I've never known an animal as comically designed as the tapir. They are elephant-like animals about the size of a very fat Dalmatian dog.

We saw them at the Buenos Aires zoo and I found them a little creepy, to be honest.

But then I met the charming Carina, a tapir living at the lodge in the Peruvian jungle.

She behaved exactly like the family dog. She trotted around behind visitors, terrifying those who saw her for the first time.

Two hundred kilos and she runs like a little puppy, her weird snout sniffing at the air and her beady eyes looking around happily.

Carina would roll over to get Victor to scratch her with the machete he carried everywhere.

It was the most ridiculous thing to see her leg twitch in appreciation for a good belly scratch.

And I never quite got used to the sight of her strolling through the lodge like she owned the place.

Next stop: We got to Lima, the capital of Peru where Tim gets defeated by cerviche, the national dish.

Check out more photos from my trip in my Flickr album.

Find out about Peru.

Read more of Kelly's blogs.