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Trip Pics – Kapawi Eco Lodge – Ecuador

Friday, October 17th, 2008

Hopefully, this works. I have created an account with Flickr which I hope to be able to share our photos. Uploading video and photos has been painfully slow. La Terraza Cafe here in La Paz has a speed of 11.0 Mbps so things are taking forever….

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31246690@N05/

Lisa n Fred

Leavin’ Luxury . . . Lake Titicaca

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

Ola! After an uneventful overnight bus ride and an easy border crossing, (from Cusco, Peru to Copacabana, Bolivia), Fred and I scurried up the hill (as fast as we could carrying all our gear at 3,856 m above sea level) to the highly recommended, “La Cupola” hostal. We lucked out (having not reserved) in getting the last room – a fantastic 2-story suite for $36. Floor to ceiling windows with a spectacular view over Lake Titicaca – a perfect setting to enjoy our $4 bottle of wine at night and our Folgers coffee in the morning (Fred packed his own ground coffee from home and filters). The suite included a kitchen, bathroom with hot shower and stone-tile bathtub, a double bed downstairs which was comfortable to read on, and a kingsize bed upstairs. The hostal also had the most sought-after restaurant, where we could dine for $14 a night (for 2, including a glass of wine).

Apart from our fabulous room, we had a terrific horseback ride for 3 hours over the rolling hills and back down to the lake. Here, we got off Apache and Hercules and hopped in a row boat where we were rowed over by a local bolivian to a “floating island”. The floating islands, made out of reeds from the lake, are home to many birds/ducks – not humans anymore, and are maintained most likely for tourism. It was interesting to see all the salmon trout nets set up though, and we even managed to rescue a young bird that was caught in the net.

We then rowed back to the horses and returned back to Copacabana, through small Bolivian villages where we were able to get great views into their rural living. We were happy to dismount as there saddles are rockhard. I was able to video Fred riding – will plan on uploading it later.

Another day was spent taking the boat 2 hours to Isla del Sol where we hiked over to some ruins (birthplace of the sun) and saw a stone table where they possibly made human and animal sacrifices to the sun. Then, it was a 1.5 hour boat ride back from the South part of the Island.

So far, Bolivia appears to be a very inexpensive country. For the past 3 days, we have spent $100, which includes all our food, wine, horseback riding trip, and boat trip to Isla del Sol. Fred has enjoyed eating possibly his best fish ever – fresh, salmon trout from the vendors at beach (fish, salad, fries and a big beer – all for only $4!). I have enjoyed two great plates of spaghetti alla carbonnara ($4), pancakes with banana, chocolate and cream for breakfasts, and a bar b q chicken dinner.

Now, we are off to La Paz (3 hours), the highest capital city in the world at over 3,500 m. About $9 for the two of us. Apparently, today there is a protest happening in La Paz (which we have heard includes dynamite in Bolivia). Hopefully, things will have calmed down by the time we get there. The hostal here recommended Hostal Republica, so we have already booked for two nights ($30 with private bath, wi-fi, etc).

Gotta go, buenos dias,

Lisa n Fred

Not Justawalkinthepark – the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu

Sunday, October 12th, 2008
Avalanches, Rock Slides, and Dynamite! It all began last Saturday night when a group of 6 enthusiastic trekkers met at the SAS Travel Agency in Cusco, Peru for our debriefing on the Salkantay 5-day Trek to Machu Picchu. Fred was already ... [Continue reading this entry]

Coca in Cuzco

Saturday, October 4th, 2008
Ola! After about 38 hours on local buses from Quito to Lima (which cost us $27 each), Fred and I decided to fly into Cuzco direct from Lima ($143 including taxes, each). An hour flight over the Andes on a ... [Continue reading this entry]

It Could Have Been Worse…

Monday, September 29th, 2008
Well....we made it to Lima...after a 12 hour bus ride from Quito - Huaquillas (they said it would take 9 hours), and a 19.5 bus ride from Tumbes - Lima... 31.5 hours on local bus transport. Fred and I left Quito ... [Continue reading this entry]

Kapawi Eco Lodge

Saturday, September 27th, 2008
We returned yesterday from our 5 day jungle adventure at the Kapawi Eco Lodge. Although our fishing trip was relatively unsuccessful (well, Fred caught two 3" puffer fish), the rest of us just lost our meat bait to the amazon ... [Continue reading this entry]

It’s Not the Destination . . .

Friday, September 26th, 2008
It’ Not The Destination . . . It’s the journey. Such was ours on Monday, Sept 22 when we traveled to the Kapawi Eco Lodge. Located in the southeastern corner of Ecuador, a one-hour boat ride from the Peruvian border, this ... [Continue reading this entry]

Goodbye Galapagos!

Monday, September 22nd, 2008
Fred and I have just returned from an exciting week in the Galapagos Islands and we're back at "The Magic Bean" in Quito.  We spent the first 5 days on the M/Y Monserrat I, a 16 passenger, First Class, 91' ... [Continue reading this entry]

Packed Up Good

Friday, September 12th, 2008

Ola! Our long awaited, 8-month trip finally took fruition yesterday (yes, September11th)! Our flight on Air Canada from Toronto to Bogota, Columbia was actaully 1/2 hour quicker than the 5 hours expected due to  strong tail winds helping us ... [Continue reading this entry]