July 2 - life in Peru!

My trip in Peru began Tuesday night when we landed in Lima.  Here's a pic of me, beyond excited to start this adventure. And here's my seatmate on the plane, Lydel. She's not part of the program, but is one cool girl and I was lucky to find her. I'll talk more about her later.

We were only in Lima for a short night, and I wish we had more time to explore - I already know I'm coming back here someday! Here are some pics of the city and the coast. Lima is known for surfing and all I could think about was renting a paddle board in the Pacific Ocean!

Yesterday morning (wed), we took our last hot shower for days and boarded a plane for Iquitos. A short 90 minutes later, we got our first breathtaking views of the Andes mountains and the rainforest.

Iquitos is, surprisingly, a big city of 800,000 people - but is very remote. You can only reach it by plane or boat. It is a very poor city and the major form of transportation is a motorcycle rickshaw. The houses are on stilts, in case the Amazon River floods - it was an incredible site.

We took a bus tour of the city and ended up in the Iquitos market. It's a street market with anything you could imagine and reminded me of the Italian market in Philly...on steroids! It was a huge opportunity to see this cultural side of Iquitos. Because it's so remote, many of the locals spend their whole lives selling foods or clothing in the market. I tried to put myself in their shoes as I walked through the booths, and feel even more grateful for the life I am afforded in Scottsdale. It was a very humbling experience and now, the stresses of an unreturned phone call or no plans on a Friday night seem so small after watching a mother care for her young kids and try to sell raw chicken on the street corner.

After the market, we boarded a boat on the Amazon River! We traveled 60 miles to the Explorama Lodge, where we'll be for 3 nights. Several times, I had to pinch myself and say - you're in a boat in the Amazon River - a surreal experience I will not soon forget. We learned after that the river is the longest by volume in the world, takes up 40% of South America and supplies 20% of the available freshwater to the entire world - and I was on it! Every minute felt life changing - the convos I had with other teachers and a very inspiring college professor, the views, and the overall feeling that I was experiencing something not many people will ever get to do. My theme of this trip so far has been gratitude - and this day was no exception. My heart is full, and it's only Day 2.💗
Later, I'll talk more about my experience in the bathroom with a bat, my first night hike and our "5 star" accommodations! Next stop - birding, which will hopefully put my binoculars to better use than the Hotel Valley Ho windows. 😁