I try to be punctual and efficient in my day to day activities, two qualities that go out the window here in Peru. David told me recently that he had an appointment the other day with another person at 7pm. He was at the appointed location at the appointed time. He waited and waited, the …
As we raced down the Amazon in a small narrow speed boat packed like sardines with local Peruvians, old worn out wooden seats, a couple chickens on my feet and the spray pluming two feet over the side of the boat, I knew that I was recovering from more then just a cultural hangover. When …
Each night I sit on boulevard in with the other expats and the sweet Amazon breeze, the harmony of the street players and the come-on from the hookers, when a tap comes on my head. I spin around to see no one there, than I know it is Ruth, hiding. Ruth walks the boulevard each …
What if your street was not only your mode of transportation but also where your washing machine? What if the road to your house was also your source of food, entertainment, your shower and your bathroom? What if your street was the center of your universe? For people in the Amazon, their street is the …
There are two social events here in Iquitos that occur on a regular basis, birthdays and funerals, both start late and go long. Even small children’s birthdays can start at 9 or 10pm and go to the wee hours of the morning; funerals are an all night event. If it is an adult party, the …
Iquitos is the largest city in the world with no road to it, you can only get here by boat or by plane. This contributes to the dark side of this city of 600,000, a refuge for sexual deviants and pedophiles. On the boulevard less than 100 yards from my front door is a big sign …
Never have I been in a city that depended so much on motorcycles and motokars. Eigthty percent of the vechicles in Iquitos are some sort of motorcycle. The whine of engines grows at each stop light, like the go-cart track at the beach when the green light shines, until like a swarm of bees around the hive the street is buzzing. …
There is a guy here who writes a blog about Iquitos. I haven’t met him yet but I’m sure I will. He writes beautifully, here is a snippit from a recent post where he captured the circus that I get to watch every night from my balcony theater of the sublime. From Caleb – (you can …
A New Day, Iquitos the city of misfits and the disillusioned Read More »
I arrived in Iquitos this morning and was greeted by Paul my friend and the director of People of Peru, www.peopleofperu.org, an incredible organization doing amazing things for the community with a free medical and dental clinic, supporting the children in the community and Poppy’s House an orphanage for neglected and abused girls and their …
It was really neat watching the kids playing soccer down below, they have put a lot of recreational facilities along the coast, I counted 13 soccer courts right on the beach. skateboard courses, basketball courts. Most of Lima comes out to play on the cliff overlooking the ocean. Then I had the pleasure of watching a …
My adventure began last night as we landed in Lima Peru. I walked around the city today to get a little of the flavor of the city. Found the local market and enjoyed watching all the families playing in the park along the ocean. I checked one of my usual websites for a condo to …
If you were watching 60 Minutes last week you saw a segment on how the Great Migration in Kenya. The only place on earth where you can see a mass migration of land animals. There used to be many migrations of animals but man has killed off or developed areas and lost this amazing site. …
In January I will be going back to work with one of my mentors in Iquitos Peru. Paul and Sandi Opp are true examples of heros in my book, after selling his logging business in Idaho 8 years ago he moved to Iquitos adopted two street children, started a home for abused and abandoned girls, a …
It has been a while since I have posted to my blog, after Africa I needed a rest. I see all these top ten travel sites and thought I ought to come up with my own top ten. Here they are 1. Tripadvisor.com is at the top of my list and should be the top …
This morning we started the day early with a 5am wake up call. We were headed to St. Georges Cathedral to meet Desmond Tutu. We expected to see a huge sanctuary with a large crowd for the Friday morning service. When we arrived they escorted us to a side room that had enough room for …
Now that we are back safe and sound, I wanted to give a call out to the Casterbridge Hollow, the last hotel we stayed in during our South African journey. The beds were the most comfortable we slept in during our three weeks in South Africa. The Casterbridge Hollow is an awesome launching or finishing …
Casterbridge Hollow – the perfect launching point for Kruger Read More »
Well we made the long trip from White River to Joburg and there were a lot of sad faces, it was bitter sweet because nobody wanted to leave Africa, the country that has captured our hearts, was calling at the same time everyone wanted missed their loved ones terribly. Most have made a goal and …
By: Lauren Nunley This morning I think it finally started to sink in that today we are leaving Africa and within 24 hours we will be back to boring old Greensboro. Some of us have been ready for a while but a few of us are reluctant to come home. However, the leaders were able …
From Gabby Today was yet another wonderful day in the life of a Globetrotter. Our day started off bright and early, we all struggled to leave at exactly 7:45AM but our hungry mouths and sloppily packed bags made that impossible and our schedule was ruled by “Africa Time” yet again and we left at 8:20 …
As we headed out of Kruger Park we were not disappointed with the animal sightings, especially the elephants. It started with a large bull elephant headed straight for us in the middle of the road. He knew he was king of the road and I did too. Here is Lauren’s account of the episode… When …