Amazon Rainforest

We just came out of the Peruvian jungle (we made it!) and what a fantastic adventure. If thoughts of snakes and hidden spiders and foraging wild pigs comes to mind -- you've imagined it well. Add humidity, heat, and mud and your idea is better. Throw in swamp, mosquitos, cayman (crocodile things) and ants and you're almost perfect. But round it out with macaws, rainbows, monkeys, tropical flowers, parrots, weasels, and butterflies and you've got the photographic feast! Located in southwestern Peru, we travelled 3 hours up river from the nearest arrival town in a long wooden boat to find the Tambopata refuge. Our first night was glorious -- nestled in beds, covered by mosquito nets, in a thatched wood lodge with no walls, we experienced the most torrential downpour, thunder and lightning. These are the sights and sounds that one cannot convey. With all the water came special appearances of various creatures like the coral snake and a variety of frogs. The next day we tromped back to the boat in our wellington boots for a further 5 hours into the jungle. Our accomodations were slightly less luxurious there and suffice it to say that nothing dried past damp, everything grew damper and our camera suffered the worst of it. Although it doesn't work now, we trust that we caught many of the images and will be able to gather them from the memory card at a later date.
It really was remarkable how many things we saw. Our guides were essential in finding the camouflaged creatures. We learned to listen for birds in the canopy, the rustling of leaves, the grunting of the pecary pigs or the distant roar of red howler monkeys. We learned to respect the small things -- bullet ants, so named because of how it feels when they bite, or the white scorpian, whose sting Mary felt firsthand! We trudged through thick mud swamps and swung from vines (OK, we didn't really, but it was fun to imagine).
The river is brown and houses sting rays, pirahanas and the lurking cayman crocodiles. During a fun "fishing" expedition, we arrived at a tributary by boat when the guides said "Okay, we have to get out and cross over there". Get out of the boat? You mean, get in the water? Yep. Chase told me later that one of the guides told him there were mini pirahana fish that swim into your swim trunks and... , so he wasn't thinking about his feet at that point. Some of us didn't have water sandals on, so we had to go barefoot. There were so many rocks on the bottom that it was quite painful. We split up the sandals we had, so everyone had at least one. But I got to a point when we walked over a stretch of land, and I said, "You all go ahead, I'll wait here." So they continued and I enjoyed the rushing creek as the sun was setting. Then I looked closely at a "rock" and realized that it was the peering eyes of a cayman. I got this on the camera!! It wasn't too close, but I stood up and grabbed a little rock just to be safe. Then I looked up river at the group. They had just crossed the creek where this guy was lurking! They say that some of the locals swim in the river, but never would at night, because of the cayman. It was really getting late, so I waved my arms for them to come back. Miguel came first with Jane. He had a machete, so I decided he would be the one to know about the cayman. He grinned when I showed him my photo of the beast. Most of the group caught up to us and I thought it was best if they knew nothing. Miguel tossed a few large stones into the river before we all held hands and began to cross. My heart was racing and I think I was pulling a little frantically, but I tried to to simply encourage everyone to step lively. One guide and a friend of ours were a bit further behind. They decided to save their aching arches and swam across the shallow stretch. I'm glad I didn't have to apologize for not warning them. We all made it safely back to the boat and a sliver moon was low in the sky.
Wonderful to be in Lima for one night -- dry air and a laundrymat. We miss the crickets, but we won't forget.

Photos from Cusco and Machu Picchu

My ladies in el mercado

Plaza de Armas, Cusco

Ollantaytambo (see if you can find the bearded man's face between Chase & Jane)

We're not in Kansas Anymore

Cusco, Peru -- a montage of incredible visual pleasures in a city! Spanish tiles roofs, marketstalls in every block, and fantastic native women with dark, wrinkled skin, full skirts, thick alpaca stockings, cardigan sweaters, white top hats and long black braids. Another destination where I almost need to put the camera away and enjoy the sights instead of trying unsuccessfully to capture them. As you may know, Cusco is situated at over 11,000 feet elevation, so arriving from sea level can be quite difficult on people. We advised the kids to drink lots of water and our first evening was spent resting at the hotel. Jane, Chase & Mary have a room with three single beds in a row and they described watching television with a 3-way trip to the john at each commercial break.

First day out was markets and museums. We still have much to learn about the Inca history, but on first glance we remain incredulous at the architectural intelligence which is much intact today. The walls and stones almost don't appear old becuase of their perfect state and cut after 1000 years. Then Jane and I split off for some shopping fun. We were deep in the main covered marketplace, which is a combination Peruvian food court, butcher shop, and clothing extravaganza when an overwhelming smell of bad meat overcame us. We decided to head in another direction, but in our attempt to exit quickly we were caught in a nightmare of chicken feet, pig's heads, flies, ribs, blood, flies and finally, just about to reach the main aisle, a cart filled with whole decapitated pig bodies. Hear the shower sound effects from "Psycho" with those images and you'll share our experience.

Day 2 we hired a tour & van to experience the Sacred Valley en route to Machu Picchu. To know the details of the Inca civilization is only to begin to understand their hugely advanced methods of arquitecture, engineering, agriculture, seismology, artistry, conservation, and astrology. We see the massive stones, we ponder the maneuvering of ONE and we are astounded. To build an entire temple, incredible, and to erect an entire city ... astounding. You truly do have to see it to believe it and still it is jaw-dropping.

Day 3 . . . Machu Picchu. I'm not going to attempt to describe it. We took an obscene number of photos, but all agree that you wouldn't feel the awesome energy and beauty by looking at our photo album. It was definitely one of the best days of our trip and we understand why it is one of the Seven Wonders of the world. There was actually a moment (or two) when I was overcome with gratitude for God´s creation. Not only the surrounding lush, green mountains, but the ever changing sky and fog, the animals, the flowers and the birds had us filled to the brim, no, overflowing.

We can't access our photos on the laptop and we are heading into the Peruvian jungle tomorrow morning, so we won`t be able to blog for another week. Please check back!!

Spring Vacation

Easter in autumn . . . can you imagine? Just like Christmas in summer, we have decided that those would be hard pills to swallow living in the Southern Hemisphere. I found myself thinking about all the different ways that Easter was being celebrated elsewhere – brunch with friends and relatives, Holy Week (Semana Santa) processions in Spain, Hawaiian vacations, “The Life of Christ” drama at Oak Park, a Polish Catholic service inside a crowded onion-domed church in Sczeczin, a Passover meal, or a Cathedral mass in Berlin. But we had a glorious weekend camping on the beach with three other families. They all know each other from their English-speaking church in Santiago and what an international crowd we had. One family from Australia, one from Canada (although the dad is Chilean) and the Reifenbergs from the States. I have always had an ill-founded aversion to English-speaking people when I’m attempting to immerse myself in a Latin culture, but the truth is we are often extremely blessed by these travelers. Yesterday, we were atop a hill that houses a museum, café, lookout, etc. in Santiago. A gentleman passing us saw Chase and said “That one’s got some Irish in him!” We then spoke to him for a few minutes and left fuller for it. Mary was slightly confused, as he seemed kind, but she wondered why he commented on Charlie being such a “fet man”. Charlie isn’t fat at all, but she understood when we realized the Irishman meant he was a very FIT man.

Camping held all the right elements – beautiful weather, shower facilities, and conversational walks, hikes and campfires. Steve led a stretching/yoga session for the whole gang one morning on the beach. Wonderful to work out the lumpy-ground-sleep while looking out at the ocean. And we played a few innings of whiffle baseball, which gave the Australian girls a proper sports education! These are our last days in Santiago as we head to Peru on Friday morning. We’ve had a great stay and even enjoyed the frequent bus & metro transportation. It’s empowering to figure out a city’s system and the kids are excellent at it. The crowds are often part of the experience, but even that has taught us that if you’re going to have company you must be willing to scoot over and accommodate other people (and the baggage they bring). Good life lesson, don’t you think? The bus drivers are unique in their talent to speed up quickly and screech to a halt at the next stop. This makes for a very entertaining workout, clinging to a pole or swinging from a ceiling strap. Yesterday, we came to our stop on a crowded bus and the kids were closer to the back door, so they hopped off. But Charlie and I got stuck behind people in the aisle and reached the steps slightly late. I would give anything to have seen it from the outside. Jane said she turned around and saw Charlie’s leg sticking out of the doors as the bus began to pull away. Lots of shouting and lurching and we calmly disembarked.

As the Chinese proverb says “Blessed are they that laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be entertained.”

Week 3 in Santiago

On an uneventful day Charlie and I usually get up about 7:30am and have a couple hours before we wake the kids. Two days ago I was reading on our bed and I felt the familiar yet slightly altered sensation of an earthquake. Different, due to the fact that I was 16 stories high so it was more of a sway that a rumble. Life in an apartment has shown us all kinds of idiosyncratic amusements. Call me sick, but I do enjoy a good session of balcony-watching-the-neighbors’-lives-through-windows. Jimmy Stewart had nothing on me -- okay, yes he did. I'm not using a zoom lens to get details. And there don’t seem to be any bugs here, so we delightedly have the windows wide open all day & night. That brings the sounds of sirens or raucous reaction to the soccer matches and smells of other kitchenettes or cigarette smoke from below us. That is to say nothing of all we’ve gained from elevator rides and doormen . . . apartment living has been a big part of our world abroad!
Jane and I are thrilled to be able to shop for our own ingredients and cook healthy meals. She has accused me in the past of not teaching her how to do laundry or cook before she leaves for college, so look what a year stuck with Mom can bring! We've found that Argentine or Chilean women don't have large recipe boxes. They learn how to make the typical foods, such as empanadas or tomato salad, and that is what they cook...forever. A trip to the grocery store takes longer than usual because we need to figure out what things are in translation. It’s never exactly like Trader Joe’s or Safeway, but we have fun finding close seconds. The farmer’s market on Wednesdays and Saturdays don’t even set up their stalls until 9:30am, so it works perfectly for the Latin sleep-in-eat-later routine. We always have to gauge every shopping trip with the amount that we can carry home. The supermarket is only a block away, but a couple bottles of water and a melon and your arms are falling off.
We had a short week at the school due to Good Friday, but we also did a little painting work at another of VE Global’s institutions, which is a “baby house” or Casa de Guagua (pronounced wa-wa :). Upon arrival we were introduced to several of the ladies who work there and it took some time to get through all the kissing-the-cheek-hellos before we got down to business. Can you indulge us when we get back and do the same? It’s such a nice custom. Nobody in Argentina or Chile would ever walk in to an office and wave hello to the gang – no, everyday they greet each person with a kiss on the cheek as if they’ve never met them before. And they do the same upon leaving! I like it. But again, it takes time…
Well, Mary won March Madness. She was thrilled with the 10,000 peso pot. The zeros just make you feel rich. We don’t have to remember that it only means $17.

Santiago's Children (Charlie)

Can you say “fut-bol” ?!? The excitement is quite palpable here and continues to build, as national soccer teams globally enter the final stages of their qualifier matches for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Chile currently holds 3rd place in the South America division standings and only the top four teams will advance to next year’s big event. The national soccer stadium is less than a mile from our apartment and the roar of the crowd (as well as from our neighbors in nearby apartment buildings) can be easily heard with our windows open. With all the rich history of soccer success in Brazil and Argentina, it would be welcome news indeed to give Chile a taste from the cup.

But even without the soccer triumphs, this country scores higher than their peers in several categories. The economic growth story in Chile continues to impress – sure, this year will probably be a downer like everywhere else, but at least its severity will be tempered by support from the government’s Copper and Social Stabilization Funds. The planning and foresight in investment and infrastructure in Chile has been exemplary (private pension funds, decent health care, world class metro transportation, etc) and should keep this country in the lead for years to come.

Yesterday I had the good fortune of meeting Steve Reifenberg, who is the Director of the Regional Office of Harvard University’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. In addition to managing Harvard’s study abroad and work internship programs in Chile and neighboring countries, Steve is very involved in many of the community organizations (schools, orphanages, after-school centers, etc) which strive to bring hope and opportunity to the city’s underprivileged and at-risk youth. Steve’s altruistic relationship with Chile began in the early 1980’s working at a small orphanage in one of Santiago’s poorer neighborhoods (“poblaciones”). His story is an interesting one, especially given the timing which coincided with a severe economic crisis and the consequent political uprising against Pinochet’s military dictatorship in Chile. I’m currently reading and very much enjoying Steve’s captivating book, Santiago’s Children, which he published just last year.