Peru 2006

For two days we hiked the Inca trail before arriving at Machu Pichu - a sacred establishment that was started, but never finished, by the Incas. In the early 1500s the Spanish conquests brought an abrupt end to all construction as the Incas fled the region. What a lot of people don't know, however, is that this sacred temple was a secret to the Incas themselves. Only the elite - the priests and very priveledged knew about its construction. The workers were uprooted from their homes in the valley without knowing where they were going or what they would be building. The holiest buildings such as the temples, were built without any mortar - What I found to be even more impressive, however, was the hydrolic system they had established.
The majority of my trip I stayed in Arequipa where I volunteered at a children's hospital and an orphanage when I wasn't studying for my Spanish course. (I paid 4 dollars an hour for a personal tutor while I was there!) Anyhow, at the orphanage, the boys each learned special trades so that they would be able to support themselves when they were on their own. I was surprised at how self-sufficient they were- They even made their own shoes!

Costa Rica (summer 2005)

This picture was taken along the road in Costa Rica after I had just finished white-water rafting. The trip was by far one of my favorite excursions; I felt like I was going back into time as the current swept us down the river, under hanging bridges and alongside teepees. The currents didn't prove to be too challenging, and I almost finished the entire trip without falling out of the raft. The instructor spoiled my triumph, however, when at the end of the trip he snuck up behind me and threw me into the river!

My Spanish tutor in Costa Rica was a running addict, so she managed to cajole me into running a half-marathon while I was there. All throughout the race, spectators stood by offering words of encouragement and hosing us off with water. Even with the occassional dousing of water, however, I was still overheated. Of course, within 5 minutes of finishing the race, it started to downpour. Just my luck.

For a weekend, my host family took me to their vacation house nearby the "aguas thermales" or the hot springs. It was unbelievably beautiful. Imagine yourself in the middle of a jungle taking a natural bath under the cascading warmth of a heated waterfall. It was amazing - Until ... without warning, the skies opened up and it began to downpour. We knew it was dangerous to stay in the water, but we ignored our commen sense and continued to jump off the cliff we had discovered. Finally, we decided to leave and started the treck back home. 5 minutes into our return home, the trail intersected with the river, and we saw, aghast, that it had completely flooded. The water level had risen several feet; we watched in horror as entire logs were swept downstream by the current. Relieved that I had just escaped death, I was overhwhelmingly grateful to be safely returning home. My feeling of security were soon shaken again, however, when I tripped over a root and my leg plunged down into an insulated mudpit. Fortunately, one of the guys that was walking behind me pulled me out before I burnt myself. Talk about an adventure in the jungle!

France (summer 2006)

Florion was one of the two kids I watched while I was in France. Il est trop mignon! This is his attempt at showing his affection.

Winter Break in Spain

• In Valencia I stayed with three Italians and a Spaniard. The Spanish girl and I decided to go exploring and ended up eating a lunch while enjoying the picturesque view of the beach
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  Europeans eat so much pork! I was exploring one of the largest open markets while touring in Valencia, and I couldn't help but take a snapshot of this pig's head. I suppose they don't let any part go to waste ...

La Sangrada Familia. I toured Barcelona with a model from Lima, Peru and a veterinarian from Rome, Italy - this was one of our favorite attractions. La Sangrada Familia is a Catholic Cathedral of which construction began around one thousand years ago. Due to insufficient funding, however, it remains a masterpiece in progress. Today, new parts are erected as offerings from the Catholics are amassed. Because there is no one architectural plan (instead, a conglomerate of architects such as Gaudi have contributed to its design) it was fascinating to see how the century-old steeples were complimented by the modern flare of more recent additions.