Yesterday was a day of travel. I met my tour organizer at 6:45 to head to the train station. Due to rains and landslides, the trains are unable to run for a good portion of the trip, so we were bussed over an hour to our train. Kind of makes me glad I didn't pop for the uber expensive Hiram Bingham train. Ok, so I am actually really glad I did not. On my tour yesterday someone who had just visited Machu Picchu told me that the best scenery was on the side of the train furthest from the station. Was my assigned seat there? As if! But, I was ready to sit and enjoy the ride when someone asked to switch to the same seat on the good side of the train. Why yes, I ... read more

No, the title has nothing to do with a movie from the early 90’s, nor does it have anything to do with illegal substances (or even some of the legal ones I have been known to enjoy). No, today it is about lack of sleep, layovers and altitude. In my mind I had visions of a slow night at work the night before I left. I would slip out, go home and quietly unwind before the alarm went off at 4:30 AM. Perhaps I should have included winning the lottery in that scenario because it wouldn’t have happened either. But here I am in Cusco, Peru, so all is well. At over 11,000 feet elevation, altitude sickness can be an issue here. I started taking Diamox on Sunday to help prevent this and actually felt pretty ... read more

When I was growing up on my parent's farm, I had one goal in life. Actually, I don't remember the exact wording, but in my senior profile for the school newsletter type thing my goal was: "Get a good paying job and leave this town". Even back then I knew I wanted a faster paced life. Of course since I was 18, I knew everything, told it like it was and really wasn't concerned with how it sounded. Fortunately, with age came some wisdom. I am able to see all of the really great advantages I had growing up in a small town. Each year I look forward to coming back to the farm, staying with my parents and spending time with my extended family. This blog has a different feel to it than many of ... read more

Wow, I didn't realize how much I was loving the Patagonia area until I came back to the city. I have been in Buenos Aires for a couple of days and am really dragging my feet about doing anything, including writing a blog. Nothing seems interesting enough to share, so I haven't. But, I do want to keep you up on what is going on, so here we go. Today I had planned a trip to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. It was listed as a nice day trip on a fast ferry to a quaint historic town. Sure, that sounded great. It was a nice trip on the ferry. It seemed odd to have to pass through customs and get a passport stamp for a 1 hour ferry ride, but it is to another country. I ... read more

Today was a bit of a surprise. I knew it was raining out when I woke up, but I didn't realize how ugly the weather was. My boat trip was cancelled due to the weather, which meant I had only a few minutes to make the decision to take a taxi to the Train to the End of the World. I made it on time, but was shocked that it was snowing. In the first couple pictures, you can see snow on my coat and outdoors. What a change from the humid 90 degree days of Rio and Iguazu. I am now glad that I packed all of the extra warm clothes. Who is the rookie traveler now with 2 suitcases? Not me, I was warm, dry and happy. The train was a nice ride up ... read more