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Estancia Don Joaquîn

3/3/2017

Five glorious days at Estancia Don Joaquîn left us five pounds heavier and with some unforgettable memories! We were spoiled the entire time! I thought we were going to a place where Tim and Ryan would be fishing and Kylie and I could go on a trail ride if we wanted. As it turns out they are all about riding but fishing is also an option. They have recently opened a fishing lodge on the river. We were lucky Tim didn't know about that! Every morning and each afternoon Kylie and I went on long rides with Angie and her fantastic gauchos, Fabian and Jose. We spent at least 3-4 hours on horseback per day. Kylie was cantering through the fields by the last couple of days!

Tim and Ryan joined us on a couple of rides but their time was mainly spent fishing for golden dorado. Golden dorado are known as aggressive fish but just how aggressive was what Tim learned very quickly! They do not take kindly to being held up for a photo op. Nor do they want to let go once they latch on. Just after the picture was taken this guy got even with Tim. In every other fish photo you will note that Ramon is holding the fish.....wise move Halter boys!

Some gnarly fish in this river! This is not the kind that bit Tim .

Honestly, does it get any better than this?! Look at that smile!

The great view from the outdoor dining room.

This one you can see us!

Sunset on the Rio Corrientes

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Machu Picchu & Iguazu Falls

2/26/2017

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Well I guess it's about time for another update! Machu Picchu and Cusco were a huge sucess!!! We were extremely lucky to have had perfect weather and very low crowds. The train ride up to Aguas Calientes was unlike anything we've experienced before. The tracks run right up next to the houses and farms. Not near them but practically on them! Ryan was a great tour guide in Cusco and we wished we would have had another day or two there. The dollar buys a lot so we were completely spoiled!

The towns in Peru love their dogs. In Cusco they ran wild and slept all over the place. It seemed that every breed was represented and almost all of them looked like they were well taken care of. In a way it looked like dog heaven - they could just do what they wanted, sleep where they wanted, eat trash and play all day long.

Siesta time in Cusco

We left Peru for two days in Iguazu Falls, Brazil. There it was the rainy season and we had a taste upon arrival. And it was hot. Oh, a bit humid to round out the experience. The falls were stunning! Niagara Falls has nothing on these babies. The photos only show a small portion of the never-ending cascades.

One of many amazing churches in Cusco

After viewing them from the Brazil side we headed over to the Argentina side for a night and a different view. Then it was onward to Estancia Don Juaquin! To be continued......

The only time our bags have ever fit on one cart. He wanted a challenge!

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Uruamba

2/10/2017

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We are now in the Sacred Valley. The quaint town of Uruamba has been our new home for the past three days. People here are very friendly, modest and authentic. Many of the women wear the hats and traditional clothing. Tim and I visited the local market and it was a trip!

Yesterday we spent the day playing tourists. First stop was a visit to an alpaca farm where we had a tough time getting Kylie to leave. This was followed by a hike up and around the Incan ruins of Pîsac and a visit to their enormous tourist market. Our tour guide was a bit disappointed when we opted out of the next stop, to learn all about the process of how they prepare their local delicacy of guinea pig. Witnessing the women on the side of the road waving around whole, skewered, cooked beasties was enough for us! The final stop (let's hear a collective groan from the children) was to a museum showing the different cultures in the area since time began. It is an extremely impressive timeline of the advancements from the various cultures.

Tomorrow we wake up early to begin our journey by train to Machu Picchu!

A small portion of the market at Uruamba

The detail on the blanket is incredible. She told us it can take 2 months to make one!

Wiskey, Chi Cha!

The ruins of Pîsac

The market at Pisac. Beautiful view and good prices!

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Lima

2/6/2017

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We arrived in Lima, Peru the night of February 4th. Everything went very smoothly the entire day, which can only mean one thing.....I had seen photos of the apartment we had rented and it looked beautiful. The location was perfect what could go wrong there? The weather in Lima right now runs in the upper 80's as highs and lows in the mid 70's, pretty much like Puerto Viejo. I double checked with Tim before we left to make sure there was a/c at the apartment and yes was the response. On the long cab ride here our driver was telling us how unseasonably hot it has been - up to 33 degrees Celsius, which is around 91F. Ahhh, no problem because we have a/c! We open the door at 9:45PM after a long day of traveling and are greeted with a blast of hot air from the closed up apartment. Ryan and I go in search of the thermostat only to come to the realization that there isn't one. Quickly we open windows, of which there are many huge, unscreened panes of glass in every room, and I pray that there are not a lot of bugs. A nice breeze off the ocean wafts throughout the residence along with a lot of noise from the street. Past experience tells me that heat is more of a problem than noise. Thankfully there are no bugs, the view is amazing as well as entertaining, and the breeze is constant. What started off as need to find a plan B has turned into a very pleasant surprise. Granted, we are not quite as rested as we could be and the Falcons lost last night in an incredible Super Bowl game but we are enjoying our stay in Miraflores Lima, Peru. There is a non-stop series of parks, walking and bike paths that line the ocean across the street, which is better than tv! We've seen skate boarding bulldogs, an altercation in which the police ended up getting involved, para-gliders, yoga classes, Brazilian kick-boxing practice all right out our window.

Tim just took us on a 30 minute cab ride in very heavy traffic to the Agua Parque only to find out it not open on Mondays. It's always great fun in this family to have something to give our beloved patriarch grief over, so it was worth it!

Sunset at Faro de la Marina

Professional dog walker and dogs!

Paraglider outside our window

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Our Final Days at Puerto Viejo, sigh

2/2/2017

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We've been busy the last two weeks! There has been much fishing and eating of fish being had here in Puerto Viejo. The Halter Boys have done a great job at keeping Laszlo's restaurant stocked with tuna, wahoo, rainbow runner and snapper. Robbie and Laszlo are hooked on Tim's special sashimi guac. Yesterday Ryan brought in a huge, 32lb wahoo and Tim caught a 30lb tuna! Plus plenty of other fishes. It was their most successful day and was hard earned after several tougher days in the last couple of weeks. A great note to end on!

The Big Wahooooooo!!!!!!!

My favorite photo!

Basking in their glory.

We should have taken a before photo instead of a mid meal one. We had a huge plate of tuna sashimi, Kylie had her own smaller plate. Another plate of wahoo and rainbow runner carpaccio, followed by the big plate of seared tuna. What a feast!!!!

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Drone Saga and Footage

1/21/2017

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¡Hola amigos! We had a smorgasbord of amazing fresh fish the other night after a hugely successful day of fishing by the boys. The all-around favorite was the tuna that Ryan caught. Actually it was half a tuna since a barracuda decided that Ryan should share. Tim was a little too generous and gave all of his tuna to another barracuda. We have Ryan to thank for that amazing sashimi and tuna steak!

I was finally able to get these videos of the drone saga to upload. Thankfully no one died in the making of these videos! You can view them on the family videos page.

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Jaguar Rescue Center

1/17/2017

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We have been keeping busy with schoolwork and a little fun. The boys are yet to go fishing due to rough seas, but it looks like they may be in luck soon. The weather this time of year is quite a bit different than last March. Days of rain with periodic bouts of sunshine keep the temperatures much cooler. Because of the "chilly" temps I've worn a sweatshirt at times! A drastic change from Dominical last January when sweating was a non-stop experience.

We spent a fun-filled afternoon last week revisiting the Jaguar Rescue Center. This time we had the same guide, Sky, but all to ourselves. She is extremely knowledgable, entertaining, a Zoology major, and is from Australia. Everyone, except the vet who works there, is a volunteer but the guides get tips, which is why she has been able to be there for 2 years. You have to be 18 and have 4 weeks to devote so they are always getting new people to train.

I have some sad news and am not sure if there is a happy ending or not. Our little backyard sloth buddy is now at the rescue center. I'm not terribly optimistic that he has made it. I found him the other morning wet and looking like he was barely breathing. Sloths can get hypothermia very easily. They have been having a lot come into the center the last couple of weeks with all the rain and cool temps at night. We will go check on him in a few days, fingers crossed!!!!!

On a happier note we have howler monkeys that are around all the time and like to wake us up bright and early. The toucans paid us a visit the other morning and our resident dogs come by for the delicacy of the day. I finally spotted a two-toed sloth in the wild with some help from a person standing on the side of the road already enamored by it. Just like in Jackson when a moose is around!

The boys are doing great at Spanish school and our time here is flying by!

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Estancia Don Joaquîn

Machu Picchu & Iguazu Falls

Uruamba

Lima

Our Final Days at Puerto Viejo, sigh

Drone Saga and Footage

Jaguar Rescue Center

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