The Amazon Rainforest with my Parents!

My parents arrived to Peru to visit me and we headed straight into the deep Amazon Rainforest in Peru, an area called Iquitos. Iquitos is the biggest city in the world that is not accessible by road. You can only reach Iquitos by boat or by plane. We flew in from Lima. My Peruvian boyfriend Jerry also came along for the adventure :-)

We arrived to the big city of Iquitos and that same day took a 3 hour boat ride out to a lodge on the Amazon River where we would stay for four days to explore the area with a guide. While on our 4 day tour of the jungle we got to do things like fish for piranhas, visit a native tribe, visit an animal rescue center, hike for several hours to visit a Shaman and see his botanical garden, swim in the river, eat traditional jungle foods, watch the pink jungle dolphins, and take many, many boat rides on the Amazon River. We had a fabulous time and just loved being in the Amazon. We took in all the nature and beauty that we could!

The weather was VERY hot and humid and we all sweated profusely the entire time and were a bit uncomfortable. But I think my parents enjoyed the hot weather even though it was very intense since they were coming from the very harsh winter in the US. We also all suffered from numerous mosquito and bug bites. But it was worth it!

As soon as we arrived to the jungle, we felt like we were back in Thailand! The people in the jungle look more Asian, the weather is very similar, and the moto taxis are everywhere!

On the boat ride out to the lodge. Sorry that I can´t turn the photo but I am using an old computer that won`t let me rotate the photo and save it. 

Cayman, the crocodile of the Amazon. A common meat that is eaten! We all agreed that it was very tasty! 

Taking a walk through a flooded village. 

One of our many boat rides 

Sunset on the beautiful Amazon River. The view from our lodge!

On a hike deep in the jungle

The lodge where we stayed

The patio right outside our rooms 

Going to visit the native tribe 

They taught us how to blow a poison dart 

Fishing for Piranhas

Swimming in the amazon 

 On our last day before flying back to Lima, we fisited a butterfly rescue and animal orphanage center called ¨Pilpintuwasi¨. It was stared by an animal loving lady from Austria who lives in Iquitos. She got a reputation in Iquitos for being an amimal lover and people started dropping rescued jungle animals off on her doorstep because they know she would take care of them. For example, monkeys that had been taken from the jungle to be tought how to rob people, a baby jaguar who`s mother was killed for her fur, tucans who were kept hostage in a restaurant and were not fed well, etc. She also breeds butterflies and lets them free into the jungle. What she does is truly amazing. If you want to learn more information visit: http://www.amazonanimalorphanage.org/

Yunza: Tree Dancing

Yunza is a tradition that takes place during carnaval in the mountains of Peru. It is very fun and interesting because it involves people decorating a tree with small gifts and then dancing around the tree for hours. My neighborhood holds a big Yunza party every year and this year I had the pleasure of participating. This took place about a month ago but I have not have

To celebrate Yunza, a tree is cut down, adorned with balloons and small gifts, and then put up in the middle of the road. People then dance around the tree for literally hours and hours (they even dances through the pouring rain!) and of course they drink as well. Another part of Yunza is throwing flour (as in white cooking flour) at people.

The most interesting part was watching as they try to get the tree set up after it had been cut down and adorned with balloons and small gifts. Let´s just say that Peruvians aren´t the best at organization and working in teams so it took them hours to get the tree up.

It was a beautiful cultural experience. After almost two years in Peru I am still amazed at all the native cultural beauty and traditions that we tend to lack in the US. I love living in the Andes mountains where not only the views are beautiful but so are the traditions :)

The kids were ready and excited to participate too :)

Little Carol with her flour ready to throw at people 

Trying to get the tree back up. 

Right after someone threw flour in her face

Stiiiiiill trying to get the tree up...this part took several hours. 

The little boys watched they adults trying to get the tree up and then they started playing with a branch and acting like they were going to put a tree up. It was too cute!  

Peruvian beauties. 

The tree is fiinally up! Just in time for it to start pouring down rain. 

Let the dancing around the tree begin. 

Rainy season is finally starting to end and we have been getting some sunny days. I have some crazy photos to share from rainy season that I will try to put up soon!

My parents will be arriving to Peru in about 24 hours and I am SO excited! We will be heading to the Amazon Rainforest. Photos and updates to come soon!! 

"Welcome to Our Library"

Last weekend some good friends of mine and fellow volunteers in Ancash traveled to Huallanca to help me paint a cute entrance sign on my library. I specifically asked these friends of mine to come because they are very artistic and talented at drawing. So they came and we spent two days drawing and painting a beautiful “Welcome to our Library” sign as well as some characters from some of the kids’ favorite books: The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, and one of the pigs from The Three Little Pigs. The kids totally love the sign and are now even more encourage and excited to talk through the door of the library to learn!

Sketching the lettering and cartoons by hand. My friends are very talented! 

We of course had lunch with my family :)

Painting together

Showing them around town

The finished product! I still have to do some tracing with black marker to make it look nicer but other than that it is finished!

I have lots of other photos that I want to share so I am hoping to have decent internet again soon!