Something I had trouble dealing with was packing, and I really appreciated reading other people's packing lists. So, I thought I'd try and share the same information. **Things I was glad I brought: 1. Packing cubes! http://www.ebags.com/ebags/packing_cubes_3pc_set/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=13032 These were awesome for keeping these organized and compact, definitely worth the money when you're backpacking. 2. I didn't buy this, my brother kindly gave it to me, but the Gorilla Pod! http://www.amazon.com/Joby-GP1-A1EN-Gorillapod-Flexible-Tripod/dp/B000EVSLRO/ref=pd_bbs_ [View Full Entry]

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Lima- http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275127136/a=36165041_36165041/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink Jungle - http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275125817/a=36165041_36165041/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink Cusco- http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=275123573/a=36165041_36165041/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink There are the three albums on Snapfish. It took FOREVER to load them since we took them on large/high quality settings, so I chose the most interesting and best. There were over 1300 in total, so feel lucky :) Hope you enjoy!! Steff & Tyler [View Full Entry]

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On our last day in Peru, we took a morning trip out to the Palomino Islands. It was similar wildlife to the Ballestas Islands, but we got to jump in the water and swim with the sea lions! It was very cold and salty, but the sea lions came right up near us for probably twenty minutes and flipped and splashed us. It was really exciting to get that close and see them so well, and well worth the extra trip. We also saw more penguins, pelicans, and Peruvian boobies. I really enjoyed seeing the Paracas region and climate, but [View Full Entry]

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This morning we went to see some of the ruins outside of Lima. They were very expansive and represented four different cultures that had inhabited and built on their own temples, with the Incas being the last. The different styles of building and brick were neat to see, as well as the excavation process. One of them, the Women temple, was renovated to what it would have been like. Very nice tour, especially because our van had air conditioning from site to site haha. We then visited the local mall for a prearranged lunch and ocean view, and saw people paragliding [View Full Entry]

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We´re back from our two day jaunt! We had a busy time traveling to Paracas, Peru where the Ballestas Islands are nearby. Our hotel was nice and had a cute terrace to look at the beach for our anniversary. The bus we rode on was really nice as well, and we were in the VIP seats apparently. Very comfy chairs. The next morning we left for the boat tour to the islands, and got to see our very first glyph! The giant candelabra. There were several theories as to its existence, and apparently the wind is making it slowly disappear [View Full Entry]

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Here we are! Here is the skyline of the city at night- http://www.theperuguide.com/grafica/mira-park2.gif Yesterday in Puerto Maldonado was marginally better. We attempted to go to a guidebook recommended Butterfly House only to be told that it wasn´t open, and that if we were tourists it was $25 US dollars. A piece!! Yikes. So we walked down to Serpentario, which was a neat display of local snakes and amphibians. They also had a blind ocelot which is like a little jaguar. Ocelot- http://www.redwoodwd.net/one/yvonne/images/ocelot.jpg It was neat to see a lot of different snakes and [View Full Entry]

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And we´re done with the jungle blog. In case you´re wondering why we have that much time on vacation, it´s because there is nothing to do here in Puerto Maldonado. We booked the flights before the jungle trip, and are left here with two night and a full day tomorrow to fill. Fortunately our hotel is nice and has free internet, so we can waste time doing all of this! We rode from the airport in one of these- http://picasaweb.google.com/mcgringo2007/PuertoMaldonadoTambopata#5143507812802035954 Which was very noisy, slow, and uncomfortable! It rained heavily and we ventured out for [View Full Entry]

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1/8 We got up early this morning to try and see the famous clay lick that the TRC is known for. It then began pouring rain. After getting up at 345 to see them, we watched the clay until the boat came back instead of the birds. That was the only rain we suffered, for which we´re really lucky during rainy season! On the walk to the clay lick, we saw a tarantula which we later visted twice more. Very scary looking. We also scared and smelled an armadillo, without actually seeing it. Tarantula- http://www.enjoyperu.com/multimediagallery/photos/img/puerto-maldonado/tarantula.jpg Clay [View Full Entry]

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We´re back! Our jungle trip was very exciting, starting on the 6th of January. We´re now in Puerto Maldonado in the pouring rain, so we have plenty of time to give a long account of it day by day haha. We booked our trip through Mondove.com and Rainforest Expeditions planned all of it. After speaking with a guide, we learned that they form partnerships with area communities to staff and run the lodge. Profits are split between the community and the company for twenty years when the community takes it over. Everyone spoke great English and had a ton of [View Full Entry]

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We made it up here after all last night, and go to see Machu Picchu this morning. Yesterday we got up at 4 to race to the train station and figure out our tickets. After several miscommunications the day before, turns out we were in the clear the whole time with our reserved tickets. If anyone reading this goes to Machu Picchu, I highly recommend buying tickets beforehand on Perurail.com. We took the very scenic 4 hour ride from Cusco to Aguas Calientes and hunted down a hostel to stay the night. With a few new Spanish words, we found [View Full Entry]

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