What a long strange trip it's been

Mission accomplished. The trip has come to a close tonight and we achieved our objectives:

1. Drop Em off at a three week Outward Bound expedition.
2. Get ourselves, our car, our dogs and a trailer full of home furnishings from Daniel Island to Bar Harbor.
3. Spend time with family and friends.
4. Have a little family fun along the way, or at least as much fun as a 15 year old will allow.
5. Somehow avoid having to spend 10 days in an overcrowded minivan with two very spoiled dogs who prefer not to stay in pet friendly hotels.


Trip factoids:
* 10 long days
* 1,988 miles driven
* 112 gallons of gas
* more tolls and continental breakfasts than I care to count
* a round trip plane flight in a single day (see objective #5)
* 7 hotel nights
* 2 ferry rides
* 1 tow truck and a broken hitch
* 5 hours in a U Haul repair shop
* we ended the trip with one less kid and two more dogs than we started with.

As with any momentous journey, I would like to be able to say we learned a lot. It's not a lot, but here goes:

- we are horrible packers and movers. Do not ask us to move your precious and valuable antiques.
- when the instructions on loading a trailer state "load most of the weight toward the front", they mean 60%, not 85%.
- when they tell you to show up an hour early for a ferry, it's a complete scam. 10 minutes is fine.
- a little adversity on a trip makes it memorable. Not that I would have planned it this way, but losing a trailer hitch with a fully loaded trailer attached just as you get on a busy bridge/tunnel with no injuries will be remembered a lot longer than the nice meal we had or the umpteenth roller coaster ride. Some of my longest lasting vacation memories as a child revolve around breaking down (we broke down a lot).
- Atlantic City is NOT Las Vegas with a beach.
- treasure the brief fleeting moments where your teenager is happy and enjoying being with you. They are extremely brief and fleeting, I wish there were a lot more of them but I will take whatever I can get at this point.
- friends and family are SO important, and that's not a cliche.
- life is good.

A hectic start to a great summer vacation. Time to settle down on the porch with a cold drink.

Location:Up and down and up the East coast

Photos

Just got around to posting the photos from my trip. If you're interested they are here.

My next adventure will be a lot closer to home. Off this weekend to NYC and Woodstock, NY.

Adios, Peru

I have spent the last two nights in the capital city of Lima, taking in the sights and taking in the rich and delicious food -- it's amazing Peruvians aren't a lot fatter.



But, alas, it is time now for me to leave, for as they say in Peru, hmmm, I can't think of how to say it in English, "Visita cada dia, A la semana hastia".



I will post something here after I have uploaded the balance of my trip photos.

Adios.



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Location:Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chavez

Meet The Team

Although I am back in Lima currently, and heading back to the USA tonight, I am still posting information about the trip over the past week.

In my blogs, I have been referring to "we" quite a bit. Well, in case you were wondering who I have been traveling with, I thought I would introduce you. No, Beth did not go on the trip, although I am hopeful she will come along on the next adventure.




Tom. "El Jefe"
Tom was the leader of our group. Tirelessly, he made sure we were where and when we needed to be, began at step one and proceeded accordingly, and ensured we had the answer to every question imaginable before it was asked. His Spanish is pretty good, too. Thanks for everything, Tom.







Barbara, our official Minister.

Like me, Barbara decided to do this trip because it was so outside of what everyone who knows her would expect, and, like me, she was glad she did it. Her calming influence and unique perspective and experience helped us to see the challenges and situations we encountered from angles we may not have considered otherwise. Well done, Barbara.

She was the fashion plate of the jungle, can drink a margarita (or two) and is a vocal proponent of hens' rights.




Cecil

Cecil had done the trip last year, so his insight of what to expect before it happened was very valuable (well, usually). Cecil has the remarkable ability to spot wildlife just before it disappears into the brush or beyond the horizon. An enthusiastic experiencer of life, he didn't miss an adventure or an activity. You're alright, Cecil.
Obsessed with chickens for some unknown reason.






Karly.

Karly was our Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar who will be studying in Lima for the next year. It was great having a young person's perspective and energy along. While the rest of us are just trying to change a small part of the world, Karly has the time and ability to make a significant positive impact, and she probably will. Good Luck, Karly.

She also has a unique way of telling jokes that must be experienced firsthand to truly appreciate.




What a team! Everyone played a part and contributed to our success. Thank you, everyone, it was a pleasure.

Jerry



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Location:Peru

Lima

This morning I woke up in Palo Verde Lodge (population 14 including the staff), and tonight I am going to sleep in Lima (population 8 million). Lima is a really busy, late night city. In contrast to Iquitos, which is probably the largest city in the world that doesn't have a Starbucks or McDonalds, Lima has all the comforts and brand names of a big US city.

I am staying at the Thunderbird Fiesta Casino Hotel (yes, there are countless casinos here) in the Miraflores District. Pretty central location, clean and safe, across the street from a big 24 hour a day supermarket.

You have to love the Brits. No matter what city you travel to, you can find their home away from home. Lima is no exception. I stumbled upon Old English Pub at the end of a place called Pizza Alley replete with darts, people with funny accents and bad teeth, and soccer games on tape delay on the telly. Decided this probably wasn't the best way to take in the local culture, so moved on (after a couple of pints)

Sorry, no pics. Didn't feel safe walking around this crazy city at night with my camera.


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Location:Lima, Peru

A visit to the local village

On Saturday morning we visited the local village of Ayacucho. It is just a few kilometers down river from the lodge and has a population of about 200. The lodge is actually built on land owned by the village and in return, Mike provides jobs on a rotating basis for the people of the village.



The people of Ayacucho are mostly subsistence farmers and fishermen and are obviously very poor. Most of the homes barely had walls.







This is "Main Street" where there is a community center, school, clinic and ...








thanks to Mike, a water treatment system.








At the conclusion of our visit, we went to the local craft market which was opened just for us today. As part of Mike's relationship with the village, guests of the lodge are brought there during their stay.



All the women and children waited patiently behind their long tables of crafts, and when we entered they all applauded politely.

There were about 15 or 20 families selling baskets and beads. It was tough not to buy something from all of them. I bought a handmade basket from a little girl for 40 soles (about 15 dollars) that would have sold easily for 100 or more in the Charleston sweetgrass basket market. Mike told me the 40 soles was equivalent to three or four days pay for her family.

Location:Comunidad de Ayacucho

Club Sandwich

Back at the hotel in Iquitos in between my boat ride from the jungle and my flight to Lima.



As un-appetizing as it sounded initially, my curiosity got the best of me and I just had to order their version of the Club Sandwich.









It was exactly as described.