2lorelei

For the tie-up entry... I began writing this one week out, and didn't finish it. Part of this entry is from that week, then, and the final part is thoughts now. ------------------------- One week out... Transition's been pretty easy so far, actually, and maybe will stay that way, who knows.... But here are some thoughts, observations, etc.! -I keep almost throwing toilet paper into the trash can rather than into the toilet. Still. -Eating Chinese food the other day, I wanted far more rice and far less meat/veggie... maybe this is a carryover, maybe not... -Juice here is just not the same. However, milk is FAR better. -The pace of life is already faster and there already are too many things to think about and a lot of clutter that fills the mind. Wish Peru and ... read more

I am so sorry it's been such a long time since I updated! In my defense, I tried to write an entry once, but the Huyro internet (slow and unreliable at best) kicked me off and deleted it, and last weekend I was in a place without internet, but still, sorry! I'll try my best (with the assistance of my journal) to update you all a bit... The festival on Friday was fun... lots of music and parades and street food; the icing on the cake was when we were all walking back to Establo and passed a marching band, who all started whistling at us, a group of girls, in good fun... and as we were past them, a tuba made a falling noise, from high to low. Hilarious. I went to Cusco with a ... read more

Yep, tried it. SO good, actually. Backing up, though... Staying in Cusco was great fun, and it was nice to be able to explore the city just a bit before jumping into the Inca Project. On Monday (was it only Monday??) we were picked up in a taxi with Ernesto and taken to a combi (large van) for the trip to Huyro. By the way, everyone here knows where Huyro is, even though it´s not on a single map I´ve seen. Strange. The combi ride was about 4.5 hours, which was insane, but I didn´t really notice as it was the most beautiful scenery I´ve ever seen (CO times 5, although CO still has a soft spot for me, definitely)... through Urubamba, Ollantaytambo (which is where I am at the moment), and up through a mountain ... read more

The French girls, who jump at anything that move, had been screaming to Isabel that there was a mouse in their room... or a rat.... and it developed to become a pacarana (huge rodents that we had at the center, which escaped last week. Happens periodically... they´re crafty). Shouting "¡La pacarana es aquí!" has become commonplace. Or rather, had... the French girls, myself, and the other Laura (along with a girl who was here only for a week) are all now finished at Taricaya. It was an absolutely packed week... actually felt like several, to be honest. Lots of Americans arrived on Sunday for 2-week specials (one college student, some high schoolers)... it was packed. I spent most of my time hanging out with Isabel, Daniel, Raul, and a new temporary staff member (ornithologist) named Mauricio, ... read more

Looking forward this afternoon to the first warm shower I´ll have had since June 6 (first hot shower, not shower in general)... there´s a big group at the hotel this weekend and one room is bound to have one. :) Let´s see... backtracking to last weekend: had quite a good time at Amazon Shelter, which was about a 25 minute drive from Puerto Maldonado (it was pretty strange to be riding in a car again); it´s brand-new, the lodges were excellent, and I slept really well, plus the food was a nice change (hot dogs, hot fresh buns, lemonade, chips). Only downside was that the animal enclosures (the site is also an animal release center) were a bit smaller than ours... seemed that their money went more into the tourist and staff accomodations than the animal, ... read more