Adios Peru, Hello Bolivia

And the score is.... La Paz water district with 2 points, Brig´s stomach with 0 points. La Paz water district took a quick lead yesterday morning by omitting to boil Brig´s coffee water for 3 whole minutes. After a house call from a Bolivian Dr. Roy Patty Jose Salazar (the more names, the more qualified?), it looks like Brig´s stomach might triumph. Lets give it seven days and 2 pills every 8 hours to determine the final outcome.

Crossing the border into Bolivia was a cinch. We had about 6 bicycle pedaling rickshaw drivers fighting over our business to take us to the frontera. Too bad the man we hired ended up having us pedal for half of the time. Copacabana, a small town on Lake Titticacca, awaited us with delicious food, drinks, views and expat hippies who found the sun and the slow pace of life too enticing to ever leave.

After a day of hiking from Copacabana to the little town of Yampupata, we hired an indigenous woman (and her two children) to paddle us across to the beautiful island of Isla Del Sol. (Don´t worry we all took turns with the paddle). The next day was a bus ride to La Paz. The only unusual part of this trip was when we pulled up to the shores of the lake and the bus stopped. The driver announced that we should all get off the bus, buy a ferry ticket, and meet him and the bus at the plaza on the other side of the lake. We laughed as the bus was precariously ferried accross. Hey, I guess its cheaper than building a bridge! La Paz is gorgeous, with adobe houses clinging to the cliff sides and plunging down into the valley and city center. I better get back to my patient, but I will keep you up to date on the score as the game unfolds.

PERU & Patita con Mani

We arrived in Lima, Peru on Wednesday and reality (or my lack there of) finally began to set in. Our Spanish is pretty bad and our Quechua (the indigenous language) is nonexistent. It is easy enough to get around, but reading el menu ($1-$2 set lunch menu) can be a challenge. I usually just ask the waitress what her favorite is. A few days ago, her favorite was the patita con mani. She assured me it was muy rico. Sounds great. Turns out it was a clear something that resembled chewy squid with cartilage but perhaps less appetizing. When I asked a local later they giggled as they told me it was cow foot.

From Lima we took an overnight bus to Arequipa. The bus was great and included nonstop entertainment, including a game of BINGO where the Peruvian winner was asked to give a short speech. He spoke for about 10 minutes and thanked everyone (especially the bus company) for giving him this wonderful opportunity. It was almost like the Oscars.

The highlight so far was our trip to Colca Canyon, the 2nd deepest in the world at about 3500 meters. We hired a guide to take us on a 3 day trek through the canyon. The trip included several bumpy bus rides (sometimes standing for two hours), steep hiking, and swimming at a gorgeous oasis. The first day was a holiday for the indigenous people of the Andes. They packed into our bus in their colorfully embroidered dresses and hats headed from the farm to the town to dance in the streets. When we arrived in Cobanaconde, we hiked down the gorgeous canyon towards the handful of villages below. The steep 3-4 hour hike is the only way the locals can access their homes and the village above. Mules and llamas help to make the job a little easier. That night we stayed in cozy cabins, complete with a soccer field perched in the canyon walls. Day two and three involved more hiking, swimming in hot springs and views of the Andean condor (the heaviest flying bird).

A few more days in Arequipa and then its off to Bolivia.

My Harvest Moon

The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest to the autumnal equinox, which occurs (in the northern hemisphere) on or about September 23rd. In times past the incredible luminosity of these autumn moons was said to help farmers working to bring in their crops. They could continue being productive by moonlight even after the sun had set. Hence the name Harvest Moon.

Each night that we camped on our way down to Texas, the moon gradually became bigger and brighter. You may not have noticed from the safety of your dark rooms, but the moon was so bright, even as a sliver, that not once did I need a flashlight in the middle of the night. The nighttime harvesting I did was minimal, but I definitely feel closer to our farming ancestors and Neil Young after sharing this phenomenon.

Durango, Colorado was our last official road trip excursion. Our fabulous host Kricket, toured us around a very vibrant and scenic town. As a bonus, Mesa Verde National Park is only 45 miles from Durango. I wanted to share with Brig the magical memories from my childhood of climbing ladders and squeezing through narrow rock walls to reach the Anasazi ruins. Lucky for us we hit the park on the one free day of the year and enjoyed a tour of Cliff Palace. If you have never been, go!

Two more days of interstate driving and we arrived in Dallas, Texas. The temps rose to 95 degrees, the traffic became bumper to bumper, the southern hospitality oozed out of every corner, and I felt like I was home. Today will be spent in a bar watching the TEXAS VS. OU game and tomorrow will land us in Austin, my real home. GO LONGHORNS!