Enchanted Chile

Chile is completely, utterly enchanted. Wandering through the impossibly winding streets of Valparaiso was like falling into a painting. Everything is in bright color, artists have decorated every nook and cranny. It's a very European country in many ways. I saw very little overt American influence here.

Amazing Amazon

Went to the Amazon in Ecuador. I have officially turned into a "save the rainforest" person. Such amazing beauty, such abundance of life. Everyone should see this place in their lifetime.

Swam With Piranhas!

Turns out they are generally vegetarian. Seriously! Talk about a bad rap. They eat fruits that fall into water from the dense Amazon forest. And if there is no fruit, maybe dead meat, but hardly ever live meat, they say. As long as there is plenty of natural food (fruit) then swimmers have nothing to worry about, said our guides. So here we are swimming in a body of water called "Piranha Lake."

Neptune Day

When crossing the equator the toilet flushes the other way (well, supposedly), Neptune makes an appearance and battle lines are drawn between Pollywogs and Shellbacks. Pollywogs are initiated in a ritual that involves mysterious green slime, kissing a dead fish, hopping into a gunk filled pool and, oh, shaving heads. We were shaving heads into the late hours….

Tendering....

While in Panama there was no place to dock..so we took lifeboats into port everyday. It was amazing...a bit hairy at times. The SAs crew is incredible.

Walls Falling Down

I rather enjoy traveling with college students, watching the walls of classrooms come crashing down all around them as they see the world. Cliché, I know, but true.

Kuna in Panama

The Kuna people live a quiet life in the islands off the coast of Panama. Large ships preparing to transit the Panama Canal are nearby hailing from all over the world. Panama is a study in contrasts. Wish I could have stayed much longer.