And here we... go

This will be my final post of this blog. Yes, that means that if you have any interest in what is going on with my life, you will actually have to keep in touch with me (and that my trip is over). There is no way to sum up my time spent traveling. Suffice it to say, though, that I feel I have grown by ages. At times, it has felt like i have lived an entire life in a matter of weeks. Days go by and I feel like the story never took a break. As excited as I was about my trip, I am just as excited to start my life post-hiatus. Well, maybe not OFFICALLY start it, but at least get the ball rolling. I said BALL. Anyway, whatever my motivation was for taking this trip, I can say that I have grown and have found new motivations for starting my life afterwards. Whats more, I have met people who helped me see that I enjoy living my life in the manner of a river - each drop of water passing a new place that is all too familiar, yet never been touched. Repetition is for the old, rest is for the weary, and today is for me. Ive read great books. Palanihuk. Fitzgerald. Hemingway. Pirsig. Seen amazing things. Machu Pichu. Buenos Aires. Bocas del Toro. Met amazing people. Davi from France. Delores from Tigre. Melissa (and Azed )from England. Yael from Israel. Erin from Australia. The Finnish guys. Rergardless of what happens in my life from this point forward, I will ALWAYS have something that makes me smile. As much as I love the people who have passed through and are in my life, I can honestly say without any hesistation that the friends I have made and experienced will forever shape the course of my life. Thanks, Eppie and Jona. You too, Peter. And, there are people like Spicer, who will donate his name to people from my past. People like Camillia, who saw lights i didnt know shined. Managua, Managua, Managua. Lima. Angelo and Chiba, who reminded me of what you can find under a rock if you open your eyes, Delores, who pulled back the brush to show the path. And Jyri, who, well shit, he's just Jyri. These are just names to the people who are reading them, but I promise you that they will mean the world to me for years to come, and I ask all that read this post to give them as much credit. Thanks for reading and following. I cant wait to remember some of these stories when I am drunk around the BBQ (parillia) with my friends. Thanks for taking the time.

Angelo, Gustavo and 15 to 20

Im not sure how to enter this next post without revealing too much, but here goes. A few days ago, I ran into a musician named Jose, who offered to take me out with his buddies at night, after we bought some souveniers. On the way to get the souveniers, we met a few older gentlemen (i.e. junkies) named Angelo (who lived in CA for a while) and Chiba (a small dude who looked like he had seen his share of hard times). I met up with Jose later on, and we took a cab with a friend of his to a bar, where we had a few drinks (huge ass Pisco sours) and chatted up the bouncer. When we got ready to leave, guess who was the only one who had any money. Thats right, I fell for one of the oldest tourist traps known, where a local brings you to a bar, runs up a huge tab, then all the other locals threaten to call the police unless you pay up. Being the smart guy that I am, I didnt have my credit card, ID or more than 30 bucks on me - just enough to pay my share and a cab ride home. I gave em all the money I had and got the hell out of Dodge. Although i didnt get too shafted, I was still pretty upset for being taken by my new friends. Caught a cab ride home, and wouldnt you know it, I ran into Angelo and Chiba. I told them the story, and they proceeded to buy me a few drinks and show me around Miraflores. For anyone who dosent know, having a homeless junkie buy you drinks is quite a honor not bestowed on many. The next day I met up with Angelo & Chiba again for some pool, and watched Chiba get all bent out of shape when Angelo wouldnt leave us alone to play pool. I felt safe, knowing that these guys knew each other from way back - they spent 10 years in prison together, and the rest of the guys that were playing with us spent time behind bars too. Not pouring drinks, either. Anyway, Chiba pulled me aside later that evening and told me that I helped him buy new shoes, pants, get a shave and a hair cut with the 3 dollars I gave him earlier that day, and it was his pleasure to buy a game of pool for us. Im going to leave the story there, but i was quite touched to see how much joy a person can get out of such a small gesture. Still puts a smile on my face.

I got Machu Pichu´d!!!

After sandboarding in Huacachina (cant wait to post those pictures - our dune buggy driver was INSANE, catching full air several times over blind dunes), I headed down to Cuzco where we started on the trail to Machu Pichu. One bus, three taxis and 26 hours later, and yours truly was first to the top of Machu Pichu. Once we got through the gates, I headed straight for Waynupichu, which is a second mountain that overlooks Machu Pichu. I cant begin to describe the feelings that go through your mind as you stand on top of the mountain and watch the sun break through the clouds, revealing so much beauty. It is impossible to fathom how long it took to build the site. Three hours of hiking from the bottom to the top of Waynupichu, and there are hand placed stairs all the way to the top (although some are super sketchy). SOme of the structures had stairs built coming out of the side of the walls, with absolutely nothing underneath them except a lot of fresh air. You can understand how the Incas worshipped the sun, being so close to the top of the world. Hidden caves that have been carved out, a condor made of stone that was itself a small mountain, and sneaky trails up and down the side of the mountain that have persevered for thousands of years. Seeing that site truly helps one realize how small you are. It was sort of like being in the ocean in that you have no control over yourself when faced with such a powerful presence. It really was as good as people say. Unfortunately, my knees felt like they had sandpaper in them afterwards, but thanks to the owner of the hostel I am staying at, there is a remedy that involves a medicine made of many natural herbs, includeing cocoa leaves, camphor and eucalyptus. Whatever it is, Im gonna have to get some of that stuff for my personal collection. Now, where is that San Pedro...

Its 4am. Do you know where your child is?

I decided to splurge a little bit tonight, being that I now have funds again (that is a shout out/blow below the belt, Dan). Went to an all you can eat parillia and spent 63 pesos. Bout 17 dollars. That included all the meat you could eat off the grill; chicken, ribs, steak, filet minion, vacio, and jamon, with a bottle of wine and desert - Im going to cry for you, Argentina. What a great way to end my trip, after spending the day marveling Rodins, Monets and Picassos. Spent some time at Eva Peron´s museum - she was an amazing person, and ended the night dancing at Crobar, a crazy insane club that was packed full of Argentine women. Geez. Now that I am sufficiently hammered, it is off the bus station for a transfer to the airport, from where I should arrive in Lima (cross your fingers) and head to Ica for some sandboarding and late night endeavours - then off to Machu Picchu. I am staring down the last month of my travels and am beginning to sense the impending doom of finding a job and a place to stay, not to mention that little bird in my ear named reality. I have no idea how I am going to function in the real world once I get back. Something tells me rehab and a therapist (and maybe at little mota) are in my near future. Ive gotta get back to BA, though, as this seems to be the center of the world. So glad I made the trip to Argentina. Someone please remind me to email my friends I made here when my brain gets back to a stable state.

Scurvy para uno, por favor

So, for anyone that has known me while i was drunk, you know that ive had a secret goal of acquiring scurvy. I dont know, it seems one part desire, two parts destiny. If it werent for that whole rotting your teeth out thing, it probably would have been past tense. Hence, enter Buenos Aires. If there were ever a place to consume food that was strictly protein based and avoiding all substances resembling vegetables or containing vitamin C, Buenos Aires is the capital de federal. Two days ago i consumed an entire meal that was only beef sausage, a huge vacio (rib steak) and bottle of vino (all for 12 dollars for those keeping track), with a side of bread and butter. If it werent for my choice to cook lunch for myself (bottle of white wine, chicken with rice and corn for 7dollars), i more than likely would look like one of those pirates you see with looking out of one eye and smelling like four day old manatee (you do know what pirates used to use manatees for, right?). Regardless, i find myself eating mujellas (fried sweetbread - cow joules for the uninitiated), chorizo (God only knows what is in that) and empanadas as a side dish that taste almost as good as anything ive ever put in my mouth. I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain. I love CCR. Regardless of whatever instances of TD (Travelers Depression) you go through, there is always light after the storm. No matter what situation you find yourself in, there is always someone who has been through worse. Ecpt, i havent met anyone with Vitamin C deficieny. Keep your fingers crossed. Brian, you are going to love my stories when i get back. Tara, not so much.