trekin_nepal

Many of the colonial buildings in Arequipa are built out of sillar, a pearly white volcanic rock, and the city is often referred to as La Ciudad Blanca or The White City. The pace of Arequipa is a lot slower than that of Lima, but it is still a bustling city. We spent a few days exploring the cathedrals and museums of Arequipa, including the Juanita Mummy. Juanita was a 14 year old girl found in the mountains above Arequipa. She was sacrificed to the Inka gods around 1450 and due to the freezing high altitude remains perfectly preserved. We celebrated New Years while in Arequipa. Apparently yellow is a auspicious color, and there was everything yellow for sale. The local market or mercado is an outdoor area crammed with vendors selling everything from yellow underwear ... read more

As we prepare for our new adventure to Peru I though I would update my contacts on this site. I noticed that we never sent out a blog entry for Tanzania. I thought I should at least post a few photos of our time on the slopes of Kilimanjaro! ... read more

Living Between Two Worlds Traveling independently brings immense freedoms. There is no programmed time to be anywhere. You decide where you sleep, eat, and travel. You can change you mind on the lightest whim and find yourself in situations and new experience that would never be possible on a tour. Simply using the public transport network permits you a clearer glimpse into the daily lives of the people whos country you are visiting. Independent travel also means just that. During difficult times you often find that there is only yourself and your immediate traveling companion in which to lean on for support. Your usual support network of family and friends are thousands of miles away and even a short phone call is no easy, or cheap, task. Above all else we miss our families and friends ... read more

Exploring Egypt First and foremost, we're throwin' out a BIG Happy Birthday to Mom! Yes, she is a year older on April 14th but doesn't show it a bit! She doesn't sell her secret, but her recipes are occasionally negotiable for trade. So for all those in Akron, give her a big b-day hug for me! As some have gathered, but others don't know the blog entries thus far have been all thanks to Ryan's wit and charm, with occasional editing (only when time permitted) by me, Katelyn. However, Ryan is on vacation this week, and I will be your blogger for tonight. Egypt: a country of living contradictions at first sight, all of which you come to love. A chaotic mess of cars in Cairo speed past you on the city streets, then a ... read more

Sorry this one will have no pictures due to the card being sent home with Kirt and Hilda for safekeeping Moving On This will be our final blog entry for Ghana. Soon we will board a plane late in the night and will awake in a new country. Our last weeks here have still been full. We celebrated Katelyn's B-day in style with over 100 kids. We then headed down to the coast to check out the castles and forts that supported the slave trade. Today (April 4th) we will head out of Ghana and into the ancient lands of Egypt. Boti Falls The day began by loading 18 kids into two vehicles designed to carry twelve. Everyone came dressed in his or her Sunday best for the excursion. For many of them it will be ... read more