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 …
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 …
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 »
When we finished our trip to BA Lou asked what I liked the most? My answer was easy, the people. We found ourselves multiple times where Argentineans stepped out of nowhere to help us, in a restaurant struggling with my Spanglish multiple times people stepped up and asked how they could help. One person even …
When we got back from Mendoza we headed towards the obelisk on 9 de Julio, ground central for the bicentennial. The city was filled with people in light blue and flags flying from every building. There was so much baby blue floating and flying around you would have thought Carolina had won the national championship, …
The next morning we were off again, this time to see the highest mountain outside of Asia (22,841ft), Aconcagua. It is about a three hour trip from Mendoza through some of the most beautiful countryside you will see anywhere in the world. On the way Javier filled us in on various points of interest and …
We arrived in Mendoza at 2:30am in the morning, after an original arrival time of 7pm. Yeah Argentinean airlines are just as bad as the US airlines. Luckily Javier our guide and driver was waiting for us, what a guy! We pulled into our hotel Casa Glebinas which was really a small estate. Roberto the …
We arrived in Iguazu and our driver was waiting. As we drove up to the Secret Garden, John (the owner) jumped into our cab and had the driver give us a quick tour of the city. When we got back he arranged for us to get to the falls and off we went and for …
Sunday is San Telmo day, San Telmo has a huge antique and craft market on every Sunday. It was amazing to see all the crafts, antiques and people, with mimes and performers along the way. We got there early and found a few souvenirs. As the day went on more and more people came until …