My apologies for not writing sooner, but I wanted to get settled in before writing about my AMAZING R&R. There is nothing that could have made my R&R better, I had an absolute blast and I can’t think of anywhere else I would have enjoyed more.
To be honest, I went into the trip a little skeptic. I’m not keen on traveling in big groups; I hate being a tourist. But having my friends on the trip and getting the chance to make new ones was awesome! I had such a great time.
The trip started out in Lima, Peru. I got there a night early so I was able to scope out the night life in Miraiforles (Flipping sweet). It was a little odd at first; I stick out like a sore thumb (6’ tall white dude in a room full of short dark Peruvians). To add to the awkwardness, I can’t salsa to save my life but the Peruvian women are friendly and helpful. A young lady, who’s name I forget, gave me a crash course at the first “Disco” I went too.
The next night my friends were around for the fun. ‘Fe’ ended up with a giant balcony and we tossed a little party with a few of the Russian girls joining in. It was also a chance for me to try out a little of my night photography, which I didn’t do too much of.
We then jumped on a plane and headed to the Amazon basin which is exactly what I needed after eight months of nothing but brown. We were in a small town called Puerto Maldonado before we headed on a five hour river ride up stream to a small research station where we stayed for three days.
On the way up river we stopped at the little village of Vuelta Grande where we dropped off school supplies and toys. We hung out and showed the kids how to play frizbee. I partook in some of “carnival festivities” which included drinking some strange fruit juice looking liquid from some sketchy looking communal pitcher. It was the real deal “Jungle Juice” and tasted pretty good for being ‘jungle moonshine.’ I thought for sure I was going to be sick, but it seems that I have obtained an Iron stomach in my travels.
Once we got to the research station the people there were welcoming and showed us around the jungle. I got to see monkeys, snakes, bugs, and most importantly…. Trees! Then the rain came. I have never felt rain so hard, it was like big pitches were pouring from the canopy. I rapidly ran out of underwear and socks.
The last day at the research station we played some football (soccer) with the locals. One of the guides asked “would your group like to play some FootBall?” As soon as we said yes he turned around and yelled “Foooooooooooot-Baaaaaaallllllllllll” with his hands cupped at his mouth. Immediately, about 10 guys come scrambling out of there huts yelling “Foooot-baaalllllll.” They love football and were very good, but the slippery grass made for an even playing field. I have never gotten so dirty in my life!
After a two hour ride down river, we jumped on a bus, that took us to a plane, that took us to a bus, that took us to a train which put us well on our way to Manchu Picchu. The ride was gorgeous; I couldn’t believe the mountains we were passing. Some of them had glaciers at the top that we could see from the 75 degrees we were experiencing below. The train took us to a small town called Aguas Calientes at the bottom of the mountain that hides the ruins. I hate to use the word “magical” but that best describes the place.
The next day we rode a bus to the start of Manchu Picchu, which was a very scary ride up some cliffs. The ruins were incredible and the views were breathtaking. My pictures do no justice to how awe-inspiring the sights were. I think everyone should see this place once in there life. I want to take my brother down and hike the Inca trail to the summit.
I was also lucky enough to get a chance to hike to the top of Huayna Picchu (‘Ha-wan-a Pich-chu’) which overlooks Manchu Picchu. It was a rough hike, but well worth it. I got a chance to stand on the tippy top of the mountain, and sat on the edge of cliffs with thousand foot drops (Never could you have a place like this in the States, lawsuits just waiting to happen).
The night following that remarkable day was almost as amazing. We went to some local hot springs, which is just what we needed after all that hiking. We then got some food at a nice restaurant, and went out to paint the town red. We were there at the low season so we ended up having a whole bar to ourselves (with our own bartender, who I think was about 15 years old). Heck I was behind the bar making drinks with the little dude, it was a blast. We took the place over.
The next day we hauled ourselves to the train and headed back to Cusco, the large town we flew to on our way to Manchu Picchu. The city is a pretty cheesy place. It is entirely oriented to Gringo groups. However, we had a blast that night, and the next day I taught the girls how to haggle a little(A skill I picked up when dealing with the Iraqis).
The next day we flew home and I got a chance to hang out with my family and friends. I got to go out to a nice dinner at Bonefish with an old friend, which was fun. It has been a while since I have had the chance to go there. And to top it off, I took another friend out and ate at Morimoto’s (one of the Iron Chefs’ restaurant) my last night home. I’d kill for some sushi like that here.
This R&R couldn’t have gone more perfect, I have no complaints! I have a lot to look forward to on my next one, but that is another Blog entry I’ll shave for later. I want to thank everyone that made it such an awesome time, I am lucky to have such great friends!
