don't drink the water.

or pee in it either.

truck and i will be travelling to the amazon river and the one word of advice we have been given: don't pee in the water.

this little guy to the right, called the candiru, looks harmless but, well, just watch this past week's episode of grey's anatomy to find out what i'm talking about.

danger.

9:45 am appointment with dr. kemp.

immunizations galore.

hepatitis a. all travellers. one dose before trip; booster six months later.

hepatitis b. travellers who will have long-term contact with the local population.

measles. Travellers born after 1956 who've never had measles and only one vaccination.

tetanus/diphtheria. all travellers who haven't had a booster in ten years.

typhoid. all travellers.

yellow fever. travellers to jungle areas at altitudes below 2300m.

rabies. travellers who have contact with animals or won't have access to medical assistance.


yummy.

recommended reading.

the bridge of san luis rey, by thornton wilder.

'won the 1928 pulitzer prize for literature. it's the philosophical story of a monk who witnesses a rope bridge in rural peru break and kill five people; he wonders who they were and why they died, and decides to learn all he can about them.' (lonely planet's rather elementary description of a stunning piece of work).

itinerary.

Peru

16 may thru 18 june

2007

(click on map for a larger and clearer view).

may 2007
16
lulu arrives alone in Lima at 22:28 and heads off to hostal iquique

17
explore Lima
experience Lima's penas that night (music, dancing, fun)

18-19
head south to Huachina via Ica for sandboarding on the dunes (it's out of the way of everything else, but this is an opportunity that cannot be missed)

20-26
back up north to the Cordillera Blanca via Huaraz for horseback riding, hiking, and mountain biking in this phenomenal mountain range

27
lulu and truck reunite at 6:05 back in Lima

28 may thru 3 june
journey via aeroplane and boat to the jungles around Iquitos

june 2007
4 thru 9
down to Puno via Arequipa to explore the floating islands on Lake Titicaca (giggle giggle)

10 thru 12
acclimation time in Cuzco

13 thru 16
hike the Inca Trail up to Machu Picchu

17
back to Lima

18 thru 19
overnight flight home to Minneapolis (praying we make the connection in Houston)


of course, they are flexible and plan to go wherever the wind, or other crazy travellers, may take them. please wish them luck.

the countdown begins.

in thirty days exactly, emily (lulu) will be leaving on a jet plane for jorge chavez int'l airport in lima, peru for 33 days of peruvian madness. eleven days afer her departure, her father, david (truck), will be getting out of dodge as well and heading on his first-ever overseas trip to join her. these two are kinda crazy so who knows what kooky adventures they will encounter.

stay tuned.






















i told you they were crazy.