I can’t believe I’m finally home. It’s been 24 days since I left, but I’m back on the ground in Philadelphia after a grueling 30-hour trip comprised of 4 flights, 2 six-hour layovers, and only 4 hours of sleep. Home sweet home, at last! My trip to South America was fabulous, but I am glad to be home with my family and friends. I miss Breckenridge, and I’m looking forward to getting back there, too. First, though, my little brother (not so little anymore!) is graduating from high school tomorrow, so that will be a great day. All the family is [View Full Entry]

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A Cidade Maravilhosa! (That means "The Marvelous City" in Portuguese). Even though it's been kind of gray and rainy during my visit to Rio de Janeiro, I think the city merits its nickname. I've had a blast walking all around Rio for the last few days with my own personal guide (Rodolpho) and learning my way around its numerous neighborhoods. It's a beautiful city, with verdant hills rising dramatically above the sea that break up the landscape and gorgeous beaches below that line the edge of the city. Rio lies around the Baia de Guanabara (a bay near the southern end [View Full Entry]

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Just got back from two thoroughly relaxing days at Rodolpho's father's vacation house in Angra dos Reis, RJ. Three hours south of here (driving fast!) it's halfway between Rio and Sao Paulo, on the coast, and a favorite weekend getaway for Rio's upper class. Rogerio (that's R's dad) has a modest but very comfortable house on the bay there, and a gorgeous sailboat that is moored right in the canal where the house is located. Technically we were in the Marina da Bracui, which is tiny community that basically consists of a marina and a bunch of vacation houses on the [View Full Entry]

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Spending two days away on idyllic Lago Titicaca was a great way to end my trip to Bolivia. Lauren and I caught a bus to Copacabana (not the Brazilian beach, it's a town on the shore of the lake) Tuesday morning, and within 3 1/2 hours we were far from the bustle of La Paz, basking in the peace and quiet of a sun-baked square in small Copacabana. The town is little more than a 8 x 8 block grid, nestled along the lake between two hills. The houses are colorful if not exactly in the best shape, and the people [View Full Entry]

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Hi! I´m now in La Paz, Bolivia on the second leg of my trip through South America. I´m here with my friend Lauren, whom I met up with in Cusco after we returned from Machu Picchu. Sadly, Allison and Lisa are not with us, because Lisa had her purse stolen almost as soon as we arrived in Cusco and can´t travel until she gets her passport replaced. Everything got taken - passport, wallet, camera, etc. We were sitting at a sidewalk café, and none of us saw the bag get taken. It just sucks that petty thievery like that exists, expecially [View Full Entry]

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Hello! I´m back in civilization (and the land of internet) after finishing our 4-day trek to Machu Picchu. It was absolutely incredible! We had such a good time. Our trek took us from Mollepata to Machu Picchu by way of the Salkantay Pass, which rises to 15,000 ft (or 4600m) before dropping into cloud forest on the other side of the pass and winding along several stunning valleys. We were supposed to trek for 4 days before reaching Machu Picchu, but due to complications at the airport (a four hour delay) we missed the first day´s hike and caught up to [View Full Entry]

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Hola, amigos! Que pasa? Unfortunately my Spanish isn't much better than that, but at least I really am working on it this time. I'm sitting in a hostal in Lima, Peru, on Day 1 of my 3-week peregrination through Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. I've been wanting to do a backpacking trip to South America for years now, so when my friend Lauren asked if I wanted to come down with her, I jumped at the chance. It's mud season in Breckenridge, which means that everyone lucky enough to get out of town does, if only for a week or two. I'll [View Full Entry]

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Update from Breckenridge! Sorry I've totally fallen off the face of the earth. There's not a whole lot to report from Breck, other than the fact that I'm having a GREAT time and basically working, skiing, or sleeping all day, every day. The sameness of the routine is why I haven't felt compelled to post anything in a while, although obviously my readers don't know that! My job at Ski Country ended when the resort closed on April 19, although I'll be able to start up again in October when we're gearing up for the ski season. I DO have an [View Full Entry]

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Hola, amigos! No, I haven't learned spanish out here. I wish. So back to english. Once again I've been kind of slow in providing an update on my adventures out here, so I apologize for that and am blogging in response to requests for news ; ) Things are all going really well out here. We've had 51" of snow so far this January (that's pretty good!) and the base is 55" mid-mountain. It's been warmer than December, with temperatures hovering in the 20s and 30s over the last couple weeks, so my toes are no longer in danger of frostbite. [View Full Entry]

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Hello Friends and Family... I've been remiss in blogging lately, but time flies when you're having fun! I can't believe I've been here 1 1/2 months already. It feels like so little time has passed! I want to wish you all Happy Holidays on this Christmas Eve, and hope you're with your families during my favorite part of the year. The only bad part about being out here is that I'm not with my friends and family (you!) but I'm thinking of you right now. Life in Brecken(fridge), Colorado has been good to me. It's really cold here (-5 this morning [View Full Entry]

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