If posts were a little sparse this week or comment replies a little late, I have a good excuse — I was back in the jungle. This time, I flew into Puerto Maldonado, a town not far from the Bolivian border. From there, we traveled by boat deep into the rainforest, to what is reputedly the most remote eco-lodge in South America. My time in Iquitos has been a highlight of my travels in Peru thus far, and so I was highly anticipating this return to the wild. I was not disappointed — from sleeping in open-air treehouse lodges to kayaking down the Tambopata River to the wildlife-spotting crescendo of spotting two jaguars, it was an adrenaline high from start to finish.
Now Anders and I are back on the coast traveling North towards Ecuador and stopping in beach towns along the way, trying to find the perfect one to spend Christmas in. Speaking of the holidays, I’m not sure what to do about posting in the coming weeks. Are you guys too busy to read blogs around this time, or do you like something to decompress with after a stressful round of wrapping wars? Let me know so I can plan by blogging schedule accordingly!
Onto this week’s photos….
Photo A
Patterns in the jungle
Photo B
Necessary rainforest gear
Photo C
Researchers studying a baby macaw
Photo D
An explosion of color
Photo E
Flora and faunaΒ
Which photo is your favorite?
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Comments were accidentally disabled on my Puno Day post this week — apologies! The error is now corrected, and I’d love to hear your thoughts and reaction!
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This quarter, I broke into Nomadic Samuel’s list of the Top 100 Travel Blogs, calculated using an algorithm consideringΒ Alexa, SEMRush, Domain Authority & Page Authority indicators (but seriously what do those mean?) Thanks for crunching all those numbers, Sam!
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Check out my latest interview with Go Girl Guides — many thanks to Casey for inviting me to participate!
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Cheers to Tripfilms for featuring my video review of The Aria as one of their Editor’s Picks, and sending it out in this month’s newsletter. But yup, still hate the sound of my own recorded voice.
A!!!! I love me some mariposas!
And those are quite the special ones, no? π
A, for sure !! Beautiful, Alex
Thanks Gram! Love you!
How can you go past a baby Macaw?! That is cute in the true meaning of the word – ugly but interesting (but beautiful in a baby alien kind of way)… Do what works for you Alex – looking forward to reading about these beach towns you will discover, no need to respond to my comments though (that should lighten your workload!). Enjoy π
Whaa……? But responding to comments is my favorite! π Anders and I spent yesterday planning out the next month and I think we found a good balance. For the next 8 days we are staying put in one beach town and after will move on to yet another beach town for 2 weeks. That is a much slower pace than we’ve currently been moving at and I think taking travel out of the equation will leave lots of time for both work and the true pleasures of life (ie: naps, ocean swims, and watching Up All Night reruns). It will be a happy holiday indeed!
B and C It’s a tie. I hope you take some time off for the holiday, but I always make time to read your wonderful blog. So if you decided to keep sending posts, I’ll be here reading them and living vicariously.
Thanks Margy! That is a sweet note of encouragement and don’t worry… I could never stay away for long!
C! It’s so ugly it’s cute.
Maybe you should take a bit of Chrissy off for yourself and soak up being able to chill for awhile?
See my reply to Sarah above… we’re going to take some time off traveling, I think that will be a great balance! And couldn’t agree more on the ugly/cute dichotomy…
My favourite got to be photo C. π
Definitely seems to be the reader favorite this week! Thanks for voting π
D! it’s like a firework flower
I think it looks like a Dr. Seuss flower!
Personally I’m loving all of your posts about Peru. I’m in the process of planning an itinerary for my long-term trip through South America next year, starting in Peru in April, so your posts are providing inspiration and important information and resources for me. Keep posting π
Oh, there’s nothing quite like reading blog posts about a place you’re currently planning a trip to! I love that feeling! Good luck with the planning π
It’s C.Too cute, too rare for most of your readers.
I think it’s quite rare for anyone! We were incredibly lucky to be able to shadow the macaw researchers for a morning to watch them work!
Love the baby macaw, so cute! Baby birds are unique & funny looking little creatures. How can you not love them?!
It’s pretty amazing to think they grow into these spectacular macaws! Amazing!
Gotta go for photo A…those are swallowtail moths, and they descended on Roatan in the hundreds of thousands in September on their migration south!
Wow! That must be amazing to see! PS: If I got to Panama in February, want to take a vaca and come dive with me? π
DUDE. Yes!! My bday is in Feb and I was planning to take 10 days and go to Nicaragua, but I could totally tack on Panama as well! That would be so fun! Keep me updated π
C! I love the baby Macaw, what a cutie!
Thanks for voting, Ashley π
Photo C looks Nat Geo level awesome! So freaky and cute at the same time!
I think all photographers would agree that any compliment including a comparison to National Geographic is the highest compliment of all π
C is so precious. Time in the jungle sounds divine, especially while I freeze my pipes in central AZ. Hope you find the perfect holiday town.
This time of year I have a great cure for any homesickness I might feel… I just close my eyes and remember what it feels like to be cold! It’s very effective for battling the travel blues π
It was a tough one this week. I am choosing photo C, new life.
Just eight days into this world if you can believe it, Steve!
Photo C!!! But I’m a sucker for a baby anything.
I know! What is it in the human condition that makes little things adorable! I lose it even when I see SHOES for babies!
B or C… But probably C! Lovelovelove
ALMOST as cute as the baby chickens we raised, no?
Photo C is too cute to pass up!
Thanks Amanda! Definitely the clear-cut winner this week π
C! I’m a sucker for cute animals… or even ugly animals!
I’d have to say the same about most human babies… so ugly they are cute π
Oh my goodness, the baby macaw is soooo cute. What a special moment you were able to witness.
I felt very privileged to be there! A very rare treat, it was.
Stop taking such awesome photos – you make it impossible to vote for my favorite! π But, the baby macaw is pretty darn cute.
I’m hoping to catch up on blog reading over the holidays so whatever you decide, I’ll read, you’re in my top tier of travel blogs to be sure I read anyway.
Cat, that means a lot to me. You’re too kind — thank you!