Peruvian Amazon: Puerto Maldonado

Jungle walking, Girlie Style!

The Best jungle room. Now, this is 5 star camping! Luv it!

The Best jungle shots. Choices were natural viagra, natural red bull, and una de gato. Salud!

Bird's eye view

Amazon!

Jungle Tower

Salud!

Yummy!

Piranha Fishing

Didn't catch one, but this was so much funnn!

Looking for wildlife, we spotted loads of birds, incl, red macaws, blue headed parrot, giant swimming otters, etc.

Omg! 0500 wildlife spotting. It is still dark!

and, cold, Burrrr!

Sunset on the Amazon. So Beautiful! Another fashionable day in the jungle! (I didn't have any pants)

Mud, Mud, Everywhere! Good thing we had wellies.

Setting back to the lodge, tipsy!

Our Amazon Guide, Jesus. Holding natural plants for my fire ants bites. ouch!

My camping style!

On the Road...AgAiN!

Multi-tasking. Austrian train

South America

Feb '09

Brazil

Carnaval- Rio De Janeiro

Mar '09

Antarctica Cruise- M/V Fram

Drake Passage-Half Moon Island-Cuverville Island-Neko Harbour-Petermann Island-Port Lockroy-Deception Island-Artowski Island (Polish Arctic Base)

Argentina

Ushuaia-Buenos Aires-Iguassu Falls

Uruguay

Montevideo-Colonia-Salto

Brazil

Iguassu Falls-Ihla Grande-Paraty-Rio De Janeiro

Bolivia

La Paz-Sucre-Potosi-Uyuni-Salt Flats

Apr '09
Peru

Copacabana-Puno-Lake Titicaca-Taquile Island-Amantani Island-Uros Island-Cusco-Puerto Maldonado-Ollantaytambo-Aguas Calientes-Machu Picchu-Arequipa-Colca Canyon-Nazca-Pisco-Ballestas Islands-Lima

May '09

USA

Houston, TX- To prepare for the Oz Rally

Jul '09- Oct '09

England

Start Overland to Oz Rally

Driving from London to Australia (Yep! It's possible)

"I have way too much energy!" Isla Margarita, Venezuela

Carnaval, Rio De Janeiro

BbQ in Ihla Grande

Sugarloaf (the best point to see amazing Rio views)

Rio: Cristo (wt Alan, Locky, and Franzi

Ihla Grande: Beach and Caipirhinas = Heaven

Ihla Grande: Wish I could remmber more. Thank Cristo for photos. Caipirhinas are the ultimate mind erasers

I have a new computer and for some unknow reason it's not uploading my Carnaval photos. Go figure! Not that I have that many anyways. It was too dangerous to even carry your camera around. My time in Rio was so much fun, but if anything could go wrong, well, it did! It all started with my hostel that advertised it was air conditioned, well, it was Not! There were six beds, two 3 stacked high bunk beds in a room smaller than my closet at home. It was so hot and these two girls kept turning off the fan. They said it was too loud/too cold. Pleaaase, they were from the Czech Republic!... Also, Itzik kept crawling into bed with me and let just said, the bed was only big enough for a 5 year old. Worst hostel room ever!

Not all was bad, the location a few blocks from Copacabana beach was awesome and so were all the party people I met. Experiencing the parades in the Sambodromo, well, that's what Rio's Carnavale is all about. But it will be the good vibes, friendly locals, and tasty food (street churrascos!) that will always have me thinking of Rio.

Good thing I'm coming back soon!



Well, enjoy the videos below, funny thing is, I have tried before to upload videos without any success.


Sambodromo (my Favorite float)



Carnaval street party in Ipanema

Carnaval Sambodromo

Carnaval Sambodromo

Antarctica

The Good w/t Amy & Tom

I must say we were spoiled rotten on the M/V Fram. I was so sad when the cruise came to an end. It was absolutely the best cruise ever! Well, nothing is perfect as I will admit the food was not so good. It was like eating airplane food. LOL!!! Well, at least there was plenty of fresh fruit and smoked salmon, though, I must admit I can't think of another time I ate so much bread and butter. I think a heap of garlic and salt would of helped. Maybe the Chef was too busy practicing his Sex Bomb routine to take notice. Honestly, the food on the Adventure of the Seas was horrible, so maybe this is how it is on cruise ships these days. Good for weight management,though! So, not all is as bad. I'm a foodie, though!

Antarctica was beautiful. The penguins, the glaciers, Amy, Tom, the 'other' characters onboard, well, and that hot mess of a Chef. What can I said, the staff treated us like royalty. Service prevails! God blessed us with sunshine every day, though, sailing the Drake gave us all a good laugh. We made all our landings and it was hot! Yes, Antarctica was hot!

As you already know (if you read my other posts) I don't like undesireable weather (um, cold/wet). The days before leaving for South America I made a pit stop at REI, and stocked up. The works! I didn't even wear the jacket I bought! The blue parka provided by the ship was sufficient enough. So, Juan, I will be seeing you when I return to Houston. (Thanks for posting! Glad you enjoyed the photos.) -and, Thanks, Amy, for kindly taking my 'Antarctica bag' back to the States with yah. Wish you were carrying on with me. I already miss you!

The Bad: Sex Bomb Chef (middle)

The Ugly: Seal kills penguin (and 6 others). I'm sooo sad.

Antarctica (on the M/V Fram) OoopS! I acc. deleted the photos. will put them back up soon..

The World According to...Rica!

Puerto Rico

This is a knock off from Fiona's blog page Wanderlust Magazine interview.


The Passport stamp you are most proudest of?

"The stamp I can't have because of ancient political views."

Which passport stamp would you most like to have?

Again, with politics! Israel and Saudia Arabia, and I really want to go to Bhutan and Borneo.

Where or what is your guilty travel pleasure?

LOL! That's easy. Pampering. Turkish baths, Chinese massage, and of course, having the opportunity to taste food in its native habitat.

More FunStuff...

Where are you at right now?

Rio de Janeiro

Where are you now?
(God willing) Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru

Are you dating anyone?

I don't date. I'm really focus on understanding the world and its inhabitants at the moment. One day I would really want to meet my wonderful husband and have 5 beautiful kids. Honestly, I have met men that would make a perfect husband according to American standards, you know, big house, big car, cash flow, but I don't need all that to be happy at this point in my life. It sures helps, that's what makes the so-called 'American Dream.' But what I really need in life to flourish and stay happy is my freedom. I'm still trying to figure out how to work this out. I guess what I'm looking for is a free spirited foodie like myself that likes and (can) travel and who can bring that extra flavor to the table that I'm gonna want to taste for the rest of my life. -and, a hot bod with green eyes! ;-)

Why do you travel so much?

One day I'll have 5 kids and world trekking might not be this easy. Wait! Is travelling ever easy?
Oh'k, because I am very curious about other cultures and what people eat at home.

Mountains, Desert, or Ocean. Which are you?

Are you reading this blog? Desert! I swear I was a bellydancing hippy gypsy in my previous life. Love the desert, Love camels, Love bedouin/berber camps, Love how remote and full of history some of the deserts I have visited are.

Best childhood travel story.

I grew on a sugarcane marsh in Puerto Rico and we didn't 'travel' much. Probably, because we didn't have to.

Though, I was obsessed with stories about Cristobal Colon and Sir Ernest Shackleton, therefore I knew my ship would sail one day. Maybe is why I joined the Navy, or perhaps because I was always travelling vicariously through my Father's letters when he was stationed overseas. When we were finally stationed in Texas I enjoyed camping in the Hill Country, though it did nothing to ease my extreme culture shock I experienced my first time in Africa. ;')

Our culture is indeed, one of the most flavorful in the world and PR has everything, modern big cities, historical cities, really nice beaches and even nearby pristine island, mountains, countryside, rain forest, one of the liviest nightlife imaginable and some really good food to speak of.

Name the top five countries (well, I need 10)

1. Japan: sushi, udon/ramen noodle soup

2. Brazil: street churrascos, feijao, caipirinhas

3. Spain: tapas! papas aioli, paella, mussels, sangria

4. Vietnam: pho ga, spring rolls, and that fresh local seafood, crabmeat

5. China: peking duck, any dish with aubergine

6. Jordan: (all the Muslim countries) All!

7. Thailand: green chicken curry, green papaya salad, sticky rice w/t mango

8. France: duck confit, crusty breads w/t cheese, French wines

9. Cuba: arroz con habichuelas, chuletas con ajo, mojitos!

10. Tanzania: nyama choma, kuku na chipsi, and all that tropical matunda from the sokos

11. *Puerto Rico: serenata, pasteles, mofongo, sopa de pollo, pernil, TODO!!!

Interesting Travel Story

I teach English in China and my students ask me the weirdest questions all the time? One time a student told me of something he always sees in American tele that caught his attention, and I couldn't figure it out, so he drew me a picture. I couldn't stop laughing, it was a Chinese food take-out box. LOL! The girls always ask me if I know Paris Hilton or Britney Spears and the teenage boys (those that are planning to attend Uni stateside) want to know if people in America are going to laugh at them because they are still virgins. The saddest thing I have ever heard is about a character on the first season of Desperate Housewives (which is very popular in Beijing). Gabby's Chinese housekeeper which on the show she treats very bad. They wonder if American people are going to treat them like that. Of course, we are not. I always do my best to explain things to them. I love teaching in Bejing and Chinese culture, and find it very rewarding. I wish I could live there year round, but it gets so cold after November.


Name something you want to do?

Snowboarding! -and perhaps, go on romantic American style African safari, E. Hemingway style, (no more tiny steamy tents!), make babies!

What next?

Keep reading, it's time to go nighty-night in possibly the worst (and hottest) hostel room ever!

Hugs, //CF

Tanzania: Mt. Meru Orphanage

Volunteering at the orphanage in Mt. Meru is one of my favorite things to do. I am still not comfortable taking these kind of photos, because I would never want the vulnerable to feel exploited, but these kids are absolutely adorable. While they don't live under best possible circumstances, the orpahnage is very clean and filled with genuine love. The children are very sweet and the mamas really nice. Many local villagers visit the orphanage daily, especially the teenage kids. The children are well behaved and love by everyone. There is even a hospital and school on the premises. The lush village is beautiful. There are coffee and fruit plantations, the masai community is active in this region, and spectacular views of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I fell in love with the little boy in the photo above. He reminds me of myself sometimes. He is a very loving and a happy little boy. Always smiling. I was very sad to leave him behind. Thank Christ for You tube! My wishes are to adopt him, but in the meantime I can't wait until my next visit which will happen very soon.

Happy times! click to enlarge

Tanzania: Mt. Meru Orphanage

Travel Dossier: June-March '07-'08

Girl on the Go!
Latin America: June-July '07

Ecuador
-Quito, Octavalo

Colombia
-Bogota, Villa Leiva, Cartagena

Venezuela
-Puerto Colombia, Caracas, Los Llanos, Merida, Margarita Island

Spain
-Madrid

*Italy
-Rome

N. Africa: July '07

Morocco
-Ouarzazate; Valley of the Kasbahs, Todra Gorge
-Marrakech, Fez, Meknes

Silk Road: Aug-Nov '07

Russia
-St. Petersburg, Moscow

Uzbekistan
-Samarkand, Tashkent, Bukhara, Khiva

Kazakhstan
-Almaty

China
-Beijing
-Yunnan: Kunming, Dali, Qiaotou (Tiger Leaping Gorge), Daju, Lijiang, Zhongdian (Shangri-La)

S.E. Asia: Nov '07

Thailand
-Bangkok

Nepal
-Kathmandu Valley, Bhaktapur, Nagarkot, Pokhara, Chitwan

India
-Delhi, Agra, Peharsar, Jaipur, Bijaipur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Goa

Africa: Nov-Dec '07

Kenya
-Nairobi, Mombasa, Diani Beach

Tanzania
-Arusha, Mt. Meru, Dar Salam, Stonetown, Zanzibar

Middle East: Jan-Feb '08

Egypt
-Cairo

Jordan
-Amman

Syria
-Damascus

Lebanon
-Beirut

USA: Feb '08 (Woo-Hoo! Ok, so it was just a 4 day layover, but I was so excited because I really missed America's comforts).

NYC
Altanta

Central America: Feb-Mar '08

Panama
-Panama City, Boquete; Chiriqui Province, Bocas Del Toro

Costa Rica
-Puerto Viejo, Sarapiqui, Arena, Monteverde, Ricon De La vieja

Nicaragua
-Ometepe, San Jorge, Granada, Leon, Masaya, Managua

Honduras
-Tegucigalpa, Roatan, Copan

Guatemala
-Antigua, Guatemala City

Caribbean