"The Lost Girls" the book

After Amanda, Holly, and Jennifer got back to the states they got together and wrote a book. This book is called The Lost Girls and had great descriptions. I could "see" all the places they went to and "hear" the honking of cars and the yell of many people. The book The Lost Girls was a good read and helped me understand the real way to travel.

Book Response Questions

1. How did you experience the book? It's not always helpful to talk about whether or not you liked the book, but rather how you felt as you were reading it? Were you pulled effortlessly into the book...or did you have difficulty getting into it? Why?              

• During the book I felt that I was "sucked" into the book. There were a lot of descriptions and it explained a lot about the places they were in.

2. Were you happy about your book choice? Why or why not?

• I was happy about my book choice because it had a lot of information and it was very descriptive.

3. Which place discussed in the book did you find the most intriguing? Why do you think that was the case?

•  I think that the most intriguing part about the book is when Holly, Amanda, and Jennifer went through the Amazon Jungle because I have never in a jungle before and the way that the book described it made me want to go there. 

4. What central ideas might the author be exploring-the novel's themes? Consider ideas about the nature of love, the requirements of goodness, the meaning of justice, the burden of the past...basic human issues that are at stake in the book.

•                  I think that the author's theme was about adventure and finding yourself.

5. What do you feel you learned from this project? Please consider the book, the technology involved with producing the project, or any other aspect regarding the project.

• I learned how to make a blog and how it works. I also learned a lot about different places to go if I were to ever go on an adventure like the three woman in the book.

6. What was the most enjoyable part of the project? Please explain why you felt this way.

• The most enjoyable part of the project was looking for pictures of the places because when I read it in the book I didn't really know what it looked like but when I saw the pictures I actually saw the beauty of the places they went to.

7. What was the most difficult part of the project? Please explain why you felt this way.

•   I think the most difficult part of the project was reading the book because the book I picked was really long and it was hard to read.

Works Cited

Works Cited

Baggett, Jennifer. The Lost Girls: Three Friends, Four Continents, One Unconventional Detour around the World. New York: HarperCollins, 2010. Print.

"Brazil Currency , Currency of Brazil." World Map, Map of the World. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.mapsofworld.com/brazil/brazil-currency.html>.

"Brazilian Real." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_real>.

"Choeung Ek." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choeung_Ek>.

Growing, By. "Common Ground Program in Kenya." City Farmer's Urban Agriculture Notes. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.cityfarmer.org/CGP.html>.

"Killing Fields of Cheung Ek Phnom Penh, Cambodia." Cambodia - Angkor Wat Travel Professional. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.cambodia-travel.com/phnompenh/killing-field.htm>.

"P1010935." Slide - Slideshows, Slide Shows, Photo Sharing, Image Hosting, Widgets, MySpace Codes, Facebook Apps. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.slide.com/r/zivKGMc_3j-iUJ8Uwm0skNRowCcCaDFP?previous_view=TICKER&previous_action=TICKER_ITEM_CLICK&ciid=224111962>.

"Peruvian Nuevo Sol." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peruvian_nuevo_sol>.

Pressner, By  Amanda. The Lost Girls - Lost Girls World. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.lostgirlsworld.com/>.

"Sky Tower - Attractions - SKYCITY Auckland." SKYCITY Auckland | Casino | Gaming | Poker | Hotels | Restaurants | Bars | Functions. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.skycityauckland.co.nz/Attractions/Skytower.html>.

Trevino, By Harmony. "Sister Freda's Kenyan Hospital :: Giving Children Hope." Home :: Giving Children Hope. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.gchope.org/sister-fredas-hospital.html>.

"Untitled-792840649 by Jenbaggett5." Slide - Slideshows, Slide Shows, Photo Sharing, Image Hosting, Widgets, MySpace Codes, Facebook Apps. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.slide.com/r/zMMCAonjyD8NEaNvRfWIsYOmxXhSifsj?previous_view=TICKER&previous_action=TICKER_ITEM_CLICK>.

"YouTube - Balinese Gamelan Music." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRS13e5R8GI&feature=player_embedded>.

"YouTube - Brooke Fraser - Shadowfeet." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4KiGN1j1No&feature=player_embedded>.

"YouTube - Inca Trail Day 1." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5eQU_5Jt0c&feature=player_embedded>.

"YouTube - Inti Raymi Cusco - Peru." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwPMUskcq74&feature=player_embedded>.

"YouTube - Nevis Highwire Bungy - Queenstown, New Zealand." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WU02fZ1piw&feature=player_embedded>.

"YouTube - Sister Freda's Medical Center, Kitale, Kenya." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Dxl8aIebCk&feature=player_embedded>.

"YouTube - The Best Capoeira Video Ever:)." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8xxgFpK-NM&feature=player_embedded>.

"YouTube - Wrecked Van." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 26 Nov. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOha9Y7uqek&feature=player_embedded>. 

THE LAST STOP!! AUSTRALIA

The three girls have made it to their last stop. They have made it to Australia. They are still sane, still the best of friends. While they are in Australia they are lent a huge van/bus that is supplied to them by a company as a bonus because of the year and a half long travel they have been going through. The girls go through New South Wales and Byron Bay. They also go to the Sydney Opera House which is, as you may know, the center of fine arts in Australia. They also go to the two beaches Bondi and Bronte and go to to Echo Point, a viewing platform perched several thousand feet above the feet above the floor of the Jamison Valley. Also when they head back to their hostel from a great hot air balloon trip the van they are driving is too tall so they crash and fix the top of the van (which has a large hole in it) with ducttape.  They also go to Hunter Valley to go to a wine tour. Lastly, they learn to surf and as they sit on the beach they contemplate about the year long trip they were on and feel very sad that they are about to end their huge adventure. The adventure of three girls who set out in the world to find out who they are and find the great mysteries and adventures of the world. Though they know that they will have so many more adventures after this.

Fixing the van... with duct tape

New Zealand

The three girls Amanda, Holly, and Jennifer have arrived at one of their last stops, New Zealand. Every morning in New Zealand they jog out at Judge's Bay while watching the beautiful scenery at the same time. The first thing they do in New Zealand is go to Aukland to stay there for four days. There are numerous things there incuding rain forests, redwood forests, deciduous forests, glaciers, limestone karst, large mountains, active volcanoes, fjords, sulfur pools, beautful beaches, and clear blue waters. One thing they do is go to the Aukland Sky tower. This tower is 471 feet taller than the Seattle Space needle which is 605 feet tall. At this twoer you can relax, eat, look at the beautiful view and bungee jump of the tower. Another thing they do is go to the Aukland Museum and look at the many galleries and artwork there. They go to Viaduct Harbour which is a first class residential, commercial, and entertainment center. They also go to Queen Street market and, of course, shop. Queen Street market is the main shopping street in Aukland, with arcades and many shopping centers that runs for a couple of blocks. They also listen to some of the local artist's including Brooke Fraser and Fat Freddy's drop. They also go to Mission Bay, a beachfront strip of trendy restaurants and cafes. They also go to Rotorua. This city is located on a volcanic plateau and has many geysers, steaming fumaroles, gooey mud pools, boiling waterfalls, and bubbling hot sprirngs. They soar over the world's highest navigable waterfall in a river raft and go to Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest which is a  700 acre stretch of biking trails and breathtaking views. They go to Abel Tasman National Park and get stuck in a storm when it's high tide. They also slid down the steep volcanic slopes of Mount Tongariro and hiked the legendary Franz Josef Glacier. Finally, they went to Kawarau Bridge that has the world's first and most famous bungee jumping sites. the first is only 43 meters (about 141 ft.) The second jump was a lot more exciting. This jump is called the Nevis HIghwire Bungy. The Nevis is so high that it requires the person to board a special pod that carries you across a vast canyon sliding along cable wires to a suspended platform in the center which is about 440 feet in the air. The three girls have a great time doing all these exciting and fun things and finally get on a plane to fly to their last stop, Australia.





Brooke Fraser




Nevis Highwire Bungy

Bali, Indonesia

The three girls Holly, Amanda, and Jennifer have arrived in Bali and go to many different places. One of the places they go to is the temple, Pura Luhur Uluwatu. This is one of Bali's most holy temples. The temple was dedicated to the spirits of the sea. It is on a high cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean. On the way there the girls encounter monkeys that steal things, looking for food. They also see the beautiful scene from the viewing point. They also go to Kuta Beach, an eight mile stretch of sand with markets and massage parlors. They listen to Balinese gamelan music and find out about the canang sari that line the streets. The canang sari are offereings to guard against the evil spirits and bring luck from the good spirits. The three girls have a great time and a very excited about their next leg of their trip New Zealand and Australia. Though, they are sad that this trip will be their last.




Balinese Gamelan Music

Bangkok, Thailand

Jennifer, Holly, and Amanda have started on another adventure and stop at Bangkok, Thailand. There are many great sites to see in Bangkok, Thailand. They jogged in the morning at Lumpini Park. This park is a big open space with playgrounds, a public library, and a dance hall. They also shop at the Siam Center where there's a lot of clothes and small cafes. They also go to Wat Pho, the largest and oldest temple in the city that houses the Reclining Buddha. This famous forty-six meter long and 15 meter high statue is designed to represent the passage of the Buddha to Nirvana. Nirvana is the belief of being free of suffering. This statue is decorated entirely with gold plating and mother-of-pearl engravings on his eyes and soles of his feet. The three girls go to the great flower market where there are a lot of stands with flower traders from all over the world. The three great friends have a great time in Bangkok and can't believe the time that has passed by.

Phnom Penh killing fields

Amanda, Holly, and Jennifer have arrived in Cambodia's capital of Phnom Penh and start their adventure by biking around the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat. Phnom Penh was a grusome sitte for mass murder in 1975 because of the genocide. In Phnom Penh you can find depressing killing fields. The killing fields was a place where more than 17,000 civilians were killed and buried in mass graves. This place is a chilling reminder of the terrible things that happened during the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. Also, in the center of this museum is a seventeen story glass case that holds 8000 skulls from the mass graves. At this museum you can also visit where they had the mass graves and you can still find remains, including bones and teeth. This place is very interesting and a very historical.

Vientiane, Laos

Amanda, Holly, and Jennifer are now starting their journey in Southeast Asia. Their first stop is Laos. They get great massages from a local forest temple called Wat Sok Pa Luang. They relax and meet the woman who works there, Noy. They get talking and soon they meet up with a couple of other tourists and eat out. After eating and talking to Noy Amanda wants to learn more about the how the spa was started so Noy invited Amanda to meet her aunt who started the spa. Her aunt Meekow lived at a Buddhist temple. Noy translated (since her aunt didn't speak or understand English) that when her Aunt was sixteen she was a nurse in the "big war" and had fallen in love with a soldier. Her family and the soldier's family didn't approve so, heartbroken, she decided to become a nun. After Meekow apprenticed under one of the monks, she learned about the medicinal properties of the plants growing in the monasteries' gardens. When the monk taught her all he knew she went off into the mountains and collected more plants with healing potential. These plants - lemon grass, eucalyptus, mint, rosemary, kaffir lime, and holy basil - were among the ones used to create the steam at the forest temple. After Amanda got all the information she needed on the healing elements of the plants she donated some money to the monastery because the nuns who live there only get the leftover food from the monks. After thanking Aunt Meekow she set off on a moder bike with her new Laos friend and set off to tell her friends all about she had just learned.

Goa, India

After a week of meditation and yoga, Amanda and Jennifer decide to go to Goa, a great beach site in India. In Goa they meet up with their friend and old co-worker, Sarah, and also meet some new British friends. They chill at the beach and have some fun. The two girls were surprised when they find out that they have to share the beach with cows, a sacred animal among the Indian people. Overall the group has fun relaxing, drinking, and playing volleyball. They love the environment of Goa, the people and the place in general. Where ever they go they can always find someone selling something. Some of the people selling things are as young as 7 years old. They sell things from handmade bracelets, silk saris, to even a piece of gum. The group is glad they just have time to relax and enjoy their last days in India.

Shraddha Ashram

Holly has been wanting to take the month long yoga teacher training class in India for a while so the three girls decide to go to Shraddha Ashram, one of the subcontinent's innumerable spiritual centers. Amanda and Jennifer are only staying for a week, while Holly on the other hand, is staying for the whole one month program. The day includes waking up at 5:30 every morning, at 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. there is Satsung, which is a time for silent meditation and chanting. At 7:30 there is tea time and 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. they have an Asana (yoga) class. at 10 a.m. they have brunch and at 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. they have Karma yoga/selfless service. At 1:30 p.m. they have another tea time and from 2p.m. to 3:30 p.m. there is a lecture. from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. they have another asana class and from 6-7 p.m. they have dinner and from 8-9:30 p.m. the have another Satsung. Finally, at 10:20 p.m. it is time to go to sleep. This process is repeated every day. After a week, Amanda and Jennifer leave Shraddha Ashram to take another adventure while they wait for Holly to finish her month long training.

Welcome to India

Amanda, Holly, and Jennifer start their next adventure in India. They first arrive in New Delhi and are overwhelmed by the smells and sights of India. When I read about the smells they woke up too I could also smell the curry, car exhaust, and jasmine, and I could also hear the sound of the latest Bollywood star. The streets are crowded and the people in India don't seem to stick to different lanes on the road. Where ever the three girls went they would be bombarded with street vendors asking them to buy something. They were also very surprised to see the great poverty in the country. Small children would beg for food or ask the three girls to buy their postcards. Amanda, Holly, and Jennifer can't wait to go and see all the amazing sights in India. They get a tour guide, Sunil. They are soon going to see the great sights of India.

Kwaheri Kenya

The Lost Girls are about to leave again to their next big adventure. They contemplate the great times they had in Kenya, working as volunteers, becoming part of the Maasai, and taking pictures of the amazing animals in Kenya. They are excited but very sad because they have to leave their new friends and the fourteen girls they have been working with for about a month. They tearfully say goodbye to everyone and make their way to the next great adventure, India.

Becoming Maasai

When one of their friends from the Village Volunteer center said that people were coming over to his house for a special ceremony Holly, Amanda, and Jen never expected to be awoken by clanging pots, loud children, and a huge tribe coming over. The Maasai, a semi nomadic East African tribe that was one of the most colorful in that part of Kenya. Many people traveled from afar just to watch the Maasai's ceremony. The Maasai people had colorful jewelry and were full of energy. The three girls were pulled into the crowd of Maasai people, ceremoniously dancing. They sung and had a great time. They watched a morran warrior dance and danced with the Maasai group, swaying and clapping as the sun lit up the beads on their jewelry. The three girls were also unexpectedly initiated. As they danced and sang they became part of the group of wanderers, the Maasai. 

The Amazing Pathfinder Academy girls

On the last night of their volunteer experience at Pathfinder Academy in Kenya, the girls they had been working with sung personal farewells and had a great candlelight dinner. The Lost Girls, sad and sniffly, surprised the girls at Pathfinder Academy with gifts.

The girls tore open the plastic and were jumping in joy over the notebooks, pens, colored pencils, crayons, candy, ponytail-holders, modeling clay, and silverware they got them. The great gift made a huge impact on the girls but the joyous expressions had a lasting impact on the Lost Girls. 

Sister Freda's Hospital

Sister Freda is a native Kenyan, mother of four and registered nurse. She constructed a clinic in Kitale, Kenya to help the masses of displaced tribe members who couldn't afford the 60 cents it costs to take a bus to the hospital in the neighboring town of Kitale-let alone pay for medical care. The Village Volunteer program is closely connected with Sister Freda's Hospital and the Lost Girls have decided to go to the hospital to help. The hospital is packed with people. The Lost Girls meet a small girl, Esther, who has a mother with a mental disability. The girls become attached to this little girl but have to leave her. There are many children like Esther who don't have anyone to take care of them in Kenya. The Lost Girls try to help with the many patients that are at Sister Freda's Hospital but there are just so many people. Eventually they have to head back to the Village Volunteer center. They say good bye to the sad little Esther and head back, hoping that they can come again.   

Pathfinder Acadamy

Through the program, Village Volunteers, Holly, Jen, and Amanda, start working with 14 pre-teen girls who sleep and attend school at Pathfinder Academy. The teens board at the school because it's too far away from their village and it's too dangerous for them to walk miles just to go to classes. Sadly, at least four of these girls are victims of rape or attempted sexual violence. So the principal/program director, Joshua built the Pathfinder Academy for safety. There are also three huts that house the volunteers. A funny thing about the houses there are that chickens are always strutting around laying eggs in random rooms, using people's blankets and pillows as a nest. 

At the camp, the girls, Jen, Holly, and Amanda join Yale student and fellow volunteer Irene Scher in acting as teacher, counselor and friend to the women. Despite their difficult circumstances (almost every girl has lost one or both parents due to malaria, HIV or insufficient medical care), they are all excited to learn. The volunteers work with them to write and the lost girls bring a new tradition to the Pathfinder Academy, to cast and launch a play about Wangari Maathai, the first women in Africa to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her tree planting efforts throughout Kenya.

Besides the 200 or so students who attend Pathfinder Academy, there are countless other kids who live, play and go to school in this area. It’s impossible to walk 10 feet down the dirt road without encountering pockets of little kids in school uniforms. It’s a scene that repeats itself almost every time Jen, Amanda, and Holly go for a walk or head to the local village to pick up bottled water, candy and, on one occasion a jumbo sized can of bug spray.

The kids out here are cute, but the insects in Kenya are killer.

Common Ground Program

The Common Ground Program is a non government organization that helps people in poverty. The objectives of the CGP are:

• "Increasing the capacity of the hungry, malnourished people to better feed themselves and their families while conserving resources"
• "Provide real incentives, return pride, profit and farming profession to the farming community so as to increase production through the establishment of a food bank and crop diversification"
• "To conserve the rare and endangered crop varieties"
• "Development and promote strategies that improve both the short and long term fertility of the soil"
• "Training of dispossessed girls in income generation, food and nutrition"
• "To promote early childhood education"

The main things the organization does is:

• "It works with people to use and adapt their existing technologies to help them deal with rapidly changing context of their everyday lives"
• "It builds on resources the community already has. It does not impose solutions from the outside but it seeks out new uses of local materials that will improve the quality of the local way of life."
• "It develops technologies, which will compliment local skills and fit easily into the local culture"
• "It works closely with the community to strengthen local institutions"
• "It works to widen the choice of technologies for people who lack the resources to explore what could be available to them"
• "It exchanges experiences and information with other agencies, groups, and key decision-makers as widely as possible"
• "It uses participatory methodologies. People must take the initiative. They must do it themselves, or development is not sustainable"
• "It brings expertise from different programs together to focus on the needs of the community"
• "It aims to be sensitive to gender issues in all its projects. Although women make up half of the population, they are still marginalized in many ways."
• "It explores the potential for income generation in many of its projects. People everywhere need to earn a living"
• "It is aware of the need to protect the environment so that the resources available to this generation are on the hand to support the next."
• "CGP plays that role to this day, reaching out to people who are struggling each day in poor communities to survive and improve their lives. We seek a nation where everyone sleeps in safety and awakens with hope."

The Common Ground Program is a wonderful program with different ways to help people. You can do this anywhere, from your home or all the way in Kenya. But every dollar helps many people.

Welcome to Kenya

The three lost girls, Jennifer, Holly, and Amanda have arrived at Kenya. They love the people there. They say in their book that then kids are welcoming and very excitable. They squeal at looking at a picture of themselves (which is a first for some of them.) They buy from tin shacks that sells a variety of goods; from bicycle tires to ice-cream cones. The three friends go from sleeping in a nice air conditioned hotel room to a small shack with mosquito nets, a small mattress, and a blanket. They do their business in a whole in the ground and shower with buckets of water. It will take a while to get used to their new environment but during their stay they realize they should be grateful for what they have. They love it in Kenya with people yelling karibu, which means welcome and the colorful clothes the people wear there. The finally decide to volunteer in a month long program Common Ground Program.

Say Goodbye to South America

The three Lost Girls reminisce while packing their bags. They have heavy hearts as they remember the people they met, and the new cultures they discovered. They remember the colorfulness of the towns and markets in South America were. They lastly remember the great times they had together. As they get their last glimpse of South America they get nervous and excited about their next leg of their great journey, Kenya.

Currency in Brazil

In Brazil the currency is called "real." It is subdivided into 100 centavos ("hundredths.") In Portuguese the word real means both "royal" and "real." Coins are in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 centavos and 1 real. The one and five centavo are both in copper. The ten and twenty-five centavos are in brass-plated stainless steel. The fifty centavos coins are in cupronickel or copper-nickel and one real coin is bi-coloured brass and cupronickel coin. The banknotes come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 reais.

Salvador, Brazil

The Lost Girls travel to Salvador, Brazil. On their first day they are amazed by a group performing capoeira, a cross between martial arts and dancing. Holly meets a group of Portuguese friends and hang out with them though they don't even speak the same language. She watches the sunset with them and take a plunge into the bay of All Saints. The next day the three girls lounge at a table on one of the streets branching off Largo do Pelourinho and try vatapa, a yellow stew made with shrimp. The girls go to a futebol game. The game is loud, crowded, and crazy, with screaming people, stomping their feet and clapping thier hands. The girls end that day with dancing the samba with locals and having a great time.

Capoeira Performance:  

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Jennifer, Holly, and Amanda set out again to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Their days at Rio are very relaxing. They have afternoon jogs on Ipanema Beach and drinking acai berry smoothies. They go to Feira Hippie de Ipanema outdoor market. The market has colorful jewelry and clothes. They also stroll down the streets and listen to bossa nova sidewalk band, browse art galleries, and samle bolinhos de chuva (doughnut balls) and sugared popcorn from vendors. They take pictures of the Christ the Redeemer statue on the peak of Corcovado Mountain and take a gondola up the famous Sugarloaf Mountail. Their last night in Rio they have a great time at a party and finally pack up their stuff for their next great adventure.

Amazon Jungle, Peru

The Lost Girls have set out on their next great adventure, a five day journey through the Amazon Jungle. They first ride on a triple-decker boat, Amazon Queen, and look for the rumored piranhas in the water. The Lost Girls start their second day by going through the Canopy Walkway, one of the longest treetop pathways in the world. The narrow wooden boards were suspended more than a hundred feet in the air. the third day the guide, Cliver took them to meat a group of Yagua Indians. The Yagua Indians are best known for their expertise at blowgun hunting and the Lost Girls were going to watch and be taught to shoot tiny darts thirty feet and hit a small target. The Yagua rely solely from rain forest plants for theirwardrobes and create fabrics from the fibers of the aguaje palm and red dye (achiote) from the fruit of the Bixa orellana tree. The darts they used were small sticks with cottony fabric on the other end, when they hunt they dip the darts in curare, a fast-acting natural poison that paralyzes their prey. By the end of the day the girls learn how to shoot the blow-gun and at least hit the post it was on. The Yagua village also sell things because it keeps the locals from cutting down the rain forest for farmland or lumber. The final day the girls go to Monkey Island, home to eight different species of monkeys that are cared for and protected by a wildlife preservation project. By the end of the day they come back to their hostel with new bags of trinkets and knew knowledge. They practically collapse on their beds and contemplate about their great trip to the Amazon Jungle.

The Inca Trail

We follow the Lost Girls again as they decide to hike the 26 mile, 4 day hike along the Inca Trail. With a large pack, large group, and porters that carry about sixty pounds of tents and supplies for the group, they finally start their journey.
1st Day
The Lost Girls start their journey and go across the Urubumba river that runs through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. On their way they see piles of coca leaves and corn along the sacred path. Why? This is pago, or offerings to Mother Earth and this is supposed to help keep balance with the spirits, nature, neighbors, and yourself. After a long hike and strenuous hike (though the guide, Ruben, says it's an easy day)the group finally gets to their first stop, Wayllabamba, which means "grassy plain." This small village is like farm and has many people selling interesting foods at booths, from snickers to Chicha which is a potent corn-brewed alcohol, fermented with saliva. Finally, the Lost Girls settle for the night snuggled near each other, bundled in warm clothes.












Day 2
The Lost Girls are beginning the next leg of their journey.  They are hiking for eight hours, to the highest point of 14000 feet to Warmiwanusca, "Dead Woman's Pass."


Day 3
Today the three Lost Girls and their friends hike 5000 feet below Dead Woman's Pass. They have a tipping ceremony which is when they tip the porters. And the Lost Girls are touched to see the happiness of each porter as they get something as simple as unwashed clothing or antibiotic ointment. They make camp again and get some rest to finish their long journey

Day 4
The last leg of the journey, Machu Pichu. Machu Pichu is framed by a sun gate, or Intipunku. The Incas were great architects and on two days of the year the sun was perfectly aligned to flood the gate's opening with a solid beam of light. The Lost girls have finally finished their long journey and take a last glance at the amazing architecture of Machu Pichu.

Inti Raymi

Luckily, the lost girl's trip coincided with the Inti Raymi. Inti Raymi is an age-old festival that paid tribute to the sun god. "The Festival of the Sun" was a religous ceremony that honored the Incan Empire god, Inti. The religious ceremony is not practiced anymore but is only theatrically represented. When the Lost girls came to watch the ceremony the main part was in Plaza de Armas, where an array of dance performances, colorful demonstrations, fireworks, and live music was played. The ceremony lasted late into the night and they had a lot of fun eating and watching reenactment of the beautiful ceremony of Inti Raymi.  

Currency in Peru

South America has a variety of currencies in the different countries. In Peru their currency is the Peruvian nuevo sol. It is subdivided into 100 centimos. There are eight different coins. There are 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 centimos and 1, 2, and 5 nuevo sol coins. All the coins have the coat of arms of peru surrounded by the text Banco Central de Reserva del Perú (Central Reserve Bank of Peru.) The other side of the coin has how much the coin is worth. There are also 5 different banknotes. There are 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200 banknotes. All banknotes are the same size and have the face of a significant person in the history of Peru. The nuevo sol is equal to about thirty-six cents in the United States.