marin

This last segment of our trip has been one of great beauty and extreme distance. When I last wrote we were in the hippie town of El Bolson. From there we went to Villa La Angostura, a small town on the coast of the expansive, sparkling lake Nahuel Pan. The roadsides were lined with these amazingly bright, yellow flowered shrubs that exploded with lots of buds. One day was spent on mountian bike through a hilly and haphazard trail to a special forest full of the Arrayan tree, kind of twisted brances and trunk covered in orange bark, some around 300 years old. We changed directions from north and travelled west, to Chile and the Pacific. On our way, we met a family having their holiday in Peyuhue, a small thermal bath complex in the ... read more

Hello loved ones I'm writing to you from the spunky Che Pampas hostel in the colonial city of Rosario, Argentina. And my what a lovely city it is. Buenos Aires seemed a bit crazy; sidewalks were narrow, people were bustling, buses whizzed by too close for comfort, but Rosario is a little more relaxed and we are definately enjoying ourselves. However a visit to the cementary in the middle of Buenos Aires was amazing. The cemetary is fillled with politicians, teachers, rich folk and the actress DeVita (don´t cry for me argentina.) My favorite were the graves that had been neglected and were covered with vines. It was strange because you could see into the basements where the rest of the familys were meant to lay. Mind you, these were more like marble houses for the ... read more

I met some friends and decided to take a little trip to the Golden Temple, an important pilgrimage to Sikhs. It was such an amazing experience. I was with four others and we stayed within the temple complex for two nights. The lodging was free for all the pilgrims and foreigners as well. We were lucky enough to have a room but when we stepped outside to go to the bathroom it was over pilgrims sleeping on the hard marble, and they covered the ground. There was also a kitchen serving daal (lentils) and rice and paneer (like cottage cheese) to 80,000 pilgrims a day! Their system was incredible. You walk into the kitchen and get handed a tin plate, bowl and spoon then cram your way into a hall that holds about 600 people and ... read more

Perhaps this is my 'sick week.' A few nights ago I had a stomach sickness, but that was a brief 48 hour ordeal cured by plenty of rest and water. Now, I have no voice, I sound like I've smoked 7 packs a day for 54 years. But I don't feel too sick. Plus, I've been able to try out the world famous Tibetan medicine, it's pretty nice. Doesn't make me feel all woozy and loopy like Western medicine. Despite these little setbacks, my spirits are high. Today I had my first yoga class with a legitimate Reiki master. It was in the morning on an outdoor terrace after a night of heavy rainfall. So the air was clean and the birds chirping away. I'm going to continue with my teacher 3 times a week and ... read more