First trip booked!

Today I booked a trip to Iquitos 20-23.9 :) Three nights and four days in the city where u only get by flying or by boat. Here is the four day program copied from their papers:

Day 1: Navigating the Amazon observing different villages. Typical drink upon arrival at Cumaceba Lodge. Typical lunch, walk through the jungle knowing flora and fauna. Sunset on the Amazon River. Night walk - insects, frogs, tarantulas etc. Dinner and myths of Amazon.

Day 2: Hiking and birdwatching morning walk or in the lagoon, knowing the legendary Shansho-Hoatzin. Breakfast, visit the native group Yagua to know their typical dress, dialect, lifestyle, demonstration of old way of hunting, with the "blowgun", make crafts that can be redeemed or purchased. Typical lunch tour down the Amazon river. Visiting a family who preserve some varieties of animals like sloths, monkeys, turtles, anacondas or boa constrictors. Search grey or pink dolphins in the river. Evening canoe, typical sounds of the tropical rainforest. Dinner and over night.

Day 3: Sunrise on the banks of the Amazon River observing birds in the island by canoe or boat father. Breakfast. Tour trough Amazon River and visit the private kennel Paiche (Arapaima gigas), largest fish freshwater also observing alligators of various sizes. Walk through the small town, knowing part of their daily work. Return to Cumaceba Lodge. Canoe tour through a tax, especially for shooting. Dinner and over night.

Day 4: Breakfast and Aquatic Lila observation World's Largest Victory. Recreational fishing excursion Regia species such as catfish, sardines and voracious Piranha. Typical lunch. Hour return to the city of Iquitos, transfer to hotel or airport.


This sounds great! It's +30 degrees in Iquitos, so little variety to this grey city Lima.

We are staying at Cumaceba Lodge.

Waterpark

Finland vs. Peru

I made this just for fun

Parque de las Leyendas

Today we went to the zoo! I forgot my cameras memorycard home, so I only took pictures with my cellphones camera. The zoo was big and had many animals that we don't have in Finlands' Korkeasaari-zoo. I got to clap a horse and a buffalo :D The buffalo were friendly and were just licking my hand!

Lovestories in bambus.

Mono Huapo is a vulnerable specie only living in Southern America.

Herra Tossavainen.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of my favorite animal :(

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I bought this at the zoo.

Tutorials of spanish

Yesterday at my Cross Cultural Management course we saw a video about Peru. It was a short version of the situation here. It was shocking to hear that terrorism had a big role in Peru and the most horrible things were happening during 1980-2000. During these 20 years there were almost 70 000 people killed by terroristgroups or in the battles between the army/police and terrorists.  I had no idea that there were this kind of terrorism so recently, I don't think so many in Finland knows about this either. I would want to tell you more about the terroristgroups and happenings here but I feel it is better to tell about sensitive things like that personally and not publish names and reasons of war online. It is a very interesting subject for me and I can't wait to spread my knowledge of this country to my friends and family.

I've been here for two weeks and I am still horribly bad at spanish! I speak spanglish very well which is a combination of english and spanish. I had this week 3 hours of tutorials of spanish. Today we practiced verbs in present and the past. It is very helpful to look these kind of things trough with my tutor Sandra, because I would never learn just by reading a book. My iPod has google translator in it so I can use it during classes through the schools WiFi. :D Today I also bought my first poncho! Tomorrow we are gonna go to the zoo :) Happy days!

Exploring different districts

Today our beloved peruvian friend, Carolina, took us with her brother to see different districts of Lima. First we went to the catedral of Lima and walked around there for a while just taking photos. Then we took a buss to Cerro San Cristobal, which is a mountain 400m above the sea. There's a huge cross where u can light candles and pray. You are suposed to see whole Lima from there but today it was so foggy we didn't see anything. It was like from the horrormovie Silent Hill, only grey around us and so quiet!

While taking the buss there we drove through a district called Rimac, it is the oldest district in Lima (about 400years old). There were a lot of houses which have been destroyed along the years by earthquakes. It was very different from Miraflores, you could see the poverty. People were living along the mountains really high up and didn't have proper homes. It was cold at the top of the mountain so I can imagine how cold it is at nights in their homes, because they don't have so thick walls. The people living there has to come down the mountain to bring water and then carry the waterbottles hundreds of stairs back up. Seeing this kind of poverty makes me grateful for living in Finland and having a good job and home. And a family that takes care of me! Carolina told me that there are more poverty in the Andes. People in highlands of Peru has it way worse.

After visiting this mountain and district we went to get food in this small gastronomic market, which was outdoors. Carolina and her brother did pay for our food and the visit to Cerro San Cristobal. Unbelievable kind. I ate anticuchos, it is meat with some corn and potato. People were singing and dancing at this gastronomic market and people seemed really happy. This day was the best so far here in Lima :)

                           San Cristobal

It was national childrens day in Peru.

Views on the way up the mountain.

This kind of houses which could easily bee destroyed by an earthquake.

Chef preparing Anticuchos.

Catedral de Lima.

I bought this keyring today for 8 Soles :)

Home sweet home

Yesterday we went to the Finnish embassy. Our new classmate, Soledad, drove us there. People are so kind. We also got to meet her 2 year old son, Benjamin. So cute! We just signed a paper with our information at the embassy, it was a quick visit.

I like my new home very much and I will enjoy my stay for the next 4 months. I maybe forgot to tell you that I bought new Reebok Easytone shoes last week, but later I noticed that they were both left foots shoes :D what an idiot... Luckily I went yesterday to the store and changed the other one. Today morning I went for a testrun. I think they are meant more for walking because running was a bit difficult with the special "bottom" the shoes have. But I did run and walk for 45minutes along the parks beside the sea. I went for my last run for over a month ago so my feet felt very heavy. My condition has become worse after the summer but now it's time to get it up again. I would want to continue with my beloved hobby Muay Thai. I just don't know if I have enough courage to go and check out the thaigym here in Lima. Hopefully next week or when I have improved my spanish! Next weeks plan is also to get an hours massage for only 20 Soles (6,40€)! And I wanna go to the zoo on thursday or friday :) Tonight it's party time!

Our livingroom.

My bedroom.

Pics & Vids

Here is a video I shooted with my little camera of Limas streetcats. A church nearby is feeding them in the evenings. I apologize for the poor quality!

At school.

 

Today we got our own apartment at last. It's nice to have own room with peace and quiet. Warm water in the shower and doublebed. I'll post some pictures of the apartment later! Tomorrow the plan is to go to school for 2 hours and then visit the Finish embassy here in Lima. On saturday we are having friends over (On the first picture) and go out for the first time :)

National earthquake practice

The school has been nice the two last days. Yesterday I had practice classes within Pasteleria y Panaderia. We made french pan. There where alltogether 3 students who translated for me what the teacher said. At first no-one but when they won their shyness they came and helped me :) One of the girls were not even taking the class but came in to help me! So kind.

Today I had two classes in english. Both very interesting. The evening class did get interrupted because of the National earthquake practice :D Big and noisy sirens were launched and the whole school needed to be evacuated. My friend from Costa Rica told me that there has allready been 2 small earthquakes within one month! So I'm nervously waiting for my first earthquake to hit. 

After the first english class a girl called Maria Teresa promised to drive me home after the earthquake practice. She drove to her house and I got a late night dinner there! I also got to know 2 of her friends and her sister and dog :) No-one in Finland would never invite someone in their home for evening meals after knowing the person only for a few hours :D After the meal she called me a taxi to my hotel. She also gave me a safe taxinumber that I should use in the future. Tomorrow is a 24hour public transportation strike in Lima so we have to wake up really early to get a taxi to school. It probably will be difficult to get one. And after school we have to check out at our hotel and get our stuff to the apartment yaayy!! Finally, I've had enough of this shitty hotel.

The school has promised to organize tutorial lessons of spanish for us, so maybe I'll learn quicker than tought.

Language barrier

I had two courses today, both in spanish. I was so embarrased in the first class when everybody was looking at me when I explained in english that I don't speak spanish yet. I didn't understand so much, under 20% of what the teacher said. Apparently the teacher was funny because everybody was laughing all the time, except me :( I felt stupid and alone. The teacher said it's a problem that I don't understand. I have to see if I even want to continue this course :/

In the second class "Pasteleria y Panaderia" the teacher didn't speak english at all. Everybody was laughing when I tried to spell my name and the teacher didn't understand. Luckily I sat next to a peruvian girl named Luciana who tried to translate as much as she could even though she didn't know so many words in english. Mutual words were like melted chocolate - strawberries - stirr the milk - look - friends - travelling home with a blue car - nice to meet you. :) She helped a lot even with just trying and making me laugh when she told me that she's hangovered and had a Captain Morgan bottle in her bag :D The course is about desserts. This time the teacher showed us how to do "Petit Fours" and we got a book with recipes. He will show perhaps how to do all the recipes in the book. Very interesting I tought and I will definetily continue this course because of the help of Luciana :) After the class I asked her Cuantos años tienes? And she is only seventeen!!

Petit Fours

After classes I travelled for the first time alone with a combi. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't get off at the right place but I managed to do so :) It took 50 minutes to get home due to major traffic. I went straight to a store and bought myself a new school purse for 79 Soles. Tomorrow I have theory class of  "Pasteria y Panaderia". Juho and Niina don't have school so I will be travelling alone and perhaps make a fool of myself again with language problems...

I also got a few changes in my schedule:

Monday 11-13 & 15-17
Tuesday 9-13
Wednesday 14-17 & 19-22 (I do not like the evening classes!!!)
Thursday 10-12
Friday 8-10

More pictures of Miraflores

I was at Larcomars' shoppingcenter today :D

Some surfers getting ready to face the waves.

At a restaurant "La Bonbonniere"

A basketball field beside the sea.

 

Views from Miraflores down at the sea.

There are lot of people selling fruits on the streets.

Parque de Amor

There are no birds like this in Finland? :D