Man, Peru was pretty awesome. This trip changed my life. I learned how to be happy for what I have and not take it for granted. All I can say is, "What the heck, why is everything so awesome?"
Mason Bradshaw

What can I say? This has been the biggest, the best, the most awesome field trip of my life. Exploring all over Peru from the Amazon Rainforest to the driest desert on earth; how better can it get? Ever since I got back to the states I have been curious about what my friends in Herrera have been doing. I am sure they aren’t on the computer, or watching TV! My guess is they are either studying or in the river having a great time OUTSIDE. During my travels through Peru I have experienced the different ecosystems, cultures and have learned about the indigenous people on the Amazon. Well now that I am home, I am reflecting and so thankful for many things that Peru doesn’t have. For example, clean water, safe shelter, and toilets that can flush with toilet paper.

Mr. Fray and Maureen, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to travel to Peru with you!

Skylar

Peru 2011 was a spectacular and life changing trip! Peru has changed me and inspired me in sooo many ways!! I have also learned so much from this experience.

Peru is truly an amazing place. There are many different ecosystems, habitats, and cultures. If you are in one city and you travel 50 miles north, the culture is very different. It never became boring! I want to stop using a lot of energy so less of the Amazon will be cut down. I hope that in 20 or 30 years, my children will be able to go to Peru and experience the wonderful experience I had. I also learned that while you are on a trip it really helps if you study where you are, because you will know more about what is going on.

Peru 2011 has also inspired my personal life. Now, when I am home, I am not leaving my computer and T.V. on when I am not using/watching it. Speaking in front of 300 children in Herrera really inspired me. In the future I will return to Peru and show my friends, and/or family everything that I learned. I now know that I can communicate with people that can't speak my language. (In the future, that will be very helpful!)

During this wonderful trip, I overcame some fears. I am not a germ freak anymore, I am not afraid of bugs or things that fly that are smaller than my hand, and I am not afraid of getting sick. Being in this country and experiencing the way other people live has helped me tremendously!!
"Experiencing the Experience!"

Thank you sooo much Mr. Fray and Maureen for this wonderful EXPERIENCE!!:)

Lezah

All through our trip to Peru, I wouldn't have to pause to tell anyone that I'm not a nature person and that I really don't like being outside at all. Since that was nearly our entire trip, I had almost all of my friends asking "Then why did you come?"

At first, before we came, I just wanted to learn. I hardly thought about where I was going, and it wasn't because I didn't care. It was because I could hardly absorb the fact that I was going. My typical summer day consists of sitting down at my computer. Literally, if you don't make me move I'll sit there for twelve hours without moving. So it was hard for me to take that image of myself sitting down on my couch and turn it into me hiking through the Amazon or up Wayna Picchu. It didn't even hit me I was in Peru until we got off the first plane to Herrera, it was all so surreal.

It was a real dream come true, because while I have a talent for remaining stationary and removing myself from the world around me, I like to force myself out of my comfort zone. While it was extremely hard for me at times, the entire trip was nothing less than stunning. I was in an entire new world. In Herrera, I finally settled into a "Peru Mentality", at least that's what I called it in my journal. I was finally getting used to adapting, quick thinking, and remaining (mostly) positive. I was looking at the world around me with new eyes, and I was, surprisingly enough, enjoying everything I saw.

The trip really changed something in me, too. Sometimes, even when I didn't seem like a better person, I felt like a better person. Instead of dragging myself out of bed I started to wake up ready to tackle the day, and I'm even dealing with my extremely scattered emotions better. I can't say I feel like a new person, but rather I was remade into something better.

If it wasn't for Peru, I would still be the same gloomy person contracting headaches from worrying too much about life.

Thank you,
Elodie

The end of a Wonder Trek is always full of mixed emotions. Of course we never want to leave Peru and return home yet; each day is filled with meeting wonderful people, the excitement of new experiences, and traveling with people that care about each other. Yet there is also a sense of success that comes with returning the students to their parents after such a whirlwind of an adventure. We immediately begin to miss the students as we settle back into our home, but enjoy the stress relief that comes with having completed another successful trip. After ten months of planning and three weeks of traveling with 13 and 14 year olds, we slept well that night…

What is it that makes traveling so special? As you may have read, we are haboobed throughout the trip each year. There is simply no way that everything is going to work out exactly as planned: cancelled flights (thanks Haboob), locks on overnight boats broken by a child with a marble, late busses, sick, injured and muddy kids, meals that consistently take 2 hours, problems getting tickets into Machu Picchu, toilet seat injuries, challenging hikes, and running through airports to catch a plane that you were already sitting on!

Maybe it is special because we expect things to be a bit crazy; we know we will spend a lot of time problem solving and somehow that actually makes it ok. Dare we say it is enjoyable to overcome new challenges each year, hoping the children will learn that the way to succeed in an uncertain world is to believe in themselves and their abilities to overcome new challenges? There is no better way than through travel to expose yourself to new and unusual situations, and no better way to recognize what you are capable of. Perseverance and a positive attitude are critical; this reality just happens to be a little more in your face than usual when traveling a foreign land…

Of course there are many obvious rewards for our efforts: watching a condor soar overhead at the top of Wayna Picchu, celebrating a birthday while traveling up the Amazon River, marveling at “home tree” in the Amazon Rainforest, hiking through the jungle with a shaman as he collects medicinal plants, finding the tracks of a jaguar that had recently climbed a tree along our hike, the experience of fruit bats flying around our heads, drinking the purest water on the planet straight out of a vine, relaxing on a dock on the Amazon under a full moon, simultaneously seeing the sun set and a full moon rise as we traveled through the Sacred Valley of the Incas, feasting on some of the best food we have ever eaten, exploring new ecosystems, seeing penguins and the elusive Blue-footed Boobies, riding dune buggies through the desert, staying in funky/cool hotels, playing games with the Peruvian students, meeting many wonderful people, and sharing in laughter and the thrill of exploration every step of the way.

There are also less obvious rewards that come through reflection: gratitude for clean water that comes out of a tap, electricity, showers, and the ability to flush toilet paper. Even feeling secure in the food available to us is something we take for granted in our daily lives. Who knew teenagers would miss eating fresh vegetables so much? Giving donations of clothing, medical supplies, and food for starving children helps us to feel fortunate in the lives we have, and that hopefully we have had a positive impact on the places we visit and to the people that were so welcoming to us. Thanks to everyone in the West Sedona community that helped make this possible. Finally, we appreciate our families who support us in traveling the world and helped make all of our travelers’ dreams come true.

There is a tremendous amount of personal growth as well. It can be hard to see on a daily basis, but by the end of the trip students have clearly grown as individuals and developed a feeling of greater independence and self-reliance. Overcoming fears of snakes (want to hold an anaconda anybody?), germs, heights, new foods, sand boarding, hiking, homesickness, and in general new situations that stretch comfort levels will have life long rewards as our Trekkers take on future challenges. We are proud of our students (and chaperones :-) and hope that you are proud of yourselves. We had a great time traveling with you, thanks for traveling with us.

Each Wonder Trek seems to develop its own theme, and this year’s theme evolved into “Experience the Experience”. It means be present to every moment, be an active participant in all that you do, and say yes to life. This is easier to do when experiencing new and exciting things each day, but more challenging to remember after returning to our “normal” lives. So keep the lesson in mind Wonder Trekkers and apply this perspective to all that you do, even when you are stuck in a car or sitting in a class you aren’t thrilled about. Remember that your attitude will always be the difference between having an adventure or an ordeal.

As for Maureen and Scott specifically, these trips are the hardest thing we have ever done; nonetheless there is apparently a direct relationship to the rewards we get out of them. Watching our students grow and develop a worldly perspective makes it all worthwhile, and as we wrap up the final details from our Peru 2011 Wonder Trek we are already looking forward to the next one!

Live life fascinated!
Scott and Maureen Fray

Just in case you are wondering, we are still here and having a great time. We have been very busy and like we mentioned, at times food and bed are much more appealing than posting. But, we want to send one last posting of our time in Peru before we depart on our flight tonight.

We left you with our adventures in Machu Picchu. After that we headed back to Ollantaytambo on the train, there was such beautiful scenery. Once we were in Ollantaytambo we had lunch and headed to the market. The group split after this, girls to take a rest/nap and the boys to explore the ruins in Ollantaytambo.

The guys were exploring the side ruins, climbing on top of big faces, and looking down on crowns. We met a boy on the trail who sold us bracelets and then told us about his parents restaurant to eat at that night. The view on top of the ruins is immpecable. We caught the sunset while up there and got beautiful pictures. We were far above the town, even more than the ruins across the town that most people pay to get into.

After this we visited the boy we met on the trail, parents restaurant. Jasper has been so adventurous with his food, he has successfully taken a picture of every meal. Being such a large group, we never get our food in less than 2 hours. This can be hard when you get off the trail later than expected. But the food has been so good so far.

The next day we took a tour through the Sacred Valley between Cusco and Ollantaytambo. This Valley is home to many indegiouness people who speak Quechua (the ancient language of the Inca). During this tour we tasted an ancient drink of Chicha, this drink is fermented by human spit, and the longer it sits, the more alcoholic it becomes. The kids had just a taste, and preferred the strawberry flavor. While at the house of Chicha, we played a game that was used to determine who would have to pay the bar bill. This game used a table with a brass frog in the middle, and other holes throughout the table. A drawer was under the table that caught the coins you threw at the table, this was used to calculate your score. This was a great game to play!

We continued our wonderful tour to the Pisac Market where we bought some last minute gifts and trinkets from the Andes. Emma found some amazing finger puppets at the market. They were spider man finger puppets and when she was asked by the merchant if she would like to buy all ten on her fingers, Emma responded by telling the woman "No, hablas español", for which the woman looked at her confused and then laughed. Emma told the merchant that she did not speak Spanish, not Emma, the merchant. (Hablas is the "you" form of the verb "to speak".)

After this we rode through the Sacred Valley on our way to Awanacancha, a sustainable textile farm. The people showed us how they make the textiles made throughout the Andes. They use all the plants in the area to make over 40 different colors, including purple from a bug on a cactus. We saw how the woman weaved the runners they sell. We were able to feed and pet the llamas and alpacas inside their cages. Jasper was one of the lucky ones to get spit in the face by the llama. It was a eye opening experience, he says. During our time in the Sacred Valley we found tons of items that were on our scavenger hunt!

After this, we found our way to a conservation zoo. We got to enter a cage with three condors. This was quite amazing and a little unsetteling. They were being fed at the time, so at first they were a little distracted. But then when we moved to close to their food, Mason was quickly told to back away by the male condor. The condor jumped towards hime while having his wings spread wide. Did you know they have the longest wing span in the world?

That night we slept in Cusco at 11,000 feet. It was a little chilly, but we had clothes to keep us warm. That night at dinner Jasper had guinea pig! Mason said it looked at lot like Ricky Bobbie, he was sad when he actually tried it. Everyone, well almost everyone, tried guinea pig, it was actually pretty good.

The next day we took a flight to Lima, then a bus to Paracas. The bus was a double decker bus, with comfortable reclining seats, its kinda what Greyhound was back in the day. They played a very aweful movie for the first half of the ride, and then started a funny one, but we didn´t get to finish it.

In Paracas, we got to go to Isla Balletas on a speed boat. This was awesome, it was so full of different animals, birds, sea lions, and best of all blue-footed boobies. This was such a delight for the wildlife biologists on the trip. Maureen and Scott had never seen one... first times on each trip are great! After the boat ride, we went for a tour of the Paracas desert. This is one of the driest deserts in the world. We talked to our guide, and he has seen changes since he moved to Paracas 11 years ago, such as more wind and some rain. It never rains there even though it is on the coast.

The next day we got to go dune buggyin and sandboarding. This was the best day!! Dune bugging is amazing and thrilling and spectacular and sandy. Wear goggles or you might not be able to see near the end. Sandboarding was also awesome. This was laying on a wooden board that has been waxed, and flying down the sand dunes! The dunes got bigger and bigger, and a little more intimidating. But, no wipe outs, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Sadie even became airborn! Hopefully we got some good video from this day.

Today we had to pleasure of speaking with Dr. Salim Strusberg, the Attorney General of Agriculture here in Peru. He spoke to us about the government of Peru and we asked him many questions. We are now heading into the city to visit the cathedrals and catacombs of Lima, along with a special stop at a water park, that does not require a bathing suit. After this we will be dropped off at the airport and depart for LAX at 1am. We look forward to seeing you all at the PHX airport.

Thanks again for following along with us... we are sad to see the trip end, but look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow!

All of our love!!
Wonder Trekkers

The next leg of our adventure started really quick with a sprint through the Lima airport to catch our next flight. They said that we wouldn’t have to switch planes, but at the last moment they told us that we had to switch. So we jumped on a bus and ran through security in record time, 3 minutes. The final boarding call occurred when we were still outside the security gate, but we managed to get on the plane safely. Our ride to Cuzco was smooth and without hassle. This was the most gorgeous flight of the trip so far. As we were getting on the bus to Ollantaytambo, we all bought alpaca wool hats. (Mason got one for Mrs. H) It was a breath taking experience when we stepped off to take pictures of glaciers and the sunset. As the sun went behind one mountain the moon came up over another. The Las Orquideas Hotel was definitely one of the nicest hotels we have stayed at so far. It was so nice in the morning to wake up and stand in the court yard surrounded by mountains. The train to Aquas Calientes led us right down the middle of two ecosystems, glaciers on the right and desert on the left. It was one of many breathtaking rides and experiences of the trip. When we arrived Scott and Maureen left right away to get our tickets for Wayna Picchu with our guide Nilo. Lucky there was a new system so we could buy the tickets the day before and guarantee our spot in line.

Machu Picchu was breathtaking! We hiked up Wayna Picchu at 7:35 A.M. and it was the ultimate stair stepper. We had to hold on to rails the whole way up because of how steep it was. From the top we got our first view of the ruins from above. It was too high for Kevin’s likings but he managed. Hiking down the hill was a much different experience than hiking up. We were climbing down the steepest steps known to man! Down at the base and looking up at the mountain we could not believe we hiked and survived it! The real Machu Picchu ruins were from a whole other world. They were a maze of adventure and awesomeness around every turn. The stone work set up by the Incas was fantastic – you could not even fit a blade of grass through some of the intersecting parts. Walking around, you needed to be careful not to bump into free roaming llamas grazing the terraces of the lost city of the Inca. It was a magnificent sight from any angle you stood looking in any direction. There are a countless number of meanings of different temples and landmarks in Machu Picchu such as the intihuatana and sun temple with replicas of the most sacred surrounding mountains to the area. One of the best parts of this adventure was having a fantastic tour guide – Nilo – showing us around the ruins and explaining the meaning of all this magnificent architecture, botany, and Incan culture! Getting ready for tomorrows train ride back to Ollantaytambo and the many new adventures that await us including more ruins – this time in Ollantaytambo. We will stay in touch, until then be well everybody.

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for following along with our adventures! It has been quite the amazing trip for all. Just wanted to let you know that we arrived in Aguas Calliente yesterday and experienced Machu Picchu today. I´m sorry I won´t tell you any details because I want to leave that to the kids.
Hopefully they will be able to post tonight. This trip always consists of long days, and the night sneaks up on us. Sometimes the idea of bed sounds sweeter than posting.

I can´t tell you how proud we are of the students. Some of the things they are experiencing are overwhelming and difficult, but each of them are conquering them in their own ways. Tons of growing on this trip!

Hope you are all doing well state-side. Can you believe we only have one more week of travel! We are having a blast, but I am sure some parents are excited to give out the hugs that have built up since we left.

All the best to you... Maureen

Our time in the rainforest is coming to an end. We head off to the Andes tomorrow for the second leg of our adventure. We hope you have all been enjoying this blog along the way. We have been having such a great time. Students have been having a great time playing games, hiding in closets, and making friends. The chaperones are very pleased with the group’s leadership and willingness to grow. Each of the students has made a tremendous effort to learn and expand their horizons during this portion of the trip. The Amazon is not an easy place to be, it is hot and humid, entails long boat rides, tons of mosquitoes, no toilet seats, and no running water. Each student has taken this experience with confidence in themselves to be able to endure the things that we take for granted in our everyday lives. We want to take this time to allow each student to say something in their own words… enjoy.

From Jasper: I’m loving my time in Peru. I had a wonderful time in Herrera, met a lot of great friends and ate a lot of delicious food. I was surprised to find that it was fairly easy to communicate with the Peruvians. With the use of your hands and a few useful words it is easy to communicate. Rudy made the language barrier especially easy. We became great friends throughout the adventure and will continue to keep in touch. Love you guys back at home and hope all is well.

From Elodie: I really like it in Peru, the part of the trip we have had so far is gorgeous but not as colorful as it seems in the paintings. The food is fantastic. Even the traveling is amazing except when we can’t see out the windows on the airplanes. I am getting along surprisingly well with everyone, which is good. I really miss being able to flush my toilet paper, and my computer and phone and electricity that doesn’t go off at 10p. And even thought it’s a lot, I really like being here, besides the traveling part where we get up early and do a lot, I am really looking forward to the next part of our trip. I miss my parents and that is all…

From Sadie: HI everybody, Mom and Dad… We are having a lot of fun ad eating a lot of food. We are also taking a lot of pictures to show you. My favorite part so far has being meeting the Peruvian kids. We all try to speak in Spanish but it’s hard. Next time I will bring you guys with me, you would like how its really remote. Let me know what s going on with the house… love you and see you soon!

From Mason: I almost miss my mom and dad. Finally slept in… (till 9am). I’m having the best food of my life in Peru. Ate all my snacks already… not enough Dad!

From Kevin: Peru is awesome! The atmosphere is so nice here, but you still have to keep watching your back. Today was very relaxed, which we all really needed. Getting ready to go to Ollantaytambo tomorrow; this is definitely going to be a new extreme. Had a great last meal in Iquitos, a burger the size of my head. Really fascinating learning about the different types of cultures in Peru and how they were all formed, I can’t wait to see the Incan ruins in person. “Set” is the hardest game known to man! Christina thanks for all your little notes it makes me smile every time I read them. Hope you had fun at Girl Scout camp, can’t wait to see you when I get back!

From Lezah: Hi everybody thanks for following along the blog. Herrera was amazing the people there are very nice and we had fun communicating with them and made some new friends. I also love the little children and the river! The night before we left we had a soccer game, Peruvians vs. Americans, with some Peruvians on our team. We had lots of excitement and I scored two goals!! I really want to go to Herrera again, and next time I will bring Mommy and Daddy! How is the new house coming along… and the pool? We went shopping at the Artisan Market and I got really cool things. The culture is different and I find it very interesting. It is amazing being in the rainforest. The food is good and not bad! I got 30 bug bites, but I am doing just fine. The whole group is getting along great. We are having lots of laughs. I have learned a lot about the rainforest and the cultures there. I am fascinated by everything! I have had an awesome time in Peru so far, and can’t wait for the rest of the trip. I love you Mommy and Daddy, and I can’t wait to see you soon.

From Skylar: The trip started off great entering the Amazon in Iquitos then making our way up to Herrera where we met great Peruvian friends. I was really great with the language barrier. The chicken was great with plantains and rice for every meal. After four days in Herrera we then came back to Iquitos where we laid back and reflected on the Amazon jungle. Tomorrow we are headed to the Andes and I can’t wait to experience that. I am excited to be here in Peru, but I can’t wait to see you guys in a week in a half! I miss you!

From Emma: Hola Amigos! Peru is totally awesome! I have been having a lot of fun playing games with the Peruvians and the Trekkers. Definitely missing home, but I am really happy that I came, except for the fact that I was eaten alive by bugs. I liked the quiet time that we have had to reflect on the day and the coming week. (That sounds quite professional!) MISSING EVERYONE ESPECIALLY MY FRIENDS AND MY PARENTS!  Can’t wait to be cold in the Andes because it is hotter than a pecan pie in a southern window. (that idea came from Maureen). I love you guys and can’t wait to see you in 10 days. The end.

All is well in the Southern Hemisphere! We attempted to post an update last night but we were unable to post from Herrera due to a poor internet connection. But we have tons of exciting things to share from our three days in the Amazon.

We spent our first afternoon swimming, bathing and leaping off rocks at a nearby swimming hole. After cooling off, our new local friends and guides, Rudy and Jolker (pronounced “Hole-keh”), took us on a trek through the rainforest and showed us some natural wonders. One of these was the “soda vine” – Jolker cut the vine in half and showed us a natural water source. Clear water poured out of the vine and we each had a chance to quench our thirst. And then water poured out of the sky….! We had our wonderful new rain gear that kept us nice and dry. While the rain poured down we kept walking to the swinging vine. This was like actual Tarzan in the Jungle. We all got the chance to swing on the vine. That night we had the chance to eat at the Chicken Shack, best chicken on earth! The Chinese rice was pretty good too! After eating we bought some local food and fed a bunch of local children. This was quite the experience, since they spent our entire dinner staring at us.

The next day we went for a hike at the Institute for Investing the Peruvian Amazon. This was a beautiful experience. The institute is donating 60,000 trees for reforestation in Ecuador. Many scientists come from around the world to do research on the many varieties of trees in the rainforest. The hike this day was amazing, and Kevin solidified his lead with his third fall. This one was quite the experience, knocking the wind out of himself, but he is A-okay! This night we ate dinner at Rosa’s house. This was another great meal! We went to the plaza at nighttime to have class, and saw the Southern Cross for the first time! This was amazing; we even got to share this with our friend Rudy. We knew quite a bit about astronomy, and shared a lot of this with our Peruvian friends. We took some quite time to ourselves and listened to the wonderful sounds of the Amazon.

The next day we went to the clinic to donate all the medical supplies we bought here in Iquitos. We were able to buy $600 in medical supplies including a device for them to listen to babies’ heartbeats in utero! This was a great experience to give to the one temporary doctor in town. She was very happy to receive medicine and a stethoscope for her staff. She will leave Herrera in about a month, but said that the supplies we brought will help save many lives. After this we immediately went over to the school to give our presentation to the Peruvian students.

When we got there they had set up desks and chairs on the stage in the auditorium. This was a little intimidating, but we did great. We asked many questions about their lives in Peru and their perceptions of us. The Peruvian students were very quite and did not ask many questions of us, but Rudy again was a great help in keeping the conversation going. After we had a conversation, we played games with each other inside the auditorium because it was pouring outside. We taught them how to play duck, duck, goose, this was probably the funnies game of duck, duck, goose, that we have ever played. They taught us a game that we are going to call “inside – outside”. The group makes a circle and links arms. The person in the middle is being chased by the person on the outside of the circle. If the person on the outside got inside the circle, the group had to let the chasee out so they were not caught by the chaser. It was a pretty funny game!

After this we went for a boat ride through the Amazon with Luco, a friend of Maureen & Scott’s. We went with him to learn about ethnobotany of the Jungle, it was an amazing experience because we got to collect medicinal plants with a Shaman! We saw many different types of trees and plants that are used for many different ailments. This was very cool to see where many of the medicines we use today come from. While on the hike we saw home tree, which is the oldest tree in the forest, over 1100 years old. This was one of our favorite hikes, because the jungle looked like what we would imagine it looked like before we got here. There were lots of mosquitos though… itchy!!

That night we played soccer with Rudy and some of his friends. We played Americans vs. Peruvians. Although our team had a few Peruvians on it. We think they were really light on us. But we won, 10-6… supposedly.

After this we headed home to bed, and took a boat back to Iquitos at 7am. This was about a 5 hour boat ride back to Nauta, which in turn led us to a taxi ride back to Iquitos, which was about an hour long. During our trip we needed to pee… Luco was nice and pulled the boat over instead of making the kids pee off the side of the boat. The girls were a little nervous about peeing in the open, and went into the jungle to get out of view. During this endeavor, Emma wasn’t looking and stepped on a fire ant hill, she was bit a few times, but managed to be swell. (hehe… play on words). Really she was ok… she wanted to share with her mom (From Emma: Mom – I ripped my shoes off and ran out of there! But don’t worry I really am ok… a little hydrocortisone did the trick). When we arrived in Iquitos we dropped our bags off and went to a great artisan market, where lots of fun things were bought for family and friends. We are at home, and ready to pass out. The trip has been amazing so far, but we are tired and ready for a good, long nights sleep.

Talk to you all soon… we have one more day in Iquitos and then head off to the Andes portion of our trip.

P.S. As of about 10 minutes ago, the Doctor revisited us to tell us that Kevin’s cut on his head looks great! It is healing very nicely, and will be completely healed in just a few days! He is now allowed to take a shower in Iquitos and get his head wet, Kevin is very excited about this!!

So we had an awesome time at Quista Cocha. We saw a lot of cool animals, dolphins, jaguars, and we all got to hold the anaconda. We went swimming in the lake, where the water was black. We thought it was dirty, but it was just the sediment. Kevin received the first injury of the trip, Mom he is ok! We promise! Taking all the precautions necessary to ensure that his little cut stays healthy. He is very proud of this cut, he received while defending the log!

Then we went to dinner at El Mason, and the man with the traveling piano was there. He was quite the amazing pianist. It was delicious, everyone loves Peruvian food, they put ham on everything! (Skylar and Lezah are watching for this, practicing spanish, "sin jamon".) We definitely get a lot of attention wherever we go. Then headed off to bed for some good night sleep, that was definitely needed. Maureen and Kevin were visited by one of the most wonderful Doctors in Iquitos. Making sure the cut was okay and to aid with Maureenś upset stomach. All is well, the doctor will see us both again when we return to Iquitos. (FROM KEVIN - Mom, really miss you and seriously don't worry.)

The next day we boarded the overnight boat to Jenaro Herrera. Getting on the overnight boat was interesting to say the least we were habooded again. There was a little boy Julio that kept trying to steal Kevinś stuff and kept harassing him. But really he was very nice, he was just playing. We were trying to communicate with the little girl on the boat as well to find out if she had a favorite toy for our scavenger hunt.

In order to celebrate Jaspers birthday, we devised a plan to get him away from the group. Mason asked him to go and buy Inca Cola with him while the rest of us learned to sing happy birthday in spanish. Feliz Cumpleaños Jasper! We had cookies and Jasper ate a carmel type pastry. Yum, Yum!

We got off the boat at 3am, It was quite a crazy adventure getting off the boat, Our friend Rudy met us when the boat docked. It was great to see him again. He has asked about last years students he says HI!! Now we are in Herrera and we are hot and going to the river. Look forward to posting again soon!!

We are having the best time already thanks for the trip of a lifetime! Love you all!

That's right, we were Haboobed! Did you see it on the news? A crazy dust storm hit the Phoenix area prior to our departure, big enough to get a name. When it gets a name you know it is a big deal. When they name it Haboob you don't know what to think... Should we hide under the desks? Or start laughing? Our group ended up going with the laughter route. In any event, our hotel was hit by a wall of sand, with hurricane strength winds and rain. It completely shut down the airport, the first flight of our trip was canceled, and our travel plans were suddenly up in the air; or as we like to say, HABOOBED!

We were re-routed with a short layover, but we made it through LAX in record time. 26 hours after we got going yesterday morning we are thrilled to have checked into our hotel in Iquitos and sink into some nap/rest time before we head out on our next adventure. We are going to a animal sanctuary, and swimming in a beautiful residual lake left behind from the meanderings of the Amazon River; Quista Cocha.

The gang is getting along great, and had great attitudes during our adventure with the airlines. Even when we showed up and all of our luggage wasn't here, again... After working with the airline, they tracked down our luggage in L.A. and were having it shipped on the next flight, stating that it would be delivered about 24 hours behind us. It was really great to get that type of certainty from the airlines, and we were happy to receive the confirmation that they had already found our luggage and were taking care of the problem.

We became even happier when we were going through customs a few minutes later and our missing luggage was brought in and dropped on the floor next to us! A chorus of cheers erupted from our group of intrepid travelers as we grabbed our luggage and lugged it through customs with us.

Even though it looked like we would miss our flight, and our bags were at one point not in Peru with us, all is well. We ultimately made it on time, have all of our luggage, and enjoyed ourselves all along the way. So if you find yourselves Haboobed one day, remember to opt for the much more enjoyable path of laughter...

All the best,
Elodie, Mason, Emma, Sadie, Jasper, Lezah, Skylar, Kevin, and Scott and Maureen

…till we board our first flight to Peru! The excitement is building as our backpacks are beginning to fill, confirmations are being re-confirmed, and the out-of-office voicemail is set on Maureen’s work phone. This weekend will be filled with check-off lists, final purchases, and dreams of the chicken shack!

We encourage family and friends to leave comments along the way as you follow our journey through Peru. We will be posting about our adventures every couple days as time and computer service allows. (You can sign up to be notified of updates through the 'Contact Us' page on the website; don’t forget to reply to the confirmation email.) Cyber cafés can be finicky overseas, so please be patient with our postings. We promise we will post as often as we can.

This is a very exciting time for all involved… students will be experiencing some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, parents will be reminding themselves to take deep breaths while anticipating the next posting to the blog, and friends and family will be living vicariously through our adventurous travels.

Wonder Trekkers, we are so excited to be sharing this wonderful time abroad with you. Every year we anticipate the new adventures we will have together. We promise that you will experience new foods, meet wonderful people, and have experiences that you won’t find anywhere else! We also promise to take great care of you while encouraging everyone to step outside their comfort zone and take the risk of a new experience.

We ask that you respond to this post to get our blog started. People are eager to hear your thoughts about your upcoming trip, and are following along because of you.

We look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday night with backpacks on and passports in hand, ready for the trip of a lifetime!

Your Trip Leaders,
Maureen and Scott