Manu National Park

Meghan and Helen are out of school this week so we are taking an 8 day vacation from the daily grind (not mine, theirs) and heading down the Andes to one of the largest reserves in the Amazon basin, Manu. Day one is all travel and we start early - picked up in a van by our guide, driver and cook at 5am and then make several other stops in town to gather the other 8 on our tour - 4 English, 1 German, 1 Canadian and 2 Dutch. Over the comming week we really get to know these folks and enjoy their company as we travel closely together. We make a quick stop in Pisac for breakfast and then climb East to the continental divide at about 13,000 ft before starting the long descent into the cloud forest and rain forest below.

The highland road is bumpy and I feel sorry for the many shepherds we disturb as we disrupt any sense of order to their marching herd of llamas, sheep, cattle - honking and kicking up dust clouds as we round each bend. As we continue down the road narrows and the dusty ruts and pot holes are now full of water. It is evident from the many landslides above and below us, that it is common for this road to colapse and slide down the mountain and we are often times less than a foot from the edge of loose embankments holding us to the side of the mountains. There are no culvert systems to drain the many streams making their way to the river below and several times our guide gives the order to exit and walk while the van forges alone. Our adventure tour is already exciting and we have just begun.

After a long day in the van we reach the very rustic San Pedro Lodge at 5,000 ft in the cloud forest still under blue skies - rare for this time of year as our guide mentions. It is nice to have full lungs after living 3 and a half months above 12,000 ft. Dinner as will always be is served at 7 and the generator only runs from 6-9 so it is an early evening after some spectacular gazing of the Milky Way, Southern Cross and a shooting star.