Gone fishin’

It’s nearly lunchtime, and here is a summary of our day so far, using only adjectives: confusing, amazing, sweaty, delicious, neat-o and fascinating.  

Mare information necessary?  Okay.  At 3:14 am, as we slept in our lodge-room, the smoke detector on the ceiling of the room went off.  It was just long enough to make us both suddenly awake, temporarily confused and moderately terrified.  Then it stopped.  That was the confusing part.  It was like nothing happened, but that didn’t keep me from spending the next 30 minutes wondering if  there was a forest fire nearby or if it was a carbon monoxide detector and we were done for.  

Nevertheless, we finally drifted back to sleep, waking up just in time to go on the bird-watching adventure this morning.  We got to the pier at the exact right moment to see the sun rise over the river.  That was awesome.  Then, it was off to do some bird-watching.  Confession time: I am bad at using binoculars.  I try, but I never aim them at the right spot.  That’s why it’s such a great victory when I finally use them effectively.  Points for me this morning, as I managed to see a few birdies through the magnified lenses.  It was a boat trip to their varied habitats along the river.  It’s just so cool that the normal way to get around here is to float to your destination.  I kind of feel like I have to pinch myself.  I was in Dallas running errands on Monday.  The bird watching was the amazing and sweaty part.

Then, it was time for breakfast.  The lodge where we’re staying asks about your next meal during the current one, so we ordered the pork omelets last night and enjoyed them this morning.  Delicious.  As for the neat-o, fascinating part, we just went fishing.  I’ve never been much for fishing, honestly.  I suspect if I needed to catch fish for sustenance, I would get good at it or go hungry, but in my life as I usually live it, I don’t need or want to fish much.  I gave it a go for a moment, because when am I ever going to get a chance to throw a line in the Amazon flippin’ river again?  Several people on our boat caught piranhas.  No joke.  Apparently, the trick is to bait your hook with meat and pull it up really fast.  I suppose there’s a learning curve, and we didn’t stick with it long enough.  No matter, we fished in the Amazon, and that was cool.  On the way out to fish and on the way back, we searched the river for dolphins.  There were a few hanging out near us in both directions.  

We’re sitting in the gathering spot at the lodge, drinking an Inca Cola (tastes like bubble gum) and relaxing.  It’s nearly time for lunch, then after that, we visit a Yagua village.  That is the name for the indigenous people in Peru.  I sincerely can’t believe it’s only Thursday.  We still have over two weeks left of this vacation.  Time to kick back, pop open another Inca Cola and take in the scenery.  Maybe we can head back to this hammock spot while we wait for lunch.  

Check out our amazing bird watching, dolphin chasing and fishing photos here: Behold,  The Photo Album 

Welcome to the Jungle

Thinking about how this day started and how it’s not entirely over, I am kind of taken aback with the whole thing.  We had a pretty standard hotel breakfast complete with the chafing dish of kind-of slimy scrambled eggs we’ve all come to expect from hotel buffet breakfasts.  It was a loud, crowded dining experience in a hotel next to an airport, so not exactly worth repeating.  But the breakfast was necessary, and it launched our day.  We got ready, packed up and met the other eight people we’re traveling with for the next few days in the hotel lobby at 10.  From there, we walked across the street to the airport, through security with all of our large liquids (wearing our shoes!) and right to the gate.  The flight from Lima to Iquitos was just over an hour, but we had to tack on an extra 20 minutes to get to the spot on the runway we needed for the flight to begin.  Win some, lose some, right?  

When we landed in Iquitos, we walked into their open airport- no screens or actual doors- and collected our bags from the carousel.  This is where we learned a little about the risk tolerance of other people.  Specifically, one woman I saw sprayed bug spray right at her face.  Her eyes were closed, but dang.  I get wanting protection, but you want to kind of avoid the eyes, nose and mouth with chemicals as a general rule, am I right?  Cas and I had some 12-hour protection insect repellent lotion, and we hit the exposed, non-face areas.  Maybe the tops of the ears and the neck but not the eyelids.  You get the idea.  

All sprays, lotion and ointments aside, we made our way to a bus that took us and our luggage to the river.  Once there, we had a speed boat ride that took just under an hour to Ceiba Tops, our accommodation for the next few evenings.  We have our own little lodge with its own little air conditioner, and if you’ve never trudged through a jungle in 100 % humidity , you can’t possibly appreciate a little window unit air conditioner like we just did.  Our evening began after a quick cool down in the room.  We met with our Amazon guide Roberto for a walk.  His walks are a little different than I am used to.  We walked through mud and uneven turf to get to a very special tree.  Here’s Cas, checking it out:

On the way, there were beautiful flowers, very cool monkeys and lots of fun facts about medicinal uses for things that were growing all around us.  It was very cool, and I felt like the hiking boots were a good thing to pack, even though they took up way too much room in the bag.  

We’re back at the main lodge right now, as that is where I can use WiFi around here.  Hey, I am just glad it exists in the jungle.  There are no real guarantees this far out.  Our crew assembles in a few minutes for dinner and a discussion about what we’re doing tomorrow.  I’m excited.  This is the most exotic, beautiful and strange place I think I have ever been, and we just got here.  

Good news, though, our Photo Album has some really great stuff, now!  Check it out.  

Layovers

The Golden Age of airport travel is most certainly behind us.  The elegance is gone.  The basic human decency is hit or miss.  Regardless, we spent today moving ourselves and our selected possessions from Dallas to Miami to Lima.  Our Miami layover was long enough for mojitos and empanadas, which are always a good idea.  Cas and I even made room in our day for a quick game of cribbage on his little, fold-up cribbage board.  

We’ve just walked into our Lima hotel right across from the airport.  The plan is to refresh a little, maybe grab a bite or a quick beverage and recharge both ourselves and our devices before our trip to the Amazon River tomorrow.  Tonight is basically a layover in a hotel.  

We’ve pre-treated some hiking pants and a pair of long sleeved, button down shirts with mosquito repellent spray.  We have to dig out our hiking boots and our binoculars.  It’s time for a little bit of adventure.  We were apparently the first to arrive, so the representative from the tour company gave us the low-down.  Our group for the Amazon adventure will be just ten people, and we’ll meet them all in the hotel lobby tomorrow morning after breakfast.  

I can’t linger long- I just wanted to hop on here and say we’ve arrived safely, and are in dire need of a pair of Pisco Sours.  The Pisco Sour is apparently to Peru what the Aperol Spritz is to Italy and Sangria is to Spain.  It’s just what you do here.  Who am I to argue?  

Also, we don’t have any photos in this thing just yet, but Cas has created Our Photo Album, and I wanted to drop the link here.  There will be lots and lots of photos when there’s more to look at than an airport- I promise!  

See you tomorrow from Iquitos!

Coming attractions

Greetings, friends!  This is our blog.  I will post here next month when Cas and I go on another amazing adventure.  For now, in the same spirit as a movie trailer, here's the image I cobbled together from the tour company's map and my own need to make things pretty.  

We're vaccinated against all manner of tropical things- they'll be no yellow fever or typhus here- and in possession of malaria and altitude medicine.  The waiting, though- it seems like a really long time between now and the flight to Lima.  

So we'll see you here on July 9th when we hop on a flight to Peru!  Until then, I know I will be counting down the days.  

Souvenirs

I have seven students in an advisory class this year, and because most of them are in seventh grade, they outright asked for souvenirs from my trip.  Fine.  I can pick up seven tchotchkes.  Folks, tchotchkes are expensive.  I know we're not broke people, but I didn't feel right spending a bunch of money on a handful of useless items for kids at the middle school.  Confession time- I found a multi-pack of glow in the dark alligator toys on Amazon.  They should be here today, and I see the kids Monday.  I'm not really a souvenir person, myself.  It adds pressure to the travels.  I've always thought you should to enjoy your time, not spend it in a tourist-gouging gift shop selecting from location-branded t-shirts and keychains. 

Four ourselves, we got what we always get- a refrigerator magnet.  We get a magnet from each place we visit, near or far.  We have magnets from nearby Fort Worth and Reunion Tower right here in Dallas, and we have some from our wedding trip to the other side of the world.  The little fish magnet from Fiji sits near a wine bottle magnet from Grapevine, Texas.  We write dates on the back and stick them on the freezer door of the refrigerator we keep in the garage.  We may have to expand to the refrigerator door in a bit- that freezer door is pretty full.  

That's a problem for another day, though.  We found a spot for this proud rooster, and with that, our spring break draws to a close.  We're back home and getting ready to finish out the year with our children at school.  I just need to remember to take seven alligator toys with me.  

See you all back here next time we leave town.  It's going to be pretty epic- We are headed to the southern hemisphere this year- more on that in July.   

One last time: Here are our photos!

Homeward bound

When Cas and I travel, we like to see beautiful sunsets wherever we go. Often, we view them from a boat.  The sunset in Miami was particularly pretty, and we were out on the water viewing it.  

When we wrapped up our lunch and our walk on the beach, it was time to head back to the hotel and get ready for the evening’s activity.  We went to the Bayside shopping center and had dinner.  Well, kind of.  We had eaten a very large, very late lunch, so we went to a restaurant that promised empanadas and a view of the water.  Sounds good, but the drinks came way after the food and the service was robotic to the point of unpleasant.  Also, happy hour was only in the bar area, not the patio.  Finally, we must have been the only two people in the place who didn’t own a Miami Heat jersey.  Oh, Bayside Marketplace is right next door to where the local NBA team plays.  That game started at 7:30, while our boat boarded at 7, so there was a lot of crossover in the crowds.  The drinks were good, if full priced, and the food was decent, but the service was so bad, and they had oriented the table where we were sitting so  that only one of us at a time could look out at the water.  The other had to face the restaurant.  

After one round of drinks and a little bit of food, we opted for a seat at a Chilis.  I know, I know.  Chilis is hardly authentic Caribbean food or anything that screams out Miami, but the Margaritas were on special, the table let us both see the water, and the service was personable, not robotic.  Also, I had a Chilis gift card in my purse.  All I do is win, right?

After we paid up at Chilis and headed down to the pier, we had a little bit of time to kill before hopping on our boat, so we walked the length of the pier.  Cas had lived in Miami about 30 years ago, and he had a bit of nostalgia looking at some of the places we passed.  I was glad we had opted for the somewhat quieter spot for our pre-boat drinks.  I don’t think it’s my age, either.  I have never liked places that played music so loud that I couldn’t have a conversation.  I guess if I hung out with less interesting people, I would love places like that, but as luck would have it, I travel with Cas.  

So we walked back toward the boarding area and before too long, we were on our boat.  There was a top deck area with some permanently fixed benches and a few folding chairs.  I opted for a folding chair on the top deck while Cas was down at the bottom, picking up a few glasses of wine.  I sat in a chair, then put my arm on the back of the one next to it as if I was saving it for someone.  I was, in fact.  Tell me why a total stranger sat there without even looking at my face, then became just as surprised as I was to find my arm was around her shoulders.  

She quickly got up and apologized, and luckily, found another spot to sit- apparently, it was her birthday.  Hey, lady, I already have a date on this boat, but thanks for the offer, and happy birthday!  The sunset cruise was underway.  We moved from the top to the bottom to the front of the boat.  The views were spectacular and the narration was interesting without being aggravating.  

It was just about the perfect way to wrap up a very full day in Miami.  

From there, we headed back to the hotel and went to sleep.  We had the window of our third floor room cracked open, and from that small crack, we heard a loud argument between what I can only imagine were drunken spring break revelers.  I was glad to be above it all.  Three floors above it all, if you want to be specific.  

This morning, we woke to our last alarm of the trip so we could pack up and head out.  We wanted proper breakfast complete with Cuban coffee before heading to the airport, and apparently, the world’s most famous Cuban Restaurant is a place on Calle Ocho called Versailles.  

I got eggs and a ham empanada.  It was amazing.  Cas had croquettes with his eggs.  Also amazing- we shared a bit.  And I got my Cuban coffee.  Fun fact, Cuban coffee tastes just like Turkish coffee, which is a dead ringer for Greek coffee.  Makes American coffee taste like a kids’ drink.  I made quick work of that tiny cup of very dark, very thick stuff and set about eating my amazing breakfast. 

I would totally recommend Versailles.  Apparently, there is a place in Cuba named after the place in France, and the restaurant is named after the place that’s named after the other place.  I haven’t checked to see if the French one borrowed its name from someone else.  

After that lovely breakfast, we took a quick drive through the Coral Gables neighborhood, the place Cas used to live when he worked in Miami.  It was a pretty neighborhood, and a nice, little drive before we began the battle of Miami International Airport.  

Man, that was a rotten time.  Getting through security took 48 minutes, and there were plenty of people around us who were legitimately worried they were about to miss their flight.  We actually walked up to the gate as boarding was beginning, and we managed to get on the plane.  We did not sit, rest, put down our bags or pause.  We just walked from the security checkpoint to the boarding area to the seats where we are sitting right now.  Whew.  And to think Southwest offered us the opportunity to board early for only $60.  Glad we didn’t spend it, because we wouldn’t have physically been able to do that.  Regardless, we made it.  We have a connection to hit in Austin, and that looks promising.  Maybe the fact that UT is halfway through its spring break will mean we have less company on our first stop in Texas.  

Either way, it was a great trip to Miami.  I would have liked a little more time to explore Key West and a little more time to do awesome beach things, but the gator show was too impressive to pass up, and the sunset cruise was great.  I think we left at the right time, as well.  As Thursday was getting rolling, we saw police barricades go up, traffic get worse and the line of cars heading the opposite direction as us backing up pretty sincerely.  Yeah, time to head back home.  See you when we’re on the ground.  

Here are our photos!

Where is McLovin?

Once again today, we woke to the soft tones of the alarm on my phone.  Yesterday was the same.  It’s just that we jammed so much into this three night stay that we had to be at certain places by certain times.  Today, unfortunately, that place is the airport.  But why the alarm clock yesterday?  Banana Joe.  

Actually the tour company was called Banana Joe’s Tours.  The driver and font of Miami knowledge was named Häagen.  He picked us up in front of our hotel, introduced himself, then proceeded to say everything in English, then repeat it in German.  Turns out there were lots of Germans in Miami at the same time as us.  Cas had a blast with it.  He took German in high school, which has been a few years, now, and even knowing in advance what he was about to say (Häagen said everything in English first, German second), Cas said it was like watching YouTube on double speed.  Häagen talked about the architecture on South Beach, nautical and tropical.  Some of the buildings were made to look like cruise ships from the era- decks and ports and such.  Others were made to mimic elements of nature, especially tropical nature.  After he said the thing about the cruise ships, I could see it everywhere.  Cool pro tip, Häagen!  

His drive took us through unpleasant Miami morning traffic to the Everglades.  We were deposited and given wristbands that entitled us to an airboat tour of the nearby portion of the glades.  I now know that the Everglades are not a swamp, as you may mistakenly suspect.  They are a really wide, really slow-moving river coming off of Lake Okeechobee and headed out to the ocean.  We saw some rare birds on our journey, but no alligators.  It was a little too early, so the sun hadn’t heated up the world to gator-friendly temperatures just yet.  We did spot a four-foot-tall Great Blue Heron and a couple of Ospreys.  That was pretty cool.  And after the bird spotting and the gator-missing, we were treated to a live alligator show.  The guy who walked in the pit of alligators was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but no shoes.  He walked into the water and nudged these prehistoric beasts around with his feet.  When he culled one gator form the nearly dozen he had in the water to use as a demonstration animals, he dragged her by the tail.  It was surreal.  I’ve known since forever that you run like heck if you ever see one of these things, and here’s this whackadodle, walking around telling us their names.  Hector was in the corner, and somehow, he couldn’t locate the gator he called McLovin.  I was thinking that sounded distressing.  Who loses a giant almost-dinosaur in a crowd of tourists?  Where is McLovin?  We left there 30 minutes later still not knowing.  But we got out alive, and that’s what’s important, here.  

The man doing the demonstration dragged a lady-alligator to the center of a sandy pit.  Sorry, her name escapes me- I can’t get past the nagging mystery of McLovin.  He hopped on her back and demonstrated the ways that the Seminoles used to capture these beasts for food, disabling their main defense mechanism, their crushing, powerful jaws.  The guy was completely nuts.  As we watched him grip the beast and tell corny jokes, I kept taking a mental inventory of his fingers and toes.  They all appeared intact.  When the gator show ended, we hopped back in Häagen‘s oversized Banana Joe van and headed back to our hotel.  From there, we changed clothes and went about the business of finding some lunch.  We had a tiny snack of fried alligator at the tourist shop in the Everglades, but it was time for some serious seafood.  Nothing like eating a piece of fish while gazing out at the water from whence that fish came.  We did a fisherman’s platter with a piece of fish, some shrimp, a few scallops and a crab cake.  We started with crab legs, though.  Hey, go big or go home.  But seriously, we shared.  We’re not gluttons.  At least not total gluttons.  When we wrapped up the amazing seafood meal, Cas asked if I wanted to walk on the beach while we gazed longingly into each other’s eyes.  I said, “Duh.”  Romantic, no?  

But that’s all you get for now.  I will save the sunset cruise for later, as now is breakfast time, and we’re nearly ready to walk out and go find my sought after cup of Cuban coffee.  I understand it’s about the color and consistency of used motor oil, but when in Rome, right?  

Here are our photos!