¡Vamos a la selva!

This past weekend I had the chance to experience one of God's incredible art masterpieces: the Amazon. Talk about green!  Before going I knew a couple facts, like more than 20% of the Earths oxygen is produced in the Amazon, and that 50% of all the plants and animals on Earth are found there.  But what I didn't know was that it is absolutely breathtaking! From the moment we arrived in Iquitos, to the moment we left, I was awestruck by the natural beauty. 



Okay, enough with how beautiful it was. Time to share our itinerary.  At about 10:00 am our plane landed in Iquitos.  From there we took a  

taxi right to the river. Yep, the Amazon River. 

There we boarded our tiny little roofed canoe and met our tour guide, Homero, that would be with us for the next four days.  Then for the next three hours we putt-putt-putted with our tiny boat motor down the Amazon and through different tributaries while Homero taught us little tidbits of information about the river.  Like did you know that the width of the river varies from 1 to 6 miles?  And it expands when the river is flooded, which it was (by about 20 feet), to a width of 30 miles.  We couldn't get over the fact that we were actually in the Amazon River Basin.  On the ride to our lodge, I swear I took a hundred pictures of the same thing - river and trees.

So finally we arrived at our lodge, which was a large wooden house on stilts with various rooms.  We found our rooms, settled in a little, and ate lunch.  Hunger was never a problem on the trip.  They fed us like kings.  They had a million chickens running around so we always had fresh chicken and eggs. And fish, of course.  My mouth is watering as I write this just thinking about how delicious everything was!

Next on the agenda was a night cruise.  When the sun was setting, we set off once again in a boat (we were in boats a lot) and drove for about 30 minutes.  Then once it was dark, the driver shut off the motor and paddled along with Homero for about and hour and a half back to the lodge.  That hour and a half was filled, once again, with awe and amazement at the beauty of the Amazon.  This time it was in the sky.  If you need to prove to someone that there is a God, send them to the Amazon and tell them to look up.  So. Many. Stars!  We all fell silent in the boat, got comfortable, and just looked up.


Speechless. Amazed. And most of all, Humbled.  I didn't want to talk, I just wanted to sit quietly and admire my Creator.  In that moment, no worry of mine seemed important - "Will I graduate on time?" "Will I EVER get a part-time job in Madison?"  "Will I get sick on this trip?"  Only one question kept coming to mind that was worth thinking about - "Who do I think I am?"  Who do I think I am thinking that my worries are too big for God to handle?  Of course, I understand that they are issues to be concerned with, however, compared to God, they are insignificant.  No teachable moment from Homero during the trip was greater than the reminder that we have an unfathomably big God.

So after the night cruise we all got ready for bed.  Being the first night in the Amazon, I was a little scared that a creepy crawly would somehow get into my bed netting.  The fear was encouraged by the fact that a brown recluse spider was found and killed (luckily) in the room next to mine.  The girls claimed it was "as big as their bed!".  Despite being a bit of an overstatement, it was the largest spider I've ever seen.  I have no idea how I managed to fall asleep that night.

The next day we awoke at 5:00 am to go bird watching.  We did see many birds, but I was more interested in the little black monkeys that Homero had spotted.  In an attempt to get closer to them, 

we were bombarded by little black bees that had a nest right above where our boat was.  They kept dropping on us and clinging to our clothes and hair.   Our driver immediately turned on the motor and drove off.  Luckily no one was badly stung.

Later that day we visited a tribe.  There's no doubt that it was a tribe, but it was a little awkward because it seemed like they just put on a show for the tourists that come through.  Regardless, I got to shoot a blow gun!

The third day we went on a jungle tour.  I never realized how thick the jungle was. So thick that I was given a machete!  Did I use it?  Not once.  But I looked cool.  After walking for two hours into the jungle, most of us were getting tired and hot (it didn't help that we were wearing long pants and long shirts).  Hoping that we were walking in a giant circle I asked Homero if we were almost back to the lodge...he said, "no, but we're almost to our turn-around point".  When we finally got back to the lodge the fear of piranhas didn't stop us from jumping into the river and cooling off.


On the fourth and final day we went to Monkey Island, a well-known site where you can play with a bunch of monkeys.  However, we didn't step foot on the island because it wasn't there. Flooding, remember?  So, what happened was we stayed on our little boat, and the monkeys came to us.  They came crawling down the trees and hopped in the boat.  Some guys in another canoe came and grabbed a sloth out of a tree and we all took turns holding it.  They did the same thing with an anaconda. It was such a cool experience! I will never forget it.  After that we rode to Iquitos to catch our flight back to Lima.
Many laughs. Many delicious meals. Many trees. Many stars. Many memories.

¡Un viaje inolvidable! An unforgettable trip!

Que te vayas bien. Over and out!

-Mike

Iquitos

I apologize for not blogging this past week. I could say I've been really busy but who am I kidding? - we all know that that's not true.  In the next couple of weeks I will, however, be more occupied with school.  But that's not stopping me from taking a trip to the AMAZON! Yep, that's right, I'm going to Iquitos, Peru on Friday and I can't wait. Coming soon: A blog of my Amazon adventures. 

Pray I don't get any diseases! (Specifically Yellow Fever and Typhoid, because I didn't get those vaccinations)

Happy Easter!

    Yesterday was Treat Yo-self Day, and like the name describes, we treated ourselves to a day filled with awesomeness.  Or at least we tried, it was actually a pretty normal day when I think about it.  First we went to Chef's Café, where we sat in the back corner, sipped cappuccinos, and discussed deep topics that each of us had to come up with. The following topics were on the list: Bears (that one was a joke), personality tests - are they accurate?, the economic status of Greece (that conversation didn't last long, we had no idea what we were talking about), our future careers, and finally, my topic - God.  So, after discussing every topic, there was still one left that they kept

avoiding - mine.  You'd think that a coffee shop would be a great place to have a conversation about your beliefs. I guess it wasn't.  So we left there and went to La Lucha for dinner. Mmmm. But I still had my last topic on my mind.  I wanted to discuss God. Why? I dunno, CUZ HE'S GOD! duh.

So after La Lucha we walked to a Brazilian Restaurant/Bar called La Media Naranja and after one fish bowl...the conversation surfaced.  It was awesome to hear their views about God!  The majority are either atheist or agnostic, and for them God (or the lack of God) isn't a huge part of their lives, but boy they had some great questions.  When it came my turn to share my beliefs the questions came flooding in - for three hours.  Three hours! It was great.  Why is Christ the only way to heaven? What about homosexuality? Why is the Bible valid? The questions were endless.  Some I could answer, some I couldn't, and I let them know that I don't have all the answers.  But despite getting side-tracked with some complex theological questions, the main point I kept trying to stress was that we are all sinful and we all need a Savior. I hope they at least went away knowing that.  "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:18. Yeah my roommates think I'm wrong and they probably don't like my beliefs, but I know they still respect me.  And when it comes down to it, I'd rather be respected than liked.

To top off the night - a nice stroll through Parque Kennedy and listening to a mariachi band. I love Lima!

Happy Easter! Feliz Pascua!

Que te vayas bien. Over and out.

Partido de fútbol

Imagine walking into a prison. There's the chain-linked fence covered in barbed-wire, guards with shields and billy clubs, and the usual pat-down to make sure you aren't concealing any weapons. Now imagine going to a soccer game. For me, (even though I've never personally visited a prison) the experience was one in the same.  I never realized how intense soccer was until this last weekend when I was invited to my first ever Latin American soccer game.

The invite came from the two hombres pictured left who also attend my university. Top left: My "tocayo" (someone who shares your same name) and Pablo.  What an experience! Even getting there was a journey. First we had to take a bus on a road that spans all across the city of Lima until we reached the mountains. Then we got off and followed the flood of people towards the stadium. To get through we needed to be patted down to make sure we weren't wearing any belts (In the past they've been used as whips).  Luckily I wasn't wearing one or else it would have been lost in the giant pile of confiscated belts.  Finally we got into the stadium and found our seats in the "safe" section, as opposed to the sections where they jump, fight, and set off fireworks. That's right, you read it correctly, the fans set off fireworks during the game.  Don't get me wrong, I love Badger sporting events, but this was of a whole different caliber.

A couple nights before the soccer game our entire house went to El Parque de la Reserva where they have about 20 different types of water fountains.  And like the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas, they have a show with lights and music that are synchronized with their largest fountain. Twas a good time.

That same night a few of us went to a fancy Cuban bar. We all tried new drinks, shared some delicious appetizers, and enjoyed the blessings of living abroad.  Studies? What studies?