Happy New Year!

I´m here in Colombia with Tiffany and Max having in a marvelous time. It´s like a paradise here. The weather is like spring, well maybe summer but it´s lovely. Today we hiked up a mountain to the Nus River. We jumped off boulders and ate lunch in the sun. I also attempted to climb behind a waterfall. On the way out I nearly fell because of the current. This guy grabbed me out of the water before I crashed against a rock. As I came up, my swimsuit fell down in front of Max´s family. It was quite embarassing. Now we are just getting ready for the fiesta. I wish you all the best in 2008.

¡Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas! I am here in Cusco staying at Loki Hostal. It´s an old mansion converter into a hostal. I think there are like 100 people staying here. It´s packed. I´m sharing a dorm room with 9 other people all of which come and go at all hours of the night. For Christmas Eve there was a delicious BBQ dinner. Now I´m counting down the hours til the turkey dinner tonight. The people are great here, the beds are comfy and the showers are hot, all of which make being away from home on Christmas a little easier. I miss you all and hope you´re having a very merry Christmas!

Everything is bigger in the jungle (Amazon Part 2)

Everything is bigger in the jungle, originally uploaded by cbern18.

After a terrifying first day, we rested in the first beautiful lodge, which was set in the cloud forest. We were surrounded by tons of plants and birds. We woke up at the crack of dawn to go see the Cock-of the Rock, which is these red male birds dancing and chirping away trying to attract one of the few females. I never thought I´d say this but I actually enjoyed waking up early to see birds. There were also tons of butterflies, in every color. We headed off on a hike to reach our rafts for white water rafting. It was more relaxing than scary. We had an awesome guide that took us to this little enclave to see lots of parrots. It was like he had fed them because as soon as we got close three just took off flying right in front of us. We continued the rest of our journey by boat. Luckily we had two motor men, because one morning we went to pick up the main motor man and he was so drunk he could barely stand up to make it to the boat. The people on shore were shouting, "Go to sleep and stop bothering us!" The assitant motor man started to drive but a few hours late we took a sharp turn to the right. We all look back and the drunk guy is driving. He got the boat stuck! First all the men had to get out and push. The boat didn´t budge so all the women then had to get out and push too. We finally got the boat off the rocks and were on our way again.

It was wonderful being in the Amazon. We saw 7 different kinds of monkeys (tamarinds, wooly, spider, squirrel, white chested cupichins, brown chested cupichens and one other) and heard howler monkeys. In the ox-bow lake we went to, we saw caimans and river otters. They were so cute. They would catch a fish and eat it with their little paws. The otters were also very curious and followed our catamaran around. And after searching a few days, the assistant motorman spotted a jaguar! I have no idea how he saw it because it was so camaflouged. But it was gorgeous. It was much bigger than I expected. It was laying on the bank of the river in the bushes relaxing. It gave a big yawn for us to see it´s huge teeth and then just put it´s head down. We also a capybara, the largest rodent in the world.

The jungle itself was completely amazing. On one tree there might be 20 different things living (ants, fungus, other plants, other trees, monkeys, sloths, etc.). We saw all kinds of tropical flowers including orchids and giant insects: a moth the size of my hand, a spider the size of my hand and ants over an inch long. And there were plenty of mosquitos. I wore long pants in the hot and humid weather to keep them off of me, but they bit me through my pants and other biting insects were crawling up my legs. On the forth night, I nearly lost it. I wasn´t sure I was going to make it four more days. But I pulled it together and enjoyed every minute of the Amazon adventure!

Claire of the jungle (Amazon Part 1)

So my purpose in South America is to get back to nature. I thought this would best be served by trekking out into the jungle for 8 days. I always thought I was a city girl, but I pulled up my rubber boots, rented some binoculars and went bird watching. And actually enjoyed it!

Early the first day I met my lovely travel mates in Cusco. Laura and Maurita from Namibia who can not only spot the tiniest of birds in the heart of the jungle but also a cold Cusqueño beer. Jason from Canada who was always ready for a second helping at breakfast, lunch or dinner. And a family from Holland who should apply to National Geographic. Peter caught our entire trip on film; Anna took the famous photo of the jaguar, and Jasper captured the scenery in a way that would make Ansel Adams jealous.

We boarded our bus with our driver, Rene, perhaps the bravest person I´ve ever met. After a couple of hours hugging the mountains, we stumbled upon a landslide. The guides immediately jump out of the bus and start to clear the road. As soon as they have it cleared, another landslide comes tumbling down. They get to work again. I feel bad standing around watching everyone work, so I decide to help out. After about two seconds of clearing the rocks with my bare hands, I was in so much pain that I couldn´t help anymore. Beto, our leader, gave Rene one chance to cross the road as we stood by and watched. It was horrifying. Rene was almost in the clear when the back passenger-side tire slips off the road over the edge of the cliff. He guns it just in time to pull the tire back on to the road and make it to the other side. It was straight out of a movie. On the other side, we climb back into the bus and continue in the rain to our first lodge. (After I spent 30 minutes downloading this video, I realized I filmed it longways but downloaded it sideways. Sorry, you´ll just have to turn your head. By the end of the trip I´ll be an expert photographer.) To be continued...

Machu Picchu

What a trek! My dad and I climbed the Inca Trail for 4 days to reach Machu Picchu. We hiked about 42 kilometers over 4 days 2500 meters above sea level, climbing 1200 meters one day to reach a peak altitude of 4200 meters. It was tough, and it didn´t make me feel any better to know that someone has run the whole trail in 3 hours and 45 minutes. But we had an amazing time. The scenery was unbelievable. We went through the humid forest where we saw parakeets, humming birds and all sorts of colorful plants. Then we reached the dry highlands and saw llamas and looked down to see how far we had come. Luckily we opted to have a porter carry our things. The regulation states that porters may not carry more than 21 kilograms but I could have sworn they were carrying more. I don´t know how they do it. We were struggling in our hiking boots and rain gear and the porters just shoot right on past you in their sandals made from old tires. They were amazing. Each night when we reached camp, our tents were set up and tea and treats were awaiting us. We relaxed and chatted. We had a fun group from around the world (Holland, Norway, Denmark and Japan) and a fabulous guide, Alvaro, King of the Mountain.

On the final day we woke up early to beat the rush to the Sun Gate, where the sun shines through at day break to illuminate Machu Picchu. Unfortunately, after climbing up the steepest steps ever to the Sun Gate, Machu Picchu was covered by clouds. When we finally had our first views, they were breathtaking. We took a quick break before our tour of Machu Picchu. I was so exhausted at that point I could barely finish the tour. But I had a good talk with my legs and convinced them to climb up WynaPichu for another view of Machu Picchu. That nearly vertically hike did me in. It took me about three days to rest up. Even though I was totally beat, it was worth every painstaking step.

Dad arrives!

As soon as my dad met me in Cusco we were rushed off for the city tour. Adan Caro, a guide recommended by Kim, made all the arrangements for us. Everything we did and saw was fabulous and went so smoothly due.

On the city tour, we saw 4 near by ruins: a strategic look out point, one where the Incas made sacrifices to the gods, and one that contained a fountain of youth. (I know that´s only 3 but I can´t remember what the Inca´s did at the 4th.) It´s thought that if you wash your hands and face with the freezing water, you will remain young forever. So of course I partook and my skin did feel like a baby´s for a few hours. Then I´m afraid it wore off:( I´ll have to go back.

This is me the 1st 24 hours in Cusco, Peru.

Yes, I arrived in Cusco Saturday morning (Dec. 1) after sleeping in the Lima airport the night before. Once I got to Cusco, I went to bed at 8:00 am, woke up to eat dinner, and then went back to sleep until 8:00 the next morning. I guess I was tired. I´m really making the most of my South American experience!