Far off the beaten path, at a small AM radio station on the outskirts of Cusco, Jennifer is pulled into a local celebration — much to the mortification of her children.
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE ON THE ROAD: FRIENDSHIP
After only three weeks of travel, it’s extraordinary how different this journey has been compared with ever other trip we’ve taken in our lives. First of all, we’ve never kept a blog before, sharing our lives so openly. Nor have we made so many new and dear friends in such a short period of time. There’s something about being out on our own in the world for such a long period of time that makes us incredibly open to meeting people, starting conversations, and forging bonds that we could never imagine forming so quickly in our lives back home. (Telling people you’re in the midst of a year’s journey around the world is a helluva conversation starter by the way.) Tonight was Mark’s birthday and we had the great fortune of sharing it with Jean-Michel, Isabelle and Anatole, a funny, smart, interesting family from Lyon, France who we met only two days earlier in Machu Picchu. This relationship was born from a simple conversation that started in line to retrieve our bags. After only forty-eight hours of knowing each other, this was the third meal we shared together, life stories were exchanged, and we look forward to staying them in the winter when we arrive in France. More than anything else, these relationships will certainly be the most valuable things we collect on our year to think.
JEWISH COWBOYS OF PERU
Four lonesome renegades disappear into the Andes, never to be heard from again.
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF MORAY
Moray is an archeological site in the Sacred Valley of Peru that looks something like a crop circle. From the top ring to the bottom ring there is a temperature difference of roughly 15 degrees Celsius. It is speculated that the Incans used the site to experiment with different types of agriculture at different elevations. For example, potatoes would be planted at a higher ring because they only grow at a higher elevation while corn grows at the lowest (with fava beans somewhere in the middle). Our own experiment was to see how quickly we could descend to the bottom of the circles, navigating a complex series of steps protruding from the ancient stones. Click below and enjoy our journey with us — in glorious stop motion.
ADVENTURES IN QUESTIONABLE PARENTING
In the back alleys of Peru, we were given an offer we found difficult to turn down.WARNING: It should be noted that the above video does not begin to show the danger we were exposed to. Due to the fact that we had to hold on to the vehicle with both hands, our ability to shoot was severely limited. For example, the flat part featured in the video comprised only about 2% of the experience. For the most part, we were riding on broken-down ATV’s up steep narrow embankments through the rough back hills outside of Cusco, being chased by wild dogs and dirt-caked children. Mark and Jen lost Franny and Finn for a good ten minutes, driving wildly through the back roads looking for the kids. But in the end, everyone had a grand time. All in all, just another installment in Adventures In Questionable Parenting. But our last one featuring ATV’s.
ADIOS, EQUADOR
Goodbye to Ecuador. Goodbye to the mountains of Quito. And Zazu and Crepes y Waffles, both wonderful restaurants — high and low. Goodbye to the Galapagos and the iguanas and sea lions, the albatrosses with their mating dance and the blue footed boobies with their eggs. Goodbye to the M/V Santa Cruz and all the friends we made on our voyage — Scott and Emily, Ron, Daniella and Juan Diego, and all the Boobies and all the guides. Goodbye to Cotopaxi and the cows of Esteban. Goodbye to the houses with their second stories waiting to be built some day down the line. And goodbye the Indians of Otaval parading with their fighting roosters.
Ecuador was our first country. There will be many more, but none will be the first. Ecuador is where we began our journey. Where we got our first stamps in our passports. Where we spoke a foreign language for the first time. Where we tasted new foods, especially Ahi — our new favorite spicy sauce. Ecuador is where we arrived at night and felt a little frightened. And Ecuador is where we left as the city came to life as the sun rose with so many joggers out in the morning on the streets of the old town. And Ecuador is where Franny cried when she had to say goodbye to Ignacio and Martina. Goodbye to the Espinozas and the Albornoz’s. We thank them for taking us into their families. Now we feel like we have a place to come home to.A FEW SECONDS OF SCIENCE
We all know that when you flush a toilet or drain a sink in the northern hemisphere, the water drains counter clockwise. And we know it’s the opposite in the southern hemisphere. But what happens when the water is directly over the equator? Here’s the experiment done just five feet north of the equator (shot on our iPhone). The equator is the red line:Here’s the same tub of water draining just five feet south of the same red line:And here’s the same tub of water sitting directly on top of the equator, at exactly zero degrees latitude:What astounded us was how profound the effect was at just a distance of a few feet.
ECUADORIAN DAYDREAM
When we first conceived of taking a trip around the world, we dreamed that we might make new friends in the places we visited. Perhaps these new friends would have children the same age as ours, maybe they might invite us to their house or their farm, maybe we would ride horses with them or milk cows or something, perhaps we would learn how to cook dishes that were native to their country, and we might all laugh together around a fire. Was it all just a dream?
WHAT WE SEE TODAY
The price of gas in Ecuador. Yes, that’s per gallon. Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. It caused a double-take for us too. Thanks to government subsidies, you can still fill your tank here for less than twenty bucks. That’s nothing compared to Venezuela where the price of gas still hovers around 9 cents per gallon.
DANCING ON THE EQUATOR
The equator cuts right through Ecuador, hence the name of the country. This is the source of a great deal of national pride. In honor of the Ecuadorian Independence Day which is today, August 10, we danced on the line that separates the north part of the world from the south part of the world.