http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/TexasPhil/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from TexasPhil en-us Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:39:24 +0000 Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:39:24 +0000 Im not going to write a lot tonight. I returned a little awhile ago from Machu Picchu after ten hours of exploring the site and my legs are exhausted.I left about 630 in the morning and caught a bus up the mountain to the entrance. I heard some folks talk about climbing the moutain Wayna Picchu for the beautiful views high above MP. Like an idiot I said why not I guess it is one of those thin http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Machu-Picchu/blog-412021.html Itrsquos Tuesday night and Irsquom in Aguas Calientes the tiny pueblo which serves as the base for Machu Picchu activities. Pretty much everything here revolves around the ruins. And it really is tiny. Irsquove walked from one end to the other several times.Because Inti Raymi and tomorrowrsquos strike has pretty much isolated the village it is very dead today. I think there are only a ha http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Aguas-Calientes/blog-411688.html The last couple of days have seen some interesting ups and downs which I suppose will make the trip more interesting when I look back on my time in Cusco.Fortunately my cold has just about subsided and the pain in my calf has also become bearable something Irsquom a little surprised about considering how much walking Irsquove done up and down Cuscorsquos really steep hills.Irsquove dea http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/Cusco/blog-411331.html This is going to be a short day timewise. Itrsquos 630 in the evening and I hope to be asleep within an hour. Unfortunately this cold is really beating me down. The congestion really makes it hard to breathe when yoursquore at 11000 ftI didnrsquot get much sleep last night that sure didnrsquot help my cold because I left for the airport at about 315 in the morning. The flight was http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/Cusco/blog-410601.html I'm back in the airport. It's 422 and I've been up for about two hours now. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep but in about three hours I'll be in the Inca capital of Cusco. I have been extremely lazt the last couple of days and last night discovered why. I've come down with a pretty nasty little cold sore throat congestion and some sneezy and feeling really tired.I'm a little better a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Lima/Lima/Lima/blog-410411.html Irsquom back in Lima. Actually itrsquos Miraflores an upscale suburb of Lima that is very popular with tourists very safe and is very much like any U.S. city. I got to the hotel about noon and immediately went to KFC for lunch. I know thatrsquos sad but I had to have some American food for a change.I'm pretty spoiled after having internet access last week. My hotel here Hotel las Palmas http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Lima/Lima/Miraflores/blog-409982.html Just have time for some quick notes about yesterdayrsquos excursions. I had a great time visiting the local villages especially Segundorsquos home on the other side of the river. I felt like the Pied Pier of Hamlin. Once they got over their intial shyness kids in both villages followed me around and had a great time seeing themselves on videotape. I spent several hours playing with them.Tod http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/Amazon-Rainforest/blog-408735.html Itrsquos early Sunday morning in the rainforest. Itrsquos about 650 in the morning as I write and it looks like a beautiful day ahead. The last two have been pretty overcast and a little wet but that has also kept us cloaked in unseasonably cool temperatures. Sleeping has been easy the last 2 nights. Irsquom curious to see what today will bring though I can take a little discomfort for an http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/Amazon-Rainforest/blog-408414.html Day 2 in the jungle is coming to a close and I hope to write a little more than yesterday.After a great nightrsquos sleep in unseasonably cool weather and a decent breakfast I headed down river to do some piranha fishing off the Rio Napo. We found a quiet little spot in the middle of a grassy area growing to the side of the river. Fishing for piranha is pretty simple put some cut meat on a ho http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/Amazon-Rainforest/blog-408273.html Well this rainforest adventure has begun and Irsquom making this latest report from 50 miles downriver from Iquitos about a mile back in the jungle from the Amazon River.I got up early after finally sleeping five hours following 43 hours without a wink of sleep. Explorama arrived about 15 minutes early unheard of in Peru and it turned out that my guide is Segundo the same man that I was wi http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/Amazon-Rainforest/blog-407863.html My first day in the Amazon is coming to an end. As with all trips it wasnrsquot without itrsquos challenges but for the most part this was a very interesting day.The plane ride was uneventful cloudy weather made an early morning view of the jungle almost impossible and only a short glimpse of the Amazon was possible just before landing. After arriving in Iquitos a few minutes early I was http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Loreto/Iquitos/blog-407760.html Itrsquos almost midnight and Irsquove made it to South America. Irsquom sitting in a Starbuckrsquos in the Lima airport killing time only four hours left of my sixhour layover on the internet filling up with caffeine.The flight from Miami was nice. The food in first class was excellent far too much for me to eat it all and the trip through immigration customs and the LAN counter http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Lima/Lima/Lima/blog-407412.html Irsquom in the Miami airport following the first leg of my 24hour journey to the Amazon. The shuttle picked me up a little before 6 am and dropped me off at the DFW terminal nearly three hours before my flight Fortunately I was able to stop off at the American Airlines Admiralrsquos Club to kill time and catch up on a few things before catching the flight to Miami.Now I am in Florida awaitin http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Florida/Miami/blog-407285.html It's Monday night and the stress of getting ready to leave for South America is growing. My list of things to do is pretty lengthy but at least I'm making progress. Still I only have tomorrow to do a ton of stuff some of it is pretty important. My itinerary is pretty well locked in now. About a 710 days in Iquitos including four down river in the jungle and 57 days in Cusco with a couple http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Texas/Fort-Worth/blog-406715.html About 5 days to go until I head off to South America. My travel plans are starting to come together at least for the first half of the trip. I'll leave Wednesday morning and fly to Miami where I have a four hour layover and before catching a flight to Lima. After arriving at 945 pm going through immigration baggage and customs should be done in about an hour. From there I'll head over to th http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Texas/Fort-Worth/blog-405394.html