flat people explore south america

after recovering from jet lag...the flight from tokyo to sao paulo took its toll on flat people and 3-d people alike...the flat penners delighted in the fresh air and green grass found in parque do ibirapuera. they especially enjoyed climbing a huge tree with roots that hung to the ground from its branches.


the flats were a bit disappointed when we reached the top of corcovado hill in rio de janeiro and cristo redentor was covered in scaffolding. seeing their sad faces, the construction workers offered to stop what they were doing and pose with the flat penners. then there were smiles all around :)


flat jane and flat owen spent an afternoon with uncle jason at the football museum in maracana stadium. they learned that football in south america is actually what canadians call soccer...so what do they call football?


uncle jason spent hours at the pool making friends with pedro the parrot at our hotel in huacachina, peru. but uncle jason was quickly forgotten when the flats came out to play. pedro loved to play peek-a-boo with flat owen.


pedro didn't play nice with everyone though. he nibbled uncle jason's ears and nose and then started in on flat hannah's hair. some people's pets...sheesh.


the flat petroffs were very impressed with how the incas could build their homes on top of a mountain. flat jane asked the tour guide how many people used to live at machu picchu. apparently over 1000 people used to live here over 600 years ago. the incas were probably wiped out by small pox and the city was lost to the world for the next 400 years.


if you look closely (imagine the picture above turned 90 degrees counterclockwise) you can see that the mountains have the shape of a person's face. the biggest mountain is the nose and from this view it is like you are looking up it. the tour guide explained to the flat penners that the profile of the nose is just like the nose of the inca people and is characteristically peruvian even today.


and then there were 2...no, no, no...the llama didn't eat flat ellie! she just decided that she really liked machu picchu. she was so interested in the history and the story of the incas so she has become the youngest, smallest, and flatest tour guide in all the world! i guess we're not the only ones that have learned to follow your dreams!


how can you visit peru and not have your photo taken with a llama? well, that's what flat jane said anyway. luckily, this llama was on its best behavior...no spitting!


the flat petroffs enjoyed a day of hiking in yosemite national park, california with auntie corina, uncle jason and their travel buddies, ron and ali. this waterfall was the lower of two stacked on top of each other called lower yosemite falls.

we hope you have enjoyed the adventures of the flat people! they are now safely tucked into the camera bag for our flight home tomorrow...except for flat ellie who we hope to see again the next time we are in machu picchu.

see you all soon,
corina and jason

Chillin' Chile

We had 6 days in Chile, time enuf to do a little something. Heck we had six days in Japan and we did, what I consider, a good amount of stuff. But after arriving at the apartment in Santiago which we opted for as a treat. We settled in... it was nice and 'homey'. Maybe too homey. After a long time on the road we took the opportunity to, well, chill. It's not like we did nothing, it was just very low key. We walked about the city took in some of the sights but over all Santiago was low key for us. The fact that the country was rocked by a major earthquake on Feb 28th made the excuse to confine our adventures to Santiago proper a little easier to justify. For the first few days we managed trips to the market for supplies. By the third day I was getting restless and convinced Corina to venture out to Cerro San Cristobal a near by park/hill. We took the funicular up to see the view and a statue of the virgin Mary.

funicular up Cerro San Cristobal

"The Immaculate Conception"

We intended to take the teleferico to another part of the park but it was closed so after we wandered the top of the hill we took the funicular back down. On the way to the park we passed the church of San Francisco. We wandered inside one of Santiago's oldest churches for a quick look see. Afterward, we wove threw the streets to reach the park.

Iglesia de San Francisco

Another lazy day followed as we shopped at the Los Domminicos craft market. With a low key wander around Santiago's historic center the another day, where old meets new in a way that I appreciated.

Museo de Bellas Artes

Ave. Bellavista

Catedral de Santiago

On our last day a vain attempt to go to a winery just outside the city limits was thwarted because of the language barrier. But there were no long faces on our account. We really re-charged in Santiago and although I may have been prone to a little cabin fever, it was worth it in the end and allowed a more rigorous journey into Peru. Sometimes, even during a vacation, it is important to take 'er easy every so often. Corina seems to be more intune to this need and has prevented burn out, I am sure. Yep sometimes it pays to go slow, in this case, in Santiago!

Jason.