left lima yesterday (alright, now it has been a few weeks since i left and i have returned) so no more mcDonalds¡¡. I arrived in pisco and booked a tour for today to go to the islands around paracas and to a "national" park. I ran into roger a canadian guy i met in sucre, bolivia. it is a small world, when i was in cusco i ran into a girl who lived in the same house i did in guatemala. of course i ran into paddy and suzie in cusco for the 5th and not last time on this trip!!! [View Full Entry]

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Took a quick 3 or 4 hour bus ride around the lake to Puno. the border crossing was a breeze and the transition to peru was smooth a butter. there wer suptle differences - the prices were slightly higher, people dressed a little less traditionally and there seemed to be more tourists. also the vendors seemed a little more aggressive, maybe because the were more tourists. as i right this i am in lima and the differences are huge. there are very few people dressed traditionally or like campacinos (country people). even in la paz bolivia the were a lot of [View Full Entry]

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i should try to keep up to date on these blogs because once again i am writing from memory. Arriving in copacabana was like going back in to the tourist world. after spending so much time in Bolivia where there aren't a lot of tourist, well some backpacker type tourists and tourists in la Paz, copa was a reminder of what i would be seeing in peru. there were a lot of tourists, backpackers and "regular" tourist. i.e. people who are traveling for a few weeks and can afford to stay in nice places. not that i have stayed in bad [View Full Entry]

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oh, if you are getting one of these emails for the first time, it means i met you traveling and i finally found your email. hope your travels are going smoothly. you can check out some of the other blogs of mine, chances are there is a picture or two of you there. I left La Paz on Saturday (I think) and headed for Coroico. On the way I met Austin (powers) from Norway, now he travels the right way - see the pictures and you will find out what i mean. Coroico is a little Eden. Warm, green and at [View Full Entry]

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I arrived in LA Paz on Saturday night from Cochabamba. Forgot how fun it is to try to breathe at an altitude over 10,000 feet. Met up with Paddy and Suzi From Ireland at a bar they work at. this is the fourth time i have seen them, the first time was in Bariloche, Argentina. I´m sure this won´t be the last time. Also ran into Gary and james from Sucre, probably won{t be the last time for them either. oh before i forget, if you want to see full size pics or down them click here FOTOS On Monday Paddy [View Full Entry]

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OOPS, I FORGOT TO POST THE WEBSITE IN CASE ANYONE IS INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING OR LEARNING MORE. sorry for all the emails, but this is important (you may have to cut and paste the link, but i think i got it to work) theangelsofhope.org Most people come to Villa tunari to visit and help at the animal park here. You can volunteer for a minimum of 2 weeks and get to work with cats (big cats), monkeys .... But, most people don´t know that on the other side of the hill from the park is a foundation called - fundacion angeles [View Full Entry]

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Arrived from Sucre Today. Forgot how nice Sucre was, a "small clean" town. Cochabamba is the third largest city in Bolivia. I will just spend the night and head towards the jungle. Maybe meet up with some people i know. The market in Cochabamba is huge. You could spend the entire day there and not see all of it. it is amazing how much used clothing there is from the states. The clothing is the stuff that doesn´t sell in the US thrift stores. obviously, Cochabamba isn´t the only city with clothing from the US, there are cities all over the [View Full Entry]

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i arrived in Sucre at the end of May. I planned on staying a few days. today is July 12th and i am finally leaving. Sucre is a nice little town, it has been sunny almost every day, no rain and it does get cool at night. besides the weather there are other reasons for staying. restaurants. there are a lot of great restaurants here. some are expensive for Bolivia - $4, but where else in the world could you get fillet Mignon, in a real french restaurant - two fillets at that!!! - for $4. there are also a lot [View Full Entry]

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took the noon bus from uyuni to Potosi, didn´t have any problems or roadblocks. During this time period there were major protests and ´rioting´in Bolivia, mostly in La Paz (Pa means peace in Spanish). Arrived short of breath, the city is at over 4000 meters, i think it is over 13,000 feet. i need to chew coca leaves and drink coca tea. funny, the US government wants to eradicate coca here and here is a gringo depending on the medicinal values of Coca. the Bolivian culture is steeped in coca, GWB, you need to travel a bit outside of Texas before [View Full Entry]

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I am sure I have the dates wrong, should check my passport. Anyway, took the train from the Argentina border to Uyuni. There was a definite change once we crossed the border. At the border there were hundreds of Bolivians carrying huge bags on there backs across the border like ants. the train trip was uneventful, the scenery was nice but it became dark shortly after the train departed. The Train arrived in uyuni about 3 am, and it was cold. Even though it isn't too far from the equator, it is on the Altiplano, the Himalayans of the western hemisphere. [View Full Entry]

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