Inotawa Lodge

Talk about lucking out!!!  We were the only 2 people staying at this lodge for about a week!  It was quiet and relaxing the entire time. Today, we are going to look into this incredible place that is located off the Tambopata river near the Manu Reserve! A lot of people think that these ecolodges are just places to sleep, but they offer much more than a bed.   We had a guide by the name of Robin who was a local from the area.  Our experience was enhanced by his knowledge of the forest. The lodge is situated on a patch of forested land off the river.  We docked our boat and climbed up some wooden stairs.  A hike on a shaded path would eventually lead us to the beautiful and open Inotawa lodge where we would spend our nights under a mosquito net. 

I smile to myself as I remember how traumatized I was by the influx of monkeys around us.  Our room was open to the wild so at night I would turn on my light everytime I heard something.  One night it was our resident howler monkey, Pepe, digging in my backpack.  He took off with my underwear and socks.  The next night I heard some fluttering next to my net....again I turned the light on.  A HUGE bat was floating next to my head! I quickly shut the light off.  Yet another night, there were strange noises walking around in our room, but it wasn't the monkey......it was something else.  I learned to keep the lights off for a good nights sleep:) Strange critters walked around the forest while we hung out in our hammocks.  I'd be chilling and looking out into the woods between our excursions and see a weird animal come out from hiding.  There were several critters that looked like crosses between rabbits, pigs, rats, cats, and racoons.  Today I think I could identify them better, but because it was my first time into the Amazon, I hadn't expected seeing these bizarre animals. 

It was really a wonderful experience.  Inotawa makes some great meals.  Plus our guide ate with us and spoke about anything and everything.  Robby,or pronounced "Row-be", spoke only Spanish (which was a requirement for us on this trip) told us of his days as a poacher until the old man(a ghost) of the forest attacked him and threw him to the ground.  He was given one chance to correct his mistakes and so he chose to educate people about nature.  Normally, I wouldn't believe this stuff, but while he told his story, his hands shook and he became nervous.  He made me believe that there was a "Pacha Tata"(Old Man of the Forest/protector of all living things) and a "Pacha Mama"(Mother Nature or Lady of the Lake).  He believes that if the Amazon and other similiar places are wiped away from this Earth, we will have destroyed ourselves and the magic that lies within our world. Scary stuff.

The lodge is fun because there are trails all around it.  Just be careful where you step as we were attacked by ants in the darkness while searching for bugs.  I heard my friend yell out, "ouch! ouch!" and then I found myself burning up around the leg area.  We turned our headlamps on and discovered big ants on our legs and the bites hurt for days afterwards.  I still have a "souvenir" scar from that trip.  We also discovered where the Harry Potter tarantulas lived while not on set for the movies.  They lived here in the forest.  Now let me explain.  We have tarantulas in Tucson, but these hairy Peruvian monsters could do some damage.  There was a nest in the ground and Robin poked it gently with a stick.  8 spiders came out! And they were HUGE. I'd like to state on the record that I am not so much a bug person. One time a coworker of mine found a dead tarantula in her garden and put it in my microwave.  Yeah....not cool. Scorpions or spiders give me the heebie jeebies.

We saw plenty of caiman around the area.  This is a skull of the endangered black caiman.  There is an area on the front patio area(seen below) with a display of fossils and other interesting items to look at while waiting for your next excursion.

If there ever was a mascot or creature that owned the lodge, it would be Pepe.  Sometimes he was on a leash while other times he broke free and protected the property from other animals.  I think I learned to respect the power of a monkey on this trip.  He'd want me to pet him and when I stopped, Pepe would grab my hand and force me to continue.  Well, if I didn't want to pet him, he would get angry and try to kill me.  Not really:)  But he would get angry when you didn't focus all your energy on his stinky orange self:)  We really liked him a lot.  But my friend Jen really went ape over him and they hung out a lot taking siestas on the hammocks. I'll be honest, Pepe needed a shower.  On our last day, we caught him raiding the fruit bowl as seen below.  If you keep your eyes open, you'll see lots of monkeys all over the place.  During our breakfast sessions, these catlike Tamarin monkeys would try and get the bananas in the cabinet next to the table.  They threw the fruit out to them when the bananas started to get a little ripe.  Our fruit bowl consisted of some amazing selections. There weren't just bananas, apples, or oranges.  I don't remember what all the strange fruits were called, but there was a fruit from the tomato family that quickly became my favorite!

This is a terrible pic of me below, but it's the only one we have of the crew.  Robin was an amazing person who would turn out to be our favorite guide from this trip.  There were 3...Robin of the Amazon, Weynon of the Inka Trail, and Zhe(a throwback from the 70's TV show Chips with a little bulging eye syndrome going on and Farrah Faucett sunglasses).  All of our guides were great, but Robin was a genuine individual who after all these years is still fondly remembered from our Peru adventures.

Finally, I'd like to say that I suffer the "Oprah" syndrome.  There were times when I was skinny and times, like now, were I could stand to lose some weight....like in these pictures. These were taken back in 2008.  Today I'm working on getting myself back into better shape.  It's difficult.  I love all food and my genes, which stem from the Shire(aka Wisconsin) make me who I am.  Slowly I accept these things about myself, but it is a constant battle to keep myself healthy.  My people are hobbits and I'm Bilbo Baggins....I left the Shire for adventure.  The rest of my family, all 12! AND their many little Shirelings, have remained in Two Rivers and Manitowoc. Some call me the Black Sheep, but that has a negative tone to it. My entire family and I have a great relationship.  I'm just a guy who wanted heat, sun, and the ability to garden all year round. How does that make me a black sheep? Maybe it's because I like my Mexican food WITHOUT sour cream.  I'll never know:) But my point?  Peruvian food is divine and I ate a lot of it!  I'll be getting into some of the unique dishes in several days.

Here is some useful info on this wonderful lodge.  I highly recommend staying here if you are looking for a positive experience outside of the Manu Reserve.  Bring your camera because you'll need it!!!  There were several Scarlet Macaws that hung out in several of the trees near the lodge.  Wildlife is all around you.

http://www.inotawaexpeditions.com/

El Gato Waterfall

On our last day on the Tambopata river, we headed to this amazing waterfall in the middle of the Amazon.  A farmer owns this little spot here where we had lunch and took a hike on his land into the forest.  We banked our canoe off the river and took a hike to get to this waterfall.  As we climbed down this steep hill, we discovered a large area of mud and clay that we had to cross.  I wore my water shoes and walked into this refreshing and lovely oasis off the river.  I did get chewed up a little bit as is always the case when you go onto a piece of disturbed farming land.  It's interesting, isn't it?  I never have issues in places that aren't touched by people, but the minute I step into a farming area, I am attacked!!  As for the water???  I loved it.  There was something nibbling on my legs though and I didn't want to know what it was.  And watch the mud bank!!  I sunk up to my knees in it:)

Here we are having fun.  It's safe and a really nice place to cool off on those hot days.

The above pic is delicious rain forest food!!  Banana leaf, rice, egg, chicken, and veggies.  This was an absolutely perfect lunch after our swim.  In Nicaragua, they call this a nacatamal.  Here in the Peru, I'm not sure what they call it besides "almuerzo" or lunch.  Yum!!

While Jen went swimming, I snapped pics of plants.  The pic below is a shot of caladiums growing naturally in the wild.  These are some of my favorite potted plants here in Tucson.  I'll just say that sometimes I get jealous that some of these places don't have to put a lot of effort into growing their plants.  Caladiums do well in the desert during a hot SHADED summer with regular watering. But forget about the watering and you can say "adios" to your caladium collections. 

Until tomorrow.......

The Tambopata River

These photos taken back in the days with my Tarzan camera in 2008

I wrote a time ago about how rafting is a great way to see the hidden parts of a country.  So I began thinking, not everyone can to do this activity.  Before I began my trip to the Amazon, I had never really thought about a river acting like a major interstate to get somewhere.  Boating, for me growing up, was always a leisure.  A lot of people used our rivers or Lake Michigan for fishing and other recreational activities like jetskiing or swimming.  I can only count on one hand the boats that use Lake Michigan for major human travel. The car ferry that operates out of Manitowoc, Wisconsin to Ludington, Michigan comes to my mind.  So while we were in Peru, we discovered the Tambopata river as a major roadway into the secret forests of the Amazon.....for both the good and the bad.  I had flown into the isolated yet expanding village of Puerto Maldonado with a lot of crazy and idiotic biker people driving around on scooters.  It was funny and sad at the same time.  People, sometimes 3 on a motor bike!!!, would zoom around the city square without helmets.  In many ways, I felt like this city had a lawless attitude about nature and human safety.  I wish I had taken pictures of all the bikes on the road.  Our taxi driver actually hit one of those bikers while looking at a half naked girl advertisement.  The van stopped to make sure the girls were okay and sped off not wanting to pay for the accident.  Most people don't have insurance there.  We kept driving until we reached the port of the Tambopata river, and this is where our story begins....

The city of Puerto Maldonado used the Tambopata river for the deforestation efforts going on in the Amazon.  How?  Simple.  They cut trees down and let them float on the river towards the wood mills awaiting their arrival for processing and shipment.  The majestic and beautiful mahogany was their precious export.  I remember having some anger.   It was directed not only at Peru for the tree slaughter but at other countries such as my own, the US, for purchasing the wood from this town.  Do people even know they are supporting this?  I don't think many people realize what's going on out there just as long as their lives are uninterrupted to text and eat fried food.  Anyhow, I soaked in this "human progress" thinking, "It will get better. " Well it got worse before it got better.  We headed down the river leaving this ugly human stain behind and entered the first zone of the Amazon.  Here, we witnessed a poacher slaughtering a group of peccaries crossing the river in broad daylight. The "good news" is that the guide wrote down this incident and reported it back to the park officials.  I don't know what the outcome was, but I did overhear the Spanish conversations to know that the incident was taken seriously.  Once we left "sin city", we entered the protected zonal reserves of the Amazon region.  This trip on the river took about 5 hours. We saw monkeys, parrots, caiman, and a jaguar on this incredibly stunning waterway!!!

To get anywhere in the Amazon or Manu reserve, you have to take a boat.  From what I understood, there were 3 zones.  In the first zone, native people could farm small tracts of land.  The second zone was where we stayed at the eco-lodges while in the 3rd zone, no human people were allowed at all without a permit.  AND some of it was for scientific study ONLY beyond a certain area!  Before we took this trip, I thought that I was going to be disappointed that I didn't get to see the virgen Manu Reserve, but later it proved to be an unfounded fear. The Manu Reserve is VERY expensive to visit while the ecolodges outside that zone are much more affordable.  So what's the difference between the two zones?  If you are wanting to see Blue and Gold macaws or the Giant Otters, your best chances are in the actual reserve, but they can be spotted outside the zones. 

Along the way, we saw incredible colors flashing about on the shores of the river.  I took my terrible camera out and snapped these okay shots.  I can only describe to you some of the magic that we experienced on the Tambopata.  My camera would have never captured the night sky as it appeared the evening we searched for caiman in the river.  We turned off ALL lights and sat in our boat for several silent moments.  I had experienced quiet moments like this before, but this particular experience was different.  Water. River. Sounds from the midnight jungle.  And the brilliant lights from the galaxy above us. No people. No city lights.  Just us, safe within our boat in the middle of nature.

At early dawn, we got up to head over to the clay licks where parrots and other birds go to do their morning ritual.  We docked our canoe on shore and headed up the muddy hill towards the lookout and waited.....and waited.  While we sat there patiently, I got some great shots of the Amazon dawn.

We had a canopy over our head while we were on this boat, but it's still best to wear a cap and protect your scalp from the instense sunlight.  It's strong.  Like all rivers, there are places that are treacherous and places are safe to pass.  Our guide knew the passages well.

My best recommendation is to remain quiet once you enter the zones for optimal wildlife viewing.  We spent a portion of our time on this river and took advantage of the amazing flora and fauna opportunities it provided.  I also want to mention that for the first time in rain forest history, I was not uncomfortable at all.  The humidty was so low that I was able to relax and absorb the experience better.  We had gone during the "winter" months in June which had cooler breezes coming off the Andes mountains. 

My friend Jen captured me here chewing my nails like I will do occassionally when I am nervous.  It's such a bad habit and I don't know where I picked it up.  At least I don't chew the hair off my arms like my Dad does!!!  Bizarre stuff.  What do you do when you get anxious? I think we were heading into some muddy areas from the shoes I'm wearing and didn't want to sink in the mud as I had done when we first arrived.  I had brought my water shoes but since we were hiking, I left them behind.  There is nothing worse than mud all over your clothes because it's so hard to get out....especially when you're on a trip with a limited supply of outfits!!!

This was one of my favorite parts of our journey to Peru.  Although to be honest, I had a lot of favorite moments in this country.  What I loved best about this part of our trek was that we had great weather and were able to relax a bit before some major hiking.  Monkeys got into everything which included my backpack!!  But that is another story.  Once we left the rain forest and flew back up into the high altitudes of Cuzco, my headache returned for the remainder of our trip. 

The Tambopata river flows through the Tambopata Natural Reserve. If you know you'll be in Peru for some time, take a flight out of Cuzco or Lima for Puerto Maldonado.  Most of the ecolodges will be awaiting your arrival at the airport.  Once that happens, you'll be bussed to the river from Puerto Maldonado.  Our flight from Cuzco to the Amazon was really cool.  We went from icy mountaintops to green green green rainforest as far as the eye could see.  When we landed, I remember the warm and breezy air.  It was like paradise.  Cuzco gets cold, but in the Amazon, it was perfection.  Until tomorrow....

An Oxbow Lake

This week we're heading to the Amazon before coming back to Southern Arizona for the "After the Wildfire Series" which are photo shoots that I took in April, May, and July on Mt. Lemmon and at the Chiricahua National Monument.  After that, we'll be visiting the El Presidio Gardens and property.  Along the way, there will be stand alone articles that interested me over this past month.

One of the things I found interesting on our trip to Peru back in 2008 was an area of water in the Amazon rain forest known as an Oxbow Lake.  At first, I thought it was the name of the lake until our guide informed us that it was a type of lake found in different parts of the world. So what is an Oxbow Lake?  Here's the definition with some really cool illustrations by Ponds and Lakes .

An oxbow is a crescent-shaped lake lying alongside a winding river. The oxbow lake is created over time as erosion and deposits of soil change the river's course. You can see how an oxbow lake takes shape below:

On the inside of the loop, the river travels more slowly leading to deposition of silt.

Meanwhile water on the outside edges tends to flow faster, which erodes the banks making the meander even wider. Over time the loop of the meander widens until the neck vanishes altogether.

Then the meander is removed from the river's current and the horseshoe shaped oxbow lake is formed. Without a current to move the water along, sediment builds up along the banks and fills in the lake.

The Kapok Tree on a trail leading to one of the Oxbow Lakes off the Tambopata River in the Amazon

Here's the experience to the knowledge......and my favorite part:)  We initially went to find the endangered 6-8 feet Giant River Otter that lives in these lakes.  There were also chances to see the black caiman and boa constrictors, but we didn't see any of these elusive reptiles.  However at this point, I was happy and still living off my high that I got to see a jaguar in the wild.  My eyes and camera have gotten a lot better over time spotting wildlife in the rain forest.  My experience in Panama this past summer has sharpened my senses. So in hindsight, I wish I could go back in time with the focus and experience I have now to redo the trip.  I bet I would "see" a lot more the second time around. And let's not talk about my camera at the time.:)

However, we learned a lot about these magnificent Oxbow Lakes.  The trail to the first one was incredible.  We took a boat ride up the Tambopata river to a trailhead.  Once we arrived at Tres Chimbadas, we could only use a paddle boat to get onto the lake.  Here my friend Jen fished for Sardine and Piranhas! And she caught several.  The fish were captured and released.  Talk about aggressive little critters.  We put some "carnada" or bait on a hook and within seconds, a pirahna would snatch it off the line.  I didn't really care for fishing as I had done a lot of it as a kid and don't have the patience for it. So I watched Jen work her magic until I noticed the sun setting.  We had our headlamps, but I started getting a little preoccupied by the darkness.  There was still a lake that needed to be crossed and a trail that had some substantial hiking to return to our boat on the river. The pic below shows why I was a bit nervous.  At night, MOST of the animals come out of the dark and in this particular area, there were some larger critters I didn't want to come across in the black forest....caiman, tarantulas, and especially boa constrictors!  I remember that walk for all 3 of us.  It was fast with some tension in the air because it was scary!  In hindsight, I loved that feeling.  And I'll never forget the night sky.  No people.  No lights.  Just the stars and the Milky Way. Our Southern friends have a great view of space!  Of course, I cracked jokes and said Jen's favorite word, "BUSHMASTER!". There was no denying that we needed to move quickly to make it back safely to our boat.  Luckily, there weren't any bushmasters but it was always the running joke. We would eventually be attacked by killer ants but that is another story.  No one ever tells you about the bugs.....the real dangers!

Caiman

This is a terrible pic, but during the day, A LOT of caiman could be spotted sunning while at night, they surfaced all over on the rivers and lakes.  The Oxbow Lakes had an eery quality to them. Magical but eery.  If one were to film a horror flick, this would be a place to do it.  They are secluded areas full of wildlife, but I sensed that danger was just lurking moments away.  Thankfully we had our guide Robin with us to keep us safe.  It was definitely an amazing trip and we learned much from this Oxbow Lake experience.  Remember, if you go here, keep your eyes open for that Giant Otter.  They'll play with their families early morning or before dusk.  I would recommend you get up early and go to the clay licks to watch Macaws and other parrots do their morning ritual and then head over to the Oxbow lakes for an early morning view of the Giant Otters.  Until tomorrow....

Amantani

In the cold waters of Lake Titicaca, the traveler will find an old civilization that have lived on the islands of Amantani and Taquille for hundreds of years.

Bundle up during this summer trip as it gets cold on the lake. The night sky is amazing.  To get to these islands, you must leave from the city of Puno on the Peruvian side.

We hung out on the top of the boat on our way to the islands.

A cool morning alone and a cup of coffee overlooking the lake.....perfection.

Terraced land allows for proper irrigation and prevents soil from washing into lake. These are the last pics discovered from the mystery rolls of film.

Stay tuned for an update from the garden and several other issues I am facing after the dangerous cold snap we had a week ago.

Until next time........

Rafting

 One of the things I love to do when I travel to another country is go rafting down one of their rivers.  It's a great way to see the countryside without the tourist crowd around you. Here is our adventure on the Urubamba River in Peru outside of Cuzco.

In some places like Guatemala, the Amazon, or in Costa Rica, it's a great way to see the jungle from the inside.


The Nahualate River, Guatemala

Many times you'll start off early in the morning and have a large breakfast before taking off into the breathtaking landscape. Plan 1 day on these treks although some can last from 3-4 days (if you choose) or sometimes even longer......




The Pacuare River, Costa Rica

 You can find many wonderful companies online but make sure you check out the reviews before sending any money.

If you've never rafted before, you can start on a class 2 or 3 river. "Class" refers to how active the river is for rafting.  The higher the number the river; the more action you're going to get. Class 4 is much more exciting and good for those wanting a little bit of the action and splash, but not willing to die:)  Class 5 is ONLY recommended for the professionals. If you want to play it safe, take a Class 3 river run.  I find Class 4 is enough action for me:)

Grab a waterproof camera, or in some cases, there will be rafting operators who'll snap pics for you leaving you to enjoy the journey.  You'll go into some of the most isolated spots in the forests or countryside where you'll be able to study a variety of plants in their undisturbed environments.  You may even see a Native American moving about the forest.....if you're lucky:)  You'll definitely see A LOT OF FLORA AND FAUNA.

Remember to always have a guide if you don't know what you're doing so you can smile like my friend Jen here on the Tambopata River in the Amazon.
 
It's a great way to see National Parks and all the animals/plants that live in those areas.  But if you decide to go into the jungles via this route, remember to keep your eyes open for monkeys and other animals....and if the water is still, remember to keep your voices down or not talk at all to see the maximum amount of critters. Remember that water carries sound.  Best times to go are in the morning or evening when animals are out. Birders, your best time is early in the morning before the sun rises so you can get into your stands with your binoculars and cameras before the parrots arrive at their clay licks.  If you haven't read my earlier posts on several of the places mentioned above, just type in the search box the words Peru, Guatemala, etc and it'll take you to some of my earlier writings.  Until next time, happy adventures!



Mystery Film Rolls!!

Whilst digging around my house and cleaning....

I find 2 rolls of film undeveloped!! These are from the island of Taquille.....

        on Lake Titicaca in Peru while on our AM hike.....

           and eating breakfast........and it was a cool morning with delicious food!

    I'm not sure what these plants are....but they were pretty....

                                   We finally ended up in Cuzco at the end of it all... I love surprises!

Machu Picchu, the final Peru entry.

I thought I would end this series with the Machu Picchu entry because it really shows the zonal changes.  We took a 4 day hike up this incredible Incan trail and it was a real treat...and workout:)  Bring some cash with you if you do the hike and plan one year ahead as there is a limit on how many people can hike up this ancient Incan trail.

Day one. We started on the trail over a rushing river through Spanish Moss, cactus, and cooler temps.  It's a good way to start the trail as it isn't too crazy with the exception of your first "larger" hill:)  We ended up in the woods near the river with our tent and again it was cold.  I remember going to the bathroom in the middle of the night hearing guinea pigs squeaking from their pens. As you may or may not know, guinea pigs are a delicacy there:)

Day two.  This was the day from hell. We walked one ridge and the landscape changed into cold barren grassy areas that had monster hills.  I took my time climbing as the elevation was extremely difficult on me.  Several people needed oxygen and felt as if they were having mini heart attacks.....but don't worry, there was a guide there who supplies you with the O2 if you need it:) My little sister suffered one of those little attacks.  While you are climbing, the landscape surrounding you is just incredible and begging you to walk more.  So even though there were times I would be cursing under my breath; I didn't mind because there were new plants just ahead of me growing in some unusual spots.  The final blow on day two came from the MOTHER of all hills.  It was very large and very cold and very high.  This hill proves the most challenging aspect of the trail.  It also shows you something people rarely see in this world.....a drastic zone change that will blow your mind away. When I reached the top of this cool, windy, grassy hill, I celebrated looking back down on it all thinking the worst was done....but day 3 was still ahead of us. The difference would be the vegetation.  From the standpoint of this hill, you could see a major change in plant life.  One side was dry and yellow with trees and shrubs while the other was tropical, wet, and cloudy.  I had been exhausted, but seeing everything ahead of me...or down that steep hill, jump started my excitement again because I love all things tropical....and this cloud forest looked amazing.

Day 3

We climbed down this steep steep hill on the craggy stone path. We arrived into this emerald paradise with swirling mists of fog wrapping itself around us.  It was a great wall of divide separating two completely different ecosystems.  Sure, here we have Mt. Lemmon and you can see the woods just by driving from Tucson.....but this was literally like crossing a line and seeing...actually feeling the difference by a couple of footsteps. Incredible!!  We finally reached our destination on the bottom of the hill in a very tropical camp with bromeliads all around us.  It began to rain and it really was a great way to end the day.

Day 2 The dividing line

Day 3.  We ate breakfast and looked ahead and saw....another huge hill.  If any day is mind boggling, it would be day 3.  We would go from cloud forest, to a swamp like area, to a bamboo forest and back into a dryer rain forest....I know I mention forest here several times but there were several kinds of forest we passed through.  For me, this day went by too fast.....it really just took my breath away and I flew down the trail by myself snapping photo after photo of plants because I knew other people wouldn't be interested in my hobby.  My friends and family were talking about life and the pain and everything else that happens when you walk together for a long period of time.....I did that stuff as well, but I sometimes like the quiet.  I was looking for combinations of plants together  so when I got home, I could experiment. 

I almost like to think of Day 3 as four distinct walks. The first we were in a wet cloud forest.  The second part we went through a dry pondish area, and the third was on top of the mountain again in the wet cloud forest, but with bamboo all over.  The final part was going downhill into a rain forest that was not as wet:)  And throughout, there were ruins scattered amongst the forest....and you can only see them on the hike....if you take the train up to Machu Picchu, you'll miss out on these remarkable places.

Day 4,  The final day. Everyone by this time is worn out because day 2 and 3 are killers.  We got up early....I mean....early like before dawn at around 4'ish so that we could make our Machu Picchu destination.  That was probably my only disappointment because I didn't get to see all the vegetation in the dark.....but I did get to see enough.  It was a steep hike up on some very slick stone stairs that were extremely vertical and narrow.  When we reached the gates, I couldn't believe my eyes....the city in the sky sat right there before us....again recharging me to explore!!  Another 30 to 40 minute walk and we arrived to our final destination.

The city is incredible and worth the money to see.  The gardens on these sacred grounds are amazing.  I'm sorry but I have to make a reference here.....it felt like we were in Lord of the Rings....notice the pic with the single tree on the ground.  There were chinchilla droppings indicating that these nocturnal critters lived amongst these ruins.  There was a lot to see and do....we were also grateful to just sit on the ground and listen to our guide tell us the history about this great city.  We spent a day there all grubby and nasty, but it was awesome and worth the hike.  It was a way down for us to Agua Caliente....the tropical city of springs, but we made it.....it was a city stuck in the rain forest without any type of roads going in or out...it was completely surrounded by rain forest.  The only way to get in was by train.  We took that train back to Oyantambo by night and again, I wish I could have seen that drastic change between ecosystems because we went from a balmy warm site back into a cold and windy winter.  The microclimates of Peru will dazzle you and give you some insight into your gardening practices.  It also speaks to us about the importance of our homes and where you place a plant...whether it be the north side or east side or the sunny and hot western or southern sides.

Here in Tucson, most people love the northern and eastern exposures because you can grow your plants without the worries of the sun scorching the leaves.....but I find the southern and western side much more fun because you can grow a large variety of plants who are sunloving and tad more tropical feeling.....aka...the jacaranda.

Day 2

If you plan on Peru, make sure you give yourself enough time to see the country....there is a lot to do and you need to give yourself that time to take it all in. Happy adventures!

Our team!Day 3360 of M.P.

Llamas invade!!