Paracas Peru

On our 5th day in Lima Peru we left to drive south to Paracas.  A small town on the Pacific Ocean.  Arvilla had rented apartment/condo on the ocean just north of Paracas.  Really nice with a balcony over looking the water.  We ate out in a little pizza restaurant in Paracas.  Excellent pizza and It had Wifi, critical since our apt doesn't have it.  Yesterday we took a speed boat ride out to Ballestas Islands to a protected Marine Reserve.  The day was sunny and we got see lots of Marine life Including lots of Humbolt Penguins  S A Sea Lions, and the blue footed Boobie Birds.  I took some great pictures but won't be able to post them until I get to a good wifi.  I am using my cell phone with an Internarional Plan and going blind typing this.  In the afternoon we went another national park.  Totally bare mountains made up of iron ore with a thin topping of sand shore of the Pacific Ocean.  Betsy and Sophie got sick.  So today I am staying in the apartment taking care of them.  Betsy really felt terrible and it could be a gallbladder problem.  No doc in a box around here but we did get some meds from a little shop.  She is feeling better after 3 pills.  Picts will come later.

Lunch in Lima

Having a lunch in La Molina with Arvilla, Harmen and Sophie.  The weather is great.  Not too hot or cold.  So wonderful to be with them.  

The Great Basil the Basset Caper

Thiis is an email I sent to my friend.  The email tells about the horrendous complicated time we had getting my grand children's dog shipped to Peru on the same plane we are on.  I did not even mention the red tape of getting his health certificate the 10 days before we left today.  So this maybe really boring unless you love dogs.

My email to my friend Mary Lee

I m typing this just after takeoff.  I am almost insane. We drove up from Louisville to Chicago yesterday because we could not ship Basil from Louisvillle.   Last night we called United to check about Basil and they said Basil was put on another plane, not ours.  Immediate anxiety!  But after a few minutes she said she had switched it back to our flight.  She told us to be at the airport 3 hours ahead and we did that this morning. Arriving at the airport Mark had to sit in the van with Basil while the Sky Cap took 9 bags out of the van and into the airport.  Then I had to do the computer check in.  It was insane and then I got 6 luggage tags which the Sky Cap put on my bags thank goodness.  I gave him $30. tip and he then went out and got Basil in the crate onto a bag carrier and pushed it, with Betsy and I to the next building while Mark turned in the rental car.  So we get there and the fun begins.  The woman could not look up our reservation so I had to find the email that had the shipping number.  Found it.  From then on it was a mess.  She didn't know how do it ...typing it into the computer....we are now about 2 hours and 15 min from flight time.  She starts to tell me we are too late.  Anxiety!!!!  Then it is ok.  Then she wants the Rabis info.  He had a shot that would expire April 5 2015.  We went ahead and get all of this shots now because the other ones expired Feb 2015.  So I am 27 days away from when we got Basils Rab shot.  The reg says 30 days.  But the other shot hadn't expired.  The woman said he couldn't fly.  ANXIETY PLUS!   I had both papers for the shots signed by vets.  At one point I told Betsy if they said Basil couldn't fly I would haul him into the plane and set him on my lap.  I was so upset.  Then finally Mark showed up.  He called our vet and the vet said that was crazy too.  Finally we were told they would except the shot.  Holy Shit buckets....breakdown coming on.  Finally we got Basil all fixed up in his crate and I had to say goodbye.  He was just sitting inside so cute.  I said a prayer out loud for him to St Francis and his sad look made me cry.   Makes me cry now.  

By then we were closing in on the boarding of the plane for us.  We go through TSA and wouldn't you know my bag raised an alarm.  So we had to wait for them to check my whole bag and I had to be patted down.  By the time we got to the boarding area

they were loading the plane.  We get seated and this special pet van pulled up and we could see Basil's crate inside.  I took a picture of the van and watched until they opened the doors and loaded him into the plane.  Whew!

I settled back into the seat and took a deep breath and Mark told me he had packed his pills in the checked bag and forgot to take his last nights pill and the morning pill.  Now that topped the cake.  I am speechless.  Bring the nets....I am ready!

Sent from my iPad

The Start of our Trip!

We are headed to Chicago, staying the night.  At 4 am we go to the United Airlines Cargo area to check in sweet ole Basil the Basset for his flight to Peru.  Very exciting times!  We rented a Ford Explorer and it is stuffed to the ceiling. You can barely see Basil's crate.

7 DAYS AND COUNTING

Starting to pack.  The max suitcases we can take would be 9.  Certainly too much.  I am posting a picture that I didn't take nor will I ever be in the position to take it.  But I am sure some of my family will will try it.  These are pictures of HUANYA PICCHU 

Travel Gear for Peru

Mark, Betsy and I are getting ready for our big adventure in Peru.  Arvilla, Craig and kids moved to Peru in August and I have spent the last few months preparing for the trip.  Will be gone for 6 weeks.  We land in Lima Jan 14th . Heather and Chris will be meeting us Feb 2nd to go to Machu Picchu for 2 weeks.   So for the last few months we have been working on exactly where we are going and I was busy looking on booking rooms for all nine of us to stay in the Andes.  My first tip is using Booking.com. It is terrific.  Almost all of the hotels can be booked ahead and you  don't have to put a deposit on the booking.  In Machu Picchu there are limited decent hotels and hostel to book.  They go fast and I would say if you can book 6 months ahead you would be able to get the best rooms for the best price.  I did it 4 months ahead and I had to scramble.  Also Trivago is a place to start looking. They show you all the web sites that book rooms and their cheapest price.  I couldn't find the right size rooms for all of us at one point and saw Expedia.com had the rooms I wanted.  I will say I like Booking.com better but I did get the triple rooms I wanted.  This is my first post and it is a test actually.  

Just boxes of travel gear!