Lima, Peru --1

Greetings from LIMA PERU! 

We left Seattle on a cool Wed morning. Our first leg took us to Las Vegas, where we had a good time just wandering the strip in the evening.

After a good night's sleep, it was on to Mexico City, about a 6 hr flight. With only a 6 hr layover, we decided it was best to hang out at the airport. Did I mention we're waiting for a midnight flight?

We arrived as scheduled early on Friday morning. While there was a wait to go through customs, it was still pretty painless. Our hostel sent a taxi for us and, after a hot drive through traffic worthy of a city of 10 million people, we checked in and took a nap.

Once we woke up, I signed us up for the free city tour given by 1900 Backpackers Hostel. Having a couple of hours to kill, we took a short walk around our block, where we found a fairly nice-looking restaurant, Mesa Central. Although this was not our first opportunity to speak Spanish, it was the first time we were trying to get something and not just make conversation. We went in just wanting some juice and maybe a little ceviche. The very kind and patient waitress eventually got us to understand that they were doing set lunches, one at 14 soles and another at 18 soles. Nothing to do but order one lunch (and some yummy strawberry juice) to share. We orded the ceviche pescado and the arroz mariscos. Oh, my! The ceviche was just delicious, the best I have ever had and the rice with seafood was also tasty. The rice was seasoned, the color was deeper than saffron rice, and the seafood was chunks of crab, octopus tentacles, squid rings, fish, and scallops, all sauteed. It was a very good-sized portion. (I hope we go back tonight for dinner!) The price for our lovely  meal and 1/2 liter of fresh strawberry juice? 25 soles (about $8)

Everyone loves food pictures, right??

Back at the hostel, we had time to meet and chat with some of the other guests who were also going on the tour. A couple of others from America, a couple from Germany, an older woman from Canada, another from Japan. Our guide was a young woman named Alice, a Lima local. To be honest, I cannot really remember everything and everywhere we went, but we did see the more famous sites in this part of the city, old Central Lima.

Lovely buildings and great color

One of many beautiful colonial churches

Gold and silver alter, in another church

Sure, Froody is smiling now, but we think this is the source of his Lima Belly

So many pictures I could share, but the Internet is a bit spotty here, so I'm going to quit while I'm ahead.

Getting Ready

Wow! I can't believe we leave in a little more than 3 weeks! To be honest, this trip has been a long time coming. It's something we kinda talked about after our big RTW trip, because Central and South America just didn't fit our plans. We felt we had to make it separate trip. But when? and, for how long? Of course, we had just gotten back and had to re-start our lives here in the US. Then, there's the price of a ticket ($1000+ per person, round trip) and for that $$, we'd want to stay for at least a month. When's a good time? What about work? Should we learn Spanish? Is there time for that?

Anyway, late 2015 I think the idea of traveling to South America was brought up. Now that I was retired and Froody's schedule was becoming a little more flexible, it seemed the timing was right. Froody had just started with his new company, but felt pretty confident that we could take a longer trip, like a couple of months. Perfect! That gave us a year to pick up as much Spanish as we could.

We both have been using Duolingo to help us with the language. For Froody, it's all new but for me, it's been a great review of 6 years of Spanish (all through Jr. and High Schools). I like how well it's "chunked", the pronunciation on the site, and that they have seriously thought out when to review. I think the most helpful part, to me, has been the microphone, meaning that you can actually talk to the computer and it listens to you. Does it help with accents? Somewhat, but it mainly gives me a chance to actually use the language.

Another way I've been preparing for my 2-3 months of being immersed in Spanish is my novela (Spanish soap opera), La Reina del Sur.  Wow! In the past, I've seen a couple of minutes of an episode or two of some novela or other, and they seemed a bit boring. But La Reina is pretty awesome. Apparently, Telemundo (the TV station) spent a lot of money and took a big risk with this show as it's really different from the traditional novela. It helps that the main character, Teresa Mendoza, is not only attractive, but muscular and fit and vulnerable yet strong. Of course, like all good soap operas, there's lots of attractive women and men on the show, some skin, sex, explosions, etc. And, because she spends time around drug lords, pimps, and other shady characters, the vocabulary is nothing like what Duolingo would ever teach me! Ha! I've learned a few cuss-words and other bad words. Froody says if we every come across a drug lord on our trip, he'll have me do the talking. XD

Naturally, I can't follow the program 100%. But what's cool is that there are characters from all over the Spanish-speaking world: Mexico, Spain, North Africa, Colombia, etc. So, I kinda get a glimpse into what Spanish sounds like spoken by different people. Yeah, everyone talks way to fast for me to really get it (I rely heavily on the Spanish sub-titles, yet even they fly by), but the Spaniards and Arabs speak so fast, that the sub-titles show dropped syllables and are at times just flashed up and I can't even make out a single word before the next one is up!

Testing, Testing,....1..2..3...

Sheesh! There's a lot of dust on this blog! Just let me wipe it off.....

Hey there! So much has happened in the last couple of years. Froody and I now live in Seattle. I'm retired. And I have two new rats, Pork Chop and Pot Pie, helping me with today's blog. (Actually, they're sitting on my shoulders eating peas and leaving the pea-shells on my sweater.)

Well, Froody and I are about to embark on another great trip-- 2-3 months in South America! After much research on my part and discussion on our part, we chose to spend much of our time in Bolivia and Colombia, mainly because they seem to be off the beaten path, with emerging tourism industries. Later, we decided to add a quick visit to Peru, because, after all, it was right there. Other than that, we're trying to be pretty open about which sights we'll see. There are a few things that are definite.

1) Taking the bus to travel from Lima (where we land) to Cusco to La Paz. I like the idea behind PeruHop: a get on/get off bus, complete with guide, especially when we cross the border into Bolivia. For one ticket price, we travel from town to town with the option to stay overnight (or several nights) then catch the bus and continue on our way.

2) Machu Picchu. Oh, I'm really looking forward to spending the day at Machu Picchu. We're not taking a trek to the site. Instead, we're taking the train to Aguas Calientes then the bus to Machu Picchu. Looks like you need to purchase your tickets in advance, because they don't sell entry tickets at the site.

3) Taking a Spanish class in Sucre, Bolivia. Basically, I wanted us to stay put during Holy Week (Semana Santa) and not worry about possible changes to bus schedules, opening times, getting a room, etc. So, I thought it would be a great chance for us to continue learning Spanish with an actual teacher and stay with a local family. (I chose this one. Apparently, there are many good schools here.) Sucre seems like a beautiful city, with many language schools and cultural activities, plus very active during Semana Santa. Having locals and a teacher right there to explain the significance behind the events of the week is a big bonus.

4) Visiting the Salar de Uyuni. The pictures of this place are amazing. It just seems unreal, desolate, beautiful. And yet, birds, animals, and people call this place home.

5) Bogota. Well, I know we're going to fly to Colombia from Bolivia, and that means landing in Bogota. And, Bogota, like a lot of large South American cities, is a haven of wonderful things to eat!


So, you know about as much about our trip as I do now. Stay tuned, because I do plan on updating this blog regularly with pictures and observations of our South American adventures!

Target Training My Special Needs Rat

Don't be fooled by this sweet face. This rat will bite!!!

Froody and I spent a great day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I totally enjoyed the feeding show at the Open Oceans and the Kelp Forest exhibit. I also loved all the cool cephalopods in their Tentacles exhibit. But what got me thinking (and Froody) was the Albatross Encounter. Not that there are over 20 different species of albatross, or that an albatross can live for over 60 years. My big take-home message was target training. 

Yup, while the perky education staff member was filling our brains with albatross knowledge, the bird handler was target training the bird. Ms. Perky said they use target training to get this wild bird to move from one place to another, get used to different situations, and jump on the scale. Wow! Froody and I both thought of our own version of a wild animal- Silver Rat. 

To summarize, Silver was abandoned and I was naive enough to adopt him. After I brought him home, I realized why he was probably given up- he's a biter. Not a nipper; I've been nipped before and it's not a big deal. He bites with all of his being, and it's nasty and hurts like a mofo. He lives on our dining table, loves food, and is extremely cage aggressive to boot. 

Anyway, we thought target training would be a nice way to safely interact with him. Since I wanted to begin right away, I took a metal knitting needle and attached a ball of foil to the end. Fortunately, I already have a clicker and he loves to eat corn. We were ready!!

In my rat training book, you should keep training sessions short. Basically, when his nose touches the ball (target), I click the clicker and give him a kernel of corn. Of course, it was very easy at the beginning. I had the target right at the door to his cage. The click made him jump, but after 6 minutes he was relaxed enough not to jump after the click. After 4 minutes, he was pretty much spot-on, so I had the target about 7 inches off the table, making him stand up on his hind legs. No problem for this smart guy!! After our session, I let him explore the table top (as normal) and eventually he put himself away in his cage. 

Finally, I can interact with this bitey rat in a way that is fun and rewarding for the both of us!! I can't wait to begin teaching him tricks. :)

Things I Think My Rats Believe

As a pet owner, you probably wonder what your little animal children are thinking. I've pondered this as well and have come up with a list describing how my rats must see the world.

A Few Things My Rats Believe
1) All pet rats are spoiled. In other words, you have a rat in order to kiss him, cuddle him, talk to him, and give him cookies.
2) All wild rats are just rats with bad manners. Sadly, they have no one to teach them how to be cute and nice.
3) My poop is pretty amazing. Everyday my momma comes and gathers my poop and puts it in a special place.
4) I love being on my favorite shelf with my brother/sister, my best friends, and my favorite stuff.
5)  If I can reach it, it's part of my stuff.
6) Sniffing, climbing, touching, and chewing are all important ways to explore.
7) Rats are not 'fat'. They can be regular, round, or extra-round.
8) When my momma talks to me, all is right with the world.

Processed Foods I Am Willing to Eat

I eat unprocessed foods. That means meat, fruit, and vegetables that I buy WHOLE from the farmer's market/rancher/store. I also try to make sure it is grown/raised locally if possible. A lot of folks can't wrap their minds around this, because eating this way means no fast food. No frozen foods. No boxed food. No canned food. A "quick and easy" meal still means choppin' up stuff and cookin' it (unless it's salad).

Well, that said I will admit to you all that there are some processed foods I am willing to eat. I understand that my definition of a "processed food" may differ from yours.

So, here it is--

Processed Foods I Will Eat

1) Kelp noodles- sometimes I just gotta have noodles
2) Ketchup- I only buy ketchup once or twice a year. I get organic ketchup w/o the high fructose corn syrup
3) Tomato sauce- at least it's organic
4) Coconut aminos- ditto
5) CHOCOLATE- man, I should've topped the list with this one! I buy the 72% or more cocoa
6) Hearts of palm- well, it does come in a can
7) Applegate Organic Hot Dogs- because sometimes a girl just wants a big weiner XD
8) Mustard- again, organic and w/o a lot of strange words I can't even pronounce
9) WINE-again, should've topped the list :) And, it's fermented but since I don't do gluten (ie: no beer) I have become more of a wine drinker.
10) OMG- Diet Coke! I give you up for weeks or months, only to fall off the wagon. 


What about sauerkraut? What about balsamic vinegar? What about olives? Yeah, I buy them but they are fermented or brined so I'm not sure if they belong on this list or not.

Why share this list? Because I've run into some folks who hear that I avoid wheat and gluten and so try to be helpful by suggesting gluten-free this and gluten-free that. I smile and say I'll look into it, but usually these have a lot of added fats, chemicals, or sugar I can do without. It's important that I eat as much unprocessed foods as possible AND as little processed foods as possible.

But, I will have a gluten-free beer once in a while. :)

Good-Bye, Lily Rat :(

This morning we said good-bye to Lily. Lily was a very sweet, determined rat. She out-lived her best friend, Black Rat, so it's comforting to think that they are re-united and can sleep together under the Rainbow Bridge.

Lily was an explorer. She loved out-of-the-cage time. She would sniff, climb, run, and waddle, sometimes finding a snack, sometimes finding her way to parts of the apartment we thought we had blocked off. While very patient when receiving cuddles and kisses, she was happiest when we let her run off on her own. She would always come back and say hello, then be off.

Lily loved snacks. She also believed that the crust was the best part of the bread and that blueberries and grapes were very yummy.

Artsy photo of a very sweet rat. I miss her. :(((

Her patience was a lesson for me. While other rats might show a bit of restlessness, she would calmly rest her chin on her crossed paws with her tail wrapped around her, just patiently waiting for her people to get a clue about rat needs (salad, out-time, snacks, kisses, etc.).

She was the boss-rat of this colony in spite of being smaller than WhiskaRat and Shy Violet.

Last year she had a tumor removed. Earlier this month, two more were removed. She seemed to be quite strong and active for an old rat (over 2 years old) so I felt she would survive the surgery and recovery. She did, and was her old self again (after 3 trips to the vet to re-stitch her owie) for a few days. Then, Lily seemed to slow down. I thought she was taking it easy after perhaps pushing herself a little much so soon after her recovery. But last night, we noticed she was trying very hard to breathe and was unresponsive to the snack sound. This morning we brought her to the vet who said she had pneumonia. :( She was just getting weaker and weaker. We decided to say good-bye and spent about 20min in an examination room, just holding and talking to her. I know she appreciated it, and gave us a final happy-rat face. At the end, I broke down and even though we knew it was better for her it was very, very hard to give her to the dr.

I loved her very much, my special girl.