More Photos

Greatings all,

I am in La Paz, Bolivia now and heading to the Salt plains and other sights in southern Boliva tomorrow, then on to Chile (San Pedro de Ata

cama. I really enjoyed the visit of Lake Titicaca. There are floating villages made of reeds (the boat is their taxi system. The villages are about the size of a basketball court - quite a simple life.

On the islands (I stayed with a local family), life is still simple. A single small solar panel supplies evening lighting to the rooms. The kitchen-dining area may have a kerosene stove, but most cooking is done on a wood-fueled stove. There is no running water and most food is harvested from the garden next to the house.

A couple of La Paz photos are included. One shows the bags of spices available around town and the other is of the catherdral San Francisco last night. It is quite busy here -I can´t wait to get out to the countryside again. One highlight for me was stopping at one of the local juice bars on the side of the street and getting my "Jamba Juice." For three Bolivianos (Bs, $1=7Bs), you get a couple large glasses of fresh blended juices. You drink them on the street and give the glass back when you are done - very good.



Take care,
Craig

The jungle and Lake Titicaca Photos

Here are some more photos.

The jungle photos include the native lady pressing coca leaves. The coca leaves are used for tea and chewing and help with altitude adjustment. Also, the Amazon river boat was my favorite ride along the river.

The lake pictures show an archway on Isla Tequile, some of the colorful boats - and Lucia (a local family I stayed with) in her kitchen on Isla Amantani in Lake Titicaca.

Photos of Peru

Finally, here are some photos. The coastline is Miraflores, a suburb of Lima.

The street photo is Cusco, known for its many wood balconies.

The church is also Cusco.

Machu Picchu should be obvious.

Cusco

Hi,

I am back in Cusco after a trip to Machu Picchu and four days in the Amazon. I have some pictures but have not been able to upload them yet due to the quality of computers here. I will continue to try.

Cusco is at 3400 meters (you can do the math - I will be stuck in the metric system for a while.) It does take a day adjusting to the change in altitude, but Cusco is a fun place, but a bit touristy. This was the home of the Inca´s and their presence is all around - especially in the block work that the Spanish built their buildings on.

Machupicchu is worth the trip for sure. It is an incredible setting - sort of a combination of what I envision parts of China, Thailand and Tibet are like.

I spent four days in the Amazon, some rafting, zip lining and hiking through the jungle.

Hope you are all well. I will try to get some photos up tonight before I head to Puno and Lake Titicaca tomorrow.

Craig

Miraflores

Greetings from Miraflores, Peru.

It is true - the bedbugs do bite - I will post a picture soon to prove it.

Certainly is a developing country. Everything costs a third of what it does in the States. Lots of McDonalds, BurgerKings and Starbucks (and pringels - does the world live on those things?) There is something like 10 million people here in greater Lima. It takes some getting used to, but there is a lot of life. I would hate to be here when the next earthquake hits.

Tomorrow it is off to Cuzco, where I will make my way to the Lost City of the Incas. Hope you are all well.

It is 6:20 AM April 13, 2009. Departure!

It's 6:20 AM, Monday, April 13th - Departure time!

Dear Friends and Family,



Tomorrow morning, I start on an adventure. You can follow my travels via this blog if you wish. I would also love to hear from you.



The first leg of my journey starts in the land of the Incas. I hope to visit an ancient mountain village and a high altitude lake. I will also sample the local cuisine - ceviche - but only in the morning - can you guess where I am going?



Beyond my first country, I will go where my heart leads me. I will try to post pictures and notes along the way. Come along...