Pro-Soup Propaganda

So you all know that I booked my Antarctica trip...

Well, a few days ago I booked my Machu Picchu trip!!

I'm going on TWO big trips in the next year and a half! (And then I have friends getting married in Germany in two years and I totally plan on attending their wedding also, but that will come with future planning. ;o)

I've got the Machu Picchu trip basically figured out, down to adventures after REI's portion and which flight times I want to take.

I'm. Freaking. Out. With. Excitement!!

Photo by Wiki user Charlesjsharp

The trip will start with me flying from Portland to Cusco, Peru. It's about a 22 hour trip. I'll meet up with the REI folk and start that trip. We spend five days helping archaeologists and working on trails in Machu Picchu. We will also do some sightseeing around the area and will be staying in hotels at night. 

At the end of the REI trip I'll leave on a flight to Lima and get there in the morning. I'll have a free half day there, which I intend to find the Museo Nacional de Arqueologia Antropologia e Historia del Peru and explore that for hours.

Photo by Maria Reiche in 1953, posted on Wiki by user Ed89

The Monkey

Photo by Wiki user Colegota

The Hands

The next morning I'll be picked up from wherever I am staying at the bright and early hour of 4:30am and head out on a full day tour. We'll take a boat to the Ballestas Islands and look at the wildlife. Peruvian boobies, dolphins, pelicans, and cormorants?! YES. WHERE DO I SIGN? After the boat tour we'll head out out on a small plane and go look at the Nazca lines.

Aaaaaahhhhhh!!

I remember learning about the Nazca lines when I was young and hadn't really thought about them in awhile. When I was looking for things to do on a long layover in Lima I stumbled across tours and my brain basically broke. How cool! So I'll be able to do this full day tour and then get dropped back off to the airport, where I will be leaving around midnight or 1am and heading to...

Rapa Nui!

aka Easter Island

aka Isla de Pascua

;o)

Photo by Wiki user Aurbina

Photo by Ian Sewell

I'll get to Easter Island around noon and will then make my way to the only campground on the island, where I can rent camping equipment and stay for a few nights for the whopping amount of $12 USD. Okay, a few dollars extra to use the wifi and electricity. I can handle that.

I plan on staying there for four or five days and then heading back home. Easter Island back to Portland is less than 24 hours! (And I won't have any jet lag because there's only an hour or two time difference from Portland, depending on if I'm in South America or on Easter Island.)

Knowing I am going to Antarctica, Argentina, and Chile in a year and a half is exciting enough. Knowing I'm going to Peru (and technically Ecuador and Chilean airports) and Easter Island in less than a year is CRAZY EXCITING.

Now to just keep working hard and saving money. Life is good!