Week 20 ~ Peru Pt 2
- Mary Kate gKing
- Jul 29
- 5 min read
Yes, we’ll admit it.
We used this photo as clickbait. If we had the title “Birdwatching in the Amazon”, we might’ve only had Tanya and Wilson reading this eventful week 20 blog post.
While this picture was snagged from Google, it was taken at the Chuncho Clay Lick that we visited during our time in the Amazon Rainforest.
The Jags, unfortunately, did not pay a visit while we were there, but we still enjoyed the beautiful colors of the Macaws.
Unfortunately, National Geographic hasn’t decided to sponsor an upgrade for my zoom lens, so instead we’ve got our own pictures like this.
To respect the ecosystem that we were visiting, we had to stay at least 200 yards back from the clay licks, so most of our viewing of macaws and parakeets was from binoculars. (Yes, moms are always right, and we should’ve taken Kath up on borrowing her Monocular for our world tour).
Our very informative guide was also able to snag some cool photos using his telescope.
If we have some other secret bird enthusiasts reading, let us know, and we’ll add you to our bird enthusiast group chat with my dad and Nick’s mom.
We felt like we were back in the bush. An intermission to the bird watching was breakfast in the wild; it was great.
During our river boat cruises along the Tambopata River, we saw white caymans, capybaras, turtles, and sloths (mamma & baby!!).
In addition to birdwatching and river boat cruises along the Tambopota River, we also went fishing for piranhas.
The early mornings were always worth it with the sunrise along the water and chirping of the birds being so peaceful. A pleasant surprise was the beautiful, yet noisy, smaller macaws at the Lago Yucamama, where we went fishing for piranhas.
In addition to the birds, we also saw a baby black cayman by flashlight. I was grateful for a baby one spotted in the dark since I wasn’t confident in the size of our boat taking on the 5 meter black caymans that lurked in the lake we were exploring.
As most of you know, Nick and I don’t like to keep score. Competition is overrated and immature. No need for us to share numbers on how many piranhas were caught, but I will let the pictures do the talking.
Not going to lie, I thought these fish we're going to be way more vicious than they appeared. I think I’d be more nervous to take on the river Paiche.
Overall, our first time visiting the Amazon rainforest was a success! Birdwatching is underrated. Wildlife is cool.
We did start this week's blog post in reverse order because our first few days of week 20 were actually spent in Cusco still.
Let's rewind. We visited Rainbow Mountain!
Nick & I were the highest we’d ever been.
Rainbow Mt - I have mixed reviews. Don’t get me wrong, it is breathtaking! Literally & Figuratively. The hike is stunning, but I fell victim to the altitude, which leaves me with a more jaded outlook towards the hike.
We were out there for sure. It was another early morning, 4am pickup, with a 3-hour drive through windy mountainous roads.
Before we embarked on our hike, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast in a quaint local house. Coca leaf tea, and we were ready to go on our 4.5-mile hike.
The hike itself wasn’t that challenging, but you cannot underestimate the elevation. The elevation of this hike is 17,060 ft.
Nick and I expected to be fine- I mean, we did live in Denver, Colorado for 5 months, 3 years ago… basically we’d have similar pulmones to the local Quechua people, right?! LOL.
We were up there. They offered horses and motorbikes as options for those who couldn’t handle hiking at the elevation. Nick and I pushed through, despite a mild headache brewing.
Unfortunately, the downside of horses and bikes assisting people to the top means that more people actually get there, causing you to wait 20 minutes in line to get this specific photo:
It was still very cool and actually the second part of the hike towards Red Valley was even more scenic than the iconic shot. (Also no horses or motorbikes so less people).
At this point for me, the headache really hit with a side of nausea. I didn’t feel fatigued from hiking, but I wasn’t feeling great. I wasn’t sure if I was having more extreme effects from the dramamine I took in the car or the limited water I’d consumed due to no access to bathrooms for our early morning drive.
I booked it down the mountain and drank as much water as I could. At this point, Mr. Big Lung joined me with a sympathy headache. Over lunch, our guide asked if we had “dolor en sus cabezas.” To my surprise, most people raised their hands. He assured us it was normal.
Nick & I thought we were down bad until the guy next to me excused himself from lunch.
Ibuprofen & dramamine in my system and I attempted to nap on our 3 hour drive home to Cusco.
Overall, I’m happy we did it. I think I didn’t realize how much effort it was for this single day hike and was slightly displeased by the illness related to the trip. At least we still had some great photos and memories for the blog;)
So now we are in Puno, at 12,500ft elevation, going off the grid for 4 days.
We’re going FULLY MIA - phones turned off for 4 days. Our parents have our emergency contact # if needed… really the biggest concern is Baby West deciding to come while I’m off the grid. #1 priority is healthy mamma & baby.... but #2 priority is Baby Girl arriving after I’ve returned from my mini sabbatical. (Only halfway kidding- Love you, Elena <3).
WK 20 HLUL
MK:
High: Piranha fishing & having some close-ups with the Macaws.
Low: Being taken out by altitude and motion sickness again
Unexpected: Birdwatching macaws is way more fun than it sounds
Learned: Macaws in the Tambopata Reserve can have a wingspan of up to 2 meters and can live till they are 60.
Nick:
High: Wildlife day: seeing the macaws, parakeets, caymans, capybaras, and sloths.
Low: Altitude Sickness.
Unexpected: How high the elevation is at Rainbow Mountain.
Learned: Capybaras are the largest rodents in the world, weighing 40- 60 kg.
Anyways, we’ll seeeeeee ya’ll after our trip to Lake Titicaca!
Love,
MK & Nick
Oh & Fun Fact - TODAY - July 28th- is Peru's Independence Day! They celebrate all week into all hours of the night! Every city we've been to this week has had decorations and major fiestas! We were even given pins to wear at the airport, and they made special announcements on the plane. It was really special to be here during this celebratory time of year.
😊 Pretty sure there are bigger more ferocious types of Piranhas. Seeing the real live Sloths, Caymans and Capybaras up close and personal is way cool!! (As a sidenote my cowboy boots have Cayman skin incorporated in their construction) Enjoy your time off the grid over the next couple of days!!
Baby girl is going to cooperate and wait for auntie MK to get back on the grid before making her debut😘