Ants are cool

I think they are called leaf-cutter ants...but they work tirelessly, day and night, all day, every day, steadily destroying the tree that they have decided to feast on. Our guide Hernan told us that it takes them about 9 days to devour a tree!

Kingfishers are cool

After diving into the water to snag a fish, the Kingfisher takes its prize up into a tree and beats in senseless...cool!

Cameron Diaz likes Cusco

Hey look! There she is...visiting Cusco on Friday according to a bunch of celeb gossip sites that, incidentally, I do NOT read.

Apparently the Peruvians didn't care too much for her Mao-inspired purse. She should have gone to Rio first and bought one of those zipper purses instead!

Lima is a good place for a Ross reunion

Alright, sorry it has taken so long. Maybe I over estimated my desire to keep thinking about this trip.

First stop was Lima. We got there late. Kenneth was already in the room. He didn't pack shampoo, soap, or toothpaste - some random trifecta of things that seemed important. He had just returned from the store though, where he bought those things. This, at right, was our room. Now look, I'd never stayed in a hostel before, understand? Once, when staying in a perfectly fine hotel in Toronto, I whined so much my Mom moved us to a nicer hotel. I know, I'm a brat I guess. Anyway, this spartacus room to the right is where we were the first two nights. It was fine, right? I was just glad to have my sleepsheet, that's all.

We didn't really "do" much in Lima. We went to the beach, but it is a rocky beach, not a sandy one, and it is winter in Peru, not summer. But here are the three guys near the beach.

Instead of seeing sites, we went to a fancy lunch. Carlos picked us up, we dined by the ocean, we ate ceviche and other tasty things. See...

Carlos was a great host. He took us to lunch. He drove us around after lunch. He took us to his house before dinner. He drove us around after that. And then he took us to dinner. What a guy. In addition to dining with he and his wife, we were also joined by an incoming Ross MBA, Cristian, and his fiancee. The changing of the guard almost.

And that was pretty much Lima. Came in one night. Ate the next day. Went to sleep around midnight. And woke up 3 or 4 hours later to catch our flight to Cusco. We should have spent the entire 31 days like this - eat good food, get driven around, and sleep. Instead, we kept up the insane moving from place to place! Doh!

By the numbers

I used to be the sports editor of my high school newspaper. I know, pretty big deal right? Some of you may remember "Thumbs-up/Thumbs-down"...or "Vic's Picks". Some of you may remember when Dr. Carr called me out in assembly because he didn't like how the "Athlete of the Week" feature was highlighting individual performance over team accomplishments. Well I remember. And those memories burn to this day!

Actually, no, not really. But I do like when other sports sections have a "By the Numbers" feature and, since I can't influence the Aff No anymore (why aren't they on-line yet, Hawken has a damn intranet of all things!), I'll apply this to my trip instead.

37 - Trips between two distinct destinations
17 - Flights taken
8 - Different airlines flown (Northwest, Tam, Taca, Gol, Amazonas, Aerolinas, Copa, and Aero Republica)
7 - Buses taken
4 - Boats taken
4 - Truck/Jeeps taken
3 - Trains taken
2 - Horses taken

18 - Places slept
14 - Passport stamps
6 - Countries visited
4 - Pairs of boxers packed
4 - Times we did laundry
15 - Thirty-one days minus (four boxers * four washes) = number of days re-wearing boxers
3 - Movies seen on the trip (Click, The Family Stone, (both on planes) and Piratas do Caribe (in Campo Grande, and, thankfully in English with Portuguese subtitles)
2 - Clevelanders on the trip
1 - Mustache I had while on the trip (no pictures exist of it though!)
1 - Words of Portuguese learned - "Obrigado" meaning "Thank you"
0 - Piranahs caught while fishing in the Pantanal
Way too many - Times I ate rice and beans

Fifteen stops in thirty-one days

That was the itinerary we had planned. Ouch. Just to set the stage, more specifically it looked like this:

Peru
Lima
Cusco
Aguas Caliente
Machu Picchu

Bolivia
Lake Titicaca / Isla del Sol
La Paz
Rurrenabaque
Jungle Tour
Santa Cruz

Brazil
Corumba
Pantanal
Camp Grande
Rio de Janeiro
Iguazu Falls (Brazil side)

Argentina
Iguazu Falls (Argentinian side)
Buenos Aires

Colombia
Cartagena

This is how to pack

Once I had my pack, it was time to fill it. In addition to some of the specific gear I mentioned, I had to take clothes too. This was tricky because we were going to some places where it would be quite cold - Cusco and Isla del Sol get into the 30's at night - as well as some places that would be quite hot - Cartagena felt like 90+ every day.

Using various articles as my guide, I packed: four pairs of boxers, long underwear, four pairs of socks, two pairs of lightweight pants, a pair of surplus pants with zip-off legs to convert to shorts, another pair of shorts, a bathing suit, four t-shirts, a long sleeve t-shirt, two lightweight button-up shirts, a layering pullover, my Patagonia shell jacket, hiking shoes, and my Crocs. All of my clothing and toileteries for 31 days fit nicely in a few pouches.

I was anxious to learn how heavy my pack was. I seem to recall my suitcase to Italy weighing around 40 pounds (which was ridiculous). At airport check-in the numbers rang up: only 25 pounds! Not bad! And it looks stylish too, don't you think?

Preparing for the trip is expensive too

I knew this trip was going to be expensive, but I didn't realize how much it would cost before I even left. Travelling the places we went involved not just flights and hostals and food, but shots and visas and special gear - stuff so special it cost over $1,300. For example:

• Student ID Card (to get discounts on airfares): $22
• Brazil Visa and fee for expedited service: $165
• Vaccinations and medications for Yellow Fever, Hep A, Malaria and Tetanus: $390
• Gear and clothing (I almost bought-out REI): $656

I knew I would need a backpack (~$180), but there were a lot of other little things Ana found people on-line recommended which I ended up getting. This included a super absorbent, quick drying, shammy-like towel for about $30, a silk sleep sheet (like a super light sleeping bag) for about $40, and a waterproof backpack cover for about $20.

Although at the time I worried a lot of this stuff was a waste, all of it was well worth the money. Most of the hostals we stayed at didn't provide towels, so it was great to have my own that would be dry when it came time to pack and therefore not get smelly. Most of the hostals we stayed at also didn't provide the greatest bed linens (surprise), so having a cool and comfy sleep sheet next to my skin was much better than some scratchy, bed-bug filled sheets. And went it started to pour during our initial hike into the rainforest, I was able to whip our that backpack cover and keep everything inside nice and dry.

Ironically, the one item that I wish I didn't buy was my waistbelt security travel wallet. This seemed like a necessity given some of the shady places we were traveling, but my REI pants had a hidden pocket perfect for credit cards and cash, and on our sketchy overnight bus and train rides I used a binder clip to clip my valuables to the waist of my boxers. After the first few days, I don't think I pulled that wallet out again.

Back to the beginning

I'm back in the US. It is a good feeling. I've never been so happy to see US Customs people and to be able to have a conversation in English with a stranger. The two customs agents were amazed with how many places we had been which surprised me. But it was nice because it kept them from asking any real questions, they just asked about the trip.

Now that I am back and have free access to the internet (such a wonderful thing) over the next couple of weeks I am going to do a better job documenting the trip, complete with pictures which are now uploaded. I don't know that anyone is still reading this other than my family, but I enjoy writing about myself cause my life is so interesting so...Plus, it is nice to have Blogger in English so I'm not guessing what button to press for this or that function.

ALSO, note on the sidebar that you can sign-up for email notification when I've added a new post. How sweet is that?

Cartagena is a postcard

Everywhere you look. It had been described in everything I read as an up and coming resort town, and that certainly is the case. It is a walled town preserved in Colonial style. The walls of the homes are brightly colored, and potted flowers hang from the 2nd floor wooden balconies. The streets are narrow and full of character with minimal traffic. And the presence of a $300+/night Sofitel in a former convent confirms this is a place for well-to-do folks to get away.

Taca Airlines takes care of their backpackers

A backpacker traveling for thirty days with four pairs of underwear and a pack weighing only 25 pounds; towards the end of this long trip; after having stayed in lodging as cheap as $6.50 a night; after having taken multiple overnight trips on shady busses and trains; after having gone multiple days without showering while in the Amazon wetlands; and on the longest flight of the entire trip, one booked at a discounted student rate.

This is how I had been thinking of myself as I arrived at the Taca Air counter in Buenos Aires to check-in for my flight that day. It was a flight first to Lima, then to Bogota, and finally to Cartagena. I would be traveling for over 12 hours this day.

But to my great surprise, a wonderful irony. Despite our cheap tickets and cheap existence during the month of May, we were upgraded to first class for the first leg, a five hour flight! The extra room and pampering was never more appreciated!

Waterfalls can be amazing

The only major falls I´ve been to are Niagara. They are nice and all to a boy of 6 or 7, but really they aren´t that special.

To get to Iguazu Falls, which is right at the border of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, you have to fly from from Rio and then from Iguazu back to Rio or to Sao Paulo, all for just a day or two at the falls. Because of this, and because of the cost of the trip, I considered skipping out on this stop and heading home early. I´m very glad I didn´t.

Iguazu consists of over 275 separate waterfalls, all still in their ¨natural state¨meaning there isn´t development all around like Niagara. The magnitude of the falls is literally impossible to convey, either in pictures or words. You arrive, are greated by one panaromic view of tons of falls, walk a little further, and keep seeing more and more. And every stop gives you a different view, each one impressive in its own way.

The first day we visited the Brazilian side which is shorter, but has the better panaromic views so this was a great place to start. Unfortunately, it was rainy and cloudy and the falls were muddy. Even with well less than optimal viewing conditions, they easily were immediately a highlight of the trip.

The next day on the Argentinian side, the weather was much better. This side offers more close-up views and a longer train with more angles.

I´ve included two videos which seem to be the best way to demonstrate how impressive they are, but it doesn´t do it justice. They are truly awesome! This one at the bottom is of the ¨Devil´s Throat¨ which is the most violent of all the falls.

I´m from Cleveland

And LeBron is the king of my city! Go Cavs!!!! And take that Detroit - both the Cavs and the Indians takin´ it to the Motor City!!

Rio is good, very good

This has been a great trip and I´ve seen and done stuff I never have before and probably never will again. But it has been nice to be in such a magnificient city as Rio. Here is some of what we did during our time there:

• Hung out on the beach. I´m not a big beach bum or anything, but the beach here is beautiful - and not just because of the people! The waves are huge, the beach is clean, and all around you is the glistening city and hills. Very nice.
• Went to the Botanical Gardens. This place is like a mini rainforest right in the city. They have hundreds of plants and trees including a stunning collection of hundreds of orchards. There were also dozens of monkeys hanging out, far more than we saw during our jungle and Pantanal tours which was pretty ironic.
• Visited Christ the Redeemer statue. I kind of wondered what the big deal with this was, but up close it is pretty impressive on its own, and the views of Rio below are great. It was a bit cloudy the day we went up, but still a worthwhile trip.
  
• Attended the finals of the Brazil football (soccer) cup. The stadium here seats 140,000! A Rio team (one of four they have just in the city!) was playing a team from Sao Paulo for the country championship and we went with about 40 other hostel-goers as part of a package tour. The crowd was quite animated, singing songs in unison, lighting flickering flares in the stands, and waving huge flags. Kenneth took some great video I will post when I get it. The game ended a 1-1 tie which was a bit disappointing (especially as the Rio team outplayed their competitor the whole game) but probably for the best as this kept the fans under control after it was over.
  

I can definitely see myself coming back to Rio sometime. It is a nice mix of relaxation and fun stuff to see and do. And at no point did we feel unsafe at all, though we also were never out that late and always stuch to the main areas of Ipanema, Copacabana, etc.