peru

so i´m not going to write with capitals because on these spanish keyboards it´s a pain, and i´m lazy unlike meaghan. so we got to cuzco after a long night in the lima airport. we decided to sleep in the airport to save a few bucks and it was pretty safe and nice. we were one of the many tourists who wanted to save some money, but it came at the cost of exhaustion. the minute the fight landed a guy across form us turned purple from the altitude. remember, cuzco is at about 11,000 feet. we ventured around and took advantage of how cheap everyhting is here. we have gotten amazing meals for the both of us for 30 soles (10 dollars). the people are very nice, and the scenery is amazing. we hope to have pictures up once we find someone witj a cable for us to upload them. tomorrow we head out on our hike, but we weren´t sure of it would happen.....because there was a major strike today. we knew about it because a kid we met at our hostal was leaving for his hike last night instead of this morning. when we got up, we decided to walk to the plaza a different way to check out the univeristy. we needed to cross a street with men dragging flaming tires and people chanting. it was a bit scary, and then a taxi drove by and people started hurling rocks at it. all taxis, busses, trains and stores were suposed to be closed for the day. that´s when we decided to turn around and avoid playing frogger to cross. we made our way to the plaza where tons of people marched in circles chanting and blowing whistles. we felt much more safe because there were a lot of cops and many other tourists watching the free entertainment. nobody really knew what the strike was about, and within 10 hours, the streets were full of taxis. in the end, it didnt seem like that big of a deal because a stike happened just last week as well. it´s pretty cool to see people walking through the streets with llamas and children tied to their backs with colorful blankets. there´s a lot of culture here, and we got to watch the soccer game, which is a big event anywhere except the u.s. we tried going to the highest irish pub in the world, but it was way too packed. but just for future reference, if you want to grab a guinness at 11,000 feet, go to flaherty´s in cuzco. we can´t wait for this hike and there will be a post once we return. enjoy

Hotel Red Booby

After getting off the boat it was nice to have another day on the Galapagos before jumping on another plane again. We stayed at the Hotel Red Booby, and it was wonderful. We went swimming on the rooftop pool, and I finally took a shower and changed my clothes! Dad also kept himself busy by doing laundry. It was especially exciting because all of the clothes had to be line dried. That gave Dad plenty of opportunities to check the clothes, adjust the clothes pins, move some into the room, and rotate them to get the best breeze. It was quite a system, but he was happy as a clam.

As for the cruise, let me give you a little more information, now that I don´t have a time limit. The weather was absolutely incredible. The sunshine was blaring and it was in the 80s everyday. The water was refreshing, but not too cold. Part of the reason the islands have such a wide variety of animals and vegetation is because of the three different currents that converge at the islands. While the water was beautiful, it is now fall on the Galapagos, and occasionally we would have a freezing cold pocket of water hit us unexpectedly.

The snorkeling we did was beautiful. I had no idea what to expect. The last time I had attempted to snorkel was in Disney World with my Dad when he wanted me to swim across some shark infested pool. I gave it a try, deciding that if it was run by Disney, it couldn´t be that dangerous... but I freaked out. I had to get out of the pool, go backwards through the line, and leave my dad to fend off the sharks alone. This snorkeling was a little different. The water was crystal clear. The moment we got into the water we were surrounded by sea lions. The baby sea lions wanted to constantly play with us. They would swim at us really fast, and then dart away, only centimeters from our faces. When we took our longer snorkeling adventures, they would follow us the entire time, playing and flipping through the water. We swam with a few sea turtles, lots of rays, and a few sharks (none of which I saw, thankfully)!

Our land adventures were just as interesting. Every day we would disembark on a different island to hike and look at the wildlife. We saw blue footed boobies dancing. We saw albatross nesting. The sea lions were everywhere. There were land and marine iguanas, lizards, sea turtles, flamingos, and more sea birds than I could possibly name.

Every day was a new adventure, and it was really exciting. But, by the end of 5 days, I was done. There were people on our cruise that did an entire 8 days... but that was not necessary at all. We saw all of the animals we wanted to see, never repeated a meal, and didn´t go stir crazy. 5 days was perfect.

Back on land, but still rocking.

We arrived back on land this morning, but we all still feel like we are on the boat. We spent the last 5 days on a 63 foot sailboat, often running into walls, stubbing our toes, or falling over in the shower. The trip was amazing. Every single animal that is in a Galapagos guide book is now on our memory cards and in our memories. We saw blue footed boobies dancing, swam with sea lions and were surrounded by land and marine iguanas.

In about 15 minutes I am going to meet the woman with our cruise company who will have my luggage!! I bought a bathing suit before we left for the cruise, but it already has 2 holes in it. Now I can finally return Dad and Garvey´s clothes and shoes, and change into something of my own.

Tomorrow morning we fly out of Baltra and back to the mainland. Dad will be headed home to Albany while Garvey and I head to Lima. We will spend a few days getting acclimated to the elevation before leaving for our hike of the Inca Trail.

Hopefully I will be able to post again soon, but our time limit is counting down, and Garvey is getting antsy for his 15 minutes of internet!

Oh, and Garvey´s Chaco tan line is awesome.

Ecuador, sweatcador

We made it to Ecuador! Thanks to John and Jane we all made it to our flights at the appropriate airports and everything went off without a hitch. Garvey and I met Dad and Jorge in Quito last night at the airport. Jorge and his adorable VW van were ready to take us to the hotel, but we had a minor issue- my bag was missing. After many minutes of spanglish conversation and Spanglish paperwork I accepted the fact that I would not have my bag for at least 2 days. It sure is a good thing I liked monday's outfit because I'm still in it!

Our hotel last night was a beautiful little place with an open courtyard and a view of the city that made Garvey want to "Aladdin- style roof jump." All of the walls were painted with beautiful bright colors and Garvey slept in his own loft for 2.

This morning we came to the Galapagos where it is boiling hot but incredibly beautiful. I sit here blogging in yesterday's clothes and my dad's shirt watching the boys swimming in the pool. On the pool deck, sipping my drink, I am surrounded by a napping sea lion, a humongous pelican with one wing, a blue footed booby, and some of the largest iguanas I have ever seen.

Hopefully the next time I blog I will have clean clothes and my chacos to work on my tan lines!

it's all happening.

Tomorrow is the big day... well, sort of. We leave home tomorrow, and we leave the states on Monday. I am freaking out. I think I have everything I need, but I can't help worrying that I will forget something. But don't worry, Garvey is calm.

As for the blog, I will do my best to update it as frequently as possible. Who knows what the computer situation will be like at the $4 a night hostels, but I will keep you posted! Until then, enjoy your summer, and check your mailbox for a postcard!
-meaghan