Ack! I can’t believe I haven’t blogged in a week! Between it being super nice out side and all of the catching up and detoxing required in returning home after so long the blogging kindof fell by the wayside there. I’m slowly but surely sorting through all of the pictures and uploading them to flickr…
Oh who am I kidding – Fantasy Football has eaten all of my online time. I’m not blogging/reading other people’s blogs because I’m debating trades and reading up on injuries.
Oh and by the way? Drew Brees is DEAD TO ME.
Also – I tweaked a few things with the blog format… I think my horizontal photos should fit now. I also changed it to only show 4 posts at a time so that these picture heavy travel posts won’t take forever to load.
Ok… let’s get back to some Peru stuff, shall we?
September 25, 2007
September 19, 2007
From Cleveland to Lima
So because our trip from Lima to Cleveland involved a layover at Houston International Airport we got to see the most awesomely bad thing ever without even leaving the country:
Yup. A giant, bronze, statue of George Bush. It’s… well… indescribable… And huge…And very windy:
Truth be told I was only 12 when he left office so I have no real opinion on the first George Bush. It’s his son I’d like to sit down and have a little chat with. Although they do both have the same furrowed brow….
Anyways from there it was a long flight on to Lima, Peru. The city instantly reminded me of San Francisco. Same chilling Pacific fog that makes the sky at night glow orange like it does here when it’s snowing.
Very odd. But the hotel we stayed at was a beautiful introduction to the country:
The next day? Off to the Amazon!
Yup. A giant, bronze, statue of George Bush. It’s… well… indescribable… And huge…And very windy:
Truth be told I was only 12 when he left office so I have no real opinion on the first George Bush. It’s his son I’d like to sit down and have a little chat with. Although they do both have the same furrowed brow….
Anyways from there it was a long flight on to Lima, Peru. The city instantly reminded me of San Francisco. Same chilling Pacific fog that makes the sky at night glow orange like it does here when it’s snowing.
Very odd. But the hotel we stayed at was a beautiful introduction to the country:
The next day? Off to the Amazon!
September 18, 2007
That's the freakiest thing I've ever seen
So before I can blog about all of the amazing experiences we had I have to get something off my chest. You know when you find out something particularly nasty you can’t be the only who knows? You have to share the information or you just feel wrong? I know a lot more about childbirth than I really want to thanks to this flow of information – my friend finds out from her sister, she can’t be the only one who knows this awful, so she tells me. And somehow that makes it better. Well, this is one of those things. I know so now you have to know.
In this world there exists….
A scorpion-spider.
No really. A bug that is a cross between a scorpion and a spider. It’s like a giant spider but with pinchers like a scorpion:
Because neither of those creatures were completely creepy enough on their own. Oh and it also has ridiculously long tentacles, just for fun.
Want a side view? (probably not but I'm going to share anyways):
I think the fact that I wanted to spend time in the Amazon rainforest at all shows that I have a pretty high tolerance for creepy-crawly things. But a scorpion-spider?! I mean come on. Clearly freaking out and quadruple checking that the mosquito net over our bed was impenetrable was an appropriate response. Clearly.
Scorpion-spider.
Ok I feel a little better now.
In this world there exists….
A scorpion-spider.
No really. A bug that is a cross between a scorpion and a spider. It’s like a giant spider but with pinchers like a scorpion:
Because neither of those creatures were completely creepy enough on their own. Oh and it also has ridiculously long tentacles, just for fun.
Want a side view? (probably not but I'm going to share anyways):
I think the fact that I wanted to spend time in the Amazon rainforest at all shows that I have a pretty high tolerance for creepy-crawly things. But a scorpion-spider?! I mean come on. Clearly freaking out and quadruple checking that the mosquito net over our bed was impenetrable was an appropriate response. Clearly.
Scorpion-spider.
Ok I feel a little better now.
September 17, 2007
Home
Just a quick post to let everyone know that we are home, safe and sound. It was an amazing trip – truly the trip of a lifetime. We have about 8 gigs of photos to sort through and more stories than ever…
But right now it’s all about home. I think one of my favorite things about travel is how amazing home feels afterwards. Tonight is going to be the best night ever – couch, husband, dog, and Monday night football. Perfect.
And if Santana Moss gets less than 9.87 points my fantasy team wins!
Lots and lots of stories soon!
But right now it’s all about home. I think one of my favorite things about travel is how amazing home feels afterwards. Tonight is going to be the best night ever – couch, husband, dog, and Monday night football. Perfect.
And if Santana Moss gets less than 9.87 points my fantasy team wins!
Lots and lots of stories soon!
August 31, 2007
Peru Itinerary
Just in case anyone wants know what we're doing right now... it's this! I copied all of this out of an email I sent to my family when we booked the trip...
Aug 31: Fly to Lima, overnight in Lima at a hotel close to the airport (we won’t be there long).
AMAZON JUNGLE:
Sept 1: Early flight Lima to Puerto Maldonado – a jungle town at the confluence of the Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers. From there we take a motorized canoe up the Tambopata River to a Jungle Lodge. Once we get there we can learn about the Ecotourism Project and the Local Community of Infierno. Also our lodge is near to a 35 meter scaffolding tower which we can climb to see the rainforest canopy (and hopefully some birds!) up close.
Sept 2-3: Jungle Lodge. This place sounds really cool – there is limited electricity and no running hot water but it is made entirely of local materials, and is run/owned by a local community. We booked a guided canoe ride around the Tres Chimbadas oxbow lake to look for giant river otters, along with turtles, hoatzin, and wading birds. Also, we can go to a community ethno botanical center, and/or take some hikes through the rainforest. But the thing I think I’m the most excited about is getting to visit the Clay Lick – it’s where hundreds of parrots and parakeets congregate to ingest clay - it should be spectacular.
CUZCO AREA:
Sept 4: Jungle to Cuzco. Get up early and travel back through to Puerto Maldonado for our flight to Cuzco. The rest of the day we spend in Cuzco (probably just downtime getting used to the altitude – Cuzco is at 10,500 ft.)
Sept 5: Day in Cuzco – I’m sure we’ll check out the Cathedral, Temple of the Sun, etc. But I’m most excited about the Museum of Traditional Textiles. I’m also looking forward to some fine dining in Cuzco – apparently food is really really good and really really cheap.
Sept 6: Sacred Valley - we 'll catch a bus from Cuzco to the Sacred Valley (which is an area of Inca ruins close to the city) to check out the ruins and, most importantly, go to the Pisaq market – a market for local wares. Meaning lots of alpaca! I think I’m going to see some fabulous hand spun/hand woven/hand knit things!
INCA TRAIL:
(We are doing the traditional 4 day hike up to Machu Picchu)
Sept 7: the first day of the hike – We will spend the first part of the day meeting our group/guide/and porters (it’s illegal to hike the Inca trail hike unless you are part of a guided group. Plus this way we don’t have to carry everything ourselves – the porter will carry our tent, sleeping bags, and food). From there we have a 7.5 mile hike up through terraced areas, several distinct areas of ruins, and past views of the Urubama Mountain range and Mt. Veronica (18,745ft). Arriving at Wayllabamba for camp.
Sept 8: This is the day I’m most concerned about on the whole trip. We will hike 8 miles including the ascent up to 13, 828 feet (4,215 meters) at Pacaymayu or “Dead Woman’s Pass”. I'm terrrified. This will be the highest place either Matt or I have ever been. To put this into perspective – Mt. Whitney – the highest point in the contiguous 48 states is only 677 ft taller… That and the highest place either of us has been skiing is at 12,800 ft. Yeah. It’s going to be rough. From there we will hike down into a valley and then back up again to camp at the twin lakes of Yanacocha.
Sept 9: Today’s hiking is longer but less intense. We will cover nearly 9 miles but most of it is downhill. This part should be really cool – pieces of the path are original Inca paving, steps, and tunnels cut into the mountains – including a descent of over a thousand steps from an area known as the “Town of the Clouds”. We will end up at the town of Wiñay Huayna, or “Eternal Youth,” (which was named that because of the orchids that decorate the site with blooms year round) next to the Urubamba River.
Sept. 10: The last day of hiking – we will wake up at around 4am and hike 3.5 miles down through the rest of the jungle in the dark in order to reach the “Sun Gate” at sunrise. We will have our first glimpse of Machu Picchu as the sun rises over it. Expect to see lots and lots of pictures of this when we get back! We will take a guided overview tour and then have all day today to explore the citadel, or relax in the hot springs at our hotel in Agaus Calientes (the town nearby).
Sept 11: We decided to take the time and spend an extra day up at Machu Picchu. We can climb Huayna Picchu - the giant mountain behind it -the one that’s in all of the classic shots of the site, or just spend the time photographing and experiencing. We have tickets on the afternoon train back to Cuzco for the night.
LAKE TITICACA:
Sept 12: Train to Puno, Puno. Today we are taking the luxury train south through the Andean Mountains and across the high Andean Plains to Puno – a town on the shore of Lake Titicaca. This is our one upgrade of the trip – we figured after spending a 10 days hiking in jungles and sleeping on the ground it might be nice to have a day of luxury rather than a day on a bus. It includes a 3 course traditional Peruvian lunch and a sight-seeing stop along the way. Should be pretty interesting.
Sept 13: Puno & Lake Titicaca. Here we’ll take a boat tour of 5 of the 32 Islands of Uros – which are manmade, floating islands constructed from layers of totora reeds. Best part is that we will be able to pick up some “traditional local handicrafts” – which I think means more alpaca. From here we arranged to do something really cool – spend a night with a local family on the Isla Amantani. Seriously. The island is in the center of the lake and we can hike up to the highest point to see both sides – Bolivia and Peru. Or we can just chill with the fam. I’m hoping that we end up with a spinner/weaver/knitter!
Sept 14: Puno & Lake Titicaca. On the boat ride back to Puno we get to stop at the island of Taquile which has both Inca and pre-Inca ruins. The local islanders still wear “time-honored clothing” and again make a good chunk of their living selling handicrafts. There is also a museum of traditional costumes on the island, which I’m hoping is as amazing as it sounds. The travel agent we were working with also said that the ritual ruins at the top of the island are a great place to watch the sunset over the lake. Then we’ll just head back to Puno for the night.
LIMA
Sept 15: We’re on an early flight out of Puno back to Lima. We aren’t spending too much time here but hopefully we’ll have decent amount of time to explore the city.
Sept 16: Travel home!
They are leaving me for way to long. My "grandparents" had better spoil me rotten while the people are away.
Aug 31: Fly to Lima, overnight in Lima at a hotel close to the airport (we won’t be there long).
AMAZON JUNGLE:
Sept 1: Early flight Lima to Puerto Maldonado – a jungle town at the confluence of the Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers. From there we take a motorized canoe up the Tambopata River to a Jungle Lodge. Once we get there we can learn about the Ecotourism Project and the Local Community of Infierno. Also our lodge is near to a 35 meter scaffolding tower which we can climb to see the rainforest canopy (and hopefully some birds!) up close.
Sept 2-3: Jungle Lodge. This place sounds really cool – there is limited electricity and no running hot water but it is made entirely of local materials, and is run/owned by a local community. We booked a guided canoe ride around the Tres Chimbadas oxbow lake to look for giant river otters, along with turtles, hoatzin, and wading birds. Also, we can go to a community ethno botanical center, and/or take some hikes through the rainforest. But the thing I think I’m the most excited about is getting to visit the Clay Lick – it’s where hundreds of parrots and parakeets congregate to ingest clay - it should be spectacular.
CUZCO AREA:
Sept 4: Jungle to Cuzco. Get up early and travel back through to Puerto Maldonado for our flight to Cuzco. The rest of the day we spend in Cuzco (probably just downtime getting used to the altitude – Cuzco is at 10,500 ft.)
Sept 5: Day in Cuzco – I’m sure we’ll check out the Cathedral, Temple of the Sun, etc. But I’m most excited about the Museum of Traditional Textiles. I’m also looking forward to some fine dining in Cuzco – apparently food is really really good and really really cheap.
Sept 6: Sacred Valley - we 'll catch a bus from Cuzco to the Sacred Valley (which is an area of Inca ruins close to the city) to check out the ruins and, most importantly, go to the Pisaq market – a market for local wares. Meaning lots of alpaca! I think I’m going to see some fabulous hand spun/hand woven/hand knit things!
INCA TRAIL:
(We are doing the traditional 4 day hike up to Machu Picchu)
Sept 7: the first day of the hike – We will spend the first part of the day meeting our group/guide/and porters (it’s illegal to hike the Inca trail hike unless you are part of a guided group. Plus this way we don’t have to carry everything ourselves – the porter will carry our tent, sleeping bags, and food). From there we have a 7.5 mile hike up through terraced areas, several distinct areas of ruins, and past views of the Urubama Mountain range and Mt. Veronica (18,745ft). Arriving at Wayllabamba for camp.
Sept 8: This is the day I’m most concerned about on the whole trip. We will hike 8 miles including the ascent up to 13, 828 feet (4,215 meters) at Pacaymayu or “Dead Woman’s Pass”. I'm terrrified. This will be the highest place either Matt or I have ever been. To put this into perspective – Mt. Whitney – the highest point in the contiguous 48 states is only 677 ft taller… That and the highest place either of us has been skiing is at 12,800 ft. Yeah. It’s going to be rough. From there we will hike down into a valley and then back up again to camp at the twin lakes of Yanacocha.
Sept 9: Today’s hiking is longer but less intense. We will cover nearly 9 miles but most of it is downhill. This part should be really cool – pieces of the path are original Inca paving, steps, and tunnels cut into the mountains – including a descent of over a thousand steps from an area known as the “Town of the Clouds”. We will end up at the town of Wiñay Huayna, or “Eternal Youth,” (which was named that because of the orchids that decorate the site with blooms year round) next to the Urubamba River.
Sept. 10: The last day of hiking – we will wake up at around 4am and hike 3.5 miles down through the rest of the jungle in the dark in order to reach the “Sun Gate” at sunrise. We will have our first glimpse of Machu Picchu as the sun rises over it. Expect to see lots and lots of pictures of this when we get back! We will take a guided overview tour and then have all day today to explore the citadel, or relax in the hot springs at our hotel in Agaus Calientes (the town nearby).
Sept 11: We decided to take the time and spend an extra day up at Machu Picchu. We can climb Huayna Picchu - the giant mountain behind it -the one that’s in all of the classic shots of the site, or just spend the time photographing and experiencing. We have tickets on the afternoon train back to Cuzco for the night.
LAKE TITICACA:
Sept 12: Train to Puno, Puno. Today we are taking the luxury train south through the Andean Mountains and across the high Andean Plains to Puno – a town on the shore of Lake Titicaca. This is our one upgrade of the trip – we figured after spending a 10 days hiking in jungles and sleeping on the ground it might be nice to have a day of luxury rather than a day on a bus. It includes a 3 course traditional Peruvian lunch and a sight-seeing stop along the way. Should be pretty interesting.
Sept 13: Puno & Lake Titicaca. Here we’ll take a boat tour of 5 of the 32 Islands of Uros – which are manmade, floating islands constructed from layers of totora reeds. Best part is that we will be able to pick up some “traditional local handicrafts” – which I think means more alpaca. From here we arranged to do something really cool – spend a night with a local family on the Isla Amantani. Seriously. The island is in the center of the lake and we can hike up to the highest point to see both sides – Bolivia and Peru. Or we can just chill with the fam. I’m hoping that we end up with a spinner/weaver/knitter!
Sept 14: Puno & Lake Titicaca. On the boat ride back to Puno we get to stop at the island of Taquile which has both Inca and pre-Inca ruins. The local islanders still wear “time-honored clothing” and again make a good chunk of their living selling handicrafts. There is also a museum of traditional costumes on the island, which I’m hoping is as amazing as it sounds. The travel agent we were working with also said that the ritual ruins at the top of the island are a great place to watch the sunset over the lake. Then we’ll just head back to Puno for the night.
LIMA
Sept 15: We’re on an early flight out of Puno back to Lima. We aren’t spending too much time here but hopefully we’ll have decent amount of time to explore the city.
Sept 16: Travel home!
They are leaving me for way to long. My "grandparents" had better spoil me rotten while the people are away.
And we’re out!
Alright everyone – our flight leaves at 8:30AM tomorrow morning so this will be all for awhile. I had grand schemes for a long post about details complete with a finished sock and sock pattern. But I ran out of time. The sock is only partially finished:
and I haven’t written up the pattern yet – it’s still just sketches in a notebook….Probably because packing took for-ever (sandlot style). But everything we need for the next two weeks can be safely tucked away in just 2 little backpacks. Honestly I don’t think everything I would need to live for 2 weeks on a normal basis could fit in 10 backpacks let alone one…. Amazing what travel does to the difference between “need” and “want”. Kindof makes you think…
Anyways I am bringing yarn (there’s always room for yarn!). Just not much yarn…
One skein of Cider Moon Glacier in the colorway Lower Whacker Drive:
For these, because they are mindless and pretty.
And one skein of Cider Moon Flurry in the colorway June Carter:
For these (or these if the monkeys pool in a weird way), because at times I will need something a little more complicated.
We also have a duffle bag to take home souvenirs. Including, hopefully many forms of Alpaca.
So yeah… Have fun with the knitting/blogging w/o me! I’ll catch you when I get back!
and I haven’t written up the pattern yet – it’s still just sketches in a notebook….Probably because packing took for-ever (sandlot style). But everything we need for the next two weeks can be safely tucked away in just 2 little backpacks. Honestly I don’t think everything I would need to live for 2 weeks on a normal basis could fit in 10 backpacks let alone one…. Amazing what travel does to the difference between “need” and “want”. Kindof makes you think…
Anyways I am bringing yarn (there’s always room for yarn!). Just not much yarn…
One skein of Cider Moon Glacier in the colorway Lower Whacker Drive:
For these, because they are mindless and pretty.
And one skein of Cider Moon Flurry in the colorway June Carter:
For these (or these if the monkeys pool in a weird way), because at times I will need something a little more complicated.
We also have a duffle bag to take home souvenirs. Including, hopefully many forms of Alpaca.
So yeah… Have fun with the knitting/blogging w/o me! I’ll catch you when I get back!
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