I'm in the JUNGLE

Well hello there Amazon River!

I've seen plenty of jungles before right? Costa Rica, Hawaii, Panama, Samoa to list a few... but they all pale in comparison to this one - the one and only AMAZON! Seriously I feel like I'm ticking something so major off my bucket list, like a place you dream about as a little kid.

You don't realize the enormity of the Peruvian Amazon until you see it from the air. The thing is huge. I wonder how many tourists have disappeared in there?

Right now I'm spending my first night in Iquitos on the edge of the Amazon river. It's the largest city in the world not linked by roads, you can only get in by flight or boat. It's cool and all but after 5 weeks in Lima I'm pretty well citied out. I can see the wilderness right there, but the question is, how do I get in it? Being a major tourist hub there are all kinds of over priced sight seeing tours, but I'm looking for a different kind of experience. Here's hoping I can find it.

I really want to see a sloth. And an anaconda. Oooh and a pirahna!

Iquitos

The Nifty Fifty!

I love shooting the people in my life. Unfortunate for my friends, they're always like "Hey! You're pointing that camera at me AGAIN??"

I finally got a new toy yesterday. Trying to do everything with the same kit lens blows, so I'm on cloud nine. Meet the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8. We're in love. He may be small and plastic but don't let that fool you. The quality that come out of this baby is unreal.

So my latest guinea pig is my friend Mox. He has a Youtube show here in South America called "What da Faq Show". Yesterday I filmed a short one minute documentary about making his show and life in general. Here are the stills to go with it. I might release it soon, if you're lucky :)

Ceviche Secrets

I love ceviche. It's half the reason why I stayed here in Peru. Well that and the really really long lefts. Each country I visit has amazing food, it's one of the main joys of traveling, but Peru takes it to a whole new level. It's out of this world! Ceviche, Tiradito, Saltado, it's all so good. The other great thing is the fresh fish. Each little coastal town  (especially up north) has a pier. You can meet the fishermen as they come off their boats to buy freshly caught fish.

While I was living up north the locals taught me to cook traditional Peruvian ceviche. Lots of people have been asking me for the recipe, but you'll just have wait until the next issue of WSSM.

To accompany the article  I shot a Ceviche cooking segment for the mag. It was a blast running around the local market filming and buying ingredients. Except the security guys at the market place told us we couldn't shoot, so we tried to sneak around incognito. I ended up behind the counter at the fish stand doing an impromptue live cooking show as the vendor taught me to prep fillets for ceviche.

Here's a few snap shots from the video.

Lobing It

Latest video project. Filmed this around Lobitos Lodge the past few weeks. We had a blast chasing everyone around with the camera. The one big barrel shot is of my friend Segundo. That day was absolutely firing. I remember standing up on the rocks at El Hueco shooting this and just loosing my mind!

Big cheers to the amazing Kaiquin Castro Botto for helping me film/edit this. I would like to say I did most of it, but the truth is this was his baby.

I'm hearing this song in my sleep now and it's driving me nuts. See more of Kaiquin's work at his latest project Eighty West http://www.eightywest.tv/ The lucky bastard just set off for a month to shoot Puerto Escondido in Mex. Here's hoping he comes back alive.

Rolling Stone

And just like that it's over. Add it to the experience pile - the "remember that one time I thought it would be fun to manage a hotel in Northern Peru...."

Now I'm back in Lima the grey. and. it's. bloody. amazing! I don't even care about the cold or the lack of surf. Right now I'm in bed watching a movie, and it's so good to have some chill time.

There's so much I want to write about Lobitos. Lots of stories. But for now my writing brain is fried from playing catch up with magazine deadlines, so instead here are some pics.

I'm going to miss you Lobitos!

Turning 5

2008. A girl and a backpack, South Island NZ

This week is another celebration. It marks 5 wonderful year on the road. At least I think it does. My mum and I are trying to count it out now but neither of us are quite sure, it's been so long!  Originally I left for a one month trip with my backpack, surfboard and about $1500 in the bank. Around 17 countries and a lot of good waves later and I'm still going!

There's so many stories. So many stories and I don't want to forget them all.

But for now here's a little video kindly created by my dear friend Jose. He's very good at what he does, I'm fortunate to be able to work with him!

Mi Feliz Cumpleaños!!!

Birthdays in my experience can be a let down. They’re like these hyped up things, but when they roll around it feels like just another day.

But this year, this year’s was a whole different story. First off, I ticket over into my second quarter of a century. Shit! How did that happen? I still feel like I’m 18.  So how should one celebrate this undeniable process of aging? With a trip to surf the World’s longest left, of course!

Chicama and I have a serious love affair going. We first met on a magazine trip almost 5 months ago. She lies about a 10 hour bus ride south of where I’m living in Northern Peru. So two days before my birthday I set off, leaving the Lodge to fend for itself. I opted to for the 9pm night bus so I could catch some shuteye and arrive bright and early for the morning session.

The bus sucked. I’m chicken bus broken in, so it really takes a lot for me to say that. But eight and a half hours with no toilet and no toilet stop is not ok. The brochure lied. The seats were tiny, but the worst part was how ridiculously back they reclined, completely squishing the person behind them. This resulted in a bus full of three quarters lying back trapped passengers. I couldn’t even reach my bag at my feet.

But a miserable overnight bus is a small price to pay. It was the only little blip of a challenge in an otherwise completely mind-blowingly perfect trip. What do you know, birthdays can feel special! And here is why:

1). Waves: Long. Left. Empty. Perfection.

2). A Blinging Hotel: As a gift I got to stay in the insanely lush Chicama Surf Resort. Best hotel I’ve been at in my life. Also the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in. And then there’s the steam room, the sauna, the hot tubs… www.chicamasurf.com 

3). Food: For breakfast I had French toast, pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit… then at lunch a cake bigger than my head. Spoilt.

4). WSSM: Got to see for the first time the latest issue of WSSM. Holding six months of hard work in your hands is a wonderful feeling.

5). A Proposal!!!! (not mine, don’t worry). But seriously! I met the most lovely Aussie couple on my bus ride from hell, Shorty and Mel, and on the night of my bday they got engaged. We were all sitting around playing guitar and having beers when he got down on one knee and popped the question. It was so special to share such an important moment with them.

The exact spot where Shorty popped the question to Mel. Cuties! 

6). Internet love: So much Facebook love. It was overwhelming. The outpour of beautiful happy birthday messages was just incredible. This birthday marks five years of travel and meeting amazing people all over the globe. I feel so blessed.

So that’s it for me, the perfect birthday at the longest left in the world. It doesn’t get any better than that. I can’t help but think every single day - I’m one seriously lucky girl. 

First 25 down, many more to go :) 

Getting my birthday wave on