After exploring and shooting pictures for hours in the marvelous ruins of “The Lost City of the Incas,” and after eating a quick buffet lunch at the Machu Picchu restaurant, many members of the expedition, including myself, decided to take on the challenge of a 45 minute hike about a mile up the Inca Trail, a long, twisting, ancient stone path made and used by the Incas. Our destination? The Incan Sun Gate.

The length of the trail we traversed curves up the side of the mountain and overlooks the grand city of Machu Picchu. It was an amazing experience. We had to keep reminding ourselves that we were walking on the same stones the Incas used to trek. But, overall, the trek wasn’t all that easy.

The stones of the trail are jagged and serrated, and one misstep at certain places could have caused us to tumble down the steep precipice of the soaring mountain. YIKES! At 8,000 plus feet in the sky, it was sometimes tough to get the oxygen we needed to climb without breathing pretty hard at times. And, being ever so high in the sky, we had to be on guard to avoid getting sunburned. We were told that, at that height, even if it doesn’t feel like you are getting sun, if you aren’t careful to wear sunscreen or cover up, you are likely to get sunburned–even on the tops of your hands!

Some of us moved quickly up the side of the mountain, while others took their time and trekked at a snail’s pace. If the Incas could trek up the trail nearly every day in their Inca-style sandals, then surely Team Peru could do it just this once in our rugged hiking shoes! We used our determination to our full advantage to give us a greatly needed boost of energy. It was a slow-but-steady incline to the top, but as they say, “slow and steady wins the race!” I think the few of us who trudged leisurely up the Inca Trail had the most energy when we reached our destination.
 

No matter the pace we chose to traverse the twisting trail, we were all determined to reach the Sun Gate, located far above the ruins of Machu Picchu. It is the first point on the Inca Trail from which hikers (who have made the three- to four-day-long trek on the Inca Trail from the bottom of the mountain all the way to Machu Picchu) get their first glimpse of “The Lost City.” It is also said that this “gate of stone” was supposedly used by the Incas to control the entrance of outsiders into their sacred city at the lower end of the Inca Trail.

The sun was setting rapidly, stretching beams of bright-colored vitality across the yawning cloud-dappled sky. They say that the best time to be at the Sun Gate is during dawn or dusk, when the sun is rising or setting. That’s when hikers are able to get the most stunning views of Machu Picchu, the Urubamba River snaking its way below, and the endless mountain peaks stretching into the clouds above. Hikers rise bright and early to catch a glimpse of this postcard panoramic.

Finally, after nearly an hour or more of hiking–or, to put it more accurately for most of us, “stumbling”–up the Inca Trail, we reached the Sun Gate! Like Machu Picchu, the Sun Gate was a spectacular sight, built with stones cut in perfect configuration. No rain water, or even the late afternoon breeze, could seep between the stones. The Sun Gate is just another manifestation of the intelligence and ingenuity of the Incas. Their intellect marked in the stone masterpieces of Machu Picchu, the Sun Gate, and other temples and structures, is absolutely awe-inspiring. The strenuous trek up the Inca Trail was definitely worth the sight of the Sun Gate. From where we stood, in one panoramic view we could see the 14 switchbacks that carry buses of visitors up the mountainside, slices of the Inca trail, and Machu Picchu, looking like a miniature model far below the Sun Gate. I’m glad we didn’t give up when the going got tough, because this was a sight not to be missed!

As we stood on the many jagged stones and terraces of the ruins of the Sun Gate, we all peered anxiously at the soaring mountains reaching for the heavens all around us, and the valley below, with the Urubamba river flowing over rock and mud, and Machu Picchu sitting peacefully on a outreached ridge.

And then it happened. The light started shifting as the sun moved farther across the sky and ever so slowly started sweeping the day closer to dusk. Streaming, glistening rays from the sun stretched from the deep, murky sky above onto Machu Picchu, spotlighting the city’s features as if the Incas themselves were shining a light onto their beloved city, yet again revealing its true beauty to the modern world. It was an unbelievable sight, sending chills down our spines as we watched in silent wonder. It was an amazing moment.

Since our trip, I have thought about that and other such moments a million times. It was hard to leave Peru and the adventure behind. I find myself missing my new friends–the other winners, the parents, the people from National Geographic, and the people from Peru–and missing that beautiful country almost every day.

But when I get sad that the adventure is over, it helps to remember a quote our tour guide, Mr. Edgar, shared with us when we were all together.

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

Out of the numerous, beautiful hotels we resided at over the course of the expedition, although it is hard to choose a favorite, I think we all utterly enjoyed spending the night at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, a private, mountainside reserve in Aguas Calientes, a small village that sits right alongside the train tracks and the Vilcanota River. (Up against gigantic towering mountains, it is almost as if Aguas Calientes is a tiny toy town!)

Nestled cozily at the foot of jungle-blanketed mountains, not only was it an absolutely stunning inn, complete with beautiful outdoor plazas and stone-covered walkways, profuse and teeming with a vibrant array of delicate, blossoming flowers and native Peruvian decorations, but the Inkaterra was also a great educator–one that taught us all a meaningful lesson.

The rooms made us feel like we were lodging in a small, quaint cottage – a bungalow, really. The doors were made of tall, dark timber, and ivory-colored walls surrounded them. To our surprise, there were no doorknobs or key-card slots on the doors. There was a huge iron keyhole, though. We were each given a large metal ring with a single, old-fashioned key hanging from it to unlock our timber doors so that we could step inside our rooms.

The ceilings of the rooms were ashen, with coffee-colored timber rods and beams stretching across from wall to wall, like in a little cabin (they called the rooms “casitas”). Blanketing the beds were soft white sheets and a brightly checkered throw. A welcoming, comfortable set of brown chairs and a short wooden table sat in the corner by two tall windows overlooking the exquisite scenery of the hotel. The bathrooms were small and modest, consisting of a short sink, toilet, and crammed–but luxurious–shower.

Little surprises awaited us in tidy bundles throughout the room.
Unwrapping each package was like taking an early peek under the tree on
Christmas morning. On the foot of our beds were two small, white cloth
bags, with surprises inside. After untying and loosening the string to
one of the bags, I peeked inside and pulled out a pair of handmade
sandals, fabricated from inky-black rubber car tires. How cool is
that?! These sandals were for our use around the room (and of course,
if we wanted to buy a pair just like them to take home, we could
purchase a pair at the hotel gift shop). There were also snow-white
plush robes that we could wear if we wanted to. And the soaps in the
bathrooms were wrapped in fine, earth-tone tissue-like paper and twine.
Even the hair dryer was displayed on a shelf in a decorative and pretty
drawstring bag.

To my delight, there was a “personalized” surprise that awaited us in
each of our rooms. Sitting on our pillows were small olive-green money
bags the hotel gave to each Team Peru member so that we could have a
special and safe place to carry our soles, or Peruvian currency (using
foreign money was so much fun!). And there was a note attached that
read, “Enjoy your stay at our hotel within the cloud forest of the
Machu Picchu Natural Reserve, just below the site of one of the World’s
New Seven Wonders. Tomorrow you will travel to another exciting South
American Hot Spot. Wishing you all the best in your National Geographic
Kids Hands-On Explorer Challenge Journey!”

Lodging at the Inkaterra, although we were only able to stay there for
a short day and night, was wonderful. There was so much we could do and
see and learn. There were numerous excursions offered for our
enjoyment. Many from our group went bird-watching to spot as many
species of birds as possible. Unfortunately my mom and I missed that
adventure because we didn’t get a wake-up call from the hotel and we
overslept! But the kids that went said they were able to see several
species of indigenous birds. There was also an orchid excursion we
could have gone on, although I don’t think anyone from our group did
because they all went to see the birds. But the hotel is host to 372
varieties of orchids, including the world’s largest and smallest
orchids. Did you know that there are some orchids that are so tiny that
you get a better view of them when you peer at them through a
magnifying glass? Pretty cool! Although I didn’t get to go on the
orchid excursion either, I did get some good pictures of orchids on the
trail.

One excursion I did get to go on-and loved-was to meet two very special
creatures. We were taken deep within the surrounding, entwined thicket
(the hotel sits on 12 acres of rain forest land), past tea and coffee
bean crops (which was pretty cool to see), to meet two spectacled bears
(also called Andean bears), which are indigenous to Peru and are
increasingly endangered. The two bears we had the opportunity to meet
and photograph have quite a story to tell-if only they could talk!

As we walked on the trail we came around the last corner of a long path
through the undergrowth, and there we saw two very large, square cages
enclosed with fenced barricades (pardon the pun!) that stood towering
amongst the surrounding exotic trees and plants. As we neared the pens,
we saw that two ink-colored bears with thick tannish-white splotches on
their necks and faces were feasting amongst piles of freshly sliced
fruit and exotic leaves. We grabbed our cameras and swiftly tiptoed up
to the cages, awestruck by the beautiful, magnificent creatures that,
like many other species of animals, are sadly and slowly diminishing
from the face of the Earth.

And here we learned a very important lesson-we saw it with our own
eyes. Our tour guides talked with us about our impact on the Earth.
They explained to us humankind’s negative effect on the spectacled bear
species. Those magnificent gentle giants are hunted and killed for
numerous reasons–one being that hunters are afraid they will eat their
livestock, even though spectacled bears very rarely eat meat. And also,
some people think the baby bears make cute pets. Of course, baby bears
grow up, and then they get too big to keep and their owners abandon
them or worse. Our guides explained their effort in recovering bears
that have been negatively affected by human impact with the hope of
reintroducing them back into their natural habitats. They said with
expressive, almost anxious eyes, that they want to speak directly to
children–the young generation of our Earth. They told us that we kids
are the future, and that with the choices we make and the actions we
take, we can make a difference, not only with helping to recover the
spectacled bears, but even in the world at large. These words, if
heeded, can change our planet.

After taking countless pictures of the two beautiful bears, we all
headed back through the thicket to Inkaterra for the night. Exploring
the beautiful, flower-laden paths of the hotel, we found that it was a
perfect place for capturing nature on film, especially at the many
hummingbird feeders spread throughout the hotel, brim-full of
wine-colored sugar water-a special treat for the delicate little birds.
(In fact, the hotel is home to 18 different hummingbird species!)

 
We would all flock to the hummingbird feeders, crouching in odd
positions with our cameras at the ready, and wait patiently for them to
buzz up to us. We didn’t have to wait long. Many species would fly
gleefully to the feeders in masses of usually four or five hummingbirds
at a time. They’d sit on tiny tree twigs, frolic with each other in the
sweet, fresh air, and drink from the feeders. They were bold creatures,
flying all around us in streaked blurs of vibrant, shimmering color.
They were absolutely dazzling, and it was an amazing experience to see
them up close. I think we all could have crouched around the wine-red
feeders for hours upon hours, capturing those little beauties on film.
What perfection and splendor for such small little creatures!

During the evening of our stay at Inkaterra, we all gathered in an
exuberant dining hall of the hotel, positioned snugly between twisting
railroad tracks with trains whizzing by frequently. The restaurant used
to be a train station, so literally, it sits right between and VERY
close to two train tracks on either side. Before our food was served,
we had the opportunity to see pictures and to hear presentations by two
of the National Geographic photographers who traveled with us to Peru,
Bruce Dale and Amy Toensing. Both presentations were enthralling and
very educational. It is amazing to see and hear how photographers who
make a living taking pictures actually get unique and often outstanding
photographic images of people and places they encounter in the world.

Mr. Bruce taught us that when taking pictures, he sometimes combines
physics with photography. In order to get the best shots possible for
certain projects, he has literally employed mathematical equations,
laws of physics, and homemade devices that help him capture moments of
time with perfect precision. Ms. Amy taught us how a good photographer
builds meaningful relationships with people in a community, learns
their story, and captures that story in pictures that may ultimately be
shared with the world. Both Ms. Amy and Mr. Bruce share the same
perspective about being good photographers; and their pictures tell a
story and even lure people in to want to learn more. It was so neat to
get lessons on photography from real National Geographic photographers!

Lodging at Inkaterra was quite an educational experience. I personally
learned not only fascinating information about animal and plant life
indigenous to Peru, but I also learned a great lesson. From listening
to our tour guides speak fervently about the spectacled bear species, I
rediscovered that the little choices we make and the little actions we
take each and every day, whether positive or negative, are making a
difference in the world and will have a long-term impact that will
influence our Earth’s future.

I pulled myself upright. I was covered from head to toe in brown, sloppy mud. This was not the look I was going for. I was OK, but I couldn’t say the same for my new camera. It was practically encased in the dirt. Perfect…

Thank goodness for Luis, our jungle guide. He took my equipment, wrapped it in a towel and put it in his backpack. We continued on our hike to the lake. Once on the boat, Luis wiped most of the grime off of my camera.

“You were lucky, Grace! The lens cap stayed on. Also, the body of the camera seems OK.” The zoom control was a different story. It was a mess. I sat there looking at my suddenly-not-so-brand-new-looking Nikon camera. I was filthy and worried. I put the camera away. It began to rain–and we didn’t see any giant river otters.

When we got back to the lodge I went straight to Bruce Dale, one of the
professional photographers on the trip with us. He looked at me like I
had just been on a game show where you have to survive in the jungle
for a week. As I got closer, he saw the state of my camera and put the
pieces together lickety-split. I told him my story and asked for his
help. He took my camera and began to wipe it off. He ripped a thin
piece of cardboard from a nearby box and gently put it in between the
different moving parts. Each time he pulled it out it was covered in
mud. He did this over and over.

“Why don’t you go clean up? I’ll continue to work on this,” he said. I did, then returned.

“Everything seems OK with the camera except for the zoom mechanism,” he
said. “Listen.” He put the lens to my ear and slowly turned it. Crunch.
Scrape. Even though this was the first “real” camera I’ve ever had, I
knew this noise was not good.

“You need to keep cleaning out the moving parts. The camera is OK to
use, but get in touch with Nikon when you get back to the States. See
what they recommend.”

I followed his cleaning advice and I used it for the last few days of
the trip. Happily, I have fantastic pictures from our entire Peruvian
adventure.

I developed a love for photography in Peru. We all were so lucky to
learn from, and be inspired by, Bruce Dale and Amy Toensing, two
amazing National Geographic photographers. Now that I’m home, I’m sad
to say the zoom is still is making the crunchy noise. Nikon, I will be
contacting you soon…

We were asked to bring gifts: maps, crayons, notebooks, etc. and something special from our hometown or city. Rachel, from Phoenix, brought a calendar of the Grand Canyon, for example. I brought a picture of a 400-year-old tree from my town in Pennsylvania and a little model of the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia. If we chose to, we could tell about our items or just say hi in Spanish. Wyatt and I told the Peruvian kids about our objects, which was a bit nerve-racking: I mean, that’s about one hundred kids who don’t know English staring at you. It was fun though.

I held up the photo of the tree and all of the kids crowded forward. Some of the kids were on a wooden platform that toppled over when they leaned over to look. They were very curious, probably because they don’t have big trees in the highlands. I told them about the Liberty Bell, “La Campana de la Libertad,” then went to see their classrooms. There were about four classrooms with blackboards and desks. Inside one of them, a few kids let us look at their math books, and I realized that we were learning close to the same thing. Sure we were in completely different parts of the world, but we were doing the same thing in school!

Some of the Peruvian kids asked to be in the photos of us that one of the teachers took with the school camera. One teen put his arm around my shoulder and asked, “Una foto?” The camera went click before I had a chance to say yes or no!

After taking photos and distributing a little candy, we got back on the bus, leaving our new friends to their schoolwork.

Before going into the hors d’oeuvres party, I walked around National Geographic’s really cool sculpture garden with my dad. It had statues of lots of different bugs, my favorite being a group of leaf-cutter ants carrying the greenery on their backs. That reminded me a lot of the trip to Peru and how much I miss all of the fabulous people on it.

At the party, I got to meet a bunch of the Hands On Explorer winners from previous years who have visited the Galapagos, South Africa, and the Land Down Under (Australia)–and then there was Pete from Peru. As we snacked on Indian samosas and pizza bites, we walked around and talked to some real explorers! One explorer, Kristofer Helgen, discovered previously unidentified animals like the smallest kangaroo and a type of bat and got to name them. Another, Gregory Anderson, has tried to revive tribal languages by teaching them to kids. The words of these languages were set to music, so that people would enjoy learning the language even more. Cool!

After a few group shots, all of us went into a big auditorium for a presentation by some notable explorers in residence. Our moderator was–Boyd Matson! I know him; he was on our trip! He introduced our first explorer, Spencer Wells. He has dedicated himself to unraveling the mysteries of the human genome: when did people migrate from Africa to Europe, how closely related are we all? He has gotten hundreds of samples of DNA from many ethnic groups for The Genographic Project, and is trying to trace the origins of different peoples all over the world.

Next, we heard from Zeresenay Alemseged, a paleoanthropologist (a scientist of the origins of the human race). He discovered a 3.3 million year old girl, called Selam, in Dikika, Ethiopia. Technically, she is not a human, but an Australopithecus, a human ancestor. The three-year-old Australopithecus had a bone structure that suggests adaptation to walking upright and tree climbing. This human ancestor is even older than Lucy, the adult Australopithecus found in 1974! That’s old!

Wade Davis told us about the diversity and beauty of our world. He has met people from all over the world, from the Aborigines to Amazonian tribes. Due to the dominance of some societies, smaller tribal ones are fading away, and with every tribe lost, we lose a piece of knowledge forever. Wade Davis has been learning from these sorts of tribes, sharing their culture. One story he had to tell was when he met a woman who had lived in a small room for fifty years, without ever coming out. This Buddhist woman was seeking enlightenment and, after fifty years in that room, she opened the windows and looked outside and smiled; she said that she had reached enlightenment to the greatest degree. What do you think? Either way, I don’t ever want to live in a room for fifty years without leaving!

Paul Sereno, a paleontologist, has found many different kinds of dinosaurs in five continents. One of his many finds, this one in the Gobi Desert in China, was a group of 20 or so “teenaged” dinosaurs that died in their tracks. There were no adults, nor were there any babies. Was this some dinosaur prom gone wrong? We don’t know. He has also found a type of crocodile that walked on legs like a dog, but moved like crocs nowadays when it hit the water. Not my idea of man’s best friend, but, then again, I’ve never had a pet crocodile, so I shouldn’t judge.

Last but not least, we met Dereck and Beverly Joubert. They are photographers and videographers who capture the life of the big cats for the general public. They are the ultimate Tarzan and Jane: they can get really close to the wild without scaring it away. One time, the Jouberts met a group of baby lions that followed them around for a few days, introduced themselves to the equipment with some “interesting” results, and just acted cute. They got this all on tape, and showed us a movie of the ah-dorable baby lions, as well as others of the zebra migration and lions hunting. They also told us about how poaching, global warming and buying land for development have impacted the big cats and how, if we don’t do something, the lion population will be on the road to extinction.

The Symposium was really fun! I hope more of my friends from the Peru trip can come to it next year!

“All Aboard!” There it was! The Vistadome–a long strand of painted blue metal sitting heavily on the tracks at the Ollanta Station, waiting zealously for us to climb aboard, eager to carry us from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes, a small village at the foot of Machu Picchu.

Never in my life had I ever ridden on a train before, so getting to ride one in Peru was an absolute thrill! Our train twisted for more than an hour on a snake-like railroad track up the side of a mountain and revealed to us a stunning panoramic of the Peruvian countryside.

Photo by Grace K


The view from the many windows lining the walls of the train was
spectacularly picturesque. We traveled past Peruvian farms where
hut-like homes stood lopsided on a landscape of
green-and-brown-squared, grass-laden fields that reminded me of a
colossal checkerboard. Tireless, hardworking farmers (both men and
women) tilled their fields and tended livestock, with their small
children nearby. Something that always caught my eye were the numerous
clotheslines pinned up in many of the dirt-paved yards with colorful
garments hanging on them, gently swaying in the breeze.

Photo by Dewey

Our train trailed across lofty bridges overlooking breathtaking
waterfalls, shimmering and splashing in a mist of white foam; over and
around mountains soaring into wispy clouds stretched over the cavernous
sapphire sky above; through vegetation growing in thick, green masses
by the tracks; and more–much more.

Photo by McKenna

We even traversed through dark,
gloomy, twisting tunnels that sent exhilarating, sharp chills down our
spines.

On the return train trip, our train attendants even entertained us with
a Peruvian fashion show down the aisle! They would quickly change into
festive shirts in the bathroom, and then would strut down the aisle,
showing off their fancy attire (which was all for sale). One attendant
even dressed from head to toe in a bright, flamboyant costume with a
white, fluffy alpaca puppet over his hand and arm, and danced down the
aisle to festive Peruvian music. Three kids from our group slipped on
bright, elaborate masks they had earlier bought at a local market and
danced down the aisle with him!
The experience of riding on a Peruvian train was amazing, and the
landscapes were like ones most of us have never seen before.

Photo by Elliot

There were also things about the ride that created a lot of laughs!
Every time we saw a striking landscape or interesting view out of the
windows, which was very often, we (and most of our parents) all jumped
to our feet and raced past rows of train seats, trying to get the best
shots possible with our new cameras. The only problem, though, was that
the ride was pretty bumpy! Often, when we would leap out of our seats
and bolt to peer out of the windows, the train would seem to bounce
over a bump in the tracks or whiz around a sharp turn and cause us to
have to catch our balance. I tripped over my own feet several times! It
was pretty funny, actually, watching people stumble down the aisle,
grab hold of the backs of chairs, try to keep their balance AND take a
picture at the same time! But I think what was even funnier, was the
portrait of people nearly climbing over one another to get near a
window for a good camera angle view of outside.

We crammed close
together like sardines in a tin can and pointed our camera lenses in
every direction. At one point, someone even pulled out a bird guide and
lots of us gathered to see what kinds of birds we might spot along the
banks of the Vilcanota River.

Photo by McKenna

I know we must have been a funny sight.
At times it was even tempting to hang our bodies out the windows for a
closer view. But I’m not sure any of us were actually brave enough–or
crazy enough–to do that!

During their trip to Peru, the kids on the Hands-On Explorer expedition met up with the Global Bros, two brothers on a year-long trip around the world.

Read what Stefan has to say about Peru.
     
Trip to Peru
     
Rain Forest Adventures

Read Tyler’s take on Peru.
     
First Thoughts on Peru
     
The Amazon

The kids in this picture are busy twirling around to some Peruvian music, while having a cool treat. I guess I got the little girl’s attention, because she started beaming at me. I got her to keep dancing, so I could get a picture. Her brother didn’t pay much attention to me. He was too distracted by his Popsicle.

I was surprised when I saw children doing things I know I would never see in the U.S. I saw children working. They sold items to tourists on the street corners with their mothers. I saw kids separating corn from the stalks in fields, making mud bricks for homes, and standing for photographs then asking for propina, a tip. We also learned from our guides that even though it’s mandatory for kids go to school, some families don’t send them because they need to work. It was clear to me that many Peruvian families struggle to keep food on the table.

Even though I did see kids working hard, they always waved and smiled. That is something I’ve seen in both the U.S. and Peru. They played some of the same games we do, like soccer and volleyball. I love kids, and to see them in a different culture was an eye- opening experience.

We had a 15-20 minute walk down the muddy trails of the rain forest
until we finally made it to the tower. It was a 120-foot metal tower. I
looked up and couldn’t even see the top (that’s how tall it was). We
went up single file on the narrow steps to the top. It was very neat to
see the trees in different ways every step we took. Once arriving to
the second to last step we got to crawl through a little trap door onto
the platform on the top of this structure.

When I stood up I was amazed at the view. It was a never-ending blanket of trees with the river slicing through it, in a zigzagging pattern. About eight of us could fit up there at a time. We got to see colorful parrots that flew onto a tree right next to us, and I also saw a blue toucan!! After taking several breathtaking photos, we climbed down the tower to the bottom.

Being up there was very beautiful and scary (because the tower was shaking back and forth from the wind). I have always dreamed of seeing the rain forest from above; I can’t believe that National Geographic actually made it come true!!!!! Thanks for an AWESOME trip!!!!

Don’t get me wrong, the birds and mammals were spectacular as well! We saw some grey titi monkeys and we saw and HEARD some howler monkeys. The titi monkeys were adorable; I wanted to hold one! We also saw some gorgeous scarlet macaws. They were like the birds you see in movies, only better! We saw them fly by; flashes of yellow, blue, and red darted across the sky as we took the boat back to dry land. They were flying to the clay licks, where they eat the red-brown earth to help with digestion. I don’t know how that helps, but I’ll do my best to find out. The guides were amazing! They could just say, without another thought, “That’s definitely a green violetear, a type of hummingbird.” Just like that! Wow! The insects were still one of the chart toppers.

The bugs of the Amazon are so different from our own. One night, I saw an especially unique bug in the lodge gift shop–but not under glass. A giant moth flitted around the shop, a brown, hummingbird-size insect that was constantly in motion. Finally, our little–I mean big–friend came to rest on the window screen, which is exactly when I took this photo. I tried to take more, but after spending a while looking crazy as I ran after a bug with my camera, I gave up. Just as I left, my feisty friend flew away into the darkness. I wonder what he’s up to now! Maybe the beauty of nature can sometimes be found in small surprises.