January 25, 2001
by Gregory

When we take a bus up to Machu Picchu we have to go up a big mountain. Machu Picchu felt like a maze. It was made of all stone. It was really hot outside. I lost my hat on the bus that I took going up the mountain. I got in big trouble by mean old daddy. When you go down the mountain, a kid races the bus down the stairs. We drove down the mountain on 14 switchbacks and the kid ran straight down the stairs. We kept looking for the kid. Each kid raced a bus down the mountain.

We returned to town for lunch and checked into our damp hotel along the Urubamba River, The Machu Picchu Pueblo. The combination of temperate rain forest and the dampness from the river caused a few allergies to flare. (The Urubamba River) We quickly overcame the problem by spending the afternoon in the bar area testing the local drink, the Pisco Sour, while the kids completed their schoolwork.

While exploring MP, our guide pointed out Wayna Picchu, a mountain towering 800 ft. above MP. Mary and I immediately looked at each other said, "Let's climb it!" Christopher quickly jumped in and joined the hike. Gregory and Brennan instantly said something that sounded like "NO THANKS!" Tom gratefully agreed to stay behind to explore the town of Aguas Caliente.

What a great hike!! The three of us climbed the mountain with little difficulty and after the morning fog lifted had a crystal clear view of MP. We climbed narrow slippery stairs with the aid of a few ropes. No heavy causalities to report except when Christopher decided to sprint down the trail and met with a few minor scraps and bruises!! We had such a spectacular time climbing; I easily coerced Tom to try the climb the next day!! We had a thicker fog to climb through but we refused to leave the top until MP was visible... (Where's the view?) This was the first time we had more than a few wakeful hours together since beginning this adventure. It was much needed time for peace, tranquility and exercise!!

We met the crew back at the hotel, were shuffled quickly out to the Orchid Garden next to the hotel, and later, after a few more Pisco sours, were serenaded again by beautiful Peruvian music while having dinner.

We departed Aguas Caliente on a 25-person helicopter for the 30-minute flight to Cuzco. The views of the mountains and valleys were spectacular. The pilots encouraged us all to take pictures from the cockpit and even opened the window for clearer shots. Aviation regulations are a bit more relaxed here.... Our alternative to flying back to Cuzco was to return on the same train but with a four-hour trip including two hours of switchbacks over a 25-mile stretch outside Cuzco.

After a night in Cuzco, we arrived airport expecting our flight to Iquitos to leave at 9am. Five hours later, the fog cleared and we were on our way. Surprisingly enough, this was our first significant flight delay of the trip. We had no problem filling our down time with schoolwork! However, because of the delay, we stayed in the forgettable Dorado (a Hyatt Hotel in disguise) in Iquitos instead of heading directly to the Explorama Inn on the banks of the Amazon.

The next morning, after picking up some flip-flops for Gregory (sorry, Silvia, the Pikachu sandals were left somewhere in Egypt), we took a small boat on a 25-mile journey down the Amazon. We were all a bit surprised to see the vastness of the great Amazon. (Mischief on the Amazon) The river outside Iquitos is very wide and muddy and has a very strong current. The river was loaded with floating logs and other natural debris making it a challenge to maneuver our boat safely.
Christopher talks more about the Amazon below...


"The Amazon River"
by Christopher

The Amazon River is 3,700 miles long. It is the second longest river in the world behind the Nile River. It starts in southern Peru near Huanaco and empties into the Atlantic Ocean near Belem, Brazil. The Amazon River starts south of the equator and ends north of the equator so it an interesting river. The water carries a lot of mud and silt so it is a muddy brown color. The water level rises as much as twenty feet in the rainy season so many of the houses near the river are built on stilts. There is also so much silt that 80 meters of land is added to French Guiana (A North Eastern South American country).

The Amazon River is the center of a lot of activity. It is the way that cargo gets to northern Brazil and Peru. People also ship things from Iquitos and Manaus out to other countries. Iquitos and Manaus basically exist because of the Amazon and its natural resources. Manaus and Iquitos are the biggest cities on the Amazon and their populations range from 1.0 to 1.5 million people. In Manaus and Iquitos they produce oil, and timber. Manaus used to produce rubber before the rubber plant was planted in Asia. It was easier and cheaper to get the rubber from Asia.

Along the river, there are still many Indian tribes. They depend on fishing and farming. They fish in small boats with spears and hand-thrown nets. For farming, people must farm with the water level because the get a lot of rain in the rainy season People plant their crops when the water levels fall and harvest them at the last possible moment when the water goes up.

The future for the Amazon is unknown. There is a lot of new development and logging going on near the Amazon. It is bad because it wrecks animal habitats so they die. Many people want the forest to be protected because there are many animals there. It also produces 20% of the oxygen on the planet. But some people want the forest to be knocked down because they need farmland and cattle ranches to earn money. Personally, I think that the rainforest should not be knocked down because it houses the biggest number of species of animals in the world. The Amazon River is very important.

Joining us on the boat was an amazing Wisconsin woman, who had first traveled to Iquitos 10 years ago. She returned home, closed up her medical practice, and returned to Iquitos to open up a much-needed medical clinic 50 miles down the Amazon. When hearing about people like this, it makes you stop and look at your own contributions to the world a little more closely.

We landed at the Explorama Inn, dropped our bags, and were ready to begin our trek in the rain forest. The kids have been reading and hearing stories about the rainforest for quite a while and the anticipation was overwhelming. We began by hiking in the forest around the Explorama. During our first hike, we played Tarzan by swinging from the Philodendron vines, found ourselves surrounded by beautiful blue Morpho butterflies, and were introduced to many varieties of poisonous frogs (and Amazonian mosquitoes). Our favorite frog was the fallen leaf frog; its body was perfectly camouflaged as a dried brown leaf. Cliver, our guide, was very quick in hand and easily found many creatures that we never even saw. While in Africa, we had developed the knack of spotting large mammals in the bush; here we had to adjust to the denseness of the rainforest and the size of the creatures we were seeking. The next morning we set sail for the Explornapo Lodge, a 75-mile boat ride down the Amazon and then up the Napo River. We took an interesting shortcut. First, we took a boat up the Amazon to a point where we were transported by three-wheeled taxi to the village of Menem (until recently a big drug trafficking spot) along the Napo River. Once on the Napo we took another boat to the camp. The Explornapo is basically two open-aired buildings with a small number of camping style accommodations. I think on our next visit we'll be ready to stay here the entire time, mosquito netting and all!! This is the location where The Jason Project was filmed two years ago. For all of you that don't have elementary-aged kids, The Jason Project is an organization that transmits, via satellite, educational programs for children throughout the United States. Two years ago, the topic was the Rain Forest. Christopher viewed the live broadcast along with many other Santa Barbara kids.

As you'll read in Brennan's journal entry, at the Explornapo Camp she was warmly greeted by a number of feathered friends. We had to coax her to leave her new companions, have lunch, and begin our journey to the Canopy Walkway. Nothing could prepare us for what we would experience. The Canopy Walkway, one-third of a mile long, reaches 120 feet above the ground and extends through 12 of the area's largest trees and is unequaled anywhere in the rainforest. In the hectare surrounding the walkway, scientists have counted 600 trees, comprising 300 different species. We all traversed the walkway at varying paces. Mary, according to the writings in Gregory's journal, quickly overcame her fear of heights and covered the walkway with the greatest of ease...


January 29, 2001
"Canopy Walkway"
by Gregory

Today I went on a Canopy Walkway. You walk tree to tree. Mary was really scared. There are 12 trees that hold the canopy walkway up. It was really steep when we were going down. It was really fun. It was hot. There are bullet ants in the rain forest. They sting ten times more than a wasp sting. We are in South America in Peru.


January 29, 2001
Explornapo Lodge
by Brennan

We went to the Explornapo Lodge for one day. When we got there we saw seven parrots and two were babies. One parrot was a Yellow Crowned parrot. She liked me because when mommy tried to put the parrot on daddy's arm, she bit him two times. When mommy tried to put the parrot on my arm the parrot jumped off mommy's arm and came running over to my arm. The parrot liked my hat and bandana around my neck. I guess she wanted to get on my hat but the parrot could not get off my arm. The parrot was a really talented parrot, it could swing on the mosquito net and she said, "Hi Brennan," two times. The parrot said, "Hola" and "Hello" many times. The other parrots were green with blue around their eyes. We were in the cool rain forest of Peru, on the Amazon River.

The next morning we took a boat to a neighboring Yagua Indian Village. Along the way we searched for the elusive pink dolphin. Before leaving on the trip, Brennan had found some information about the pink dolphin on the Internet and was determined to stay on the river until there was a sighting. Thank goodness we spotted the fresh water dolphin in a small Amazon tributary. The pink dolphin differs from the common saltwater dolphin by its color and its ability to move its neck laterally through the water, moving more like a fish than a common dolphin. There are many local legends associated with the pink dolphin. I'm sure the kids will share these with you when we return.

The Yagua Indian Village was of great interest to the kids. I've included some of the journal entries to give you their perspective. Perhaps the highlight of the visit was the blowgun competition. Each of us was given a chance to try our hand at hitting a 4-inch post with a dart from a five-foot long blowgun at a distance of about 30 feet. I hit the bulls-eye on the first try!!! Tom now says he will never say a bad word to me ever again (or turn his back on me)! I was also offered the job as chief of the village (apparently, he isn't that good a shot).


January 30, 2001
by Brennan

One day we took a boat to a village called Yagua. On the way to the village we saw pink dolphins. They do not swim like our dolphins in Santa Barbara; they swim more like a fish and can move like the letter "S". It's hard to spot them because they never jump out of the water. In the village, we brought some presents for the kids. I gave some hair bands, pencils, crackers, and a little candy. Gregory gave away some of his Pokemon cards. When we got to the village we went in a big hut. A woman came up to us and put red stripes on our cheeks. Mommy, Daddy, and Mary danced around the room. Then we went outside and watched a demonstration of the blowgun. I tried it, but it did not work. They brought down a three-toed sloth and I got to hold it. I also got a flute.


January 30
by Gregory

Today I went to a village. I bought a blowgun. It is a thing that is a long stick. There's a hole in the stick. You put an arrow in the stick. You blow on the stick, the arrow comes out. It is for shooting big game. It does not kill the game but numbs it instead. I got to hold a three-toed sloth.

Later in the day, after a tremendous downpour, we went Piranha fishing on the Manati River, a black river tributary of the Amazon. Brennan and Gregory have very different recollections about the "night we piranha fished"

Gregory continued....
Yesterday, I went Piranha fishing. The fishing rods were sticks. You don't cast. We caught six piranhas... I caught one in the belly. The rest the guide caught. I let mine go. But we kept the other ones. After we took them off the hook we put them in the back of the boat. They flopped around. Humberto, our fishing guide, cooked the piranhas. It tasted like chicken. I didn't want to try them. But Mommy said they tasted like chicken.


January 30
by Brennan

One day we went piranha fishing on the Amazon River. Our guide Cliver said to wear sandals, t-shirts and shorts. I did not want to go, but we had to anyway. The fishing poles were made out of sticks. We had to fling the pole up really fast or else the piranha would get away. First, our driver caught one on the front of the boat. I said I would like to go up in the front but when I was even up in the front I still did not get a fish. Our guide caught one with Gregory's fishing pole and the piranha got hooked in the belly, so we let him go. Cliver said that the other pirahnas would eat it. At the end our driver caught four more fish.


January 31
by Christopher

Yesterday, we searched for pink dolphins, visited a village, and fished for piranha. We went out on a boat to search for pink dolphins. We had been looking for 40 minutes when we saw ripples in the water! There was a sudden blast of water, and out came the back of the pink dolphin. Our guide, Cliver, told us that their necks are flexible so that they could swim in swamps through the weeds without getting stuck in them. Their pink flesh kept poking through the water. We followed them through the water for twenty minutes but then we visited the Yagua Village. It took us five minutes to get there. At the Yagua village we learned many things. First, we danced to some music. You sort of skipped and then did a running dance. Next, we learned how they built their houses. They built their houses by tying palm leaves together in the shape of a huge wigwam. Long ago they used palm bark so enemies spears couldn't pierce the houses.

Last, we learned how to shoot the blowgun. This blowgun is five feet long and is made out of a hollowed out branch tied together with reed strips. The darts are made out of wood with a little bit of poison on them to stun but not kill them. We all got to shoot the blowgun at the target. My mom actually hit the target, I so hot it the farthest, Gregory shot it the shortest, and my dad, sister and my aunt all missed the target. They let us hold a three-toed sloth.

It made mechanical movements because it is one of the slowest creatures on Earth. It had claws one inch long and had a cool face. Being in the jungle is very cool.

On our last evening at the Explorama Inn, we had a family powwow and we asked the kids if they had had enough of the rainforest. They each answered, NO!! We then gave them the chance to give up the scheduled week on the beach in Brazil for the Brazilian Rainforest. We were both surprised and thrilled when they said, "More Rainforest!!!" We quickly changed our plans and were happy to know that we weren't done with our adventures in the jungle.

Sadly, we said our goodbyes to Mary in Lima as we boarded our flight to Santiago, Chile. I'll miss our philosophical discussions of Machu Picchu and all the great shopping we did together. We'll all miss her bright smile and her much needed humor during the occasional skirmishes. She has the natural ability to make each one of our children feel very important and special.

On to Santiago for a very brief overnight and then a flight to Punta Arenas located in Southern Chile along the Strait of Magellan. Again, we were in unknown territory. We had left the hot and humid tropical rainforest and were now in the cold, flat, wind-swept Patagonian region of Chile. We traveled for 6 hours to our hotel with two English women who gracefully didn't bat an eye when they heard they were traveling with 3 young children for 6 hours!!! The kids were great. They were all a little tired from traveling the day before so they took advantage of the time to catch up on their sleep.

When we arrived in the Torres del Paine National Park, we were astounded at the sheer size and unique shape of the mountains. It was a crystal clear day and we could see the peaks from miles away! We arrived around 8 pm at the Explora Hotel situated next to a waterfall between two glacier-fed lakes in the park. At 54 degrees south Latitude, we were in broad daylight until nearly 10pm each night here in late summer. We instantly felt at home and began making our plans for the week.

Our first excursion was to Grey's Glacier, an hour away from the hotel. We hiked along the shores of Lago Grey marveling at the icebergs that had broken off the glacier into the lake. The wind blew with incredible force. We had to put rocks in the kids' pockets so they wouldn't be blown away! Another day was spent hiking around Lago Sarmiento, a glacier-fed lake that has been mysteriously receding over the past 5 years. We learned that all but one of the glaciers in Patagonia and the Antarctic have been receding during the past decade. It is very alarming to see the effects of global warming all around us. While hiking, we saw wild herds of guanacos (a relative of the llama) and rheas (relative of the Ostrich). Only Brennan was disappointed that a Puma didn't come visiting!!


February 2, 2001
Explora Lodge, Chile
by Christopher

We went on a hike today at Lago Grey where we hiked near huge amounts of ice that came off Glacier Grey at the far end of the lake. Pedro, our guide, said that most of the trees were called Beech Trees. We had to cross a hanging bridge to start the hike. Only two people could go on it at once. When all of us got to the other side, we saw big parakeets sitting in a tree. We also saw Torret Ducks in the water. Torret ducks are ducks that swim upstream and eat algae and insects. We continued walking until we made it to the beach. At the beach there were huge chunks of ice that had floated away from a glacier on the far end of the lake. We picked up huge chunks of ice and smashed them in the water. We skipped stones for a while but it was too windy. It was so windy that you could lean on the wind and not fall over. On the beach, I found a walking stick. I have it with me. Later I will whittle all the rough bark of so it is smooth. We then walked up a path to view the broken glacier pieces from a higher view. The higher we walked the windier it got. After a while we stopped and I got a chocolate bar. It really tasted good. We climbed down the mountain. The hike was really cool.

After a few days of shorter walks, we took the kids on a hike through the French Valley along the western base of the Towers, which dominate the Paine range. We left at 9:00 am, took a ferryboat across the lake in front of the Explora and began our hike at 9:30. We were with a small group from the Explora and were concerned Brennan and Gregory would have difficulty keeping up. As it turned out, Brennan and Christopher sprinted ahead with the guide in the lead group, and Tom, Gregory and I took a more tranquil pace without slowing anyone down. We happily hiked through forests, crossed rivers, and climbed boulders. After lunch, Christopher and I joined a small group who continued another hour across a small waterfall and up some steep terrain. Tom took Brennan and Gregory with the group returning to the boat. While hiking, they spotted an Andean Condor flying 20-30 feet above their heads. Our hike wasn't finished until we caught the boat back at 6:30pm. We didn't hear one complaint the entire time from Gregory. (Of course, we did promise him a few Shirley Temples that evening if he made it through the hike complaint-free.)

Brennan's wish came true the next day when we all went horseback riding across the pampas. Thankfully, we were accompanied by a gaucho and our guide as we crossed streams and through the "rugged" terrain! We rode out for a few hours. The kids were then transported back by van to the corral and Tom and I were given the option to gallop back or take the easy way out and join the kids. With a little persuasion, we stayed on the horses, and for the first times in our lives we galloped full speed back across the grassy land and through the river holding on for dear life. We had been given a little instruction on how to ride like a gaucho: hold on with only one hand, lean way back, and relax. We both knew the definition of saddle sores the next day!!! Brennan was a little disappointed she wasn't allowed to gallop with us, but these horses are a bit wilder than the horses she's been on in Santa Barbara and Ireland! Later during the week, while the boys took a hike in the foothills, Brennan and I went out riding again. We rode out in extremely strong gusts of wind. As we rode to the top of a high ridge, I looked over at Brennan laying low in her saddle and hanging on for dear life, and made the decision to turn back. Thankfully, the decision wasn't met with any complaint and we cantered back to the stable. Tom returned with a similar story of watching Gregory and Christopher being blown down the trails and having difficulty standing up. Even though it was a picture-postcard day, the winds in this region are fierce.

On our last day at the Explora, we left Brennan and Gregory in the care of the wonderful hotel manager, Doreen. She had offered to watch the kids many times during the week, but we felt they would miss out if we left them behind. We changed our minds when Christopher decided he would like to hike to the Torres, the Towers of the mountain range. This is the most difficult hike in the park. Brennan and Gregory were happy hanging out with Doreen, swimming in the pool, doing art projects, and watching a movie. We hiked up a steep hill, then along a ridge and down into a beautiful glacial river valley. The final hour was spent maneuvering through a steep boulder field. We could hardly keep up with Christopher as he scrambled and leapt from boulder to boulder. The added reward was a spectacular view of the towers right in front of us. To think that we may have missed all of this had we decided to forgo South America...

After saying our good-byes to the wonderful people at the Explora, we began our 6-hour drive back to Punta Arenas. Seeing the incredible mountain range disappear was difficult but I know we'll return again one day. Jane and Audrey, our friends from England, were with us on the return trip, also. We had made arrangements to stop at the Penguin Sanctuary to see the natural habitat of the Magellan Penguin. There were thousands of penguins walking to and fro among the sand burrows and downto the ocean. (Which way's the Ocean?) Scattered among the many penguin burrows are the timid gray foxes waiting to snatch an unguarded penguin egg.


February 9th
Chile
by Brennan

One day we went to a penguin sanctuary on the coast of Punta Arenas. The first animal we saw was the gray fox. We saw three penguins going down a path in long grass and there was another gray fox nearby. Gray foxes do not eat penguins; they only eat their eggs. We also saw a red fox eat a butterfly. I think there were close to a million Magellan penguins in the sanctuary. Some were walking, some were talking, and some were burrowing in the sand. The penguin burrows down in the ground to lay their eggs. When we saw the penguins swimming in the water, we saw a sea lion to their right hand side. The sea lion and sea wolf will eat penguins in the water. About 200 penguins went into the water and came splashing and jumping back in on a sand island. I think they saw the sea lion.

We flew from southern to northern Patagonia to the city of Puerto Montt along the Pacific Ocean. Gregory, for a brief moment, fantasized about taking a taxi from Chile to California by way of the Pan-American Highway. Once he realized he hadn't saved enough of his allowance to cover the cab fare, he politely asked to use a credit card!!

He quickly changed his mind when we arrived at the Alerce Mountain Lodge outside Puerto Montt in a forest of ancient Alerce Trees. (The alerce tree is a relative of the giant sequoia.) We drove on a very narrow, muddy dirt road in the pouring rain. We were all relieved when we arrived at the lodge. We were welcomed at the door by Analia, the manager, with warm, knit socks to wear while in the main building. It was very chilly outside, so the fire was going in a large fireplace made out of a steam boiler left over from the old logging camp. We quickly warmed up and took advantage of the rainy day and dove into our schoolwork. Our little cabin was a short distance from the lodge and was on a pristine lagoon filled with trout. (Traveling the lagoon at Alerce)

Our next day was filled with a wonderful surprise. A family from Concepcion and Santiago arrived at the lodge. They had three children, Pilar, 8, Maria Aurora, 9, and Claudio, 11. Despite the language barrier, instant friendships were formed and the kids were inseparable for the next 4 days! They hiked together, walked under waterfalls, rode horses, played games, and helped celebrate Brennan's birthday. Analia had a surprise birthday party for Brennan and her new friends and filled a table with cookies, candies, milk shakes, and a beautiful birthday cake. The look on Brennan's face when she walked into the room was priceless. She said it was the best birthday ever! It was a very magical place for Brennan to spend her birthday!

The morning after the festivities we had to say good-bye to our friends. This was the hardest good-bye for the kids. All the children realized the value of learning another language and we hope their friendships continue.

It was time for us to leave the incredible country of Chile and travel on to Argentina. We spent Valentine's Day crossing through the lake district of Northern Patagonia and the Andes Mountains that divide Chile and Argentina. The passing was exceptionally beautiful and the weather couldn't have been more spectacular. We saw volcanoes, waterfalls, and the emerald waters of the many lakes we crossed. We passed the time creating cards and poems for each other. Brennan's journal entry will provide you with the transportation details of the day.


February 16th,
by 2001 Brennan

On Valentine's Day we went on a long trip. We first went on a two-hour car ride to a waterfall then a ten-minute car ride to a boat. The boat took two hours to get to a place for lunch. Then we went on a two- hour car ride through the Andes Mountains. We then went on a twenty-minute boat ride, a five-minute car ride, and an hour and a half boat ride. Finally, a five- minute car ride to the hotel called, Llao Llao. The town's name is Yike Yikes. Just Joking!!!!!!

We arrived early evening at the Llao Llao (yow yow) Lodge outside San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. The area reminded us a lot of the Tyrol. We relaxed and took advantage of the many activities: golf, sailing, rock rappelling, and a watercolor class (Brennan's choice). We took three days to get caught up on our schoolwork before heading off to our next destination, Buenos Aires. We had a quick stay in this beautiful city, spending an evening eating Argentinian beef and watching the Tango. It was too short a stay. Buenos Aires is on our ever-lengthening list of places to return in the future.

The kids were itching to get back to the rainforest. We flew to Iguazu Falls (with the assistance of Brennan and Gregory who were sitting in the cockpit - yes, IN THE COCKPIT!!!) at the point where the borders of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil come together. We spent the first day hiking around the falls in a torrential downpour. At this point in the trip, nothing short of a hurricane would have stopped this group. We've grown quite flexible in our travels. The falls are spectacular. Unlike Victoria Falls which stretch in a straight line for a mile or so and drop straight into the first of a number of gorges, Iguazu Falls consists of about 73 different falls meandering for a couple of miles along an uneven stretch of river. There are a number of different levels to the falls and a few places where we could get up close to the roaring waters. It was equally as spectacular as Victoria Falls!

We had a young guide, Dalma, who shared Brennan's passion for animals. She spent a great deal of time with Brennan discussing the various toucans that live in Central and South America.
See Brennan's report below....


February 25, 2001
Toucans of the World
By Brennan Cusack

There are thirty-seven different types of toucans and toucanets in the world. They live in the rainforest of Central America to Northern Argentina. Five of the thirty-five different types of toucans and toucanets live in Iguazu Falls. The falls border the countries of Argentina and Brazil. The biggest toucan in Spanish is called the Grande Toucan. In English, it is the Toco Toucan. It eats eggs from the Weaver Bird's nest. He puts his long beak in the nest and sucks the inside of the egg of the Weaver Bird. The Weaver Bird's nest is like a basket. The birds do not attack when the toucan is on their nest because he can turn around and whack the bird with his strong beak. The Toco Toucan can be attacked when it is flying because when he looks back to hit the Weaver Bird he looses his balance and falls and crashes. The Toco Toucan has blue eyes and orange around his eyes. It has black on the front part of the beak, orange on the rest of his beak except for the black spot on the end of the top of the upper beak. There is white under its beak, red under its tail, and the rest of the body is black.

In Iguazu Falls, we saw the Banana Toucanet. It has green and yellow on its body and red and black on its beak. It really looks like a banana! Two other toucanets in Iguazu Falls are the Arasari. They are in the same family but have different scientific names. The fifth toucan is called the Green-beak Toucan. Can you guess what color beak he has?

In Iquitos, Peru, there was a toucan flying around our lodge with many red and blue macaws. It had a black and white body with orange feet. There was a very thin line of yellow on top of its black beak and its face was covered in yellows and grays.

At the Ariau Lodge in Brazil, we took a boat ride to a village called Ajacata and we saw a toucan that had a black and white body, and a beautiful blue, yellow and white face. Its beak was black with a yellow stripe on top. It was really cool!! I was lucky to see seven different types of toucans in South America. I think they are really cool because they have bright colors on their bodies and their beaks. Some beautiful toucans are endangered. I want to make sure the rainforests don't get cut down so that the toucans don't loose their habitat and are become extinct.

We left Iguazu and headed off to Salvador, Brazil for a little pre-Carnival celebration. What an incredibly colorful city Salvador turned out to be!! For dinner, we went to an old sugar factory located downtown along the water for a show with some of the most fascinating dancing we had ever seen. We have tried to see and hear as much music and dance in every country we've visited, but nothing could compare to this. It is called Caraomba (sp?), a dance to an African rhythm with martial arts-type movements. Salvador was the headquarters of the slave trade for Brazil in the last century; so many aspects of African culture continue to flourish in the City.

The next day, we walked through the old section of Salvador and watched the many preparations for Carnival. We considered extending our stay in Salvador to enjoy the opening of Carnival, but, once again, the lure of the rainforest was too strong. We had to take a bit of Salvador with us so, before leaving, we stopped in a neighborhood hairdresser and had Brennan's hair braided the Brazilian way!

We flew to Manaus, Brazil, caught a boat up the Rio Negro, and landed at the Ariau Lodge. What an amazing place to conclude our tour of South America. Ariau is a number of towers on stilts connected by elevated walkways, nestled on the banks of the Rio Negro inside the rainforest. As luck was on our side, we landed the "Cosmic Suite", a large round room on the top one of the towers. (A sign in the room said, "Bill Gates slept here.") We all slept in the same room and were lulled to sleep by black lights and numerous floating planets attached to the ceiling. We definitely felt "worldly." Roaming around the Towers were the local residents: the spider, squirrel, and woolly monkeys. They were so hospitable, that one night while we were asleep, a howler monkey paid us a visit, only to be chased out by a very large human (Tom).

We learned a great deal about the rainforest from our guide, Alan. On our first hike through the rainforest, Alan taught us survival skills in the unlikely event we ever became lost. We were introduced to edible plants, animals, and insects! (Tom and I both ate the high-protein bug Alan handed us. The kids declined). We learned about a number of new homeopathic remedies from the rainforest. The most useful for us, for our summers in Minnesota, was discovering how rubbing termites on your skin creates a natural bug repellent. In case of a poisonous snakebite, find the thorn of a particular local tree, stab yourself around the wound with the needle to release as much venom as possible, and then, good luck! Christopher adds more survival tips below.


February 23, 2001
Ariau Towers, Brazil
by Christopher

We are in Brazil, 35 miles north of Manous, up river on the Rio Negro. Our hotel is built on stilts because the river rises very high during the rainy season. There are walkways that connect the towers. We have not seen many animals yet ,but we have learned how to survive in the jungle. There is one tree that can be used as a telephone. First, you find a big, fat stick. Then, you bang it against the tree's roots. It makes a big sound that can be heard about three miles away.

If you're hungry there's plenty to eat in the rainforest. You can't eat just anything. You can eat these little white grubs that are commonly found. For fruits, they cannot be bitter, and hairy and have white milk all at the same time. These are poisonous.

There was also a hemp tree that you could use to climb. First, you strip a piece of bark off the tree. Next, you tie the bark's ends together to form a circle. Following, you put your feet in the circle of bark. Finally, you climb up the tree pretty easily. Another thing you can make is a rope out of three palm reeds. Next, you weave the three pieces together and you have a braided rope.

Along with another evening of casting for piranhas by the shore of the Rio Negro, we took a refreshing dip in the cool waters of the river. (It's a very wide river, the piranhas hang out along the shorelines). The great hunters of the past would have been impressed by our evening of caiman hunting. One evening after dinner, we took a small boat in search of caiman, in the tributaries of the Rio Negro. We quietly motored in the light of a quarter moon trying very hard not to make a sound!!! After a few failed attempts, our mighty hunter pulled in a 6-month-old female caiman. He did it by jumping out of the boat on top of the caiman and trying to hold on! She was about 4 feet long. All the kids enjoyed holding their first caiman. Brennan was in her element. After learning all about the caiman, we released her and headed back to the lodge, talking non-stop about our great hunting adventure in the waters of the Rio Negro.

On our way to the airport we had a brief stopover in the city of Manaus. In the early 19th century, the city grew very quickly when rubber production was at its height. During this period, an opulent Opera House was built with local materials handcrafted in Europe. (Note to Margaret and John: Have you ever considered Manaus?) We had a wonderful time exploring the colorful spice and vegetable market. The fragrant fish market was a bit too much for the kids!!! We ended our tour with a boat ride at the confluence of the Rio Negro and the Amazon Rivers. Seeing the black waters of the Rio Negro and the brown waters of the Amazon merge was an incredible sight.

It was time to leave all the wonderful countries of South America. Once again, traveling with our children opened many doors, allowing us some spectacular adventures. We enjoyed South America more than we ever anticipated. The warmth of the people, the natural beauty of the countryside and the energy in the cities are all reasons to return again soon.

Now, off to Asia....