Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Jungle Vacation!


July 28th marks Fiesta's Patrias for Peru. Think 4th of July on the 28th of July. Similar holidays. What that means for me is that everyone is goes on vacation and schools are closed for the 2 weeks following this special day. It also means that Peace Corps gives us free vacation days. Soooo, I took a little trippy trip :) 

I know that it might not seem like I need a vacation, because I live in a super fun place and I do awesome things quite often. Buuuut, I haven't taken a vacation in awhile and this country has so much to offer that I need to discover as much of it as I can while I can. I've also been pretty busy in the past few months and was ready for a couple lazy days in a fun new place. What other option did I have than to go to the jungle? None :) 

I chose Tarapoto, a small-ish town in the department of San Martín. Accessible by bus. Decent size. Affordable. Not entirely too touristy. 

With an 18 hour bus trip from Trujillo to our jungly destination, our time spent there was pretty much just a long weekend. But 3 days turns out to be the perfect amount for a nice little stay in Tarapoto. 

As with most vacations, I didn't realize how much I needed a vacation until I had one. It was so nice to chill in a hammock (ice cream drummy in one hand, cervesa in another) and not worry about anything. 

While we were there, I got to feed a spectacled bear (see previous post), frolic in the pool of a really sweet waterfall, raft down a river (which I don't have pictures of... sorry), drink coconut juice fresh outta the coconut, hold the log of a pretty parrot (who pecked my hand while holding said log... dirty bird), take a lil boat ride across a jungly lake, try some mysterious yet delicious jungle juices & other treats, plus some more fun jungly adventure times that I cannot format into a snappy little fragment. Ooh, and I got stung a few times by some weird jungle bug. Exotic! That's what I get for wearing the new jungle dress on a boat ride. Worth it though, that dress was a good find. 

It wouldn't be Peru, though, if all of the vacation happiness didn't come crumbling down the second our trip began to come to a close. There is something magical about a vacation. Time matters less, the sky looks bluer, crappy beer is suddenly delicious. Vacations are an untouchable time where life is better. But, as Peru reminded me so abruptly, and in true Peace Corps fashion, vacation magic expires. 

We had just arrived at the bus station when the torrential downpour started. And we weren't even out of the jungle yet when our bus broke down. Our 18 hour trip home turned into a delightful 26 hour venture. Upon our arrival in Trujillo, we found ourselves in a shitty cab that stopped running every time we hit a traffic light. As soon as that was over, I ran to Serpost (post office) to check for the coffee Bridget sent me. The postal workers are on strike. AGAIN.

...aaaand life is back to normal. But the vacation was wonderful while it lasted. 




Aves de Paraiso


He reminds me of the guys in "The Jungle Book."


Preeetty.


Herroh. 


View from my hammock in the hostel. 


Reque the spectacled bear! 


Waterfall with a name so long I don't remember it. 


Flutterby. 


Friends! 


Stuffed fried bananas. 
The cheese/ peanut one was fantastic. 


I found a tigrillo!


Lunch. 


This bird was not a friend. 
This photo was taken a second or two after he pecked my fingers. Jerk. 
Notice his trainer intervening... and me trying not to drop his log.
All he has to do is sit on a log for 10 minutes and look pretty. Jerk. 


Laguna Azul. 
Not a bad place to spend a lazy Sunday. 

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