Feliz Navidad and revolutionary thoughts from Bolivia

Steve made a new friend - a red howler monkey in Samaipata where we stayed for 10 days. Samaipata is in the foothills of the Andes mountains and as new-age / trendy as small town Bolivia tends to get. Nearby is the ancient (pre-Inca) ruin known as "El Fuerte," it's full significance rather mysterious. The main part of the ruin is a a carved out temple-like area on a hilltop with various creatures, serpent, puma, jaguar for instance, carved into it. Some locals were planning a summer solstice celebration for Dec21 at that location but we had to move on before then.

Before we left Samaipata, we enjoyed hiking around & swimming at nearby waterfalls, "Las Cuevas."

From Samaipata we followed "La Ruta de Che" (the route of Che Guevara). Che was a Cuban revolutionary who came to the rural areas of Bolivia in the 1960s in hopes of starting up a campesino-led revolution in this country. Che was very involved with the Cuban revolution and during his time in Bolivia (and other countries such as the Congo before he got here) he was a marked man by the CIA in the United States as his was a Communist philosophy - and so a rigorous CIA-backed campaign in Bolivia led to Che's final capture & summary execution in a small schoolhouse in La Higuera, a town we visited. After he was killed, his body was then flown to another town Vallegrande and displayed in the laundry room of the local hospital for 2 days so the international media and others could come and it could be verified to the world that Che was dead. Here are the old sinks in the Vallegrande hospital's laundry room where his body was laid. It is still a hospital but as you can see this room has been turned into a veritable shrine to Che's honour with graffiti all over it, some of it addressing very contemporary issues. My favourite quote I think was "no mas Wall St."

Before we carried on further down la ruta de Che, we hired a taxi and went out of town to see a bit of ancient "arte rupestre," interesting figures on vertical rock. I was curious about what these creatures were exactly and what their significance may have been.

It was not at all easy to get to La Higuera, place of Che's last stand and death, but it was well worth the effort. The road to La Higuera was incredibly windy, narrow and mountainous. We were now right in the heart of the Andes and very rugged country. I cannot imagine what Che and his comrades must have endured as they tried to summon support for an armed revolution from the campesinos. They never did gain all that much support. Some people informed us it was mainly because the campesinos were scared of the military and also a bit confused by propaganda being put out by the government and military at the time. La Higuera has also turned into a shrine to Che's enduring revolutionary legacy.

It's a beautiful little town in the mountains, and the campesino culture is strong there. Animals wander through at will... pigs, cows, goats, dogs... the people spend their days up in the mountains working on the land. While there we did an interesting hike into a canyon to see the spot where Che was ultimately captured. A star marks the spot.

After La Higuera we carried on over a really intense road through the mountains to reach Villa Serrano. This road becomes impassable to smaller vehicles during heavy rains and requires quite a few river crossings. There are also many areas where the road simply gets flooded out. Much of the land in this area too is carried away by torrential rains when they come. Intense landscape! Villa Serrano was just gearing up for a traditional Christmas festival which unfortunately we had to miss as we had plans to get to Sucre. The campesinos came in from all directions for this occasion.... many on the backs of large trucks like this one parked in the plaza under the Christmas lights.

And so now we are in Sucre. Here is one Christmas activity this year - a little different than our regular skiing, skating, snowshoeing, tobagganing and sleigh-riding.... Christmas will be different this year.

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

jungle adventures in Bolivia

Well we did a major splurge and decided to go on a river boat tour down one of the biggest tributaries of the Amazon River, the Mamore River. It is the largest river of Bolivia and very wild. We headed to Trinidad in the Beni Region and there were met by folks from Fremen Tours who run the boat, the Reina de Enin.

Being on the boat was like being transported back in time to the 1920s or something and was very romantic. What a great way to travel a river. I could not help but think of the larger boats that used to travel the great rivers of northern BC, the Nechako and the Fraser. The food was great and after some roughing it here in Bolivia, it felt pretty decadent on the boat.

We saw monkey and river dolphins - these fresh water dolphins are very curious and came near the boat to check us out. The nights on the boat are full of jungle sounds. The diversity of life is astounding. The Mamore River flows through the Beni region of Bolivia, a low-lying area. During the rainy season - which will commence this month or next - much of the jungle in close proximity to the river - is completely flooded & then only accessed by canoe rather than foot.

The people (many of whom still live very traditional lives near the river and utilize dugout canoes with small engines to transport items) are fairly nomadic and their traditional houses are built up on stilts which serves the dual purpose of keeping critters out & dealing with rising waters during the rainy season.

It was hard to leave the boat and head back into Trinidad to catch the 10 hour night bus back to Santa Cruz. Here we are back on shore with the people & parrots relocating, probably from more rural areas into the larger urban areas (a continuing trend in Bolivia).

We then headed to Buena Vista, a small town on the road between Santa Cruz and Cochabamba. Buena Vista serves as a good launching point for a tour into the tropical side of massive Parque Amboro. To get into the park requires at least 4 river crossings with a couple of them being quite major rivers. No bridges... the vehicles (and horses) simply go right through the water so needless to say, during the rainy season, this road becomes impassable for a period of time (other than by canoe).

We went into the park for 2 days with a guide and stayed in a tent at a very rustic camp spot inside the park. We were actually camping right in the jungle with all sorts of creepy-crawlies crawling all over the outside of the tent and around the outside.

Bug-adverse people may not care for the experience all that much. It seemed like we had the whole place to ourselves -- other than the bugs & other jungle creatures. Here are only a few of the many butterflies we encountered.

This park is home to quite a few swimmable river holes and gorgeous waterfalls. Here is a particularly delightful spot where we enjoyed a marvellous swim - much needed in the hot humid jungle climate.

The trees of the jungle have so much character - here is a bibosi tree with its interesting roots growing all over the place and of course we saw many walking trees, those trees that seem almost to wander around the jungle floor in search of water, with their root system functioning as a kind of set of legs.

The creatures that dwell in the jungle are magical and diverse....

we even encountered one large white flying creature (about the size of a bat) that our guide did not know - maybe a vibora cucu (unfortunately I did not get a picture!)

Then back to Buena Vista where we stayed at a community-run (rustic) ecoalberque, Candeleria. Just down the road was a swimming pool & organic fair trade coffee plantation.... here I am enjoying a Buena Vista cappucino. Yum!

Yesterday we were lucky to get through a massive road blockade between Buena Vista and Santa Cruz. Some mototaxi operators are protesting extra fees they must now pay.... they shut down the entire highway and many people were stranded on the side of the hot highway for hours and hours so we were lucky to get through. But now, for the time-being, we are sort of trapped in the city of Santa Cruz (blockades on several routes out of here) so for now....

we are just hanging out.

on the move again in Bolivia

After 2 leisurely weeks in Sucre, Bolivia, we are on the move again. Currently we are in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. More on this area later but to catch up on news since last I wrote....

We enjoyed our time in Sucre living in a house & heading out to the campesino market on a regular basis. It is such a delight to buy fresh fruit off the back of a truck or out of the back of a station wagon, fruit transported directly from farm to market. I continue to be blown away & impressed by the local food security and diversity here in Bolivia. Wow!

Oh, and I made an interesting discovery.... for some reason I seem to be acutely allergic to corn in North America but not down here where all sorts of interesting corns are grown and available in the markets. Hope that genetic diversity can last well into the future. It is pretty awesome.

Before leaving Sucre, we took a day trip to the nearby town of Tarabuco where the Quechua culture is strong and thriving. Many people still wear their traditional indigenous attire which dates back thousands of years. The local weavings are incredible. They are ornate & sophisticated and show the mythology & dreamings of these people. I am told that the weavers have these images in their minds from dreams & visions & weave them into extremely complex designs without so much as a pattern.

Here is a picture of a couple of the folks in Tarabuco:

When we left Sucre, we decided to travel to the Santa Cruz area via Monteagudo in the Chaco region of Bolivia. Monteagudo is a place we had never heard of, however, our friend in Sucre is from there and really recommended it -- and it is on the "Ruta de Che" (that is Che Guevera) so hey.... why not. What I read was that travel between Sucre & Santa Cruz is hellish at the best of times due to windy bumpy roads & uncomfortable rickety buses... this way we would break up our trip. A quick search on google of travel between Sucre & Monteagudo told me that during the dry season travel between the 2 places is about 10 hours and in the rainy season (which we are just entering), travel time is "incalculable."

With this fair warning, we headed out. We arrived bleary-eyed at the rather nasty hour of 4:30 am and sat in the dust & diesel fumes at the small bus station with the other campesinos waiting for buses to their various small town destinations. Two hours later, our friend's sister showed up to greet us & take us to her home, a very open-air place with pleasant courtyard but not much space for sleeping.

Our 4 days spent in Monteagudo were activity filled thanks to this family who took us in & provided most excellent hospitality. Highlights included 2 hikes up local mountain with our new Monteagudo friends & a school field trip to a local river for a day of swimming, eating & fun. I don't think many tourists (or blonde people) go through Monteagudo... we were treated as though we were exceptionally exotic for the duration of our stay. We all came away feeling pretty special so when we arrived in Santa Cruz back to being our old frumpy selves, it was a bit of a let-down!

Here are two shots of one of the mountain hikes we did near Monteagudo with our host family.

We were invited to participate in the school field trip of the little girl in the family with whom we stayed. We all loaded onto a school bus like sardines, kids, propane tanks, massive pots, bags of food (even a live chicken in one of the bags I would later discover) & dogs chasing us down the dusty road out of town - and off we went.

When we got there, fires were lit near the river to prepare for lunch & dinner and out came the chicken. Our friend took the chicken down the river along with a big knife she sharpened on a nearby rock and we watched as the chicken went from being alive to bits of meat in the lunch soup. Interesting!

How does this differ from the Canadian school outing experience? Being the "experiencial ed" guy he is, Steve had some definite thoughts about that. . . 'nuf said.

Then, back in town, a different version of chickens. One of the cousins of our host family is married to a guy who raises "gallos peleandos" (fighting roosters). He goes around the country with these guys and the bets are placed on which rooster will be cock-o-the-hill (or in other words, still alive by the end of the fight). In the real fights, they fight with spikes on their legs & vicious biting beaks. We got to see a practice round in which these 2 guys were muzzled & had protective gear on their legs. They sparred for about 45 minutes. Apparently this kind of cock-fighting happens in Bolivia, Argentina & Brazil.

Before our departure, we went to a local leather-maker's shop to check out the traditional & very distinctive Chaco-style hat. Here I am wearing the gavilan-style hat which sells for about 500 bolivianos (around $80). They are pretty gorgeous hats. This very talented man is part of Asociacion de Artesanos en Cuero. Tailor-made hats & export to Canada may be possible if anyone is interested.

We left Monteagudo yesterday by minibus for the long, hot, winding and bumpy drive to Santa Cruz. Things were going well until a guy with a live pig waved down the minibus. The poor pig's 4 legs were tied together and he was shoved in a big sack before being hoisted up onto the roof and tied down with ropes onto the roof-rack, can you believe it, then we were off? Let me tell you, some of the stunning scenery of lush green mountains falling down into the lowlands jungle was lost on me as I thought of the poor hot pig bumping along above our heads. Here in this photo you can just see the blue sack on the roof.

That's the pig.

I couldn't bear to take a photo of the poor guy from closer.
The lives of chickens, pigs and cows....

Tomorrow we are heading off to a major tributary of the Amazon River.
More soon.

La vida tranquilla (y blanca) in Sucre, Bolivia

These days find us hanging out in Sucre, Bolivia for a couple of weeks. Sucre is a city of just over 200,000 with a very temperate & pleasant climate.

Before we got here, we travelled through Potosi, the highest city in the world and centre of silver mining dating back to Spanish colonial days. Once upon a time, Potosi was the most important city of the whole Spanish empire... Here is a shot from Potosi´s Casa de Moneda, where the many silver (and gold) coins of the Spanish empire were minted. This is one creepy-looking mask with mysterious origens (and meaning), at the front gates.

We spent a couple of nights in a very cold and dark colonial-era hostal which was previously a convent for cloistered nuns. Actually, our time in Potosi was quite sad and difficult for me. Just as we arrived, I learned that my mother had died back in Canada. She died early in the morning of Todos Santos (All Saints Day) which the family thought very fitting. After much thought, I decided to stay in Bolivia as the logistics of travelling back for the funeral would have been very complicated. It was a hard decision, but I did what I could to feel close to and think about my mom here.

One thing we did to honour Mom´s memory was to participate in the Todos Santos activities. In Potosi (like some other cities in Bolivia) people whose loved ones have died within the last year open their homes to the passing members of the public and offer food and drink. It was rather touching to go into several of these homes (rich and poor) and to see the lovely shrines complete with photos, fresh flowers and other ornamentation set up in honour of those who have passed away. Of course Mom was very much in my thoughts in all of these homes, but it was a reminder of how all of us around the planet are linked in our humanity and in the flow of life and death. Here is a photo on the streets of Potosi after we had attended a home where we were loaded up with a package of treats to take with us:

Now we are in Sucre, Bolivia´s beautiful "white" colonial city, and it really is white... here is a street shot. Sucre is famous for its chorizo sausage sandwiches and chocolate (especially Para Ti chocolates ... absolutely delicious).

We found a house in which to live here for a couple of weeks with a very nice Bolivian woman who is also a Spanish teacher. Steve has already signed up for daily Spanish lessons. It is a good set-up for us for the time being. She is introducing us to some great Bolivian cooking. Papas rellenas with piquante sauce anyone?

We have also been out to nearby Parque Cretacico, a dinosaur park, posting well over 400 tracksets of dinosaurs which walk up and down and all around a virtually vertical limestone hill which once-upon-a-time was flatland, when much of Bolivia was an inland sea and dinosaurs roamed.

Oh, and you-know-who got a job selling carrots in the campesino market:

Happy Halloween from La Paz, Bolivia

Halloween as it turns out is not as big a deal here as in Canada, however, things seem to be changing. I see little plastic pumpkins and witches for sale in the street markets. Tomorrow of course is Todos Santos which traditionally has been a much bigger deal in Bolivia.

Tomorrow the plan is that we will be in Potosi, a very high elevation city. We will depart La Paz tonight on a night bus and will travel 10 hours to get there. In the meantime today we are merely hanging out on the busy streets of La Paz, window shopping, eating and going into the very inexpensive internet cafes!

I am in fact feeling rather glum today as I have just received news that my mother is gravely ill so it becomes a bit more difficult to merely carry on with our travels... my thoughts are very much with my mother and family back in Canada.

Since last I wrote, we travelled to the sacred Isla del Sol Island of the Sun, on Lake Titicaca. It is reputed to be the birthplace of the sun. Times have changed a bit since we were last there about 10 years ago. One now has to pay to hike around the island and go see the ruins. In fact each of the three small towns on the island charges its own fees of entry. It is still lovely though! Miles and miles of hiking accompanied only by the sounds of bird, donkey, sheep and wind. No cars on the island and the people still carry on a very traditional agricultural way of life. We spent 2 nights on the island, one in a hostal where the wind and sound of Lake Titicaca waves rattled through the wide gaps between the planks in the rustic door. The second night there we actually dared camp at 3800 m! It was good to use the tent that we have been lugging around with us hoping to save some accommodation money along the way. A tad chilly and uncomfortable on the rocky ground, but we survived. Our neighbours were a bunch of donkeys who checked us out with much curiousity. Here is a photo of one of the ROADS on Isla del Sol.

Then, onto La Paz, the highest capital city in the world and of course the capital of Bolivia. During our first stay with the family with whom I lived almost 10 years ago, the indigenous people striving to save the TIPNIS Amazon basin jungle park were also in town meeting with President Evo Morales. The only evidence of their presence we saw were the signs and grafitti around town, mostly expressing support for their position.

After several days in La Paz, we decided to risk a trip to Coroico, a small town in the Sud Yungas, the area where the Andes Mountains meet the lowlands jungles. I had never before gone as a trip there required navigating the Death Road, a road that saw a multiple fatality vehicle accident about once per month. It is a single track dirt road through incredibly rugged mountainous terrain with major drop offs. However, since I was last here, a new highway, paved and double lane, has been constructed. That is not to say all the drivers on that road are very safe. I did not take any pictures on the way down to Coroico because I was too busy clutching the back of the seat infront of me in the minibus, for dear life. The driver was, how shall we say.... un choffer loco... averaged 90 to 100 km at least all the way down, tailgated, overtook everything in sight, had almost one head on collision on a blind corner....

but the pay off in Coroico was a veritable paradise. We stayed at Sol y Luna Eco'Lodge, a gorgeous place which we really did not want to leave. We camped there 4 nights and slept to the sound of a chorus of bugs and awoke to the symphony of many tropical birds each morning.

Then back to La Paz with a better driver fortunately ... we have been here since yesterday and will head to Potosi tonight, then further into Bolivia. We are hoping for no road blocks. Road blocks are a very common occurrence in this country we are learning.

It is good here. We are enjoying ourselves and learning much about different ways to live life on Planet Earth.

Happy Halloween.
Happy Todos Santos.

more from Peru and Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

We have now made it across the Bolivian border and have spent the last 3 days in the beautiful little town of Copacabana, just 8 kilometres from the border of Peru and on the shore of Lake Titicaca. At 3800 m, Lake Titicaca is the highest and biggest lake in South America.

But first, back to Peru for a moment. We enjoyed the city of Arequipa. As mentioned in my last entry, in Arequipa we witnessed a very large demonstration of miners working for better rights at the Cerro Verde gold mine near the city. Here is shot ... the police with full riot gear were pretty close when I took this shot so it was just a bit intimidating!

Then, still in Arequipa, we got a chance to meet with a representative of the NGO AENES which is working to promote organic agriculture in the small indigenous communities. I was astounded by the number of seeds they are saving. Here is photo which shows just a very small snapshot of the diversity of food in Peru (and Bolivia).

To get to Bolivia from Arequipa we first took a 6 hour bus trip through the mountains from Arequipa to Puno, Peru. On our way we passed through Juliaca, an impovershed looking town where the major protests against the Canadian gold mining company Bear Creek occurred late last spring. During these protests, 9 protestors were killed and travel through the area became impossible due to road blockades. I am told by people living in the Lake Titicaca area that the plan is to dump some tailings into Lake Titicaca... a sacred and astounding lake (although already suffering some contamination and pollution....) Local communities in Bolivia and Peru are very much opposed to this plan but I am told, it remains an ongoing issue. Hopefully things will resolve in a manner that puts Pachamama (Earth Mother) and Kotamama (Water Mother) first and foremost.

Here is a photo of one of the awesome modes of transportation in Juliaca - these also very much exist in Puno, Peru. These bicycle taxis are called taxi-cholos (hopefully spelled correctly). I would like to see some of these cruising around Canadian cities in the not-too-distant future.

Today we had the opportunity to visit a little indigenous pueblo Sahuiña, in close proximity to Copacabana. Recently a community-based tourism program has started there focused on the environment around Lake Titicaca. We travelled with a local guide by home-made boat to see the giant frogs of Lake Titicaca, the K´aira, which are considered sacred by the indigenous people. These frogs, now endangered due primarily to the environmental issues that threaten the health of Lake Titicaca, are sacred to local Aymaran people who bring the frogs to land for special rain-seeking ceremonies during dry periods.

We have enjoyed some stunning hiking around the Copacabana area. Although we are side-stepping much garbage in Copacabana itself due to lack of garbage removal and recycling programs and facilities, the area is absolutely gorgeous. It is a very relaxing place to be.

Just as well as there is currently a road blockade between here and La Paz, our next planned destination. In addition, the march of the indigenous people striving to protect Amazon basin TIPNIS park from plans to punch through a road from Brazil are set to arrive in La Paz within the next couple of days. We are told these people have the support of many many Bolivian people. They are marching on the government and this march has already received much international media attention so stay tuned...

So... for now, we will be here (at least until the weekend, then we will check the news again). Tomorrow, we plan to go to the sacred island, Isla del Sol (the Birth Place of the Sun) and we also hope to get over to the smaller less-visited Isla de la Luna (Island of the Moon) which I have yet to visit. It has been 10 years since Steve and I last visited Isla del Sol, a very beautiful place, together.

Travels in (southern) Peru

We have been based out of the beautiful colonial city of Arequipa for the last several days. We are holed up in Colonial House Inn in a great location right by Iglesia San Fransisco (the oldest church in town)... we were told this old house used to house the priests from the church. We like it here and LOVE the balcony where we enjoy our "desayuno incluido" of bread, jam, butter, coffee & freshly squeezed fruit juice every morning while enjoying a panoramic view of the colonial city and nearby Misti Mountain, the sacred volcano which presides over the city.

Here is part of the view from our balcony (evening shot):

I finally found an internet cafe a block from here where I could post some photos... many more but this provides a glimpse of life here.

Arequipa is beautiful & full of an energetic (and sometimes absolutely exhausting!) vitality. A couple of days ago we witnessed a massive strike by workers at the local Cerro Verde gold mine - they are fighting for better labour rights. I did take photos but neglected to post one! The people power was amazing to behold - people have to fight for their rights here and do so; they do not take rights for granted, that is for sure.

As I write it is evening here in Arequipa and the streets are full of life, tiendas & restaurants open & crowds of people wandering around. Latin American towns & cities come to life in the evening. The outskirts of Arequipa are full of a broad range of agriculture & many food products are produced here for local & national use.

On the issue of food self-sustainability & independence, Peru is an absolute marvel.

We did a 2 day tour to some nearby highlands towns & Colca Canyon which has the distinction of being the deepest canyon in the world, and the agriculture continued although our guide told us many farmers are turning away from the ancient Incan legacy of working the fields & growing food in the incredible terraced fields with very sophisticated (and ancient) irrigation channels. Where we travelled for instance, the locals can make more money from selling trinkets to passing tourists. Others choose to relocate to the cities. An increasing amount of land in this part of Peru is becoming dormant and not being worked. Of course we still saw much evidence of the existing aspects of this incredible indigenous culture. People working the soil by hand & with human-powered plough, farmers walking their sheep and donkeys down the dusty road (made worse by the tourist buses blasting by en route to the canyon!) Here is a shot of one of the Quechua women (with you-know-who) we met in Chivay, pop. 7000 & capital of this highlands area. We could not really communicate with her because she only spoke Quechua, not Spanish.

Here is a shot (albeit hazy, maybe with the dust from the roads) of the Colca Canyon with some terraced fields seen in the distance.

The final destination of this tour was Cruz del Condor, an incredible lookout beside the canyon where multiple Andean condors soar. It was an astounding sight and because our zoom lens on the camera was not moving as rapidly as it might, we missed out on capturing the full glory of the spectacle, but here is a shot of a couple of these characters (who have a 3 meter wingspan -- they are the biggest flying birds in the world) hanging out.

Peru is a beautiful, inspiring, busy, complicated & sometimes overwhelming country. I am noticing how my La Paz days in Bolivia are coming back to me as I navigate the streets & cultural nuances... and the elevation we encountered when we went to the highlands (just over 4000 m at the high point) did not seem to be as much of a problem, maybe because of past time spent in La Paz at very high elevation.

We will be heading toward the Bolivian border the day after tomorrow. We have enjoyed Arequipa. Next stop is Puno, Peru on Lake Titicaca, very close to Bolivia.

llegada en Peru!! (we are here!)

Here we are in Lima, Peru. Unfortunately I do not have the technology here to upload the photos I have taken here at our hostel (as I am relying on electronic technology as we go!) so this post will have to make do with this photo from South Beach Miami 2 days ago. . .

Hopefully I will soon find a place where I can connect my camera and post some photos.

It was 35 degrees in Miami and a high-paced WIFI world. I found myself at a profound disadvantage for lacking a laptop or other electronic device with which to get online.... the whole human world (at least in that part of the world) seems to have gone online.

To get to Miami, we travelled by Greyhound bus to Vancouver from Prince George (12 hour bus ride), stayed several days around the coast to visit family & friends, then caught an Amtrak train (great service & very affordable!) to Seattle. From Seattle we flew to Miami via Houston Texas. We took a day to hang out in Miami and enjoyed going to South Beach. We discovered there is excellent transit ($10 US return for 2 of us and that would have afforded us unlimited transit travel through Miami for the whole day). No charge for young (short) children...

The South Beach neighbourhood of Miami is famous for its rich & stylish inhabitants. We spotted one Ferrari & one Lamborghini while there. Some pretty ritzy clothes shops which we did not even dare enter. $4 ice cream cones. The white sand beach is incredible & stretches for miles. Some definite bikini & topless posers.

The majority of people in Miami speak Spanish. Although all the signs are in English, it really does feel like Latin America so it was a good warm-up to these travels further afield...

Caught our flight yesterday from Miami to Lima. As promised, the guy from the hostel was waiting for us with a sign with my name on it. I was happy to see him as navigating which is an actual taxi at the airport can be a bit challenging. My Spanish came in handy right away in communicating with Darwin from Pay Purix Hostel who was very pleasant.

For future travellers to Peru, the taxis within the confines of the airport are registered... the ones you sign up for furthest into secure area are the most expensive. The Peruvians tend to go out the main doors to hail registered taxis. The unregistered taxis (which can sometimes be robbing schemes) tend to linger outside the airport area. Our hostel contact hailed us a taxi which is under contract to this hostel and they claim, charges less than other taxis. The ride here was a bit wild with the aggressive darting in and out of traffic, but hey, that is travel in this part of the world!

We very much enjoyed the breakfast here this morning.... fresh baking, scrambled eggs, fresh buns & butter all served on actual china dishes... a great change from the throw-away plastic & styrofoam we had to endure in Miami. Wow!

We are hanging out at the very friendly & comfortable hostel until this afternoon when we will take a 45 minute taxi ride to the Cruz del Sur bus depot to catch a 15 hour (!) deluxe bus to the colonial volcano-surrounded city of Arequipa in southern Peru. We haven´t yet seen much of Peru... but...

I am very happy to be back in South America. . . !

Farewell to the north!

After many trips to Valu Village with loads of stuff & to the local recycling bins.... we are heading out of Prince George tomorrow on the Greyhound bus. 12 hour trip to the coast.

In the last several weeks we did get out to some good spots in & around north central BC. Here are some highlights....

Frog in the Bog store in funky Wells BC, land of the Cariboo gold rush & home to artists and creatives.... got a couple of souvenir gifts for friends down in Bolivia at the Frog.

Dinner at the Bear Paw Cafe, Wells BC.... Cheryl and Dave, the wonderful hosts. Here is Dave socializing with the patrons just before he hosted the Seven Summits race which saw around 70 people participating.

And of course a trip to the Cariboo would not be complete without a Barkerville visit, this time to the graveyard. I found this grave kind of interesting - a Parisian opera violinist who ended his days toughing it out in the wilds of Barkerville. I love the stories around there - of gold, heartbreak & triumph.

Then, off to Vanderhoof BC to see the mighty Nechako River and the Canada geese there getting ready to take flight to the south. It was interesting to think how this year, we are kind of doing the same thing... even chose the same month to leave. Of course, we are not going to get the same kind of workout. Whereas the birds will be exercising their wings, we'll be doing a lot of sitting on our butts, on buses, trains and planes.

And our own backyard, where I managed to dig the potatoes... Sangre and the almost extinct Nooksack, both stored away now in a dark corner of our basement. Hopefully by the time we return next spring, they will be sprouting already.

The house is clean (well, at least the cleanest it's been in 10 years). The bags are packed.
The modem is being unplugged and the internet disconnected now that I have finished this sentence.

The adventure begins.