I love to find new ways to travel cheaper but better, I’ve done a number of posts on utilizing sites like Homeexchange, Homeaway or VRBO to rent private condos or homes. I continue to have terrific success with home exchanging and rental, my wife and I are renting a condo in Roatan Honduras for Christmas …
I have been trying for days to put a blog post together but it seems like there hasn’t been a second to spare. So here is a brief review of our time so far in Iquitos. Sorry no pics, when you barely have time to finish a blog post it is difficult to get pictures …
The morning started early as we headed towards the SacredValley. We had a couple of stops along the way, a llama farm and the Pisac market, and then it was off to start our trek through the LaresValley. At least that is what we thought. When we got to the road leading to our base …
We are off and running again, back to my second home Peru. Only this time I have 11 amazing kids for our 2011 Globetrotter trip. This morning started early, 6am, putting all of our baggage together, 18 laptops, monitors and keyboards. Several duffle bags full of give a gallon donations. It was a smooth start …
I finished my last days in Iquitos soaking up the life and culture one more time. I made my last visit to Belen to purchase the rest of Nebes floor. Total cost of a roof and a floor in Belen, $150. The water had come in even further forcing makeshift bridges all over town made …
I am one of those who was and still am furious about our new health care system but sometimes it helps to keep things in perspective. As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, going to the hospital in Iquitos can be a harrowing experience. Paying for services in advance, expected to supply your own …
Birthdays play an important role in this society but none more important than a girl’s Quinceanera, 15th birthday. Like a Bar Mitzvah, a Quinceanera signifies a girl’s transition into womanhood. I had my first chance to experience a Quinceanera last night, Nelcy, one of Paul’s girls, turned fifteen. The party guests are lined up anticipating …
Went down to Belen today with my Spanish teacher to finish the job we started on Tuesday. Found our mother with the first load of palm fronds installed on a small platform to live on. The water had encroached ever further. To get to her we had to hire a small boat, we chose an …
Each year as the snow melts on the Andes and winter rains come the level of the Amazon River rises as much as 30 feet flooding most of Belen. The raw sewage and waste mixed with all kinds of trash are picked up into and around the homes. Most homes are on stilts for this …
It’s amazing how there are times when fact is better than fiction, such is the case of Fitzcarraldo. The story goes that Fitzcarraldo braved hostile Indians, snakes, disease and unspeakable hardships as he used Indian labor to pull, drag and winch a ship across a mountain in the Amazon jungle. The baron, Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, …
The Amazing Fitzcarraldo – fact can be better than fiction Read More »
I stood on the dock as they loaded provisions wondering to myself how this adventure would turn out. Ten five gallon jugs of water, a huge cooler full of food, tents and two Clemson co-eds and off we went. I’m wondering why we need 50 gallons of water since we are only going for one …
Iquitos remained a sleepy little village stocked with Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries trying to convert the native Indians for many of the years since the discovery of the Amazon River by a retired pig farmer, Conquistador Francisco Pizarro. Although the Aztecs and Mayans had used “caucho” for many years in their daily lives, Iquitos changed …
Tonight I headed for Poppy’s House (the orphanage) to check on our new visitors, Annalise and Mary Vaughn from North Carolina. Everything was going fine until I hit a road block on the main street. There apparently was an accident and instead of directing traffic around the accident the rocket scientists decided to close the …
It’s great to be back in Iquitos, it’s an unbelievable feeling to walk down the boulevard, the street kids see you their faces light up and they race up to give a hug and a kiss. I hadn’t seen Ruth so I went to search her out. Before we left for Brazil we put some pressure …
The phone, quick get the phone! Oh No the alarm didn’t go off! The taxi is here and we need to head out for the airport NOW. Lou is ready in 10 minutes, a new world record. What a way to start our last couple of hours in Brazil. On the way to the airport …
Like Alice in Wonderland who fell down the rabbit hole and encountered a whole group of mythical characters, we stepped into the Sambadrome and encountered a fantasy world like none I have ever seen; complete with ghosts and goblins, gorillas and elephants, Captain Hook and Indiana Jones. Carnaval found its roots in Rio de Janeiro …
Now I know why it is called Carnival, because it is one huge side show with clowns, freaks and animals everywhere. Rio is electric with one street party after another, hundreds of thousands of people who have lost their minds. Guys dressed up as girls, girls dressed up as guys, others dressed as animals, angels, …
The 10 days with Lou seemed to fly by. Just like a new pair of shoes, a bit uncomfortable at first but after a little wear your best friend, Iquitos grew on Lou. She fell in love with the same street kids that I have grown to love, Ruth, Shadow, Victoria, Anthony, Johnny and Adriana. …
We stepped out of our motorkar and down into a dimly lit path with stones marking the way. Eventually we hit a stairway that ran right into the water. Our chariot waited, into the peque peq we climbed. The familiar pek pek pek of the motor moved us through a sea of water lilies. The …
Not much sleep last night as the anticipation of playing the Augusta in the Amazon is more than I can bear. Looking down the number one fairway of the most beautiful golf course in the Amazon, I realize how long it has been since I touched a golf club. My caddie is beside me and …