PERU, Iquitos and Yellow Rose of Texas

Thursday June 7, 2007

Talked to Exploroma about 4 night/5 day Amazon trip and they wanted $832. Finally found a local tourist company who offered me a 6 night/7 day trip without the luxury accommodations for $360. I went to a restaurant I had read about in the Lonely Planet guide that had great American food, The Yellow Rose of Texas. Gerald, the owner, is originally from Thibideaux, Louisiana but moved to Texas when he was a young boy. He has been in Iquitos for about 30 yrs he said. Good food, great looking waitresses and is open 24 hrs a day. Mostly visited by tourists.

PERU, Iquitos, {Gateway to the Amazon}

Wednesday June 6, 2007

I left Arequipa at 11:20 am to go to Iquitos, Peru to begin my Amazon adventure. I had a 4 hr. layover in Lima but still arrived in Iquitos at 7 pm. I took my taxi {3 wheel motorcycle to center of town and found a hostel. My taxi stopped at a street money changer to let me change dollars into soles. I caught him trying to cheat me the 1st time but somehow he shortchanged me the second time. Lesson learned. The road for 3 miles to the city from the airport were covered in glass and burning trash. The taxi driver said they were having peaceful demonstrations. I hope I don't see any demonstrations. The taxi driver tried to double the price at the end of the ride. Due to the road conditions he said. I denied his request and just walked away. Going to sleep and will try and find an inexpensive trip down the Amazon tomorrow.

PERU, Colca Canyon and Andean Condors

Tuesday June 5, 2007

"We take to the breeze, we go as we please."

Charlottes Web E.B. White

Took the bus at 6 am to go to Condor Cross. This is the site at the Colca Canyon which is best for viewing the Andean Condors soaring in the Andes. The Condors, about 7 of them, would almost appear out of nowhere catching the updrafts of wind in the canyon. At times they would fly only 15-20 feet over our heads. It was nature at its finest. The Colca Canyon was also impressive and is at least twice as deep as the Grand Canyon according to the guide. The baby alpaca was the center of attention when we stopped for lunch in the next village.

PERU, Chivay {base for Colca Canyon}

Monday June 4, 2007

I took the bus early on a tour from Arequipa to Chivay which would be our base to visit the Colca Canyon and see the Andean Condors. The first picture is of Acuna grazing on the plains. The Acuna are the official animal of Peru, not the Llama. Good jeopardy question. Our vehicle broke down on the way for 1.5 hrs but we finally made it. The uninvited alpaca keep licking the bottom of our roadside table. We finally looked and saw he was licking gum stuck to the bottom of the table. I met two great Canadian girls, Alex and Kylie, with whom I spent the night partying at the local Irish Pub {yes they had an Irish Pub in Chivay} even though it is very small. At dinner, we saw Peruvian folk dancing and had good meal.

PERU, Arequipa, Monasterio De Santa Catalina

It is called an Island of Serenity in Peru's White City {Arequipa}. Covering an entire city block, the original convent was built in 1580. At its maximum 450 women were living there in this quiet, self-contained community. It had a reputation of an exclusive club where young girls of aristocratic families arrived for an education, safe haven or a spiritual vocation.

PERU, Arequipa

Saturday June 2, 2007

I caught the bus to Arequipa. I had to cross the border again to go into Peru. The original hostel that I was going to stay at was awful. I found a great hostel while talking to a travel agent who arranged my trip to Colca Canyon. Arequipa was one of the most beautiful cities that I visited in Peru. The plaza was great and had several nice restaurants plus was only 3 blocks from my hostel. The market that I visited on Sunday was nice and had fresh fruit drinks, vegetables, meats and anything else you could possibly want.

PERU, PUNO, (Uros Island)

Monday May 29, 2007

Went to the Uros Islands {floating islands today. The islands are made of reeds and 3-10 families live on each of the islands. The islands were originally built to keep Pizzaro from taking the people slaves. These islands provided the seclusion needed to keep them from being found. The occupants must add up to 3 feet of reeds to their islands every 6-9 months to keep them afloat.

PERU, Machu Picchu {One of 7 Wonders of World}

Friday May 25, 2007

Stayed in a hostel in Aguas Calientes last night. We left at around 5 am and arrived at Machu Picchu at 6:10 am, hours before the tourist buses get there. To walk, you must climb 1000 steps straight up the mountain. A task hard enough by itself but leaving my water at the breakfast table made it a bit more difficult. The view was spectacular especially since we were the only ones there at the beginning. Just us and the llamas. About 7:30 the clouds rolled in and Machu Picchu essentially disappeared for about 2 hours. About 10 am it cleared up again. I walked to the Sun Gate and the Inka bridge which both are an additional 1 hr walk each. After lunch I walked down the 1000 steps {all to save $3}, caught the train to Ollantaytambo and then switched to the bus to Cuzco. We got back about 7:30 pm. Later that night I met up with all of the group at the Irish Pub and we closed it down. Great day.