There's more to this entry than just the killer caterpillar and going ass over tea kettle in the Ansu River. I have to start at the beginning. Gold Mining on a tributary of the Amazon. Dragging a dredge in the back of the truck over nasty roads ("just full of gold!!) past (more) dreaded Columbians we ended up on a small river that just had to be full of the shiny yellow stuff. Jim, Adam & Shane got right in there setting up the dredge basically vacuuming t...

November 8 - our first jungle day. We follow a small miners trail to the Jatunyacu River. Listening to Jim`s (many) stories made me slightly apprehensive about hiking to a dredge site run by Columbians. On our way we stopped to get a view of the river from a narrow foot bridge linking a village to the main road. Beautiful view of the jungle. The animal sounds are amazing! Then we`re off to the dense jungle First person we saw on the road apparently had a Me...

Our day in Santiago was pretty laid back. We bought some fruit on the street enjoying our breakfast on a hill overlooking the city. Surrounded by 1000 or more pre school kids it was literally and figuratively a zoo.... found out we were sitting on a bench just below the entrance to the Santiago Zoo. Pretty uneventful flight to Quito. Bumpy ride over the water to touch down at the capital city around 9pm. Customs here was pretty fast and easy. Once cleared we open...

Vancouver - Dallas - SantiagoWhen is Canadanot Canada not the US but apperently the US?This isn't a trick question. It never ceases to amaze me that 200 steps from the check in counter at Vancouver International airport is a big sign that says " Welcome to the United States of America". Go figure.   Even thenews stand has a ratio of 1 / 8 Canadian toAmerican newspapers.After a long day in transit here we sit. It's 3:55 am back home. We've just f...

One o'clock in the morning is not a good time to start fretting. Did I remember that?   Did I pack this? By 3am I realize that everything is done and that I will begin this trip absolutely exhausted. Good thing we get an extra hour of sleep tonight.It is November 3rd ... a cold wet and windy morning. Thanks Niki for driving us to the bus station.Tomorrow we fly to Santiago, Chile..... is it too late to start studying Spanish? Thinking that it's bet...