Huanchaco- Perú

Small beach town. I am amazed at how different the climate is here, only 15 hours south of Guayaquil. Its so much COLDER! Today is uncertain, however, yesterday we found a camping hotel in this little town with great restaurants, and slept in a tent with nothing but some reeds and a sheet protecting us from the ground below. I liked it better than the sleep before, though; the birds and rain and the sound of the waves made it worth it. We were the only english speaking guests on the campsite, though, everyone else spoke FRENCH. Tomorrow, I hope to be across the border again.

Trujillo- Perú

It took us 18 hours to get here, but it really didn't seem that long, having slept for most of it (i brought a pillow instead of a towel...thusfar, a trade I consider worthwhile, having got a good 12 hours of usage out of the pillow, and not having needed the towel in my present, unbathed state) The town reminds me of Ecuador mountain cities like Cuenca, except without the altitude headaches and the cold, so thats nice. We walked around a fair bit this morning trying to find an open place to eat, and again this afternoon, because the bus dropped us off a fair distance from the town centre, but we got to see some impressive ruins this morning, the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (I like d the drive there: through the dusty countryside, low adobe houses and walls, the river winding through a desert, sights i haven't seen in Ecuador) Our hotel is a bit of a dump, no toilet seat or showerhead, no sheets yet, and some suspect foreign hairs and foodstuffs on the carpets, but for $3 a night, we can't complain. Tomorrow I think we will switch cities, to the smaller beach town, 20 minutes away. I feel like such a tourist, gosh, but i guess its fun if you are so painfully aware of how ridiculous you look, wandering around with a map, white skin, and a dazed look on your face, counting unfamiliar change and getting ripped off by every other transaction you make (so far, twice by the same taxi driver, twice at the border by men who sold my travelmates the forms they could get for free at the window, and other instances that have slipped my mind...we've only been here a day! Perú seems less friendly than Ecuador)

My friend Chelsey andher boyfriend from Nova Scotia flew in last night and so I'm going to Macchu Picchu this week, apparently. I've never been to Perú.

I'm sorry, I was at the beach.

Then, I was at university. I sorted out some stuff. I'm now a "student" again, instead of "undecided" (though my visa says missionary)...up until June 28th (I'm quitting school again as soon as Pamela gets here...love the short term commitments)

pardon all the parenthesis.

I have to tell you guys something, but now is not the time. Back to your regular scheduled lives.

As if thinking in front of a computer screen wasn't hard enough, the cyber cafe where i connect has decided to hire a PENTECOSTAL employee...and he plays this music (i use the word "music" for lack of a better one, and because i assume that is what he considers it to be)...with the same WAILING, SCREAMING, CHANTING woman singing lead vocals on every song, and he plays this CD constantly, and he seems to always be on shift... i already feel like he looks down on me (one day, i was distracted and i gave him way too much money to pay for my bill, and he looked at me like "poor stupid foreigner, hasn't learnt how to count change yet")...if i ever asked him to turn of that infernal (blasphemy?) racket i think he would further look down on me for having no spiritual dimension. So i am forced to put up with this, indefinitely, in hopes that they fire his ass and/or he has a crisis of faith. Let us pray.

i have reconciled with the fact that i must give up my dream of being a graphic designer

katie (my sister) at 8 am. karen protects herself from the sun my brother, in the airport, drinking his vainilla cappuchino oh so cool.

these are my kids, at camp...according to my parents i am "getting a heart" for them. los chicos del parque: Cruz, Titi, Junior, Alexis and Julian (clockwise from top left). incidentally, the double exposure is the back end of my mom's car.

take these chances