a new year

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A year ago we began our travels. We fulfilled our goals of fun and adventure, and so much more. What stays with us still are three things:
the grand spaces of nature world wide, from the glaciers of Patagonia to the islands of Halong Bay and the grasslands of southern Africa; the comforting familiarity of people going about their daily lives in so many diverse places; and how very rich and selfish we are as Americans. Steve returned with renewed energy and determination to make a difference in the world, through his work. Cindy's channeled this into living a more sane lifestyle.

4 continents, over 2 dozen flights, including one airport doubling as a soccer field. Many bus and ferry overnights. Also travel by train, jeep, tuk-tuk, motorbike, boats large and small, bicycle, and foot. My vote for most motion: 8 hours by motorized dugout canoe out of a small riverside village by Pacaya-Samiria reserve, down a tributary and then the vast Amazon river itself to meet the regular ferry at Requena.

Incredibly, we did not post photos of three spectacular ancient sites, the temples at Angor Wat (Cambodia) and Bagan (Burma) and the Inca ruins of Macchu Picchu (Peru). In our reflections on the misery of Zimbabwe, we neglected to show magestic Victoria Falls. And, as one of the highlights of our African safaris, we got up close and personal to many more wildlife than I ever dreamed possible.

Now our travels have come to us, as hosts of an AFS student from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, one of the many places we have not yet been privileged to visit.

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Photos

night market
southeast asian cities thrive on night markets

cocoa for sale
rural market in Bolivia

cuzco mineral seller
enterprise starts young here--these two are not related!