FAQ

Q: How dirty/muddy/filthy, etc. do you get, i.e. how many pairs of pants/jeans?
A: I usually take 3-4 pairs of slacks and shirts with me. Remember we need to travel light. Try to keep your goods down to one
suitcase. We'll be traveling from one location to another EVERY day and we'll have to lug our luggage everywhere we go. I
guess that's why they call it luggage! Some days we get filthy dirty - especially if it rains and we go into the bush. We'll all be
cleaning our clothes at the hotel sink that night and letting them air dry overnight. There are not laundromats or clothes
washers - unless you count the people down at the streams. Since we're not bringing a change of clothes for every day, we'll
be cleaning our clothes in the sink on occasion. Don't worry, if you start to stink, I'll let you know! Of course, I may not be able
to smell you over my own perfume!
I always keep a clean set of clothes for the trip home and the rare times we go out to a nice place to eat in the evening.
I also bring a change of socks for every day and throw them away each night. It's my fetish to have clean feet.

Q: What kind of suitcase should I bring? Should I bring a Backpack?
A: I like to bring a medium size duffel bag for my cloths and toiletries. I've brought hard suitcases, soft ones, large ones and
small ones. I've just found that for myself a medium size duffel bag works just fine. I also fold up another medium size duffel
bag inside the one I bring - just in case I find something I want to bring back.
I also carry a fanny pack for my batteries, film and small camera and then a backpack for larger items I might want to take along
in the car or in the field.
Things I carry in my back pack include, snacks, GPS, video camera, plastic bags and baggies to keep things dry, note pad and
pencil, toilet paper (for those unexpected moments in the bush), hat, sunglasses and water.

Q: What kind of power converter should I bring?
A: None. When I first traveled to South America, I brought all kinds of converters and attachments and found that our plugs fit in
the outlets in all the hotels and places we visited. You may find the electrical standards aren't quite up to "code" - since they
have no code, which makes for interesting conversation when you see light bulbs dangling from loose wires over your bed at
night. Hey, at least there is electric in some of these places!!!

Q: My Doctor needs to know if the malaria in the are where we will be traveling is resistant to chloroquine? Do you know, or can
you get this information for me?
A: There are several different kinds of malaria. The medications we get from our doctors will only prevent one or two of them. To
make matters worse, some are now resistant to some of the medications we used to take - like chloroquine. Fortunately, we
rarely travel in malaria infested areas. On our 2007 trip, however, we will be in an area where malaria has been known to exist in
the past. Pepe’ has done some investigating and understands that this malaria is NOT resistant to the drug chloroquine.

Q: What can you tell us about bringing back orchids or plants in general?
A: If you want to bring plants back to the United States, first you need to get an import permit through the department of
Agriculture. It's free, but you need to fill out the forms and get them in long before you leave. The Dept. Of Ag. will send you
shipping labels with your import permit number on them. You then use this shipping label to get your plants into the country. You
will also receive information on what plants you can and can not bring into the country.

The plants you bring into the country must go through inspection at the department of Ag. station at the airport. Not all airports
have inspection stations. Miami and New York are the only two on the east coast. You must plan your arrival into these airports
when the Dept. Of Ag. inspection stations are open. Otherwise you must return to the airport to pick up your plants and have them
inspected.

The United States requires that the exporting country inspect the plants before they leave the country and the person exporting
the plants have an exporters permit. Pepe has an exporters permit and he has their "Dept. Of Ag." inspect the plants for shipping.
A photo sanitary certificate is then issued to insure the plants are free of bugs and disease.

All this takes time and a lot of effort on our part. So, what I do is purchase the plants I want from Pepe and ask Pepe to bring the
plants to the US on his next visit here and then just ship them to me. It's easier for me and I don't have to worry about getting them
through the airport and the Dept. Of Ag.

I know Pepe deals with Cycads, Gesnerads, and orchids and can probably help us with getting plants back to the U.S.
Some Ecuadorian plants are still protected by the government and cannot be brought into the U.S. We must respect the laws and
purchase only those plants we can bring back.

Here you'll find more information about our next trip to Ecuador and Peru scheduled October 21st through
November 4th, 2006.
This web page will contain many of your questions with corresponding answers.
I'll be posting them as you ask them, so check back often to see if anyone else has asked the same
question.

Q: Is $2380 is the correct amount to send you for Pepe?
A: Yesterday I said Yes. Today I say NO. (see things change every day. You have to be able to go with the
flow on these trips). If you look carefully at the itinerary, Pepe' has us scheduled to be in South America 16
days. We'll only be there 14. His previous fees were $125/day while in Ecuador and $135/day in Peru. It
appears from his last email that it is now $130/day for both Ecuador and Peru - But I'm not sure. There is
always something that gets lost in translation - given I don't speak Spanish no good, see. I zipped off an
email to Pepe' this morning (07-16-06) and am currently awaiting an answer. I'll be getting back to everyone
on this. Be sure to check the "Trip Updates" page of this website for up-to-date information on our trip.

Q: Rubber boots to get there - is this the
type you wear over shoes such as tennis
shoes or wear by themselves?
A: The rubber boots that I normally
purchase for $5.00- $7.00 is the rubber
boots that slip over your stocking feet OR
shoes. It depends on how big you buy
them. If you have little feet, you will
probably be able to purchase them big
enough to slip over your shoes. If you
have big feet like me, you will have to take
your shoes off and go with stocking feet
inside the boot. The boots are all rubber
and go up the calf to almost the knee.
They're flexible, so it makes climbing in
them easy and they do keep your feet dry
(Except for the sweat, of course).