We have been traveling at a rapid pace since we left Washington. Wednesday, we left Washington in the morning and had a 6.5 hour flight to Iquitos, Peru. Then, we boarded the Amazon Queen boat for a 2 hour trip downstream on the Amazon River. We arrived at our lodge in the jungle at dusk. The next day we were up at the crack of dawn and took a 70 mile trip further down the Amazon River and up the Napo River to another lodge. There we saw a Capybara, the largest rodent in the world, named Charlie (he is a pet). We then embarked on a 4 hour hike through the Amazon jungle, including a 0.6 mile hike through the canopy at a height of 115 feet. Then we went to a botonical garden where we learned about the various natural medicines in the rain forrest from a shaman. Tim tried a marigold that numbed his mouth like a local anesthetic.
The next day we flew 6.5 hours to Easter Island (Rapa Nui or Big Island.). That night, we met-up with a National Geographic Photographer who had just returned fron Nepal setting the world record for the highest altitude parachute jump from over 30,000 feet. Film at 11. He took us to some of the Moai (large stone statues) for a photography lesson. We enjoyed this immensely.
The next day we went on a tour of the island with the leading authorities in the world as our guides. These people have made this subject there careers for 30 years. Incredible.
All of the plane flights have lectures by National Geographic experts, and the food is superb. Here are some of the photos. There will be more from Rapa Nui when I can get internet access again. It is 10:30pm on Rapa Nui and we have to be awake at 4am tomorrow for our flight to Raratonga, Cook Islands.
I seem to be experiencing technical difficulties and cannot upload any images at this time. I have some great ones.
Rapa Nui is one of the most remote locations on the earth. We were informed that if we could not land on Easter Island, the closest airport is in Chile! Maybe the Cook Islands will have better internet service.
So happy to hear from you! Your photos continue to be amazing. Charlie looks just like a big version of our Guinea pig. We look forward to your next destination!
ReplyDeleteEaster Island is gorgeous! I was happy to see your post...we figured internet access was limited. What a rare opportunity you are experiencing. This world is an amazing place and most of us only see it in photos. We can't wait to see the rest of yours when you come back home!
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