After touring the slums near Iquitos, I headed out to a small game preserve with some other backpackers from Canada and England. The game preserve is really quite small and just has a butterfly farm and some rescued animals from the region including several monkeys, a tapir, an ant-eater and a jaguar. The preserve is run by an Austrian woman that moved here in the 80´s. This is just a quick post with a few pictures. Tomorrow, I will take a speedboat down the...

I have arrived in Iquitos, a loud, hot, slightly crazy jungle town in Peru that boasts the title of the largest city in the world without road access... you can only arrive or leave by plane or boat. The half million inhabitants here all get around on scooters and motor bikes probably making it the loudest city in Peru. It also sits right on the Amazon river and is an ideal place to start excursions into the jungle or to points down river into Brazil. I arrived b...

So finally ...an update just to say I'm moving on from Lima after about 3 months or so working in The Point Hostel... which was nothing less than a pure fun experience where I met the coolest people from all over the globe. My co-workers that I shared a room with were a blast and rumor has it the name of the room will be changed from Spidermen to The Zoo thanks to us. It is good to know I am always welcome back here to work or visit. I haven't been taking so many...

Machu Picchu...The Lost City of the Incas was only discovered in 1911 and is now one of South America's premier tourist destinations. Due to our fast paced schedule, Tim and I didn't have time for the 4 day trek on the Inca trail so we took the train to the small village of Aguas Calientes, just a few kilometers from the ancient city and launching point to the ruins. This place is absolutely amazing. It is so secluded on the top of a mountain that you have no c...

Cuzco stands at the head of the Sacred Valley of the Incas and is the starting point for those making the 4 day trek on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. For Tim and I, we'll be getting there the lazy way... by train. But first, the city should be explored and we need to ring in New Year 2006. The hostel we stayed in was Cuzco's newest hotspot for backpackers and they threw a great party. For midnight, we all headed down to the Plaza de...