¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

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Lima, Peru; 2.1.09

Happy new year!

We have arrived in Lima after spending New Year´s Eve in the Amazon Basin at an excellent lodge. This certainly was not a party place to bring in the new year, however it was a great chance to explore the jungle on foot and by boat. The area is rich with birds, especially macaws. We climbed to an observation tower to observe these large brightly-coloured birds from afar. On New Year´s eve we woke at 4am to go out on a lake in search of giant river otters...seems they were sleeping in, as we didn´t see any, however we did get to go fishing for piranhas. While we didn´t catch any, the group caught a few and it was amazing to see just how sharp their teeth are. Needless to say, no-one was considering skinnydipping here!

In the afternoon we visited a practitioner of local medicine, and sampled some of his medicines. Unfortunately the local cold remedy hasn´t worked and it still plagues Cara. It was amazing to see how local plants could be used to treat all sorts of conditions - there was even a very effective anaesthetic that on chewing made our mouths numb.

We relaxed in the evening then prepared to party. While there were less than 100 people staying at the lodge, the bar was well stocked and there was a good atmosphere. After such an early start this was never going to be a massive night, and we were in bed by 1am.

On New Year´s Day we had an early morning flight to Lima via Cusco, so it was another early start. We arrived in Lima in the afternoon, and explored the city on foot. The tour finished at this point, so the group went to the waterfront (Larcomar) for a final dinner. Today we are off to the Incan museum (Museo Larco) and then fly to Rio in the evening.

We hope you all had an enjoyable NYE and wish you all the best for 2009. ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

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