Amazon Trip 2007: June 2007

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Extension - Machu Picchu

Tomorrow is the last day of our trip, just as it is the last day of the school year!! We started our trip in the dessert and then went to the rainforest. The last four days we have spent in the Andes Mountains. When you travel to places of high elevation, you have to be careful about getting altitude sickness. This week we have been at altitudes ranging from 9,000 ft. to 12,500 ft. Minneapolis is around 800 ft. above sea level.

Below are some pictures of the highlights from this week. Monday we visited a place were we learned how the Peruvians make and dye wool. Later that night we took a tour bus through very narrow streets and around sharp corners (I don’t know how the driver did it!) to Yucay. Our guide stated that Yucay is one of the last pure Inca villages left. The people there were very excited to see us and had all of their textiles and handmade crafts displayed for sale. We brought them oranges because they do not have easy access to oranges and need the Vitamin C.

Tuesday and Wednesday we visited Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu was built by the Inca and discovered by Hiram Bingham (an American) in 1911. It is an amazing site to see. The stonework is incredible. The Inca shaped the rocks using harder rocks. A lot of times they did not even use mortar to hold the rocks together.

Today and yesterday we have been in Cusco, visiting several historical sites. I have learned a lot about the beliefs of the Inca and Andean people and how their lives were changed when the Spanish invaded Peru.

Thank you again for following my blog. It makes my trip more meaningful to be able to share the things I am learning and seeing with all of you. Reading your responses has been a lot of fun! I hope you all have a great summer!

:)

Mrs. Bidler

p.s. Once again, the pictures that go with this blog entry are in a mysterious place. You will find them below the group of small pictures - so scroll down and take a look!

Amazon Voyage: May 26 - June 2, 2007

Today was the final day of the “Amazon Voyage” portion of our trip. Once again we are back in Lima – which means we have internet access and a cell phone connection again! I was so pleased to see that you are following along with my trip and learning about Peru. It made my day to read your postings and hear from all of you. I wish I had a day back before school is out so I could talk with you in person about it. Here are some of the highlights from our days on the Amazon River. I hope you will all keep learning about Peru and sending me your comments. Tomorrow morning we leave for Cuzco and then Machu Picchu. I will try to write at least one more time. Have a great last week! p.s. Don’t grade me on my spelling and grammar – I have to type quickly!

Sunday, May 27

Sunday we had to get up at 3:50 am to make our flight to Iquitos. In Iquitos we visited a local market for tourists where they had handmade goods. On our way through the town we saw the markets that the local peoples attend. You wouldn’t believe how crowded the streets were! We loaded our boat, La Turquesa, and shortly after went on a short excursion on the river. We saw a group of people floating down the river on a bunch of timbers that were tied together. They were taking the timbers to Iquitos to sell them. They had been on the river for days – never getting off the timbers.

Monday, May 28

Monday morning we found a spot on the river where there were a lot of dolphins. Normally you do not hear of dolphins being in rivers. There are many dolphins in the Amazon River because many years back the river changed direction. The Amazon River used to flow south and when it changed to flow north (due to the mountains moving and emerging) the dolphins became trapped in the river and adapted to the fresh water. Mr. Vevea – you will have to explain this better. The dolphins are very hard to photograph because they only come out for a little bit, but my brother got this great picture of a baby gray dolphin. The Amazon is famous for pink dolphins. Monday afternoon we visited a village along the river. My dad took a Polaroid camera so he could take pictures of the people there and let them keep them. It was a huge hit because most of the people along the Amazon have never had a picture of themselves. The children who got their pictures taken at the start of our walk spread the word to everyone along the trail and soon we had mobs of people waiting for me dad to take their picture.

Tuesday, May 29

On most of our excursions this week we were lucky enough to see several sloths and monkeys. Our guides were very good and could spot animals in the trees like nobody’s business! Sloths are very slow moving and interesting creatures. I recommend reading about them on the internet. Tuesday we visited an elementary school. It was a one room schoolhouse with one teacher and kids ranging in age from 5-12 years old. They take most of the subjects that all of you take. Each of them stepped up and told our whole group their name, age, and favorite subject. A fun time! Tuesday night we went on a late excursion to hunt for caiman (they look like crocodiles). One our guides grew up in the rainforest and was amazing at catching caiman. He would spot a caiman and while the boat was still moving he would hang half of his body outside of the boat, reach down and grab the caiman.

Friday, June 1

Friday we visited another small village and got canoe rides from the local people. I ended up on the smallest canoe and could hardly turn by head without tipping it! It didn’t help that the boat also had a leak. Needless to say, I asked my rower to turn back early. Some of the people on our trip went swimming in the river today. I decided to pass, after all of the horror stories I've heard about swimming in the Amazon. Then we took a boat ride through one of the larger cities along the Amazon River, Requena. Unfortunately the city is rather corrupt.