Anaconda

Amazon Jungle!  Just kidding about the Anaconda...they are here but I never saw any (thankfully!).

We flew from Lima to Puerto Maldonado and got to our jungle lodge by motorized canoe (called a piqua piqua because of the sound the motors make).  It was a very skinny boat but not as tippy as a canoe.  It was made of wood and was painted purple and bright green.  It had an outboard Mercury motor but the captain still bailed out water as he steered upstream in the piranha filled river.  The local boats were smaller and had a long (5 meter) rudder handle with what looked like a personal fan or egg beater on the end.  There were small villages along the riverbanks with pigs, goats and cows.

Local ferry boat, a bit bigger than a piqua piqua.

On the piqua piqua.

The river is huge, turbid and has a very strong current.  It looks like hot chocolate with Baileys!   

River - Rio de Madres Dios

Upon arriving at the Corto Maltez Jungle Lodge we were welcomed with a lovely mango and passion fruit juice.  Then lunch was served and it turned out to be a 3 course meal.  I was happy with the first course of bread with avocado, boiled egg, tomato, cucumber and shredded carrot.  I chowed down the first course thinking that was it for the meal!  The second course was a beautiful presentation of mango chicken with rice.  The chicken was in the shape of a butterfly.  For dessert we had finger bananas warmed and softened served with syrup.  Who knew jungle lodges served gourmet food?I never thought I would ever visit the jungle, especially on my own.  I cannot believe I am staying in a real hut with no air conditioning and with open slats, thatched roof and mosquito nets.  My hut has 2 hammocks and I overlook the big river Madres de Dios.  I really missed having Greggy Poo in the hammock next to me. 

Mango chicken a la butterfly.

My jungle hut.

Jungle bed with mosquito nets that drop down and hook onto the bed very tightly so nothing can crawl in at night.

Admiring the view and thinking of Greggy Poo.

The view.

The temperature is very hot, probably 25 C or higher but the humidity is extreme and it feels like 35 C.  I was a full on body of sweat!  The big thing in the Amazon Jungle is to make sure you wear long pants and shirts because of the mosquitoes (or Mozzies as named by the Aussies).  Every hour or so they are reminding you to put on your repellent.  I have 80% deet Bushman repellent from Australia and I am really glad.  My Off Skintastic wouldn't cut it out here. 

We met our tour guide, TooToe (pardon the phonetic spelling), and he guided us on a 2 hour nature walk in the jungle.  Luckily we had no rain on this walk (it is wet season in the rain forest).  TooToe brought along his machete and I was wondering what kind of crazy animals he was going to have to fend off to protect us tourists.  He said that most animals only come out at night, and the machete is to clear the trail and show us local flora.  TooToe learned all about the jungle plants from his father.  He is extremely passionate about the jungle and has extensive knowledge, and to know all the English terms for medical conditions is very impressive.  He likes to say my name…"SooSee". TooToe has a relaxed, heartwarming and catchy laugh which made the hike very fun.

TooToe showing palm roots can be used as a broom.

My turn to play with the machete and fend off the jungle flora.  I think my hat had all the animals secretly laughing.

 TooToe showed and taught us tons of sights, but I remember the following:

-Mushrooms in the shape of a wineglass

-Mushrooms that felt like meat and looked like human skin (would be great at Halloween)

-The Garlic Tree, has really smelly bark that you cut off and rub on yourself to keep the mozzies away.  I put a little chunk of bark under my watch strap and I think it worked.  But I kept thinking...ew...what's that smell?

-Leaves that were rough like sand paper used to polish and shine.

-Ficus  milk from a cut in the bark helps ailments like backache and stomach problems.

-Huge termite mounds growing off trees (that look like the tree has a backpack!).  Rubbing a live mound with the termites in it and breathing in helps asthma.  If you get a snake bite, burn the termite mound and put the smoke around the wound to ease the pain. 

-We found green leaves that when rubbed hard released a red/purple die used for lipstick, paint, clothing die etc.

-A tree with a beautiful pink flower called the Fever Tree as it has natural salicylic acid that was used by Bayer before synthetic Aspirin was made.

-Pulp from mashing fern leaves will also ease the pain of bites and cuts.

We crossed streams with little wooden plank bridges and the weather was hot and sunny but the bugs were not too bad.  No where near the mosquitoes or mayflies I've experienced at Lac La Nonne in Northern Alberta!  I was so sweaty I am surprised they didn't eat me for dinner - must have been all that deet.

Jungle bridge...you go first...

Back at the Jungle Lodge, we had a beer and visited in the lounge and then it was off to bed.  It started pouring rain the minute I arrived back at my hut and rained non-stop all night.  It was amazing to hear the change in nature's sounds from a jungle night of frogs, cicadas, and crickets to just rain.  It was a wonderful, humid, calming rhythm to sleep to.

Viva Las Lima!

I only had 24 hours in Lima - but certainly made the most of it.  It was very special for me to be in the city where my sister-in-law Karin is from. 

I met up with my tour group and we took an authentic, "real life experience" trip to downtown Lima:  the city bus.  The bus ride was very unique, unlike any bus ride I've had before.  The bus was full, and so I sat next to a local Peruvian gentleman likely 40 years old.  He spoke a little bit of English and was happy to have someone to practice his English with.  He asked where I am from, how long I am staying.  He had a very old guitar with him, without a case.  The guitar had a lot of character and you could tell he loved it very much.   I asked him if he was going to play a song.  He only knew one English song, and he serenaded me on the bus!  What a treat for me (and 40 other passengers) to hear "Yesterday" by the Beatles.  It was the first time someone has sung to me on public transit.  It was really fun, we were smiling and singing along. 

Well, singing must be the thing to do in Lima.  At the next bus stop, and young boy (maybe 15 years old) gets on the bus and starts speaking to all the passengers (he spoke very well, Dale Carnegie would have been impressed).  Then, the boy starts singing!  He breaks into song standing right there in the middle aisle of the bus heaing towards downtown Lima.  He was quite good.  After 3 songs he opens up his backpack and brings out a box of chocolate bars which he proceeds to sell to passengers who either were hungry, or really liked his singing.  I thought this was a very unique experience, until the next stop when another kid got on the bus, sang, and tried to sell us candy. 

Downtown Lima is very colorful as all the historical buildings are painted different colors.



Colorful building, downtown Lima.  My guide was not sure what the patchwork represents.



Pretty green building in Lima.

Our tour guide told a story about a famous statue in Lima.  The sculptor was supposed to put a flame on top of the head of the lady so symbolize victory.  However, the Spanish word for flame is "llama", pronounced "yama".  So, naturally, the lady has a four legged Llama on her head.

Full view of San Martin monument in Lima.

Yup, that's a Llama all right!

After touring downtown Lima and all the historical sites, we took a taxi to return to our hotel in Miraflores.  Taxis are unregulated in Lima so we bartered a rate for the return trip.  I soon discovered that traffic signs are also unregulated in Lima.  Did you know that stop signs are optional?

I guess traffic lanes are optional too!  This was my view from the cab, I held on the entire trip.

We went for dinner in Miraflores.  For dinner I had a traditional Peruvian meal at Karin's recommendation:  Ceviche and a Pisco Sour.  Ceviche is raw fish (sea bass) marinated in lime juice with chilies, served with corn and sweet potato.  It was the best meal of my trip!  A Pisco Sour is the traditional drink, similar a Whiskey Sour, but made with Pisco - a white grape brandy.

Super yummy Ceviche.

I am touring with very nice people (from Australia) and cannot wait to start our jungle adventure in Peru's Amazon jungle.

Montevideo Killed the Radio Star

Hola from Montevideo!  I arrived by ferry from Buenos Aires - a quick 3 hour trip.  It's amazing that 14 months ago I didn't know where Montevideo was...and now here I am!  My ferry docked in the same port that I shipped some Flexpipe to last year. 

Statue in Plaza Independencia.

Salvo Palace - very beautiful and the tallest building in the downtown square. 

I saw this statue in a book, but nothing compares to seeing it in real life with the blue sky, green trees and warm sun.

Montevideo means "hill" and "see".  The explorer who founded the city saw the one hill of the area and said "I see a hill" and the city was therefore named Montevideo (according to my tour guide).  Literally, there is only one hill here.

The one hill that is the mont in Montevideo.

The locals pronounce it "Uruwhay" and it means the river of painted birds.  It has a beautiful promenade and many beaches along the River Plate (Rio de la Plata).  In fact, the Rio de la Plata joins the Atlantic and there is no land until you reach the South Pole.  I'll save that trip for next time.

Beaches and promenade.



Rio de la Plata.



On another note:  I really need to do some laundry before I go to Peru, and my plan is to find a laudromat.  Well...lucky me - the laundromat is right across the street from my hotel!  And, I don't have to sit there, they wash it for you.  Wahoo!  The exchange rate here is 20:1.  It feels really weird paying $450 to get your laundry done.



Laundromat "Soap" that took very good care of me.



 Tomorrow I fly to Lima, Peru.  I am excited to see where Karin and Elena are from.

It's The Little Things...Part 1

It's the little things about travelling that make it fun and exciting.  This part of the blog is where I share the small intricacies that are not mentioned in the travel books, or on Wikipedia.  It's about discovering the answers to questions I had before arriving.  Questions like:

In a Spanish drugstore, do they sell Dove and Head & Shoulders, or are the products called "Pajaro" and "Cabeza & Hombros"?

This is my chance to share with you what I enjoy noticing about the world.

The sidewalks in Buenos Aires are all small rectangles - not the concrete of our Canadian streets.

The light switches are horizontal, not vertical.

The bathrooms have a bidet...bidet don't know how to use it!

There is advertising on the street signs.

Pigeons are everywhere.

Creatures that look like a cross between an anteater, raccoon and rat.  I'm going to call him an "Antcoonat".

Stores for the constipated!

Recognize any of these titles?

 

And the answer to the question is that the language of global marketing is universal!

Waterworld

The bus trip to Puerto Iguazu was fast - only 15 hours and 30 minutes as opposed to the planned 18 hours.  The waiter on the bus was young and he never once made eye contact with me.  Not once!  It became a game for me throughout the trip.  I lost.  

Bus to Puerto Iguazu.

The bus provided a super comfy big pillow and a full fleece blanket - not airplane sized scratchy stuff.  However, it is definitely a bus - old, run down and the bathroom was disgusting.  They served dinner and breakfast which were both very yummy.  All in all, I was quite impressed.

My "cama" comfy sleeper bed...if only they had these in the airplane economy section.

I arrived in Iguazu and the heat and humidity was like nothing I have felt before.  The taxi brought me straight to the Secret Garden B&B - no problemo!  I met the owner's friend, Anna, who showed me to my room.  It was very cute, an older cabin style.  The bedspread reminded me of the one I had when I was five!  It had hardwood floors and wallboard that was painted light, minty green.  The bathroom was awesome with ceramic tile and a great shower.  Very clean.

My room at the Secret Garden Bed & Breakfast, Puerto Iguazu.

Yes, there is a secret garden at the Secret Garden B&B!

My room from the outside, I sat in the chair and read my book which was very relaxing.

Anna is studying agriculture and wants to get her Ph.D. in plant and insect research.  She told me all about the beautiful butterflies they have here - there are tons of them and they are amazingly beautiful; some are the size of your hand!  She said that the butterflies are able to get glucose and carbs from the plants, but they also need minerals and salt in their diet.  That is why they like to land on the sweaty people, for the free salt.  It's amazing - they are so beautiful and tame.

Funky black & white butterfly.

Beautiful Blue Butterfly.

"Mr. Butterfly, the time is exactly 11:26 am"

Once I was cleaned up from the long bus trip, I found the public transit bus stop and got on the bus.  Yes, I actually took public transit!  The bus took me to the "CATARATAS", the falls.  I went on the little train to the trail head for the bridge that takes you to the "Devils Throat".  There was a 1km steel bridge that takes you across the water to the falls.  In Canada, when you approach a waterfall, the air gets noticeably cooler.  It was so stinkin' hot that there was no drop in temperature at all.  Even at the falls the spray from the falls covers you, but it happens so quick it barely cools you off.  I had time to get a photo before 50 other people showed up.  Damn tourists!  So far on this trip, my timing has been perfect.

Little train that takes you to the different sections of the falls.

El Turista!

On the left is a little corner of Brazil!  And a beautiful rainbow in between.

    

The water falls are awe inspiring.  The falls stretch for approximately 1 km and are on both sides of the river.  One side is Argentina, and the other side is Brazil.  I went in a boat that went right into the falls and I got drenched.  I wanted to get wet just to cool off.  Talk about fun - the crowd on the boat cheered for more, and they took us in a second time.  I was laughing really hard but trying to keep my mouth shut so it didn't fill with water.  A tough thing to do!

View of some falls from the "lower circuit" trail.

I went on a similar boat, but it was motorized.

 

Iguazu Falls Video:  Argentina on the left, Brazil on the right.  This is only 25% of the falls!