Welcome to 2009! Whether you're back at work or still on holiday we've got loads of goodies to help keep you feeling the summer love! Click here for a taste of what we've got...
This month we recieved a postcard from Cassandra, an nzgirl who has been on an exciting journey in the Amazon!
Cass has been working to help rehabilitate and rescue adorable monkeys that were been confiscated and trapped in appalling living conditions! Check out her wicked postcard here... __________________________________________________________________________
Dear nzgirl, I'm sending you this postcard from… Iquitos Peru - not Quito Ecuador where I almost ended up after a Spanish/English airline ticket mix up! Though I’m sure that would have been fun too…
My first thought when I stepped off the plane was… “I hope no one saw that!” I somehow managed to get my foot caught between the plane and the stairs…yes I tripped! And yes, lots of people saw!
My craziest night was… Spent catching monkeys and removing them from tiny barbed wire cages that they had spent their lives in, then releasing them into brand new, hand built, much more natural exhibits. They cannot go back into the rainforest because they don’t know how to fend for themselves.
The coolest thing I saw was… A capuchin monkey throwing overripe fruit down at an angry little old Peruvian man who was waving a big stick at the monkey… Turns out a Macaw parrot had let the monkey out of his cage and was shouting “¡funcionamiento!” which means “run!” in Spanish. I was in hysterics…
It's so different from home because… The sun is always out, everyone wants to be your friend and things are just so simple (oh and there are monkeys hanging out in the rainforests!).
I'd like to come back next time and… Help out again saving primates and educating people about the importance of conserving their natural habitat. I’d also visit the beautiful families who took me in again.
I'd recommend this place to you… Because there is no where else on earth like it! The sun is always ready for action, the people are so relaxed and very hospitable, you learn Spanish VERY quickly – the local children make sure of that so you can have handstand competitions with them! Peru really is somewhere you should go and see for yourself… You won’t be disappointed.