I have to admit, we really didn't plan to stay in the US as long as we did, but one thing led to another and between taxes, website, blog writing and family events (two birthdays and a double bat mitzvah), we sort of got a bit stuck. Nevertheless, this didn't stop us from having fun! Boris, Shurik's brother in law, invited us to go skiing with him ( Read more... )

We spent a couple of days in Lima without an incident and even visited a Russian speaking doctor that was recommended to us in Miami on the day before we left the US regarding a small pre-trip medical problem and a more recent one. Tests have shown that everything is fine, so after a few days of shopping for presents we boarded the plane back to ( Read more... )

Even though staying in Copacabana sounded quite attractive, going to a doctor in a small town didn't. As soon as we got off the boat from Isla del Sol, we booked a bus going that very evening to La Paz where our guidebook assured us we could find an English speaking doctor. However, before we got on the bus, I had about three seconds to sneak a ( Read more... )

After spending a night in Puno, we headed to the Copacabana on the Bolivian side of the Lake to visit one the most important Inca centers: Isla del Sol or Island of the Sun. According to Inca mythology, the Sacred Rock on this island is the birthplace of the white bearded creator god Viracocha, of the sun and the moon, and of the first Incas Manco ( Read more... )

Well dear friends, the verdict is in, and it seems I’m going to live. My morning visit to Dr.Goldsmith’s office looks to be my last one for a while, and I could not be happier!

Thanks to all who has been crossing their fingers for me!

Now the plan is truly in motion so we will “induce labor”, aka- buy tickets.

With the house taken care of now, our plan was to stay with our friends Masha and Leo for the month of September, during which we would deal with any unfinished business. However, just as we were elbow deep in packing, our "adventure" before THE adventure decided to take place. You see, while most of our immunizations were given to us by the Travel ( Read more... )

Seriously, I did not even think how much work preparing for a trip like this requires. The immunizations alone are enough to scare anyone away. For those of you who are interested, both Shurik and I had over 10 shots each. Total cost: over $3,300 for both of us.

Japanese Encephalitis 3 shots
Yellow Fever 1 shot
Tetanus Diphtheria 1 shot
( Read more... )