Pucallpa- Lima

  The last day in Pucallpa was one of my favorites I think. We went to a place called Parque Natural where there were a ton of animals and they were building more exhibits. It reminded me of Gatorland in Florida. We got to see big birds, monkey, big cats, and a museum. 

Mototaxi 

AAAHHHHH! 

Baby and Mommy! 

Tiny baby and mommy!! It's face is right in the middle. 

Right before going to the airport to go back to Lima, we went to a market for hair wraps. I got red, white and blue because I was feeling patriotic! 

Waiting... 

Carter got one too!!

We left right after that and we got in around 9. I waited for my host parents in the Lima airport for a while and then we headed home. I had a really great time in Pucallpa!

L

Pucallpa: Day 5

   I skipped a day from 3-5 because day 4 I was pretty much not even alive. I got bad food poisoning and stayed in bed all day. I'm not even sure what the others did all day. However, day 5 was a ton more fun. We went to an ecopark that is run by the San Juan brewery. The underage exchange students waited in the park while the others took a tour of the brewery. Then we got to go see the plant nurseries and the animals. It was mostly jaguars. They were so beautiful and I was glad to see that they did have enough space. We just relaxed at the pool the rest of the day.

Welcome! 

So pretty!!

L

Pucallpa: Day 3

   We just got back from a trip to Ica, where we attended the district conference for a day and got to see a ton of tourist spots. However, Pucallpa is still on my mind. Our third day in Pucallpa was an exciting, yet relaxed day. We took a 3 hour bus ride to a waterfall called the bride's veil. It's a common picnic spot, so we ate lunch there too. Most everyone swam in the freezing water, but there were quite a few Peruvian boys there, so I didn't feel very comfortable in a swim suit. The Peruvians tend to take pictures of us, even fully clothed, so I didn't really want to give them something to have on their computers forever. It was a really pretty day though, so I helped make lunch then just relaxed. 

The welcome sign! 

It really did look like a bride's veil.

Exchange students!

   That night we got to go to a discoteca in Pucallpa. It was packed full!! I danced a bit, but started feeling funny at 1am, so I slept in the car until everyone was tired out. I didn't really like the crowd that much either. Way too many people in way too little space. 

L

Pucallpa: Day 2

      Our second day in Pucallpa was nothing too crazy. We started the day by going to a cafeteria for the poor children in Pucallpa. It's supported by a huge church and they serve a ton of meals. The kids that go there put on a little performance for us to say that you for the visit and support. We spent the rest of the day relaxing at my host 'grandparents' house swimming and chilling with the doggies. 

Main church in the square.

The kids singing.

Dukie!

   We relaxed the rest of the day until Rotary. It was pretty uneventful, but I did win a little cow that holds eggs. 

Here she is.

I think my favorite part of the day was buying new shoes! I had to replace my poor tennis shoes.

L

PUCALLPA!!

  From May 2-8th, the group of crazy exchange students took a trip to the jungle city of Pucallpa. Pucallpa also happens to be the original home of both of my host parents, so I've heard a bit about it, and I got some advantages. Our flight was fun, but the small plane moved too much for my taste and I had a small panic attack. No biggie though, just hyperventilation and arrhythmia...  

Our tiny plane!

   We had a Rotary meeting the first night when we arrived and we just spent the time after we arrived in Pucallpa, relaxing and settling in. The next day we went into full tour mode. We took a giant tour of the Laguna Yarinacocha making some stops along the banks in tourist towns. Our first stop was in San Francisco to buy artesanias. 

Piranha in San Francisco.

   We went to our next stop which resulted in a fun trek in the jungle, but first we had to pass by the home on the island, where they keep a Black Spider Monkey as a pet. She was so cute, and a bit frightened. She just wanted to be let free to cuddle. I made my usual cooing sounds that I make at every animal I see and she responded with some little squeaks!  

Look how sweet and vulnerable. I never wanted to leave her. 

   The jungle tour was cool too! We got to see a ton of medicinal plants that they still use, from wrinkle creams to parasite removal. We all drank from 'Cat's nail' which has a water inside that is healing. Our main goal was to reach a 300 year-old Lahuangana tree. To do that, we had to cross some pretty deep streams using a log that was usually cut down right in front of us by a guide. Those machetes are sharp!  

Carter drinking from the 'Cat's nail' 

In front of the huge, old tree!

   Thankfully, our next stop was lunch! We went to a tourist restaurant at another stop that had all sorts of animals and even a pool. It was a super cool place and the food was great. I had juane, which is a traditional dish from the jungle made of seasoned rice with chicken, wrapped up and cooked in banana leaves. I also shared some fried alligator, which was delicious! Of course, the animals were my favorite part though. There was a Capuchin monkey, some cool birds, two huge boas, and baby alligators.  

Baby gator! 

NOT baby boa! He weighed a ton!

   We hit a really shabby zoo next, which a bit sad, but the animals were so interesting. My favorite was the Woolly Monkey! She kind of jumped unexpectedly onto Mackenzie, who freaked out a bit. I pulled the sweet thing off of her and got a monkey on my head instead. Then she hung out with us for a while before we headed back to Pucallpa to sleep. We had a great first day in the jungle! 

Rachel with the monkey hat.

L

Pucallpa!

We're going to Pucallpa in the jungle today! In a PLANE!! We get back the 8th!!
L