Dancing in the Park

Have you ever been walking through the park when something catches your attention out of the corner of your eye, and you are immediately intrigued and wanting to know more about the situation? Well this past Thursday I was finishing up a meeting with my pastor, at a coffee shop, when I decided to take a stroll through the park to look at the scenery on my way back home. As I was walking I looked at the different crafts that were being sold, smelt the lovely smells of the foods in the park, and then out of the corner of my eye I saw a camera crew and a guy standing there with a microphone...

I don't know about you, but when I see a random TV crew and a person with a microphone I often ponder what they are doing and then wander over to get a better look. At that moment it looked like the guy was not only standing there waiting to record a show, but he was looking for volunteers to join him. Since that was the case, I made eye contact with the guy holding the microphone and was quickly pursued and asked to join in on their festivities. Being the adventurous person I am I jumped on the opportunity to join in the fun and then realized that I was joining a group of Peruvian guys to do a dance routine. At the time I wasn't really sure what the show was, but soon after dancing I found out that the show was called "Esto es Guerra" and it was a game show where guys and girls compete against one another.

Before starting the recording we had a few quick run-throughs of the moves we were supposed to be doing and then we got down to business and started filming. Since everything was in Spanish I was not 100% sure what we were doing but I caught on pretty quick. Then within a few seconds of our recording I saw one of the producers point out to the male host that I had blue eyes, as did he, and they had me come up to the front and we showed of our blue eyes to the camera. One thing that I have noticed being in South America is that they really like blue eyed people! Anyways, after showing off our eyes I began to return to my position when the host told me that I was supposed to stay up front and show off a dance move to the camera. Having been put in similar positions I through down a move or two and then realized that everyone was following along, so the host told me to continue. So what did I do...I threw down moves like the sprinkler, shopping cart, among others. Along with that I had people move forward and back and side to side and they would all follow along. I have to admit it was a pretty fun experience!

After the dance I watched the ladies do their dance and quickly realized that the dudes were far superior in their dance skills, although I may have been mildly biased. When all was said and done I went up and met the two hosts and a few of the crew members and they informed me that that show will be aired this following Monday the 28th of May at 6:30 PM on Channel 4. If you are in Peru you should definitely tune in to watch "Esto es Guerra" this following Monday and watch me as I make a fool of myself on TV!

To further the events of this story I will add that I actually saw some of the crew members later on that evening while I was walking to a friends house in another part of town. As I passed by a parked car I made eye contact with the person in the passenger seat, who looked a bit familiar, and then the gal in the backseat said "Dani, Dani!!!" I was a bit confused for a second as to who it was and then realized it was the group from the park that I had danced for earlier that afternoon. What a small world, right. As I talked with them the second time I shared with them that I had an idea for another dance party in the park that was inspired by the video on youtube called "Dance Walking Fitness." Now I am hoping to connect with the cast and crew from "Esto es Guerra" and film an amazing Dance Walking routine through Parque Kennedy in Lima, Peru as a way to unite music, exercise, and dance all together with friends and foreigners!

Stay tuned to see what will happen in the following weeks regarding this story. Hopefully I will have an amazing followup story that includes a video of us dancing in the park as well as a clip from the TV show that was filmed in our first encounter in the park!

Natural Beauty of the Amazon Jungle

There is something majestic about being in the jungle that is hard to explain in words, whether it is the sounds of the birds, the natural beauty of the plants and flowers, or the smell after a torrential downpour, all these things just add to the sheer beauty of the jungle. Being my first time in the jungle I did not really have an idea of what to expect, but after 5 days soaking up the views of the jungle I can definitely admit that it is one of the most peaceful and relaxing places I have ever been in my entire life. Since I was only in the jungle for 5 days I decided to wake up every morning in order to listen to the animals as they woke up and watch as the jungle came to life. Above everything else I think witnessing the view and sound of the jungle waking up every morning as the sun came up was one of the most rewarding things to see every day! 

While seeing creatures of the jungle in their natural habitat is preferable, being a part of a group of 40 Americans can make it a bit hard to come in contact with many of the animals of the Amazon. That being said, we were able to go to an amazing animal orphanage and butterfly house called: Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm where there were many species of butterflies and a variety of orphaned animals from the surrounding area. Since it had rained early that day there wasn't as much activity in the butterfly exhibit but nevertheless I did manage to get some beautiful pictures of the butterflies! Along with the butterflies there were a number of monkeys, an anteater, and a jaguar. Since the shelter has so many different types of animals they have a number of volunteers that help keep things running smoothly, one eager volunteer for example is pictured below...he ofter partakes in monkey business when interacting with those needing the bathroom. 

Along with going to the animal shelter and butterfly house we were also able to try our luck at fishing for the local piranhas. Since the jungle has had severe floods this season the fishing was not very good in the river so for this reason we actually went to a pirana park where we were able to try our luck at fishing in a little lagoon, which was located a few minute walk into the jungle. While the lagoon was supposed to be a bit easier to fish, only one person from our group was able to hook a piranha. Although we didn't catch as many fish as hoped we did get some quality experience between baiting our own hooks, walking around with a handful of meat, and using the traditional stick and string as a fishing rod. Before we left the piranha park I did make sure Luis, the guy who caught the fish, gave a big kiss to his new fishy friend. Growing up in Alaska I would always kiss the fish I caught so I figured having someone else continue the tradition was a good idea. 

To top off the trip and we were able to go to a manatee rescue site in Iquitos where we were all able to feed the manatees and learn a little about the operation that was being run to take care of the rescued manatees. While feeding the manatees I really enjoyed the feel inside of their mouths because they didn't really have any teeth, it was more of just a slimy mouth hungry to suck down all the fruit and milk in site! 

While my time in the jungle had to end at some point I was very happy to not only have the experience to remember but also some amazing photos, videos, and stories to help me remember the trip for years to come. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do! 

Amazon Jungle: Becoming one with the Natives

My whole childhood I grew up in Alaska with the beautiful mountains, rivers, lakes, trees, animals, and all the other natural beauty within the great state of Alaska. That being said, growing up around such breathtaking things causes you to forget the true beauty that is before you, and begin to take it for grantid. I started traveling a good bit my junior year of high school and I began to realize that what I had back home in Alaska was something many people would never get to experience in their entire live. When I realized what beauty I had begun to overlook I began to pay more attention to the nature around me and truly admire what amazing things I was blessed to experience out my front door. Two weeks ago I went to the Amazon Jungle in Iquitos, Peru and I have to say this is another one of those places in the world where the natural beauty will blow you away. 

                 

Since I was visiting the jungle with about 40 American students, who are studying in Peru for the semester, we were all excited to not only experience the majestic nature, but also to learn about the indigenous culture of the people of the Amazon. To do so we started off our trip by visiting one of the local indigenous tribes to learn about their ways of life. While the first tribe we visited was accustomed to foreigners, having a presentation prepared daily for tourists, we were still able to learn new things about their way of life. My favorite part about visiting the tribe was that they were all dressed in their native garb, working together as a family, and sharing their heritage with us at the same time. At the end of our time visiting the tribe they did a show where they presented a few typical dances and songs of their tribe and then allowed us to join in with their dancing. Above you will see a video that shows just a glimpse of what the dances were like. 

The first day in the jungle we traveled around in a nice metal boat with plenty of protection from the sun and rain with lots of space for our luggage; the rest of the time, however, we toured the jungle in more authentic wooden boats that often had a slight leak to them. While some people were scared that we were going to sink, I thought it was pretty cool to not only be in the jungle, but to be adapting to the ways of life of the locals. One other way I as able to show my willingness to adapt to the culture was by eating large bugs during dinner the first night. Bugs were not on the menu but there was a popular peruvian television network that was at our lodge filming and when I walked through the line it was perfect timing to get offered a big juicy jungle bug, to enjoy while being filmed on television. I jumped at the opportunity and was pleasantly surprised by the rich taste of the bug. The head on the other hand was a bit crunchy and I was not really sure whether or not I was supposed to eat it, so I did anyway. 

Later on during our trip we visited a second small village where we met the people of the Gen Gen and Centro Fuerte tribes. Here again we were taught about the traditional customs, habits, trade goods, and some more indigenous dances. While being taught about hunting the chief allowed us each to try his hunting blow dart gun, which was about two meters or six feet long. Trying the dart gun was very exciting because we got to not only witness the chief demonstrate the use of the gun, but we also got to try our skills out on a target. After we all successfully hit the target we were taught another dance that was symbolic of the fire ants. They called it the dance of the fire ant because in that area of the jungle there were many ants and they would need to keep moving their feet in order to keep the ants off of them. Again I got to dance with a cute little girl who showed me the ways of the native dance. This second tribe was definitely my favorite because the chief and his wife had a great sense of humor and were always laughing. The kids were also running around like baby Moglis which made me think of the jungle-book.

Overall the time spent immersing ourselves in the life of the jungle proved to be very gratifying and fun! Whether it was bailing water out of a boat, eating jungle bugs, or dancing with the natives, there was plenty of fun to be had if one was willing to commit to being one with the jungle! 

Sunsets and Sunrises in the Amazon Jungle

Just over a week ago I got back from being in the Amazon Jungle in Iquitos, Peru where I spent four amazing days exploring the jungle, learning the ways of the indigenous tribes, and soaking in the pure beauty of the jungle. Every morning while in the jungle I took the opportunity to start the day with a quite time taking photos while listening to the nature. While there was no human in site from 5:15 till 5:45 every morning, while I watched the sunrise, I was joined daily by a very friendly parrot who would would say "Hola" and then relax with me as we took in the beauty of the first morning rays. While I normally have a pretty lengthy commentary about my day I will let this entry speak mostly for itself and just add a few extra photos. I will be posting another entry or two about the jungle so be sure to come back to read them! 

Since there are less words today it would be great to hear a response from people looking at the photos, which photo do you enjoy the most? 

 Right as the sun was beginning to set on our first day. 

 Sunset on Day 1 

 Day 1 just about dark

 Early morning Day 2. 

 5:30 AM Day 2. 

5:29 AM Morning Day 2

 Day 2 Morning Conversation

 6:00 AM Day 2

 Sun is up Day 2

 Day 2 Morning Reunion

 Sunset Day 2

Sunset Day 2

 Sunset Day 2

Islas Ballestas Paracas - Ica

I don't know about you but when I travel I thrive off of meeting new people and experiencing new things that I don't generally take part in during my life back home in the states.  Since being in Peru I have made some amazing friends that will definitely be a part of my life for many years to come.  Whether traveling with friends, family, or complete strangers, there are many things that you begin to learn about yourself and others when traveling in buses and living in close quarters with each other.  So far during my trip in Peru I have really begun to realize the small things that happen around me that I can be thankful for.  Whether it be food on the table (deliciously prepared by Lucy) or the opportunity to learn from our mistakes, everything we do has the potential to build us up as individuals.  That being said I hope you enjoy some of the pictures and commentary from my trip to Islas Ballestas Paracas. 

While it has been about two weeks since I got back from Ica and Islas Ballestas Paracas I love to look back at pictures and remember the fun times we had.  Before heading to Islas Ballestas Paracas we went sand boarding in La Huacachina and had the time of our lives and then spent the night at the Las Dunas hotel.  If you are staying in Ica for a night I highly suggest this hotel for all travelers.  Between the two pools, volleyball (sand and water), ping pong, golf course, skate park, and paintball arena there is definitely something to do for the whole family!  After a day on the sand dunes I was definitely grateful to be able to jump in the pool and cool off while playing some volleyball!

After a nice night at the hotel we woke up early, had a delicious complementary breakfast, and then headed off to Islas Ballestas Paracas.  I believe the bus ride was around an hour or so but I was pretty tired so I don't think I was up for a minute of it.  Once we got to our stopping point we all took a bathroom break and did a little bit of shopping and then headed on our boat tour.  Before jumping on the boat there were a number of pelicans that were hanging out on the beach and I couldn't help but think of Finding Nemo.  On our boat tour we saw many different aquatic 
birds like pelicans, a few penguins, and peruvian 
boobies (these are birds for those who are wondering).  Since there are so many birds on these islands the locals actually harvest the bird feces, called guano, and use it as a fertilizer.  Guano is a good fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen.  Besides being a fertilizer guano has also been used to make gunpowder and other types of explosives.  

Besides seeing many birds we also were able to see many sea lions.  One interesting thing I learned from our tour guide is that the main difference between seals and sea lions is that sea lions have ears and seals do not.  While watching the sea lions I couldn't help but envy their laid-back lifestyle, although I don't know how comfortable posting up on rocks all day would be. 

After an afternoon on the water, watching the wildlife, we headed back to the mainland to get some food to eat and finish off our shopping.  If you are a seafood fan I would highly suggest eating ceviche while at the beach because it is hard to find anything more fresh than fish straight out of the ocean.  To finish off my time at Islas Ballestas Paracas I did a brief push up workout with my friend Evelyn.  Since we have been traveling around together to some amazing places Evelyn and I have decided to make a series of push up videos to document where we have been!  I hope you enjoy the video and photos!