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Viva los Peruvanos

a travel blog by christyle612

My name is Christy, I will be spending my summer in Peru! With the help of Nexos Voluntarios, my trip begins in Lima for a week then to Cuzco. I am working with an organization called Peru Verde for seven weeks and then traveling for two. My flight leaves the Minneapolis airport at 11:00 am June 11th and if all goes as planed after a layover in Toronto I will arrive in Lima at 12:05 PM the next day. If I would have started packing before today I would have been freaken' out looking at a full backpack… so if I want to have a toothbrush and camera along for the ride I better get back at it.
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Left Minneapolis 11:00 am

Minneapolis, United States

Left Minneapolis Airport at 11:00 am

permalink written by  christyle612 on June 11, 2008 from Minneapolis, United States
from the travel blog: Viva los Peruvanos
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Toronto

Toronto, Canada

Changed planes in Toronto: Air Canada

permalink written by  christyle612 on June 11, 2008 from Toronto, Canada
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Lima

Lima, Peru

Arrived in Lima at 12:30 am

permalink written by  christyle612 on June 12, 2008 from Lima, Peru
from the travel blog: Viva los Peruvanos
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Urubamba Update

Urubamba, Peru

Hola !! I am in Urubamba at a internet place. I found out that there is mail service once a week. A little update from the last few days, I feel like a have been here more than a week even though it has only been four or five days. I almost missed my flight to Cuzco; haha, a little mixup with the ticket ( no one gave me one), I am so lucky, the cab driver and his wife totally saved me. My flight was at 9:25 and we got to the airport at like 8:30; he grabbed my bag and cut in fount of everyone in line. The first airport worker we talked to was not cool to us and from what I could understand she said the flight I was on did not exist and I should go to the end of the line. So he talked to another woman who let me go ahead:) That is something I am learning very quickly here; if you don't like the first answer to your question, just ask someone else and you will get a totally different response that you might like more. I have another example, but first the end to the airport story: So I get my ticket from the check in and the three of us are RUNNING through the Lima airport- he had my big backpack. It is funny to look back on it. At that point I felt like I needed a picture of these people, so when we got to the security point that they could not go any farther I grabbed my camera and took a quick pic (So you can see them). I am sure they thought I was crazy: about to miss my flight thinking the most important thing to do was to take a picture! I am my mother’s child:) I was so happy to sit at the gate and the flight was about 30 minutess late so I was fine. But I wasn’t sure I would make it for a while. A woman named Conny picked me up from the airport. We drove to the Peru Verde office in Cuzco.
Here is what I gathered from our conversation in Spanish. I am leaving for the jungle Wednesday morning with a group of tourists and it will take two days to get to where we are going. From there I am really not sure what I am doing but I know I am working with Macaws.

For the last two days, I have been traveling and going to ruins. Good times. On Saturday I went to Ollantaytambo with another girl working with Nexos and her sister who is traveling in South America. The girl who is working with Nexos is only 15 years old! We had a good time, both were really cool people.
http://www.ollantaytambo.org/en/


Ollantaytambo- Inca Ruins

Yesterday I went to Pisac in the morning (solo), it took about an hour on the bus, and spent the whole day there. On Sunday there is a big market.


Pisac Market
http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/gallery/photos_pisac_market_cusco_peru.html
I walked around the market and then some guys asked my if I wanted to check out a new bar with them, I did, so we hung out for a little bit then I left to go to the ruins. I drove up the hill, for five soles which is like $1.75, with a mom and her adult son from Italy. He had been living in South America for three months making circuses for children in small villages in the jungle for free and playing electronic music, or at least that is what I understood from our conversation in Spanish, English and Italian. His mom only spoke Italian. I was with them most of the time on the ruins. He had been there before and knew how to walk down, so we did. I caught a bus back to Urubamba and slept soundly. I had a Spanish lesson and lunch today.

Everything is going great. I am in good hands with Nexos and Peru Verde and I am over the initial shock of being here. My Spanish is getting better. Send my love to everyone. Christy:)

PS: ZOO ( that is what I am calling the monkey) went to Pisac with my yesterday. She had a great time so I guess I was not really alone:)

The people are so resourceful. Yesterday I saw a man and his son on a bike and the man was on a regular bike seat and there was another one attacked in-between him and the handle bars for the son. What I great idea, no need for a whole child's seat!


permalink written by  christyle612 on June 16, 2008 from Urubamba, Peru
from the travel blog: Viva los Peruvanos
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Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge (CORL)

Manu, Peru

I am at Cock of the Rock. I met the other volunteer, Angie, she is working on a reforestation project. I will be helping her out for 10 days. But in reality there is not that much work to do here on the project and the person in charge is not here. We planted 41 plants in little containers that make the food that the Cock of the Rocks eat today. It is beautiful here. I saw the Andean Cloud Forest yesterday. I have my own little room (maybe for the whole time I am here or I might have to stay with Angie for a few nights). The rooms we are in are nice, two beds with mosquito netting! There is no electricity so everything is lit by candle, the computer works from solar power, just like the lights in front of the house. Things are good. I am glad I have a fellow Nexos person with me. I went for a little hike this morning. The river is right by us. The bus ride yesterday was nice; I saw a lot, but it was kind of long.

Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge

Road to CORL

Bedroom from Website

permalink written by  christyle612 on June 20, 2008 from Manu, Peru
from the travel blog: Viva los Peruvanos
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Cloud Forest

Manu, Peru

The weather is cloudy; we are in the cloud forest. I am using a computer that belongs to the director in her office. I slept well. The bugs are not too bad here, but the mosquito nets are cool anyway and they made me feel safe.

Angie is really nice we are having a good time with each other and it is nice to have company. We took a walk this morning and used a cart to get across a river. It was cool. The monkeys are out for breakfast every morning. Yesterday I handed a monkey a piece of bread after breakfast. As of right now there is not a lot of work to do. We are going to work on marking the growth of the plants this afternoon.

permalink written by  christyle612 on June 21, 2008 from Manu, Peru
from the travel blog: Viva los Peruvanos
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My Days

Manu, Peru


My days are really simple: I get up at 7 for breakfast, then go for a walk, read, hangout, work on the plants, have lunch at 1, then maybe go for another walk, work on Spanish, read, hang out, play cards, have dinner at 7, talk to the tourists and read then go to bed. There are hummingbirds like crazy around here.

Yesterday was a fun day here because there were no tourists. Four of the staff members for this lodge and a few other guys around at other lodges and Angie and I got together and played fotbol (soccer). we had a good time. I found out I am not in very good share to run for a hour . Then we played cards together after dinner. We had a good night. It was the first chance I have had to hang out with them. They don't speak English so it was interesting having conversation. There will be tourists tonight. I am getting fed very well. We did not have our usual three course meal last night and I am excited for soup tonight. The stars were out last night for the first time since I have been here. Usually it is so cloudy that you can not see anything. I feel like I have had a nice slow transition from Lima which is crazy then to Urubamba (less crazy) and then the forest with one friend and the next stop is the jungle solo. I am getting mentally prepared for solitude: I know there will be people that I can make friends with but I am just trying to prepare for the worst. Then what ever kind of connection I can make will seem like a lot. I hope that the work I do feels meaningful to me; that will help. That is about all I know today. Things are about the same as they have been every other day. Yesterday I spent some time laying on a rock in the river trying to get the little bit of sun there was to get. I am feeling good and an ready to get to where I will be spending most of my time

I am leaving on the 28th to go to Manu, that is all the plans I know and I will know the name of the person who is taking me on Friday. I think I am going with a group of tourists but I am not sure. I don't feel like Peruvians care about being informed on the same level I am use to. So I am just kind of going with it. I thought I was laid back about making plans but they are even more so.

permalink written by  christyle612 on June 25, 2008 from Manu, Peru
from the travel blog: Viva los Peruvanos
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Plans for Manu

Manu, Peru

Hello Christy,
The guy that is going to bring you to the other Project is Esteban Huamán, and you’re leaving either 28th or 29th, depends on the weather.

The activities for your project would be the following:

- Feed the animal 3 times a day (6:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.)

- Train the parrots with the sound system

- Take care of the parrots and watch for predators

- Clean the parrots' room)

"Manu Wildlife Center (MWC) is located in the remote and wild Manu Wilderness of Southeastern Peru. Amidst spectacular forest and incredible scenery, the density and diversity of animal and plant species reach a peak in the extreme western Amazon, near the foot of the Andes. A 35-minute flight from Cuzco to the mouth of the Manu River and a 90 minute motorcanoe ride down the Madre de Dios River brings you to the single best wildlife destination in the entire Amazon."



permalink written by  christyle612 on June 26, 2008 from Manu, Peru
from the travel blog: Viva los Peruvanos
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Boca Manu

Manu, Peru

I was not able to email on my b day: there was no sun and no computer. I am in Boca Manu right now- with my last chance to use the internet. Angie and I are going to Man in the morning. I am really glad to have a friend with me. The lodge made me a cake for my 22nd birthday and I had a nice day. I am really glad to be out of the cloud forest. I am having a great time.




permalink written by  christyle612 on June 29, 2008 from Manu, Peru
from the travel blog: Viva los Peruvanos
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Madre de Dios River to Manu National Park

Manu, Peru

Monday, June 30- To Manu Wildlife Center for 7 weeks

Manu Wildlife Center

permalink written by  christyle612 on June 30, 2008 from Manu, Peru
from the travel blog: Viva los Peruvanos
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