Hacienda Concepcion

Juanito and I spent our last two nights a 20 minute boatride downriver at Hacienda Conception, a byInkaterra lodge. This is a smaller property, a 4* sister to the 5* Reserva Amazonica. As it is a newer build the acccomodations are a bit more updated and certainly on par with the 5* experience. The service is more casual: meals are served buffet style, the reception desk and electricity only operate certain hours of the day. The guides undergo the same training program at both lodges, and our guides Allan and Gabriel were also top-notch here.

Juan el cazador learning the native techniques

Our first afternoon we took a hike around the lodge's reserve to get acquainted with the different flora and fauna just a short distance and on the other side of the river. In the evening we took another night boat ride where John almost became a snack to a 6 foot caiman!
The next morning we had a 4AM wake up call (are you noticing a theme here?) for a trip to the clay licks down river where thousands of birds fly up to 60km every morning to get the minerals and salt from the riverside - beautiful lime green parrots, blue-headed parrots, macaws, and parakeets flooded the air and then the trees to get in line for their nutrients.
We wrapped up our excursions that afternoon with a canoe ride with Gabriel in the creek, seeing more caimans, birds, turtles, and monkeys. The last evening we spent at the lodge with our new friends and fellow travelers, swapping stories over dinner and Cusquenas.
Another early morning awaits for our flight back to Lima. As much as I have loved the jungle, I have to say I am looking forward to air conditioning!

Welcome to the Jungle

A quick hop from Lima through Cusco and we landed in Puerto Maldonado 'airport'... not much bigger than Zimbabwe's Buffalo Range. We were greeted by our Inkaterra guide and taken to the Butterfly House, Inkaterra's reception house in Puerto Maldonado. Here you store any excess luggage you don't need for the jungle, check in while sipping fresh star fruit juice, and enjoy the butterfly reserve that gives the house its name. Then it's a quick drive to the port and set sail up the Madre de Dios river to La Reserva Amazonica.
Elias would be our guide for the next 3 days and became a fast friend to me and 'Juanito'. Our first afternoon excursion was to the Gamitana Creek where we hiked through a rainforest farm - so aromatic - sampling some fruits along the way. Then we hopped in canoes to navigate down the Gamitana tributary where we saw toucans, macaws, and a rare red howler monkey! In the evening we took a night cruise down the Madre de Dios to spy the nocturnal caimans that look like baby alligators.
Our first full day at the lodge we had a 5AM wake up call for our excursion to Lake Sandoval in the middle of the Tambopata National Reserve. The lake is about a 4km hike into the reserve, alongside marching leaf-cutter ants, swinging tamarins and squirrel monkeys, and lots of singing cicadas. Elias' good ears led us on a couple bush-whacking detours through the jungle in search of cappuccino monkeys playing in the canopy and watching us as curiously as we were watching them. Finally reaching Lake Sandoval we boarded canoes to circumnavigate the lake. We saw more caiman, lots of birds, and 8 baby river otters playing! There is usually a 20% chance of sighting the river otters so between this and my rare clawless otter sighting in Zimbabwe I think it's safe to call me the Otter Whisperer.
Back to the lodge for some rest and lunch before our afternoon in the Inkaterra Canopy! The canopy is a 344m system of hanging bridges and platforms suspended 10 stories high in the rainforest canopy. It is considered one of the most modern and sophisticated in the world. Not only is it an amazing excursion for tourists - both for getting up close with the birds and flora of the canopy story, and simply how cool to be suspended above the rainforest! - but also an important tool for the researchers in the Inkaterra Ecological Reserve. The walk ends at the canopy suite, where you can stay the night in a treehouse!
La Reserva started as a small lodge in the 1970s and has since grown to include a research center, ecological reserve, and NGO focused on preserving the biodiverse Amazon rainforest - we were thoroughly impressed by the research and conservation efforts that are apparent in every activity here. The experience at La Reserva Amazonica is not only conscious and adventurous but truly 5*. The dining is superb (with fun Happy Hour pisco specials!), and the service is top-notch.

Life of a Limeña

I love arriving in Lima - as soon as you walk outside the airport you can feel the humidity and smell the sea - you immediately know you're on the ocean.
With a 430am arrival we obviously needed a few more hours sleep before a full day in the Peruvian capital. A long nap did the trick and we were ready for our 10am biking tour of the city.
We met our group near our hotel in Miraflores, one of the best and most convenient neighborhoods to stay. Then we headed out for 20km of Lima! First we visited Barranco, the Bohemian neighborhood where the artists and fashionable Limenos live... gorgeous seaside homes/condos and fun bars and restaurants. On through Churrillos to the end of Lima's coastline with beautiful views back over the city. Our turning around point was El Salto del Fraile - an infamous peak where "monks" jump into the sea almost daily, recreating a Peruvian legend. Too bad we missed the show. We stopped at an 100 year old taberna in Barranco on the ride back to refuel with some Inka Kola and typical ham sandwiches (I thought I left this delicacy behind in Madrid but it seems to haunt me...) We had a great guide who lived in Barranco his whole life and seeing Lima by bike was such a unique way to see lots of the hidden gems of the city.

Since this was John's first time in Lima we had to hit the highlights that were not on our bike route so we took a cab to Plaza de Armas and walked around the historical center. Marveling at the impressive colonial architecture of South American capitals doesn't get old to me!
After our full day on the town, John and I got ready for an evening on the town with a friend. Lima's gastronomy is so hot right now and the best way to experience it in just the two nights we have is of course to hop around with a local! Muchas gracias a Miguel for taking us around and keeping us fueled and hydrated!
We started our gastro tour in San Isidro neighborhood at the impressive new Westin hotel for their signature Lobby Lounge pisco drink. Then on to La Calesa, home of one of the legendary pisco sour recipes of Lima, poured by Sammy the bartender himself. After two pisco drinks: need food. So off to Malabar, a swanky spot by one of Lima's famous chefs Pedro Miguel Schiaffino. We sampled a creative spin on ceviche, and when you see Giant River Snail on a menu, how can you not order it!? It was amazing. All washed down with of course, a pisco punch! OK so we have to wake up at 330AM for the airport but there is one more important stop on any gastro tour in Lima - una chifa. These are Chinese-Peruvian restaurants and the fusion is out of control. We picked Gaston Acurio´s Madam Tusan, not quite a dive as chifas typically are, but a place where the atmosphere is as hot as the chili dipping sauce. Another pisco would have put us under the table so we washed down our Peruvian inspired Dim Sum with refreshing Cusquenas.
Fat and happy and very sleepy, Juanes and I hopped in bed for 3 hours of sleep before our second early morning wakeup call for another fun filled day!

Peru, me vuelvo!

Boarding my plane to Lima as I write... Heading back to one of my favorite countries to travel... Peru! The country has so much to offer, you could never see all the highlights in one trip... Or three or four!

This time I'm off to experience the Peruvian Amazon - a jungle safari if you will. Of course taking a couple nights in Lima on the way in/out for some fabulous meals and of course pisco sours!

I'm traveling with my more adventurous and more bilingual brother - so excited for this experience together!

Stay posted!

Last Supper

Hamming it up at the Polo Bar

Our Last Supper as a group was spent at the gorgeous Westcliff hotel in Johannesburg, overlooking the bright city.  The hotel staff is the quintessence of South African hospitality, treating guests as if they were welcoming you into their own home.  I think this was the best meal of the trip. The chef's food presentation was as fun as his personality, and the pastry chef's desserts were divine.  Even if you don't stay at the Westcliff you must come for dinner when in Jo'burg! Of course we indulged in an after dinner drink (or two or three) at the Polo Bar and then kissed our goodbyes - until Vegas in August!

Ferrari Safari

Our experience at Singita Pamushana has been so much fun, very luxurious, and went by way too fast... but that is not what I mean by Ferrari Safari...

We arrived at Singita Pamushana, the only lodge in Zimbabwe's Malilange Reserve, just in time for sundowners... We watched the sun set over the water from the lodge's perfect clifftop location above the savannah. Then it was right out on an evening game drive - my first safari experience! (Although we had already been greeted by giraffe on the ride in!)  Within a few hours I had already checked of 3 of the Big Five: buffalo, elephant, and rhino.  The park has some of the rare black rhino in addition to lots of white rhino.  We also saw more giraffe, zebra, hippos, monkeys, baboons, impala and lots of other antelope.  The big cats (my favorite!) would have to wait til Day 2, so after our morning game drive, I had seen the Big Five within 24 hours of my first safari experience - many thanks to our phenomenal guide Fortune's good fortune.  He spotted the leopard (no pun intended) in some brush under a tree - of course it took us about 3 min to find the camoflauged cat, but his keen eye led the way.  We watched her nap for a bit then I swear we made eye contact when she woke up.  She checked us out for a minute before relocating to continue her nap.  Amazing to have met my first big cat in the wild! A few minutes later Fortune got a call from fellow trackers who had spotted lions in another area of the park.  Queue Ferrari Safari.  We held on as Fortune navigated the bush to get us there quickly.  Just in time to meet Nala and Simba!  A lioness was lounging by the river bed with her two new (3 month old) cubs, who had only been sighted once before in the reserve.  They were accompanied by her older male son (a few years old) who was just starting to grow his mane.  The feeling of being 10 feet from a lion in the wild is an indescribable experience.  Our 4 game drives at Singita Pamushana were an amazing introduction to safari for me.  I met Simba, Nala, and Sarabi (lions), Pumba (warthogs), Zazu (hornbills), Rafiki (baboons), and so many other members of the African animal kingdom!

Singita Pamushana's mountaintop location over the reserve offers stunning views over the Malilangwe dam. This made possible two other amazing experiences for us. One evening we took a boat safari on the lake, where we met hippos up close (but not TOO close - they aren't very friendly!) and the rare clawless otter (Fortune had only seen the otter once before!).  They also have crocodiles and lots of fish and birds.  Our villa was perched at the peak of the property, giving us a bird's eye view over the water and savannah.  Yesterday in our room relaxing before lunch, Cassie spotted an elephant wading in the water so she called us all to see. We took turns scoping him out with our villa's scope when we realized the hippos weren't too happy to have an elephant on their turf.  They surrounded the now nervous elephant starting a staredown.  Finally Ellie got his gumption and began trumpetting and splashing around (did you know an elephant can do a barrel roll in the water??).  We knew the standoff might last a while, so we called our friends and hosts, and everyone came up to our villa for the show.  In the end, the elephant showed those hippos who was boss, but not before many exchanges of trumpetting, grunting, water splashing, and victory strutting.  What an amazing interaction to witness!


Our game experience was incredible, but not the only meaningful things to do at Singita Pamushana.  Yesterday we went to see a typical village where we learned how the local tribes lived traditionally... I am certain I wouldn't last a week! We practiced our archery and trapping skills, made porridge from scratch, and tapped along to their traditional music and dance.

This morning made real the incredible impact the tourism industry can have on local communities.  Singita feeds breakfast to 22,000 children DAILY in Africa.  They provide the resources and training, and the communities themselves carry out the services.  We went to meet some of the children and the ladies of the community who serve them breakfast thanks to Singita.  Ansley and I played soccer with the little boys and we helped feed them their nutritious porridge breakfast. Then we went about 45 min to the local school, also supported by Singita, where we saw 3rd graders learning fractions, 4th graders practicing grammer, and 7th graders getting ready for their annual standardized tests. The school also offers extracurricular clubs to help expand the children's goals for what they want to be when they grow up.  We saw the dance troupe in an impressive performance and then got lessons from these professionals - they made it to the finals last year, and Singita paid their way to the competition.  Finally we stopped at the clinic Singita has built, also operated by the community, which also includes HIV education clinics and a natal ward - we saw a new mother and her 30 minute old twins!  This experience really brought together my passion for travel with my former professional path in international development. Singita's community outreach programs are a perfect example of the notion "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for life." Their dedication to educating and empowering the local community is admirable and inspiring.

Never enough time in each place, we are back to Jo'burg now.  Tonight is our last night together as a group and we are already mourning our last supper! Tomorrow I am off to Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa for three more lodge experiences.

Table Mountain

Today I decided to make up for a week of no exercise - "too busy" pre-travel, then on a plane for 20 hours, followed by the last 2 days being "too busy" hotel hopping, Cape boating, wine tasting, and eating fabulous meals.  In our few free hours in Cape Town, Jamo and I were up for the challenge of hiking Table Mountain.  An hour and a half later (yes we did it in 1.5 hours) we arrived at the top, sweating and out of breath, and with new Capetonian friends we made along the way.  Well worth the trip.  Amazing views of Cape Town, the Twelve Apostles, Robben Island, and Cape Point from the top of the world down here!

Now I am sure I will make up for any calories burned tonight - Cassie's birthday dinner with our gracious Ellerman hosts in our villa! Then it's down to Camp's Bay for some celebration! 7AM departure will certainly come too soon but then it is off to Zimbabwe to experience Singita Pamushana!