Sunsets over the Amazon River Basin

Amazon Trip Update #1

Filled with funny moments, cool adventures and great snapshots, I find it difficult to find words to describe my spring break/Semana Santa trip to the Amazon River basin. The entire place is so unique, unlike any other part of the world, that there truly is no just comparison for description. The next few posts will be my very best attempt :)

Easily the most beautiful part of the day in the Amazons, I could not get enough sunset watching in during this trip! The magnificent colors that come from unpolluted and unobstructed views were absolutely stunning. Whether we were on the river or observing from the shore, the sky lit up with a brilliant display of pink, orange and blue hues - changing to be ever more beautiful every second. I could have looked at it forever, and definitely photographed it for just as long, but in an effort to maintain camera battery I found a way to limit myself. Here are some of my favorite sunset shots from the trip. I think some of them are definite framers for my big girl house in the distant future. :)

Night #1: View from Leticia, Colombia

Night #2: View from the boat somwhere between Colombia & Brazil (Headed to Palmari Nature Reserve)

Night #4: Cruising the Rio Yavari between Colombia & Peru

Night #6: Sitting on the dock of the bay (river)...in Tabatinga, Brazil - sipping Brazilian beer with five fabulous ladies

This one is my FAVORITE from the trip :)

Pasta - Por Fin!

Happy Easter to me!!!! Forty days and forty nights later Lent is over and so is my commitment to live without rice or pasta for the duration! Those last few days in the Amazons were a bit rough when pasta and rice were served at every meal except breakfast, but I did it. Didn't even cheat once - not even on Sundays (cause I don't really believe in that anyway).

Moral of the story: For a woman who used to eat rice or pasta on an almost daily basis, especially in college, life without is not that different if you provide yourself (or are provided with) other choices. In the past forty days I ate more meat than I used to, not in large amounts, but just a little bit to add substance to my meals. I also used fruit and vegetables more in my meals and used eggs as a base for some meals. I already eat a ton of fresh produce, especially living in Colombia where fresh food is so cheap and easy to find, but Lent really caused me to increase my intake of fruits and veggies. I also discovered that rice and/or pasta do not need to be the basis of meals, as I used them in the past, but can rather be side dishes to complement other things like veggies or protein.

As evidenced by my dinner I am definitely returning to a life filled with delicious carbohydrates, but this experience put my intake of rice and pasta into perspective. While there will still be times where these foods form the basis of my meal, or are my meal entirely, for the most part I hope to use these foods more often to complement more vitamin and nutrient filled foods.

In summary: Lenten experiment = success.

Looks like I can cross #29 Give up pasta for one month off my life list! :)

What did you give up for Lent? Were you successful???

Happy Easter to all!!

Amazonian First Impressions: Immensity

BACK! After an amazing, hot, humid, jungle-filled, sweaty adventure in the Amazons we have returned to Cali. There are too many pictures (313!), videos (at least 8!), and thoughts to sort through at the moment so until I have more of a detailed updated, here is the first and last image I have of the Amazon river basin.

I took this photo out the plane window as we prepared to land in Leticia, Colombia because I was in complete shock at the expansive forest, jungle and who-knows-what below me. On a map, the Amazon region certainly looks big and I know its one of the largest rivers in the world (largest?) but I was in complete awe at witnessing the huge green region surrounding the river. Literally for miles and miles, the green trees and canopy stretch out as far as my contact-lense corrected vision could see. Upon viewing this for the first time, I came to the striking realization of what a little, tiny part of this region I would see up close. During my final viewing, I left knowing that a part of me will always remember fondly that week I spent in the heart of this amazing life-giving jungle.

More to come...