Maine Boys Check-In

Hello folks,

We are currently in Puerto Maldonado awaiting our departure flight back to Cuzco in the morning. We have spent the last ten (mas o menos) days in the heart (mas o menos) of the Amazon. We were in a small community called Baltimore, off the Tambopata River, helping reforest with a righteous broski named Robin (who has a ton of land, knowledge, and rusties [ask your child if you want to know more]). We stayed in an eco-tourism lodge named El Gato (which we understood to mean "The Gator"). Our parents (you may think of them as leaders), Jessicandy, stayed with Uncle Rob at his farm across the river. Needless to say, it got WILD (no supervision and "The Gator" sold us cookies ALL night long!). Don't tell the office, please. The mornings that we weren't entirely taxed from the sugar highs, we awoke before 6 for breakfast and the early morning boatride to the meet the family at Uncle Rob's pad (which was off the hook and purchased for 10,000 soles in 2005, please check the conversion on that steal!) We worked early to try to beat the unforgiving jungle sun (there was no way to beat the bastard jungle mosquitoes, they were relentless in their ambushes). No thermometer, but Austin and I clearly agree that the minimum temperature was (mas o menos) 160 degrees farenheit (this is real life). All said and done, it was a remarkable experience.

Oh, we almost forgot, the family that ran "The Gator" was very nearly as badass as Robin (keywords: very nearly). The son, Dani, one day walked up to our father (Andy, for those that have yet to comprehend the family bonds) and asked if he wanted to see a caiman. Of course, Andy retorted with "Why yes, young fellow, I would thoroughly enjoy laying my eyes on a beast of that nature." Entonces ("So" for those virgin to the ancient language of the Amazon), Dani reacted to this polite and charming response by lifting a caiman of large proportion (my fellow blogger Austin and I estimate its length to be in the ballpark of 75 and 80 meters, we are currently looking at the photographs, given our rudimentary length measuring device thingys, it is only, and we REALLY mean only, a rough estimate). It was wicked awesome (and a tad bit frightening).

Then we saw a cool lake named Lake Sandoval with cool river otters and cool black caimans and cool trees and cool birds and cool mariposas (flying butters in the Amazonian tongue) and cool people and cool other wicked cool stuff.

Pictures coming soon to a computer near you (in fact, the computer you will be using to check the blog)!

We are running out of time to blog, but stay posted because we are here to blog all week long ;)

Roger roger, over and out-the Mainahs (Austin and Jim)