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Outward Bound - my nightmare experience 

11/20/2016

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Long ramble ahead. I had a nightmare last night and woke up a little angry. What about? ... Outward Bound. Outward Bound is a out door survival program started by a German Fellow many years ago. It teaches hard learned life lessons and survival skills to youth. Unfortunately my experience with them was a nightmare. 

I looked up "Outward Bound cruelty” on Google curious to see if I could find anyone with a similar experience to my own - interestingly quite a bit came up... 

THIS POST SHARES MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES WITH OUTWARD BOUND.

My experience with Outward Bound was 17 years ago. At that time, I was a pretty normal teenage girl with regular hormonal mood swings, and an enormous appetite for chocolate. Other than that I was one of those artsy kids - never really partied, played soccer, danced, crafted, painted, and read a lot. 
  • It was my summer holiday just before high school was starting - and my parents put me in a 21 day survival camp. It came out sounding like a mix of camp and fun camp. I loved camping as a child, and I was excited to go, stay in a cabin, make friends, make crafts, learn some survival skills…. ohhhhh how wrong I was… :( 
  • We were taken to a clearing, given each a small 3 litre bag and told - “please change into pants and a top” after changing “please put only one pair of shorts, one more top, three pairs of socks, two underwear, your tooth brush and tooth paste into this bag”. I did - but also snuck my period pads, and a bar of chocolate :I
  • Then they searched our bags :( - they took away my pads and chocolate - I started to cry.... but it I should've saved the crying until things got worse... much worse... nightmare like... horror story like... 

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TRAVEL IN PERU - The North 

11/18/2016

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TRAVEL IN PERU - Northern Peru 

My experience of Northern Peru was quite different then I expect most visitors would have. While most visitors would generally visit Huaraz, Chiclayo, Cajamarca, and Trujillo to visit the beaches and many pre-Incan ruin sites - inclusive of pyramids, I have only been to the city of Piura almost at the very North of Peru, and that was a number of years ago. From what I understand, surfers do go to Piura for the waves. Piura is not quite on the coast, but it is close enough. In the north as we get closer to the equator, it becomes hotter of course, and being in Piura was oven hot and very humid. I remember going for cold showers and coming out of the shower to dry only to be soaked again with sweat in a few minutes. That said it was nice, tropical, and had some beautiful colonial neighbourhoods in the city. Unfortunately as soon as one leaves this fairly wealthy inner city, there are miles of shanty towns surrounding. There was dessert close by on the other side of the city away from the coast, there were also swampy regions, and a number of plantations. The seafood was incredible, the bars laid back, and the ice wine milkshakes were heavenly in the sweltering heat. 
A few friends, this time, did travel through the North, but only had a week, so instead of visiting ruins in Huarez and Catamarca, they enjoyed the beaches around Chiclayo and Trujillo, which they loved. 
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The city centre - Piura
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The Beaches - Piura
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TRAVEL IN PERU - Ica and Nazca 

11/15/2016

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Nazca Lines - Peru
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Oasis near Ica - Photo by Jordane Chesse
​Ica and Nazca are both south of Lima and accessible by bus. Around Ica is where many of the vineyards for making the alcoholic beverage of Pisco are. Pisco is an alcoholic drink almost like a very concentrated wine - made from white grapes - this alcohol is used in the making of Chiclanos and also Pisco Sours. It is highly recommended while in Ica to either visit a vineyard or to visit one of the ceramic making studios. Apart from Pisco, this region is highly known for their beautiful ceramics and decor of their ceramics which date back to pre Incan methods of creation. 
Nazca of course is another smaller centre near Ica. And it’s quite famous for the Nazca lines: the lines carved into the Earth for miles - out in a rocky desert - that depict animals and natural symbols of moons for example. To see the lines properly you can go out in a small plane that you rent with a pilot of course :) 
The lines are incredible to see. 
On the way to Nazca and Ica - people often also stop at the oasis for relaxation or for riding the sand dunes. People also often stop at the Islas Ballestas off the coast and south of Lima - often called the poor man’s Galapagos these islands are teeming with sea and bird life and beautiful flora. 

Oh, and one more item - If you've got the time or interest make sure to visit the ancient pre Incan burial grounds near Ica - where groups of peoples are buried together in a mummification style burial. 
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TRAVEL IN PERU - Lima 

11/15/2016

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​Where to stay - on a budget - Pariwana Hostel near Park Kennedy in Mirafloes - safe, lively, free walking tours, very clean, good kitchen and roof top patio - 10-15 dollars a night / Up scale - Barranco - Second Home - a small family run bed and breakfast that is better than most 5 star hotels - excellent breakfast served in the garden, suites over looking the ocean, private gardens and pool, beautiful art all over the mansion. 150-250 dollars per night 

Where to eat - see blog post on places to eat in Lima, and what to eat in Peru 

What to do - My perfect day in Lima - if I had just the one would be to wake up early and grab a coffee and pastry from a local bakery, then to head downtown in a taxi or train to the main plaza to see the government buildings, Cathedral, and plaza. I would then head back to Miraflores and visit the city ruins of Huaca Pucllana. Afterwards I would head down to Larcomar and visit the cliff side mall where I would take in the gorgeous sea view and eat lunch while overlooking the cliffside and sea. Then l would walk down the board walk from Larcomar to the Love Park - a park modelled after the works of Antoni Gaudi - by Victor Delphin. I would then head back to the hostel to rest until about 8.30 pm. That night I would out to Barranco for the evening to eat dinner, take in the lively atmosphere, and listen to the street musicians. 

If I had more than one day I would still do these things at a more relaxed place and try to visit many restaurants. I would also take a taxi to Museo Larco - an anthropological museum - that is actually pretty amazing - housing an absolutely stunning collection of gold wares and ceramics that are Incan and Pre-Incan. 
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One of the main downtown plazas in Lima, Peru
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Barranco - Lima, Peru
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The Love Park - Lima, Peru
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Family in Peru 

11/15/2016

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Family are supposed to be the most important people in your life - to love you and support you just for being who you are and doing what you do. I have been really lucky to have a second family in Peru who I had the chance to live with when I was 18 - we still keep in touch, and I had the opportunity to be with them for the year last year. They have always been honest with me, loving, caring, and generally amazing. They support my dreams and goals in just how they act and take an interest in what I do - they are a super loving family and do the same with all the members of their family - because of them I know even more the true meaning of unconditional love and support. I thank them a million times over and over and feel incredibly lucky and thankful to have met them. Everyday I thank them for showing me a better world. ​​
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With the family in Cusco, Peru
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Where to eat in Peru!!! - amazing restaurants and cafes 

11/15/2016

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Peru is a treasure trove of amazing food. It is one of those countries that has good food options for 3-5 dollars or upwards of 100 dollars - Good food for any budget. Traditional to Modern, Fusion and International. And an abundance of cultural dishes from every region. Truly, in regard to flavour and diversity, the Indian food of South America. 

It does help of course, as always, to know where to go in a city or what to try, so in regard to hitting main and major cities and places in Peru, here is a list of great places and their general price ranges. 

CUSCO
  1. The Republic of Pisco - Near the main Plaza - excellent drinks especially chiclanos and Pisco sours, live music at night, amazing ceviche, causa, and lomo saltado - around 20-25 dollars for a solid meal and drink 
  2. Cucharitas - On Plaza San Francisco - ice cream - melted ice-cream with fresh fruit mashed into it - amazing flavours - 2-5 dollars 
  3. Heladarte - Near the main Plaza - ice cream - some of the best I’ve encountered world wide - 2-5 dollars 
  4. Pantastico - Near Plaza San Blas - bakery - great loaves, muffins, and brownies - good coffee - A great view of Cusco from above - 2-5 dollars 
  5. PanAm - Near main Plaza - bakery - amazing plain croissants, danish bread, and sandwiches - also their Cappuccino are among the best in Peru - good ambiance - nice wall mural - 3-8 dollars
  6. La Bondiet - Near main Plaza - cafe - good sandwiches, coffee, pastries, cakes, juices - decent atmosphere - best cheese cake in Cusco - 3-8 dollars 
  7. Valariana - Near main Plaza and also another across from the Quoricancha down the Avenida del Sol - cafe - good coffee, baked goods, sandwiches, empanadas - great ambiance and good internet connection - 3-8 dollars 
  8. On a budget - any local place with a set menu of local cuisine is usually pretty good - 2-5 dollars - if you want to be safe - at these places get the Lomo Saltado or Montado 
  9. Chinese food - generally cheap and pretty good - 5-15 dollars - the few upper end ones are quite pricy - meat heavy dishes 
  10. Sangucheria - Plaza San Francisco - great sandwiches and juices - 4-10 dollars - their Sandwich - el Cubano - has a nice tang to it with the mustard and pickles. 
  11. Jack’s Cafe - Cafe - breakfast, lunch, dinner - American portions - Off the main Plaza near the foot of the hill leading up to Plaza San Blas - American fare - amazing pancakes, French toast, sandwiches, breakfasts, burgers - a Cusco staple - 8-20 dollars 
  12. Granja Heidi - Best lunch place ever - Kitty corner to Jack’s Cafe - another local but more hidden Cusco staple - 30 sole lunch including a starter, drink, main, and dessert and really amazing home cooked food - also amazing crepes - this is where I come to gorge in a good way - good ambiance - owner is great!! - 10-20 dollars 

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    Author

    Hello! My name is Tahira Karim. I was born and raised on the Canadian prairies  have been leaving and returning ever since. I absolutely love to travel. I am an observer of life and culture, and I have a passion for history and food. I am a visual artist who specializes in painting and drawing. And this blog is a jumble of my writing and thoughts on travel, culture, and food, with a bunch of personal stories thrown into the mix. Enjoy! 

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