Greetings from South America!

Well, I´m in South America and have pictures and videos I´d like to share with everyone, so I figure it´s a good time to start a blog! Just to get this out of the way, if you see UFC 100, please do not comment on the fight results as I intend to watch it when I get back and do not want any spoilers. ;)

So, most of you should know by now that I decided to take a 10 day trip to Peru with my best friend, Albert. Our original plan was to start in Cuzco and Macchu Pichu and work our way back to Lima on the 15th where we would catch our flight home. As luck would have it, there was a transportation strike in Peru that put the kibosh on our plan. We got to see MP, but given our short schedule and the unreliable bus availability due to the strike, we had to do away with the rest of our plan.

Since I am not beholden to a job right now, I decided to extend my trip from the 10 days to a month and now I will be flying out of Buenos Aires. Albert will be returning to work as scheduled, so I will be solo. On the way to catch my flight home on 08/04, I will be traveling through Bolivia and Argentina and may stop by Paraguay or Chile on the way.

We have spent all of our time in Peru up to this point, mostly in Cuzco. We were fortunate to have an American contact in Cuzco through my friend from Safeco; her name is Celeste Marion. Let me tell you... after meeting her, I can safely say I have not done enough with my life; she is quite an impressive person; not yet 30, Celeste is the founder of Manos Unidas, a school in Cuzco for children with disabilities.

http://www.manosunidasperu.net/

On our first day in Peru, she was gracious enough to meet with us in Peru and give us the insider´s scoop on Cuzco. Today, she welcomed us into her school to meet some of the children and staff. It was a really special experience. In Peru, children who face challenges like the children of Manos Unidas Peru do are typically marginalized and neglected. Celeste´s school to my knowledge is the first of its kind in Peru; a haven for these children where they can receive an education that understands their learning abilities and provides an environment where they are treated with dignity.

Please visit her website and sponsor a teacher. Here is a truly great cause that can really benefit from your donations. I am sure to do so myself.

Our trip also took us to Machu Picchu, a 15th century fortress built by the Incas but lost in history until it was discovered again in 1911. The site is accessible by train or by bus. Since we waited until the last minute to book our tour, our options were limited, so our trip consisted of a 6 hour bus ride up to a train station where we boarded a train that took us to Agua Caliente (named for their hot springs), the base camp for the trip up to the archaeological site.

Our bus driver, Sergio... Let me tell you about this man. A man of few words (and it wasn´t because of a language barrier. Most of the travellers were spanish speakers but few knew what was going on at any given time), but this man... this man could drive a space shuttle through a doorway and not cause a scratch. He was a steely-eyed dynamo of a bus driver. I was terrified most of the time given that we were in a bus filled with 13 travellers and a driver and navigating roads that were on mountainsides, thousands of feet up and with no kind of protection keeping us from driving off the side of the mountain. The roads were also covered with rubble from the side of the mountain. I felt like at any time, the combination of his speed and the rubble would cause us to careen off the side of the mountain. By the time we were on our ride home though, I was ready to trust this man with my first born. If I were ever to become a touring musician, I would find this man and would beg him to drive our bus...

Besides my constant refrain of ¨Machu, Machu Picchu/ I wanna see / a Machu Picchu,¨ Machu Picchu was a mind blowing and soulful experience. Just being up in the mountains overlooking this mammoth of a fortress built by the hands of men with access to limited technology... I had an out of body experience. Actually, that was more likely because I was exausted from the hike up and the thin mountain air. But it was great!

I will post more video of Machu Picchu on youtube when I get home.

So... remember that transportation strike I mentioned? Well, it was in full force on Wednesday, the 7th of July, the day we were scheduled to return to Cuzco. Now, it didn´t exactly mean that we were stranded, but it did mean that we had to walk the train leg of the trip with our 120 lb packs on our back. Albert, the speed demon finished the trip in 2hours and 20 minutes approximately. I finished it in just about 3 hours. It was miserable but you know what? I´m glad I did it.

Anyway, I´m up to about S./9.00 (soles) in internet charges (which equals about $3.00, but hey, I am unemployed and backpacking so get off my back!), so I must wrap up. Tonight, I go to Puno and an island on Lake Titicaca called Tequile; google it. More to come, I promise. Please stay tuned!

Love, Don