liars and cheaters

15. I miss Peru

Farewells

This is it. My last day here is ending and tomorrow I start my 21 hour journey back to Finland. I had to say goodbye to many people, many amazing people that made me feel loved and respected. I have been crying all day long, trying to keep it together in public. My friend Lucero from Costa Rica has been the best girl I have met here, she is not arrogant, she doesn't talk bad about other people. She has been there for all the way :) Carolina my tutor have helped me in many ways and she and her family have taught me a lot about Peru, love and family. The mexicans made our trip fun and many good parties will be missed. Also another person showed me his true self, told me things he can't talk with anyone else. He is a person with a lot of burden and I hope he will find his way in life. Beautiful stories, memories, people, personalities.

I also met a special guy here and I'm gonna miss him the most. Someday I going to marry and have kids with someone like him. Quiero que sepas que significas mucho para mi.

Os voy a extrañar muchisimo. Pero esto no es el fin, voy a regresar a Perú y tal vez algún día ustedes se llegan a Finlandia. Nada me haría más feliz. Ustedes estan hermosas por dentro y por fuera. Los quiero! 

Hero

Pictures of Cusco

At the water temple 3800m above sea level.

6.12.2012 Finland 95 years!

Sacred Valley of the Incas

Women in a little town of Chincero near Cusco, they do textiles everyday of  the wool of alpaca.

Hats made of the wool of baby alpaca, too expensive for us 

Sacred Valley of the Incas

Plaza de Armas, Cusco