Spanish lessons on the loo!

Considering neither of us speak a word of Spanish, Jack thought it would be a good idea to start learning. He's whittled out these 'key phrases & words' and put them on the bathroom wall for some productive toilet reading. 

I was slightly alarmed that he feels the need for us to learn the world 'Help!'. I hope we don't need to use it! 

I'm currently finding myself trying to perfect 'Where's the toilet?' ... taking my small and rather pathetic bladder into consideration :(

I have a feeling these phrases will be uttered many-a-time during the first few weeks....

Mama Kia's Orphanage in Peru

As we've lots of plans to volunteer with projects helping the small and furry creatures of this world we thought it would be a good idea to volunteer alongside some of our own species too.

I was reading through some blogs on TravelPod, which we will also be using while we're away (you can find our TravelPod site here)... anyway, I found a post by a couple who had really great things to say about an orphanage in Peru, and so I came across Casa De Milagros (House of Miracles).

I have sent Casa De Milagros an email and hopefully we will be able to set something up so that we can volunteer or visit there for a bit while we're in Peru. If so, I hope we will also be able to spread the word amongst you guys at home and beyond, and encourage any kind donations for the orphanage.

Here's a really inspiring video about the lady that began Casa De Milagros, Mama Kia, who sadly passed away in 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: The address at the end of the video to send donations to is no longer valid! For donation information please visit their how to help page.

"Our orphanage is a unique healing home where we encourage growth by providing the children with proper health, a good education, art, and recreational and social activities. At Casa de Milagros the children and adults live as a single family, in an atmosphere filled with love and creativity. Living within a cooperative environment all of our children learn how to manage interpersonal relationships, respect each other, and use non-offensive verbal communication. We are a home where children can be children."

To Bolivia and into the Jungle!

Up until Bolivia we probably won't have been particularly hands-on with actual animals, so this is the part of the trip that really riles me up into a giddy child-like state. From this point onwards we will be volunteering at various animal rescue and rehabilitation projects, though there are many to choose from, we've of course had to be strict on ourselves and pick only a couple.

Volunteers at Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi

Our first port of call will be Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi, a Bolivian organisation that is made up of a team of adolescents, Bolivian professionals and volunteers from across the globe. Founded in 1992, CIWY was the pioneer of the environmental movement in Bolivia and is recognised nationally and internationally for founding centres designated to rescue and rehabilitate wild life. CIWY currently manages three parks: Parque Machia (Cochabamba), Ambue Ari (Santa Cruz) and Jacj Cuisi (North of La Paz). Also, there's no need to book at this place, so that makes it all the easier for us to veer away from an itinerary, something we want to keep to a minimum on the trip. Spontaneity makes for a much more interesting adventure.

We are not yet sure which park we will get to work at, as it is more important that we get stationed where we are most needed. However, if the choice is possible then we will probably choose to go to Parque Machia where we will get to work with a variety of different animals, including Balu the Andean bear, rescued from the unsavoury future that lay ahead of him.

Balu the rescued Andean bear

To work with the big cats at Ambue Ari it is required that volunteers stay for a minimum of 30 days, to ensure the cats will be more at ease with their helpers. Unfortunately I just don't think we'll have that kind of time to give on this trip, though there's nothing stopping us going back another year to do so :)

Anyway.... you don't have to go all the way to Bolivia to help these animals, you can get involved by clicking on this LINK!

From Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi we will hopefully make our way to La Senda Verde, a Bolivian privately run ecotourism retreat/resort, which was started in year 2003 by the owners Vicky and Marcelo and has become one of Bolivia's leading wilderness gateways.

The animals rescued and housed here are unfortunately unable to be rehabilitated back into the wild, so the organisation continues to run on donations and money from volunteers and eco-tourism.

Entrance bridge to La Senda Verde

Living conditions here are said to be quite a bit better than the more basic facilities at Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi, so we thought it best to head here afterwards for a bit of a breather. We will still be working hard as volunteers feeding the animals and cleaning them out, but we will have the 'little luxury' of our own wooden cabin and access to the swimming pool :)

There are also activities available such as waterfall walks, hiking, pool, gravity assisted biking (sounds terrifying!) and various others.

I already know someone who has been here and highly recommended it as 'Paradise on Earth'.

A previous volunteer review can be found here.

Helping to Protect wild Chinchillas in Chile

As we continue to work our way north toward Bolivia we will find ourselves passing through almost the full core of Chile, hopefully we'll manage to see quite a lot of it considering it's an extremely narrow country. The shape of Chile is a distinctive ribbon of land 2,700 miles long and on average 109 miles wide. Its climate varies, ranging from the world's driest desert – the Atacama – in the north, through a Mediterranean in the centre, to a rainy temperate climate in the south.

Along with visiting glaciers, mountains, volcanoes, deserts and hot springs (to name but a few spectaculars) we will also be volunteering to help protect the countries native Chinchillas. Chinchillas are endangered due to exploitation of the animal for fur. Protected wild populations continue to decline. Its habitat is threatened by human land alterations in north central Chile. Without funds, research, and conservation, wild populations will be extinct in the near future

Save the Wild Chinchillas, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization formed to aid in conservation of wild chinchillas. Its goal is to ensure that these endangered animals do not become extinct. In order to meet this goal the organisation has three objectives: educate people of all ages, collect funds to protect land and create sustainable preserves, promote awareness, and foster research.

Currently, the project’s focus is habitat restoration for chinchillas. That means that the work we will be doing involves mainly growing plants in a plant nursery and planting seedlings in the mountains.

This is the volunteer hut we'll probably be staying in! It has bunk-beds and rope swings inside it.

Watch a short video made by previous volunteers below

Chile - Glaciers for Christmas

As we head along the coastline of Argentina towards Chile we will also be fast approaching Christmas! The other day I set Jack the task of looking for something special for us to do on the day, and he came up with Torres del Paine National Park, a national park encompassing mountains, a glacier, a lake, and river-rich areas in southern Chilean Patagonia. We'll be trekking, hiking, camping and on Christmas day we hope to visit the Glacier.

Considering the Argentinian sunshine will be confusing our 'Christmas brains' it will be the perfect place to go to feel the all-familiar chill of Christmas.

This area, an amazing natural wonder, is located in the area known as Austral Andes in Argentina, in the south west of Santa Cruz on the border with Chile. The national park, created in 1937, is the second largest in Argentina. Its name refers to the giant ice cap in the Andes range that feeds 47 large glaciers, of which only 13 flow towards the Atlantic Ocean. The ice cap is the largest outside of Antarctica and Greenland.

We will probably still be in this area for New Years Eve too, what a beautiful part of the world to be in while welcoming in the new year.

Argentina - Waterfalls and Eco-worlds

Though our itinerary is not scratched in stone, and is of course subject to spontaneous new ideas as we stumble across them, one thing we do know is that our first port of call in Argentina will be the breath taking Iguazu Falls. We'll take a boat trip that actually takes you under the waterfalls, and yes, we'll get very wet! Thankfully temperatures in Argentina in December are at the higher end of the scale, so I imagine drying off shouldn't be too much of a problem :) We think starting here will set us off on a truly high note for the forth coming journey, how could it not?!

From Iguazu Falls we'll head down to our first volunteer project, the Eco-Yoga-Park :)

'The Park, created in 1996, is located 60 km from Buenos Aires in a beautiful and unique rural area, surrounded by the greenlands of La Pampa, Argentina. We are a community of diverse people who work together towards a holistic lifestlye in a warm and relaxed atmosphere. We aim to live in harmony with the environment, working with projects that focus on self-sustainability.'

Volunteers work for 4 1/2 hours a day in sustainable activities during the morning; the work consists of organic farming, eco-construction, eco tourism, helping in the kitchen, teaching English to members of the community, there's also a high emphasis on art and filming. In the afternoon they are free to take part in the Park´s activities (hatha yoga, meditation with tibetan bells, music theraphy with oriental instruments, pranayama program, movies, etc.), or simply relax, read a book, or take a walk through the surrounding rural environment. 

'All the year around, volunteers from all over the world come to the Park to discover their skills, get in contact with mother earth, help us improve our local community, get to know new people, learn Spanish and enjoy nature and the experience of living in our community.'

I can see myself getting into the Yoga, something I've always wanted to try. My sister got quite into it and raved about it's positive effects on the mind and body. I'd love to learn about it properly. I can see Jack getting his hands dirty in organic farming, and later lounging in a hammock, nose in book, soaking up the afternoon sunshine. 

Check out the PHOTOS, the place looks simply amazing. 

In Brief: The Route, places and projects...

I'll be writing about each place we're planning to visit in more depth as separate posts soon, but for a brief idea of the route we'll take, the places we'll visit and the projects we'll be working with, here they are :)

Click map to enlarge

December 2011 we fly into:

Argentina

(Click on the links to see the websites of the projects)

We will be volunteering at an Eco-Yoga-Park

Sites to see (among many others!)

Iguazu Falls

Los Glaciares National Park

Peninsula Valdes (penguins, sea lions, wales etc)

El Chalten (Mountain village, best for trekking)

Chile – Jan

We'll be volunteering at a Chinchilla Habitat Restoration Project

Sites to see

Torres Del Paine (National Park)

Licancabur (volcano, hot springs)

Atacama Desert (night time astrology tours)

Bolivia - Feb/March

We'll be volunteering at Animal Rescue Centres Communidad Inti Wara Yassi and Sende Verde

Sites to see

Laguna Verde (Salt Lake)

Salar de Uyuni (Salt Plains)

Peru – March/April

We'll be volunteering at another Eco-Park 

Sites to see

Machu Picchu

Ecuador - April/May

We'll be volunteering at an Amazonian Animal Rescue Centre and a rescue centre for abused and trafficked animals

Sites to see

Banos – small town (waterfalls, thermal springs)

Otavalo (small town and great textiles market)

Peru – End of May

A brief stint back in Peru to catch our flight back to UK