We will ring in the New Year in a new country. So far Peru has been hot, dusty, crowded and chaotic. But the water is a fantastic refreshing temperature compared to the hot sun. The Peru - Ecuador border was basically a crowded highway with no control, or nothing stopping you from walking or driving back and forth. Luckily, we had a "Friend" help us through the whole process and get us on our way without costing us too much money. We are currently in Mancora, Peru camping and surfing until after the New Year when we will head further South and look for the longest left-breaking wave in the world. Feliz Navidad y un Prospero Año Nuevo.

This three day backpack through the Cajas National Park ranks as one the most challenging, diverse, and awe-inspiring hikes we have ever been on. This park is said to have over 230 lakes with-in its boundaries. I feel that the mountain, rivers, waterfalls, cloud forests, natural springs and huge spanning grass lands to be more impressive than the lakes (which were everywhere). The trail which we had elected to hike was the "Camino de la Inca" but it was really very hard to find. We had to rely of map and compass navigation. The trail would shift rapidly between rolling hills with massive views to dark, moss covered forest where we literally had to swing from vines to get through. We both are very happy to have taken this trip because it justified us carrying our camping gear for so long.
We are planning on staying in Cuenca, Ecuador for Christmas because there is said to be a great holiday parade and many churches to choose from. From here, we are heading to a surf town in Northern Peru to party for the new years. Happy Holidays.

Here are a few pictures from our trip to the Galapagos. More can be seen by clicking the Honeymoon Photos link on the right side of this page.

Well, it was worth it! Eight days on a boat sailing through the Galapagos with eight other people the same age as us was a real treat. The water was amazingly blue, the wildlife was amazingly tame, we both got amazingly sunburned, and neither of us are afraid of sharks anymore. We were able to snorkle with sea turtles, whitetipped reaf sharks, and all kinds of other tropical fishes. We walked around islands trying not to step on baby sea lions or iguana watching blowholes on the cliffs as the surf rolled in. We have been eating so well on the boat that it is a tough transition back into backpacker traveler mode.

Surfing time is about to be put on hold for a bit. We are going to start snorkling with rays and turtles in the Galapagos for the next 8 days. For the last week we have been hanging out in Mantanita surfing and relaxing after our rigourous intensive Spanish Classes. We definitly had some quality hammock-time in Mantanita. Once we return from the Galapagos, we will try to post a few pictures.

Our lifes have started to reach some sort of normalcy. We have been living in Otavalo, Ecuador for the last week with a family and taking Spanish classes. We can speak a little better, but still can´t understand a thing. We have had a daily routine of sleeping in as long as we can, waiting for our "mother" to make us some coffee and fresh fruit juice (we aren´t really allowed to do anything in the kitchen by ourselves). We then walk about 25 minutes to class through the streets of Otavalo. We have class for 4 hours in the morning then walk back home. Lunch is the most important meal of the day in Ecuador which we have around 1;30. Lunch usually consists of a thin, brothy soup to start, followed by a plate of plain white rice, some sort of flat, fried meat, and a small salad. The afternoons consist of another 2 hours of class followed by "Jamie and Keith venting time." Everyday after class we go to a restaraunt and order two beers and talk about how hard and frustrating it is to learn a new language in such a short period of time. We then go home for dinner (leftovers from lunch). We have been to some amazing places with our spanish teacher. His brother owns some property near the Columbian border in the cloud forest with fruit trees, trout ponds, and chickens. Next to the house is a river that falls pure and clean out of the mountains. There are at least 20 waterfalls on this one river. The first is about a 5 minute walk from the house. The picture above is from a hike we took to some lakes this morning. We started hiking at approx. 12,000 ft. The peaks are quite a bit taller here than in the states. We have one week left, then we are planning to check out the Galapagos and spend some time in our bathing suits again. We finally have some pictures posted. Please click the link on the side of this page for "Honeymoon and Wedding Photos."

We felt a little silly carrying around our big backpacks full of winter clothing in Costa Rica, but are we ever glad we have them now. We have been in Quito, Ecuador for a few days now and have had a chance to wear all of our clothing, including wool hats. It has rained every afternoon since we have been here which has really dropped the temperature pretty low. We spend most of our time walking around the city. The buses are pretty easy to use, but we have time, so we walk. We explored the churches and plazas of Old Town, the museums and shopping malls of New Town and ate soup with floating chicken feet in the park. This afternoon we are heading North to Otavalo for two weeks to study Spanish and stay with a family. It will be nice to get out of the city for a change.

The first part of the Jamie and Keith World Leisure Tour is coming to a end. We have had very nice time touring around Costa Rica, what a great country. We visited three different beach towns and surfed a bit. Mal Pais was nice and quiet. We had a relaxing weekend with Dave and Amy who live in San Jose. Next we rode on buses and two ferries to reach Nosara which might as well be little Telluride on the Beach. Thanks to Juan Surfo for the all the help with board rentals and cabinas. After that was Quepos and Manuel Antonio Nat. Park. I do have to say that ant-eaters are very cute. They move pretty slow with their bow-legged, pigeon-toed little waddle. We were able to see one very close up, along with a few slothes. Not to mention the monkeys, both Howlers and White Faces Capuchins. Last stop on the tour was Dominical. My favorite little surf town. It offers everything you would need within close proximity, but is still a nice intimate small town. Waves were beautiful. Now we are back at Dave and Amy's house in San Jose preparing for our next adventure. Tomorrow we head down south to Ecuador. Should be exciting.

We have returned from our first semi-real adventure while in Central America. Yesterday morning we left David and Amy's house at 5:30 am in order to catch a bus out of San Jose. We headed North to La Fortuna on the first of many very small buses. The buses themselves are quite big, but I wish I was sized more like Jamie. She has figured out the curling up on the seat trick while I need to invest in some knee pads for the longer rides. The ride was absolutely beautiful on high winding roads overlooking vast valleys in cloud forests, brilliant flowers in all the yards. Once in La Fortuna, we went for a hike through the rain forest (not much wildlife viewing yet) to a view point of Volcan Arenal - Central America's most active volcano. Once the sun set, we viewed red lava tumbling down the side of the volcano, then relaxed in a wonderful hot springs resort. 16 different pools of varrying temperatures to meet all your soaking needs. Then, back on the bus today. Tomorrow, we go to the coast with David and Amy. Can't wait to see the ocean again.

We have arrived. A few too many beers with Bobby Henri during our 6 hour layover in L.A. and a flight that left at 2:00 am, we have finally "Officially" started our honeymoon. We arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica, at 9:00 am, caught a taxi and met up with David Hoffman, an old college friend who now lives here. After a short hike and a nap to work off the hangover and jetlag, we are feeling good. Going out for Tapas tonight, then heading North to an active volcano tomorrow. It feels great to finally have this long awaited trip underway.

A little "Leaf Peepin'" in the Adirondacks. So far the honeymoon has been a series of driving long distances, backpacking in beautiful mountains and seeing old friends. I have to say the Cape Cod oysters on a half shell are the best on the East Coast (we know because we tried them in three different states). Anna Hopwoods wedding was a wonderful display of love and Bourbon. We figure the more we travel around the states, sleeping in all sorts of different beds, spending days in the car, the better we will do in South America. So far I can say that it is pretty tiring. I just wish people didn't care if your clothes were wrinkled.

First Time for Everything!

This is our first time with the Blog-a-log-a-ding-dong so you must all bear with us. We are planning on updating this Blog as we travel. Please keep checking up on us. As of now, we depart for Costa Rica on Oct 23rd for a few weeks. We''ll let you know how it goes.