Interlude to Peruvian Exploration

It has been quite a long time since I've written - and so much has happened! I've gone and returned from Peru (and likely parts of Bolivia, but that's another story...); completed Disciple I and joined my church; gone to Caterina and Samuele Sangiorgio's wedding in Modena, Italy; moved from my matchbox condo into a three-bedroom house with Kameko and Suzanne; started teaching Disciple I at my church; quit my job as an IP lawyer; spent a month in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Tokyo (one very unplanned day in Tokyo, but we'll get to that, too...), mourned --and am still mourning-- the death of someone I love very deeply and, as of today, started a new career as an immigration attorney.  But all of these changes have been so good - overwhelming at times, and frightening at times, but oddly - in the midst of this - I am not reeling. I am anxious about stuff - sure! - but also very much at peace, very happy and fulfilled with the changes. Change is scary, even change in the right direction. But I'm sure I'm moving in the right direction. 

I want to write and process all of this as it happens to me, in chronological order. So oddly enough, the first post I'll make after all of this is about Peru! I'm really ready to write about it now. It was a lot to process at the time it happened - partly because it was my first venture into true poverty, and partly because of all of the changes beginning to stir in my life. 

So - Peru. I'd always wanted to go to Peru - but of course, the fact that I wanted to visit a place didn't make that place special at all. I want to go everywhere! But I wanted to go somewhere vastly different from the life I know. The point of travel for me is to understand and experience life differently. I say "understand" and "experience" because I don't believe that, on the level of possible human experiences, at least, that I can truly understand something until I've experienced it. I can read books, watch the History Channel, listen to countless tellers of tales, but for as far as my mind can carry me -- I cannot understand someone else's perspective until I live their experience - or as close to their experience as is possible. So Peru, the land of the Inca and, I was sure, a thousand other mysteries I didn't know about, was alluring to me. But more than Machu Picchu and the Andes and the Amazon, what really drew me is Peru's cultural distance from my American life. I wanted to taste and smell and sweat a different way of life. And Kameko invited me to go to Peru - so I signed on immediately. 

We flew into Lima to spend our first night. Our flight arrived late in the evening - maybe 9pm? The airport is a bustling heap of steel, escalators, gleaming tourist shops, posh Latin forms gliding through the crowds, and shabbily clad masses swirl and flow like river currents through the chaos. Our driver met us when we arrived and escorted us to our tour bus - a minivan, if I remember correctly, which was very nice. He drove us through the roads from the airport to Lima, about 20 minutes away, in the dark, pointing here and there to interesting places that were no more than hazy spots in the black around us. We squinted and nodded all the same, though, wanting to take in as much as possible. I asked the driver if he knew of a particular restaurant out on the Pacific that my Peruvian friend had recommended. He exclaimed in happy recognition and took us on a 30-minute detour, so we could drive past the ocean and the restaurant. We saw a lit terrace that seemed to hover over the water. Unfortunately, they require reservations, so we continued into the city of Lima, to our hotel. We did quiz our guide about places to eat and go out in Lima, in our area, and he recommended a particular district -- and I have completely forgotten its name. Argh. I can look it up. *Note: this will occur to me at about four this morning and I'll wake up and have an "aha!" moment and then go back to sleep - and it will be gone again.* Five minutes later: LARCOMAR!! Ha!**

Our hotel was in a tourist area, and was about like a Best Western or Holiday Inn... don't remember the name. It was humid - incredibly humid - and a slight salty smell pervaded the hotel, at least to my nose. We showered and threw on some clothes to go out. We walked first in the wrong direction (yes, I was partly responsible for that - I have zero sense of direction, I know) and found a Hyatt or other equivalent hotel. Surely, we thought, this isn't it... I was sorely disappointed, thinking that if I'd wanted to go to a Hyatt, I'd have driven to the one in Atlanta. But we kept trudging and asking questions - in surprisingly quiet and deserted, humid, hot streets - and walked our way to five or seven tall lighted towers-- called LARCOMAR!!! (yay, memory! I am SO not thirty yet...)-- and saw them overlooking some water. They were striking, but quiet, though we saw people walking toward them. We meandered in that general direction, taking pictures of a cool, if not dull, area. 

The few people we saw seemed to walk toward Larcomar and disappear into the shadows. We finally followed (stalked?) enough locals that we finally saw a stair leading underground. We followed them - and found the PAR-TAY! Restaurants, bars, clubs, shops - it was all there! Larcomar appeared to be a construction on top of an underground - and pretty hoppin' - hotspot. Nice!

We wandered in and saw the name of the bar our guide recommended. We filtered in and up to the bar. Wall-to-wall Peruvians! Everyone was laughing, dancing to lilting Latin music, drinking - we had FOUND it! This was the first night our whole group -- Kameko, Suzanne, Laura, myself -- were all together. But we had an early morning - 5am- flight, so Kameko and Suzanne just wanted to go out for one drink, to get a taste, so to speak, of Lima, and then turn in. Laura and I were "in," and while part of me had the energy to go out, I was mostly exhausted. 

We made it to the bar and managed to meet a local guy along the way - everyone was very friendly, and not just to us (though we did seem to be the only caucasians in the joint). Our handsome friend - black hair, sable skin like silk, piercing chocolate eyes- chatted easily with us, and asked, "do you know pisco?" 

"Pisco? No. What is it?" I asked

"Ah, you must know pisco. Pisco- the drink of Peru. Pisco sour. I order pisco sour for all. Yes?"

As four heads nodded, our friend gestured to the glowing Latina bartender, and four pisco sours appeared. Pisco is like the grappa of Peru, but much, much, better than real grappa (Sorry, Cate and Samuele, but my stomach threatens to leave me via my throat every time I even THINK of grappa.) (And grappa is like the clear equivalent of moonshine: smells, tastes, and hurts just like rubbing alcohol).  Pisco, like grappa, is a white lightnin' clear liquor made from grapes. Pisco, though tastes a helluva lot better. 

And the pisco sour, when I tasted it, was the best drink in the world.  It's pisco mixed with straight fresh-squeezed lemon juice, with a little water and -- in Peru only -- an egg white blended in, for thickness and to cut the acid of the lemon juice. Finish off with three drops of bitters, and voila! 

A note about drinking:  every drink I know that has the name "sour" in it is, to put it bluntly, a drink for those very new to alcohol. Weak, sweet, a little tart, and much more like candy than a real drink. If you have had enough amaretto sours to be drunk, you will have consumed enough sugar to hate yourself - and your amaretto sour - well into the next afternoon. So when it was a pisco sour, I thought - "hey, I know this game!" So I had three.

That would be mistake number one. And two. I'd originally wanted to go sleep - but after the first pisco sour I thought, "oh, why not another? It's our first night in Peru! Viva!" And I felt warm and wonderful in this underground local joint in Lima with three friends and Latin music flirting in our ears, and beautiful Latin faces (and men - let's be real) everywhere, half-talking, half-dancing.

Kameko and Suzanne, after our first pisco sour and trying to yell over blaring music (that realistically wasn't so much flirting as it was screaming) announced that they would go back to our hotel. I tried to reluctantly agree, but Laura - who had kept up with me drinkwise - and I exchanged a fun smile that said, "Oh, we are SO staying out...." and we did. Our third pisco sour later and suddenly it was 3am, and we had to be up at 5. Laura and I giggled our way home (very short walking distance) and crashed. We asked for a wakeup call. See? We are so responsible!!

So when the phone rang at 5:15, and Kameko and Suzanne were downstairs waiting with the cab, we were kicked into action. Oh, we got our wakeup call -- and I promptly hung up on the poor guy at the front desk. We took three-minute showers trying to wash the smell of pisco and smoky bars from our skin and hair. I felt surprisingly wonderful. I was thinking, "I am in Peru! I'm about to fly to the rain forest! ... uh-oh, I shouldn't be this happy... damn, I'm still drunk!" 

So I did my best to hold it together while we descended the stair and slipped clumsily into the van. We were welcomed by Suzanne and Kameko into our minivan by, "You guys smell like alcohol!!" Nice. And we did. But I was determined to (1) be (ok, act) sober, and (2) not complain. So we flew through the streets of Lima, back toward the airport, with me trying not to grin in the back seat. Score. =)

So we got to the airport and checked our massive packs. By this time - I needed food. And water. Badly. We found a McDonald's in the airport. A word: I hardly ever, ever eat at McDonald's in the States, but when you're away and need a taste (or hangover remedy) from home, it's predictable, greasy, salty, and it won't bite you back. So I gladly ordered a breakfast egg sandwich combo. I finished my meal - only I couldn't bring myself to eat the egg- and still craved hash browns, which I had downed with gusto from my combo. But the girls each ate theirs, except Suzanne, who took pity on me and gave me half. But there was a table of people next to us eating their combos - all except the hash browns! Selfish b@stards. How can you leave a hashbrown? Kameko and Suzanne egged me on, "Tif, why don't you just ask for it? I bet they'd give it to you. " It started as a joke. I even laughed at the idea for about half a second. And then, let's face it - I was a desperate woman, and I knew where those hashbrowns had been - and more importantly, where they HADN'T. There wasn't time enough to stand in line and buy more. So I staked out the hashbrown-forsaker table with shifty eyes and a slightly drool-dribbled lip. As they got up to leave, taking the UNTOUCHED hashbrown to its untimely end, Laura (God bless her) stopped laughing long enough to get up and ask, "Hey, excuse me. My friend is starving. And drunk. Could she have your hashbrowns?" The two people - as it turned out, native English speakers - looked around awkwardly (probably for hidden cameras) and said, "umm, yeah. Sure." Laura thanked them and laughed as she took the hashbrowns. Kameko and Suzanne laughed rioutously as I pounced on and devoured those hasnbrowns. They were the best hashbrowns I ever ate. Ever.

We boarded the plane, and I fell asleep instantly and slept the ENTIRE way to the small airport that would take us to the rain forest.  I tellya - three hashbrowns, two huge bottles of water, two advil, and four hours of undisturbed sleep on an airplane will cure a three-pisco-sour hangover. (I haven't re-run that experiment - once was enough).

Our trip to the Amazon will have to wait... I'm sleepy and it's time for bed. Goodnight, guys. Sleep well.

Peru: Pensive Impressions

Hi, everyone.

It's been three months since my Peruvian adventure, and I haven't yet written about the trip. That's been on purpose. It's not that I haven't had any thing to say - the trip was amazing - but I had to figure out what to say. This was a different type of journey that I'd ever taken. It's taken quite a bit to process.

Peru is very different than other places I've traveled. It is beautiful - there's no question about that: lush rain forest, murky swirling rivers, dramatic skies, brightly-clad campesinos and campesinas, sheer grey rock cliffs, vapor waterfalls plummeting to tumultuous rocky pools; glowing and tanned-faced children with mesmerising brown eyes; wooly llama and alpacas ascending rocky paths with surprising agility; sad-eyed artists with calloused hands displaying vibrant paintings that pulsed with life and hope. It is a land of unbelievable contrast.

The contrasts, while aesthetically beautiful (really - there's very little about this place that's not aesthetically mesmerising, in a good way) --are, for me, at least, psychologically riveting. I was staggered by the poverty and beauty that not only coexisted, but were unified.

Let me explain: we flew into Lima. We drove via taxi from the airport to the center city. On the way, I saw hills in the background, rising out of the polluted haze. These hills glowed with flat patches of pastel color, as if it were a painting in which Van Gogh's broad oil strokes met Monet's soft colors. It was beautiful. I wondered what this was? We drove closer. Then I saw-- these were shantytowns. Like in City of God, or any documentary about South America's urban poor. I was stunned, and a little disturbed, I have to admit, to realize that I'd found poverty-abject poverty-beautiful.

So I suppose my impression of Peru is that it is many-layered. Beauty covering poverty covering beauty covering more poverty. I've never seen such coexistence. So it's taken some time to process the contrast, and I'll be writing the story soon.

It was an amazing trip.

Spring Break '07 and Porn Stars

Hi, all ...

We had a great time in Miami. We're at the airport now and in the customs line from hell.

Awesome restaurant last night - barton g was the name. We ended up meeting an ex-"sex industry worker" - heather vietch - who now owns her own ministry, called jc's girls, to help women in the sex industry get involved in church and out of the sex trade. She still looks like she's, umm -- well, we thought she was a stripper or porn star when we first saw her, but then she started talking to us and told us about what she did. I googled her on my blackberry and sure enough - she's the founder of jc's girls.very cool lady. Fascinating.

Then we went to have drinks and meet friends at the delano- ben and chris, it was awesome. Thanks for the recommendation! And we ended up meeting one of scott zweigel's friends there - small world.

So we checked out of the clevelander, which is spring break fabulous. It is seriously a hugr bar with a semi-nice hostel upstairs, basically.

We spent the day shopping (zara!) And on the beach, and we're heading to peru tonight. Woo hoo!

Will post from peru if I can...

T

PS - so glad we missed the freezing weather in atl!

Happy birthday to ivy and julie + chang ... Tenny tenny chang chang, have fun at the party!

Liz hollander - thanks for meeting us in sobe last night! Looking forward to seeing you at the wedding!

T

Miami

Miami

We made it to Miami at one this morning. We were supposed to arrive at ten last night but our flight was delayed. We were hurtling down the runway for takeoff when the pilot threw the brake and we stopped. A "check parking brake" light came on and it had to be checked. To make a long story short, we sat on the plane on the runway for two hours while a mechanic determined that it couldn't be fixed. So we got off the plane and went back into the airport. I was pretty happy about that - we hadn't eaten dinner and I was STARVING. We ate at the Krystal in the airport (who knew Krystal was in the AIRPORT?) And boarded our second plane of the night.

We made it to Chrissy's be two in the morning and conked out. But bow, this morning, we're finally on vacation. Two days at South Beach, then Peru Saturday night. We're hoping tha we already met our quota of travel drama and the rest will be smooth sailing.

We decided that the theme of this trip is "it'll be FINE." We said it when Traveland folded. When the Peruvian agency almost didn't come through. When Kameko lost her passport. When the plane was broken. About Laura (our fourth travel companion - she's meeting us in Miami today but we have no idea when. It'll be FINE...). The Force be with us!

T

PS- Saw Mom, Jennifer, Will, and baby Manuel in the Atlanta airport! They met us at out gate. All are well but very tired from the trip to Guatemala.

Let the Games Begin

And begin they did, as soon as I got home from (a completely kick ass day at) work.

I went to the storage space for my apartment and dug out my pack - my beloved, wonderful blue-green pack that has been with me since my senior year of college. I love my pack. I bought it in the early spring of 2001. Leslie Buschbom - who is now Leslie Cadle - and I were planning our first European backpacking foray. I was about to graduate from undergrad; Les had a semester to go, but I would soon be moving to France. We decided that this was our do-or-die travel time, and we'd go to Europe for about a month.

Tingling with excitement and Delta Sky Miles one spring day, we solidified our travel plans and began shopping for our adventure. We drove up to the North Georgia Premium Outlets off Georgia 400, at Dawsonville. We felt and examined every article of backpacker-type gear at L.L.Bean, Timberland, and the North Face outlet - having no idea, honestly, what we were looking for, but thrilled and eager just the same. We bought the last two correctly-sized women's packs they had at North Face and drove home, wild-eyed and planning our trip.

We made it deliriously back to Athens, unloaded our treasure on the floor of my apartment, and did what any sensible women do with new purchases: we tried everything on, ran around the apartment doing the happy dance, and took our packs completely apart and reconfigured them in every way we could think of. Kind of like leggos or construx that you can wear. How cool is THAT? What an awesome day ... and thus began my pack.

That pack saw me through the month we spent backpacking: through the Five-Star Ferry ride from hell (which included cattle, pigs, Australians, Swedes, Greeks, a recently divorced and rather chatty-about-her-personal-life British woman, 23 hours, and more liquor than I ever dare consume again); through shady hostels in Prague, through falling asleep on the train in Florence and waking up in Rome (oops!), through hours and hours and hours of waiting in airports, at bus stops, and at train stations- including the most frightening place on earth, La Spezia at 2am; through train wrecks in Germany; through the worst train trip ever (that began with my discovery of Bob Marley ended in the worst red wine hangover ever); through Tiffany's stuffing jelly-sized packets of Nutella in her shirt and making a break for it (don't ask); through my discovery of ouzo and grappa; through "the cool thing about Salzburg;" through Greek beach paradise (Corfu - everything Jimmy Buffett ever wanted the beach to be); through Sarah cutting my hair on the beach; through Leslie losing her last shred of clean clothing ("Dammit, Smith, that was it for me!"); through the Augustiner Biergarten and the strongest and best-tasting beer I have ever encountered; through quiet Italian nights and sunsoft Mediterrenaen days. That pack's been there for my best adventures. So taking it out was like seeing an old travel buddy. I'm ready to go!

So I began packing for my next adventure, determined to take only the essentials - which is difficult when the "essentials" include massive, six-pound knee-high rubber boots. But these are indeed essential if they will help me avoid snakebite, so they're getting crammed in there. I proceeded to wash clothes, iron (don't ask) and participate in the ritual "try on every stitch of clothing I plan to take with me." This included a quality hour spent dancing around the house to Indigo Girls while wearing pink pajama shorts, a black yoga top, my new yellow and white rain jacket (which I love love love - thanks, REI), and my black knee-high rubber boots. Man, I was HOT. Okay, not really ... but I sure had fun! I will never as long as I live outgrow playing dress-up! Especially when the dress-up is a self-congratulatory "I'm going on vacation" dress-up. :')

About that time the phone rang - Kameko! One of the travel buddies and originator of this trip. Tingling with excitement and questions about what she was packing, I answered. The conversation went something like this:

Tif: Hey! What are you packing to wear in Miami?
Kameko: I haven't gotten to that part of packing yet. I've had the worst day ever.
Tif: Well, tomorrow will be better. What happened?
Kameko: No, it won't.
Tif: Of course it will! It'll be your birthday and we'll be in Miami, on our way to Peru.
Kameko: Not if I don't find my passport.
Tiffany: (meaningful silence)
Kameko: My boss is out of town and it really hit the fan at work. I erased all the music on my iPod - like ten gigs. I ruined a pair of pants. I haven't eaten. I'm not packed. And I lost my passport.
Tiffany: Umm...It'll be fine. When did you last see it?
Kameko: November. But I have a driver's license. Maybe I can go with a driver's license. I mean, it's South America ...
Tiffany: Getting there shouldn't be a problem. It's getting back into the U.S. that could be tricky.
Kameko: Oh, if I get stuck in South America, f*ck it! I just want to GET there. Do you understand that if I don't get to go on this trip I will have a complete meltdown? (NOTE: This is why I love traveling with Kameko. No way in hell are we turning back once an adventure is in place - it's "get there or bust" time. We have the same bald determination to make it happen.)
Tiffany: Yes. That's why we're going to find your passport. Umm, call the airline and check to see what documents you need.
Kameko: Yeah, I mean, I have a Georgia driver's license...

Kameko is much better traveled than I -- I think she's visited six of the seven continents, and most of them multiple times. She's had the Day from Hell and has managed to lose her passport and is clearly distraught because she's talking about using a Georgia driver's license in lieu of her passport. Hmmm.

She calls back.

Kameko: I'm a moron. Of COURSE I need a passport.
Tiffany:I was afraid of that.
Kameko: So Miami has a passport office. We could change our flight and go down early and see if we can get one issued on an emergency basis ... but they'll be closed for Good Friday... so we'd have to go tomorrow, if they're open...
Tiffany: I can leave whenever - just give me time to get to the airport and I'll go early with you. Umm... Have you looked in the trunk of your car? Your purses? Under your car seats?
Kameko: Yep. This can't be happening! (Minor meltdown) I'm going to keep looking ...
Tiffany: Hang in there. It will be fine. I know it will. (thoughts: please please please let it be fine...)

I keep packing and start trying to cull my appointed clothes. Kameko's situation is nagging at me ... what would we do without Kameko, our partner in crime? It will be fine ... of course it will be fine. There's no other option, now, is there? My pack is pretty full, but if I dump the rubber boots and cut some airholes, Kameko might be able to fit in there and survive the flight. Then again, I don't want to be arrested for human trafficking. I'm sure we could explain everything and avoid involving Peruvian law enforcement, Interpol, and the DEA. I mean, what good is a law degree if you don't put it to practical use, right? And talking us out of involvement in the slave trade *definitely* qualifies as practical. Hmmm... The phone rings again.

Kameko (screaming hysterically): I found it! I found it!!
Tiffany and Kameko: (mutually deafened by the other's squealing)
Tiffany: Where was it?
Kameko: In my old purse! I'd already looked in there, but there's this zip pocket ... Now I have to pack! OMG, OMG, OMG...

See? Already an adventure - twice or three times over, when you count the Traveland SNAFU. Wonder what will happen when we actually LEAVE HOME...? We'll find out tomorrow ... we fly out for Miami at 8:21 pm. To celebrate Kameko's birthday in South Beach. With her passport. Woo hoo hoo!
_________________________________________________________________

On a more sentimental note, I'm so happy. I have that wonderful, peaceful, "I'm about to go discover something amazing" feeling. I'm off to enjoy my last night of dreams in my own comfy bed.

T

Itinerary ... and The Humorous Side of Adventure

Woo hoo hoo! Peru is happening! This post is our itinerary and then my take on some of the travel tips ... the humorous side of adventure.

ITINERARY

The travel agency came through and we have a paid, confirmed itinerary. Here it is (I highlighted the cool stuff):

LIMA / PUERTO MALDONADO / CUSCO / LIMA
8Days / 7 Nights

April 07 ...../Lima
Reception and transfer from the airport to your hotel.
Arrival Flight 917 with American Airlines at 21:50pm
Overnight in Lima at La Hacienda Hotel

April 08 Lima / Puerto Maldonado
Arrival & Reception by Guide. Our guides are biologists, tourism professionals, or community members. Unless noted otherwise, our guides speak English. Transfer Airport to Puerto Maldonado Headquarters., we will welcome you at the airport and drive you ten minutes to our Puerto Maldonado headquarters. While enjoying your first taste of the forest in our gardens we will ask you to pack only the necessary gear for your next few days, and leave the rest at our safe deposit. This helps us keep the boats and cargo light.

Puerto Maldonado to Tambopata River Port. Skirting Puerto Maldonado, we drive 20 kilometers to the Tambopata River Port, entering the Native Community of Infierno. The port is a communal business. ( 2 hours 30minutes ) Tambopata River Port to Refugio Amazonas. The two and a half hour boat ride from the Tambopata Port to Refugio Amazonas will take us past the Community of Infierno and the Tambopata National Reserve´s checkpoint and into the buffer zone of this 1.3 million hectare conservation unit. ( total is 04 hours more or less Puerto Maldonado port to Refugio Amazonas )Boxed Lunch. Orientation. Upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips. Dinner.Caiman searches. We will be out at the river's edge at night, scanning the shores with headlamps and flashlights to catch the red gleams of reflection from caiman eyes. Overnight in Refugio Amazonas.

Itinerary:
Lima / Puerto Maldonado Flight 073 Departure : 0905am Arrival : 1135am

April 09 Puerto Maldonado
Breakfast. Sachavacayoc Oxbow Lake: A two hour hike takes you to Sachavacayoc Lake. You will then paddle around the lake in a catamaran, searching for the resident family of five giant river otters (seen by about 30% of lake visitors) and other lakeside wildlife such as caiman, hoatzin and horned screamers. We hike out at dawn - when otters are active. Don't forget the two hour return hike! For those who do not want to take the long hike Condenado Lake, thirty minutes from the lodge, is an option.

Farm Visit and Ethnobotanical Garden: Five minutes downriver from the lodge lies a farm owned and managed by charismatic Don Manuel from the neighbouring community of Condenado. He grows a variety of popular and unknown Amazon crops - just about every plant and tree you see serves a purpose. He has also identified and cultivated many of the medicinal plants used in the region in a little backyard garden.

Brazil nut trail and camp: A few minutes hike from the lodge is a beautiful old growth patch of Brazil Nut forest that has been harvested for decades (if not centuries) where the precarious remains of a camp used two months a year by Brazil Nut gatherers can still be experienced. We will be demonstrating the whole process of the rain forest's only sustainably harvested product from collection through transportation to drying. Includes Lunch and Dinner.

Night walk. You will have the option of hiking out at night, when most of the mammals are active but rarely seen. Much easier to find are frogs with shapes and sounds as bizarre as their natural histories. Overnight in Refugio Amazonas.


April 10 Puerto Maldonado

Breakfast. Parakeet clay lick: A fifteen minute boat ride and sixty minute walk from Refugio Amazonas is a parakeet clay lick. From a blind you will see parakeets descend on most clear days to ingest the clay on a bank. Species such as Dusky headed and Cobalt winged Parakeet descend at this clay lick. We visit the lick at dawn, when parrots are most active or in midmorning or early afternoon, when they are active.

Mammal clay lick: Twenty minutes walking from Refugio Amazonas is a peccary clay lick. These wild rain forest pigs show up in herds of five to twenty individuals to eat clay in the late morning. Chances of spotting them are around 15%, but well worth the short hike. Other wildlife also shows up including deer, guan and parakeets. Lunch.

Canopy tower: A thirty minute walk from Refugio Amazonas leads to the 25 meter scaffolding canopy tower. A bannistered staircase running through the middle provides safe access to the platforms above. The tower has been built upon high ground, therefore increasing your horizon of the continuous primary forest extending out towards the Tambopata National Reserve. From here views of mixed species canopy flocks as well as toucans, macaws and raptors are likely. Dinner.

Tambopata National Reserve Lecture. Nightly lectures prepared by the staff of Refugio Amazonas cover conservation threats, opportunities and projects in the Tambopata National Reserve. Overnight in Refugio Amazonas


April 11 Puerto Maldonado / Cusco
Breakfast. Transfer Boat - Refugio Amazonas to Tambopata River Port. Transfer Tambopata River Port to Pto Maldonado Headquarters. Transfer Pto Maldonado Headquarters - Airport. We retrace our river and road journey back to Puerto Maldonado, our office and the airport. Depending on airline schedules, this may require dawn departures. Boat Transportation. All our boats are 20 foot long, roofed canoes with 55 hp outboard motors. Daily arrivals and departures from every port are scheduled to meet every airline’s arrival and departure with a maximum two hour wait.

Upon arrival reception, assistance and transfer to your selected hotel
Visitors should take a short rest in order to adjust to altitude.

Between 13:30 hrs: City Tour visiting the Cathedral, Korikancha and main streets and the nearby ruins: Sacsayhuaman, Kenko, Tambomachay and Pucapucara. Return to the hotel. Overnight in Cusco at Hostal Cusco Plaza I

Itinerary:
Puerto Maldonado / Cusco Flight 074 Departure : 1200pm Arrival : 1250pm

April 12 Cusco / Machu Pichu
Breakfast at the hotel.

Between 05:30 to 6:00 hrs. departure from your hotel to the train station for a full day tour of Machu Picchu, the "Lost City of the Incas"" one of the most renowned examples of Inca architecture, due to their constructions entirely of stone, bearing in mind that modern mechanical devices were unknown in the era in which this monumental work was executed. Surrounded by lush cloud forest, the citadel perches in a mist-shrouded mountaintop.
13:00 hrs. Lunch included at Hatuchay Tower Hotels in Aguas Calientes
Afternoon at leisure.
Overnight in Aguas Calientes at Apu Majestic Hostal

April 13 Machu Picchu / Cusco
Breakfast at the hotel.
Morning at leisure.
5:30 hrs aprox: Train back to Cusco. Arrival and transfer to your hotel in Cusco.
Overnight in Cusco at Hostal Cusco Plaza I.

April 14 Cusco / Lima.
Breakfast at the hotel.
At proper time transfer to the airport to take the flight to Lima.
______________________________________________________________

Okay, so I'm ridiculously excited about this itinerary. We are spending three days in the Amazon Basin and rain forest - and we'll hike! I am so looking forward to packing in and out, night treks in the forest, canoes across the Amazon, climbing in the canopy. I've always wanted to do this -- it's kind of unreal that I'll be there in just a few short days. My office feels quite far away from this other world.

The Humorous Side of Adventure...

So along with our itinerary, we received a page of Travel Tips. I've included the more humorous of them below, along with some commentary:


Travel Tips

Broad-brimmed hat - Rain suit or poncho - Insect repellent - Small denomination bills - Small daypack Can anyone say "Deet"?

Luggage is hand-carried at various stages in the trip for long distance. We strongly recommend you limit your weight to 15 kilos (32 pounds a piece). If you are visiting other destinations in Peru that require different kinds of clothing, you can always pack separate bags and safely leave them at our offices in Puerto Maldonado on the first day so we won't be carrying them around uselessly. Your bag will be waiting for you at the airport the day you leave. Umm, yes. I learned my lesson when in Europe last time schlepping that huge, stupid, stupid behemoth of a bag that just about outweighed me. No more. I am taking my pack and the bare essentials.

Yellow Fever Inoculations Yellow : fever inoculation is required for travel to Tambopata. Done. And it hurt.

Emergencies In case of emergencies we have a first aid kit that is equipped to deal with most cases that may reasonably arise in the area. Our guides are all certified by the Red Cross, which means they are prepared to deal with foreseeable emergencies (broken bones or snake bites, for example) but not complex emegerencies (such as an appendicitis). For snake bites, we have a stun gun, extractors and an anti-venom at the lodges. In case of evacuation, we need to travel by boat by to Puerto Maldonado. During the day, evacuations take about 20% less time than our regular boats. During the night, evacuations take about 30% more. In Puerto Maldonado there is access to a state clinic. OH. MY. GOD. Snake bites are foreseeable in the Amazon - I get that. But not a "complex emergency?" I can promise you that if I ever get bitten by a snake, that qualifies in my book as a "complex emergency." And stun gun??? What the hell kind of snake needs a STUN GUN? Wait, don't answer that ... I'd rather not think about it.

This reminds me of the book A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Bryson was preparing to hike the Appalachian Trail and began reading up on various safety measures he should take, which naturally included precautions against mountain wildlife. He ran across a book warning him, "If you see a bear, don't run." His response was, "Right. This is clearly the kind of advice given by someone sitting at a computer when he gave it. If you see a bear, run. You might as well. It will give you something to do with the last seven seconds of your life. And when the bear catches you, as he most assuredly will, remember this: you don't have to outrun the bear. You just have to outrun your friend." Here, here. Maybe I'll start reading up on what to do if you encounter Amazonian snakes in the rain forest. If the answer is "scream like a girl and run," I'm *golden.*

Use rubber boots when heading to the forest or gardens at night. They reduce the risk of snake bites. Umm, yeah. I take it we're quite concerned about slitheries. I'm packing full body armor.

Guests Code of Conduct and Security Recommendations (Highilghts)

1. No smoking in the forest, nor in the boats (which carry gasoline). Clearly. I'm presuming that "fiery inferno on the Amazon" is one of those "complex emergencies" that they're not really equipped to handle.

3. Do not harrass wildlife - when sighting wildlife follow your guides instructions. No wildlife collection or manipulation, unless specifically authorized by Inrena. If you should come across hurt wildlife, leave it be. It is part of the natural processes of the wilderness. Yes. I will refrain from harassing or trying to help injured wildlife. Because what THIS American would *really* like to do is get Amazon wildlife good and pissed off just to test the warranty on those snake boots and the response time of the crack emergency team.

7. The lodges are highly flammable. Do not leave candles unattended and locate the nearest extinguisher. Why wouldn't "flammable" suffice? "HIGHLY flammable?" I guess if I am bitten by a snake, lighting up to calm my nerves wouldn't be such a good idea (No, I am not a smoker. But I could see how an Amazonian snake bite could make it comparatively not a bad immediate option).

8. Never go swimming on the Tambopata without a guide. Excuse my language, but no shit.

10. Always use life jackets on the boat, and wear light shoes that are easy to take off. Never have rubber boots on when in the boats. Okay, so we're concerned about the seaworthiness of our craft. Inspiring. And as for the "never have rubber boots on when in the boats:" Yes, but what will protect me from the fishies with razor sharp teeth in case of a capsize? On second thought, seeing as how many of those fishies will be as big as I am, the rubber boots wouldn't do much good anyway. Drowning might not be such a bad option. Maybe I'll invest in some shark mesh and a SCUBA tank.
__________________________________________________________________

Well, those are highlights from our itinerary and travel tips. This is going to be such an adventure - I am tingling with excitement! In my pre-trip reading, I learned that of the 103 ecological zones in the world, Peru boasts 83 of them. And 60% of the Peruvian population still speaks Quechua as a native language - Quechua being the language of the Inca. It is evidently a land of diversity, mystery, ancient civilizations, globalization and poverty, and precarious hope. I can't wait.

T

Peru!

Hi, everyone--

It's been an eternity since I've updated the blog, so I figured it's high time. Particularly since I'm leaving for Peru next Thursday!

I'm heading out on Thursday after work with my friends Kameko, Laura and Suzanne. It's Kameko's birthday, so we'll fly to Miami and spend Thursday and Friday nights in South Beach celebrating. Then Saturday morning, we wake up bright and early and fly to Lima. From Lima, we will travel to Cusco, Machu Picchu, and finally - the part I'm so excited about - the Amazon.

This trip has already been an adventure. We booked back in December with a company called Traveland, an American company with which Kameko had previously traveled to Brazil. She had a great trip. Based on her past positive experience, we decided to go with Traveland for Peru. We paid our money and were ready to go.

We thought.

About three weeks ago, Kameko got an email from Traveland entitled, "End of Operations." It read, "Dear Traveler - Traveland has reached the end of operations. By law, airlines are required to honor your flights. Please contact your travel insurance carrier for information." Except we didn't purchase travel insurance. So we started with Traveland. We called. The phone wasn't operable. We emailed. The emails bounced. We visited the website. It was gone.

Not good.

This happened immediately before the four of us were taking a girls' weekend trip to the mountains, so we got to powwow and figure out what *exactly* was going on that weekend. Essentially, we discovered that Traveland had, in fact, reached the "end of operations." We don't know what that really means in the business world, but what it translated into for several unlucky travelers in Colombia - who we found on a Traveland blog - was that they were stranded in Medellin. And drinking heavily.

Lest the same fate befall us - being stranded in South America, drinking pisco sours into oblivion while surrounded by alpaca and llamas, we decided that we'd have to come up with an alternate plan.

We called our various credit card companies and filed claims for reimbursement, and set about the task of figuring out what we were going to do in Peru for 8 days - where none of us had been before, without any reservations, without any of us speaking Spanish. Clearly, all four of us were determined to still make the trip, reservations or not. Kidnapping insurance be damned. We're going to Peru! This makes me think of the Guinness commercials -- "Brilliant!"

I'd recently made friends with a Peruvian guy, Benito - and I mean, I'd met him that same week - and so naturally, being the shy person that I am (haha) I called him to ask what we should do. In contrast to our bald determination to get to Peru sans travel plans, Benito WAS brilliant -- his mother and sister still live in Peru, his uncle owns a hotel in Lima, and best of all, one of his close friends has a travel agency. Within a few days, Benito had contacted the travel agency and we'd begun ironing out our itinerary. All the details aren't completely worked out yet ... umm, we haven't exactly booked, but we're working on it ... but we're going to Peru!

Wow, that doesn't sound as smart as it did in my head. But we're going to book soon - like today - as soon as the Peruvian travel agency confirms the reservations.

Actually, when I say it, it kind of sounds like we're still at the "Brilliant!" phase and just taking off for Peru with no plans. Guess we kind of still are. Hmm. And I've just realized that I will *not* be able to post this until itinerary IS booked, lest my parents have a stroke and kill me before I have a chance to hop the country. Damn. And I was all excited about posting, too.

Anyway - utterly undaunted - we're booking soon and regardless, flying off into the distance on Thursday! Miami promises to be a story in itself. We originally hoped to spend a few days with friends in the area, but that fell through. So we've booked a tiny hotel room in South Beach, ata place called the Clevelander. I picture something akin to college spring break. We have one room and two double beds for four girls. We're calling it Spring Break '07 ... in honor of our takin' it back to college days, I'm going to get an airbrushed tee shirt with fringe and beads. Kameko has already informed us that if anyone in Miami asks, she's turning 19 and we're all on Spring Break. Woo freakin' hoo, baby! Sippy cups on the beach. Score, bitches.

And Peru happens Saturday morning. While no vaccinations are required by the CDC, the portions of the Amazon we will visit are high-risk zones for yellow fever, typhoid and malaria. I got my vaccinations this morning (ouch) and they'll be effective within ten days. We reach the Amazon 12 days from now, so that's perfect timing.

Well - I'll keep updating, particularly once we have our itinerary booked with the new travel agency. Please, please, please let that come through ...

Tif

OK- so the itinerary just came through! We're on our way, and we have confirmed reservations. Yay!