Hey ya'll!

Short update to you not-norwegians: We've been to Lima, Cuzco and Machu Picchu, where we climbed the Waynu Picchu mountain, the top you always see on the postcards/pictures from Machu Picchu. It was a rough climb that took us about 45 minutes, but it was absolutely worth it, even if we couldn't walk any stairs the next two days :p The path up to Waynu Picchu was steep as hell (excuse my french), with tiny little steps made for tiny little Inka feet, not big scandinavian feet. Not the easiest task in the world, trust me. But it was fun, and we beat the US doctors by half an hour, at least. Yeah :D

For all of you: After a day off in Cuzco, we flew out to Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon, where we met the rest of our group: a cute couple and a crazy dude from England and a sweet girl from Ireland, in addition to the US doctors we met in Lima. Took one of those long, narrow boats they have there out to the lodge, which took us almost 4 hours because of high water level in the river (Tambopata river). Rainy, windy and an open air boat was our first meeting with the jungle. Arrived at last, at Cayman Lodge, a nice lodge right by the national park in Amazonas, Tambopata.

Nice lodges, private rooms with bathrooms and no power. Candle lights had to do, which was a part of the whole experience, I think. The main lodge had a generator for light and the preparing of meals, but only for a few hours a day. The first night, we went out with our flash lights and boots, following our 26 year old guide Johnny around in the Amazone. Saw lots of bugs and heard lots of noises, which was scary and fun at the same time. After a while we heard noises that Johnny could not identify, and it sounded like a big animal, maybe in pain. It was right by the path we were supposed to walk on, to get back to the lodge, but we had to turn around and walk back the same way as we came, as it was to dangerous to pass the creature. Jungle Action! :D

Went back to the lodge, and got our dinner served. Very nice food at the lodge, with soup, main meal and dessert both nights. The next day was hiking day, and we had breakfast at 7am to get out in the jungle early. Walked for about 2,5 hours, listening to birds, watching monkeys and got a tarantella to get out of its cave. Reached the lake, and went out in a dugout canoe to look for more animals/birds. Saw a few different funny looking birds and an alligator as well. Had lunch from banana tree leafs and relaxed for a while, before we went back to the lodge. Had some time off, which we used to play cards and drink coffee with our very nice and fun group. When it got dark, we went out with Johnny again, this time on the river, in the boat - looking for alligators! Saw a few, Johnny tried to catch one but it got away. Exciting and fun. Back to the lodge, dinner, beers, card games and more beer sat the finish line for our stay in the jungle, the next day we had to leave early, to get our flight back to Cuzco/Lima. We had a really great time, wish we could have stayed longer, as there is so much more to see and do. I really recommend a trip to Peru, as the country has everything you need for a good adventure. Go people, go! :)

Got back to Lima, booked our flight to Panama, and left the next day. Been in Panama City for two nights, and seen a few areas so far. It's been raining a lot, as October is the most rainy month in Panama, but at least we had nice weather this morning. We like the city, but it's very different from the South American cities we've been to. Hard to describe in what way it is, but the people are different, the streets look different and the atmosphere is different. Gonna check out the Panama Canal tomorrow, as it's one of the must-sees in Panama. Marte has bought a Panama hat, which is a must-buy in Panama. I'll get one as well, I think. Leaving for Bocas del Toro tomorrow, hoping for some sunshine and nice stay-on-the-beach-or-in-a-hammock-all-day-kind-of-weather. :D Cross your fingers, will ya!

Talk to you soon. Till then: take care, and keep us updated on all the gossip and news! :D

Love,

Ida (and Marte)