2002
This is going to be great! Here is some info about our trip from the Tara Tours website and some Diary entries. On the following pages, text in Blue is from Gretchen's journal entries, John's entries are in Green.
09 Days / 07 Nights
INDEPENDENT DEPARTURES
Day 00 WED.USA-LIMA-IQUITOS: Midnight departure for Lima Peru with immediate connection to Iquitos
Day 01 THU. ARRIVE IQUITOS - EXPLORAMA LODGE : Reception at the airport, brief city orientation and transfer to the Explorama dock. Fifty mile journey down the Amazon River to Yanamono Stream where Explorama Lodge is located. Afternoon hike along the "Lake trail" through lowland rainforest which is seasonally flooded. During the high water season, this excursion is done by canoe! Night walk or canoe ride to enjoy the sounds of the rainforest and stars of the Southern sky. (Lunch, Dinner)
Day 02 FRI. EXPLORAMA LODGE: Morning walk along the "Bushmaster Trail", where scientific studies by the Missouri Botanical Gardens have found the world's highest biodiversity of trees per square hectare. Your guide will point out many plants used in medicine today and many that we may use in the future. Afternoon canoe trip along the Amazon in search of either of the two species of freshwater dolphin found in the river and a chance for an afternoon swim. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 03 SAT. EXPLORAMA LODGE: Morning walk along a local Amazon River trail with stops along the way to visit the local "ribereņos" or river people, visit a river school, see the local sugar cane rum factory and visit our resident American medical doctor in her clinic sponsored by the Rotary Club. Afternoon canoe trip or walk in primary rainforest to enjoy more of this tropical paradise. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 04 SUN. EXPLORAMA LODGE - CEIBA TOPS: Morning walk along the Manguare trail where if you walk quietly
there is the possibility of spotting monkeys like the pygmy marmoset or saddleback tamarins. Afternoon journey twenty five miles up the Amazon River to Ceiba Tops where rooms with air conditioning and private bathrooms provide the comforts of home in the rainforest. The rest of the afternoon free to enjoy the pool, water slide and jacuzzi in the center of the Ceiba Tops complex. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 05 MON. CEIBA TOPS: Morning boat ride, spotting for dolphins, to visit a small village of Yagua Indians where your guide will explain the local Yagua Indian culture and how it was affected by the arrival of Europeans and the passing of time. There will also be an opportunity to see some of the local crafts and for a demonstration of the blowgun which some of the Yagua elders still use for hunting. Afternoon excursion to the neighboring town of Indiana. Originally a Franciscan mission, Indiana has grown into a large river community with its own market, high school and small hospital. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 06 TUE. CEIBA TOPS: Full-day boating excursion along the beautiful blackwater Yana Yacu River. Just a short distance from the mouth you can see the marble-like effect where the brown water of the Amazon mixes with the black water of the tributary. This is also a good place to go fishing for piranha! A box lunch is included during the boat trip.(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 07 WED. CEIBA TOPS - IQUITOS: Your choice of morning walking or boating excursion to further enjoy the rainforest and Amazon River or time to relax by the pool until departure time. Afternoon transfer to Iquitos and to the Hotel Dorado Plaza located in the very center of Iquitos. Time this afternoon and tomorrow morning to explore the shops around the hotel or to stroll in the main Plaza or along the walking "Boulevard" which curves along the border between the Amazon River and the city of Iquitos. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 08 THU. IQUITOS-LIMA-USA: Transfer to the airport for your departure flight to Lima and connection to Miami or Dallas via American Airlines. (Breakfast)
Day 09 FRI. Arrive in USA and connect to your hometown.
T
he people at Tara Tours have been super-helpful & we would recommend them to anyone interested in this kind of travel.
Week of 8/2
We have been running through our various checklists getting ready, or as ready as we can. Two weeks ago, we went and got our shots for Yellow Fever and Hepatitis, saw our doctor for a Malaria prescription and picked up some gear (binoculars, mosquito repellent and ponchos). Last weekend we did a test pack to see if everything we were bringing would fit in our packs and to see what else we might need to pick up at the store. We've finalized schedules for the children and found places for the pets while we are gone. Next week, we have to get the most important item: Passports. Unfortunately, Gretchen and I have let our passports lapse. That, coupled with our name change necessitates a trip to the passport office. However, you can't go into the office unless you are less than two weeks away from travel. We will have 8 days left, so I hope nothing goes wrong!
8/13
Went to the passport agency today. We're (John) starting to get a bit stressed about this whole trip. The passport people were great, although they did give my old
passport picture a good look (Have a look and you'll see why.) They also rejected our use of digital photos for the passports and we had to run to the CVS a few blocks away to get pictures done. Other than that, our passports will be ready Friday after 11:30 - just in time for the Big Packing Weekend.
8/19
48 Hours to go. We spent much of Saturday packing us and the kids for our trips & found our journal from our trip to Europe in '91. Some of the things we did then were totally unfamiliar to us. Funny the things that you forget in 10 years! We're going to bring the same journal with us to Peru so we can document this trip as well.
