Nomad just lost in place

OK, Here I sit , thinking about where I can go. I knew that it was just a matter of time before I would be having travellers withdrawal. My only link right now is either the Bootsnall community or travel blogs. That or searching the travel writing section of the local library. I’m still in a holding pattern with the Peace Corps and trying to decide what will be my alternative should plan one fall through. I’ve toyed with the idea of Africa anyway, but cannot rule out another destination. I haven’t abandoned my idea of doing something related to animal rescue, but don’t know where. I think that I will probably make a decision at the last moment as I usually seem to do. With this in mind, I guess I’ll head for the aforementioned travel section of the library.

O.K., Here I am back in the San Francisco Bay area. I guess it’s nice to be around familiar faces and places once again, but at the the same time I feel that I left a part of me in South America. I decided to return at this time to kind of prepare for my next adventure, which was to have been a 2 year commitment with the Peace Corps in Africa. When I write Africa ,what I mean is Kenya. Unfortunately, due to the current situation they decided it was best to rescind my invitation. I can say that I am a little bumbed since I have been looking forward to serving there since I found out about it 2 months ago. Now I will just sit and wait until they give me another assignment. I can use this time to reflect on the past 4 months of travel. Prior to Ecuador and Peru I traveled to Europe for a couple of months and saw so many interesting things that now I can learn more about some of the places I visited. I can say that I truly loved Germany , with it’s beautiful landscape and architecture. Italy, with it’s ruins and especially Sicily, where I met the nicest people and got to see The Valley of The Temples in Agrigento. I also found Pompeii and Herculaneum interesting as well. Croatia and Slovenia were two places that also left a lasting impression on me. But I have to say that Spain , particularly Barcelona, was probably the highlite of my trip to Europe. It was the one place I visited where I could have unpacked my bag with the intention of not using it for quite a while. I am sure that it’s a city that will play a part in my future travels. And speaking of future travels, I have this part of me that is already placing socks, shirts, and various items in their little spaces inside my backpack for my next adventure,even if only in my mind, for travel seems to agree with me in a way that is beyond my ability to put into words. But at this time I will just do my planning which is also fun. Who knows, If my P.C. assignment doesn’t  happen soon, then maybe Africa is still a go. Just not Kenya. With that , I will sign-off and head to do some reading about Morocco.

I left Cuenca with a slightly heavy heart. I found the place quite addictive. There was Louis , the owner of Clasico, the cafe where I not only enjoyed delicious food , but also got a number of free Spanish lessons. Cafe Austria, with atmosphere plus, as well as all of the sights of downtown that are too numerous to mention. I had planned on stopping in Latacunga for a few days before coming here to view Mt Cotopaxi, but since it was night, I missed my stop. Had this not happened I would have avoided getting stuck for 4 hrs. in a massive traffic jam due to a multi-car accident about 200 ft. ahead. It was raining which probably played a large role. We were out in the open country, yet in no time there were people out selling food and cold drinks. Anyway, by this time I decided to just head the rest of the way to Quito. I arrived in Quito, took a taxi to The Secret Garden hostel and hoped that they had a bed for the night, since this place is usually packed. My luck held out. I had a good nights rest and a great breakfast and I am enjoying today exploring Quito again. I managed to visit the Museo de Ciudad which I found really interesting, then had lunch,which consisted of salad, rice, beans, potatoes, fish and a drink for $2.60. I can tell I am back in Ecuador. The hostel I am staying in is one of the best. It has an amazing view of Quito, delicious food ( vegetarians no problem ), a very friendly staff, and best of all , it is set-up where there is an upper level terrace for the dining and socializing portion of the stay. It is no wonder it is usually full. Tomorrow I plan to tour the newer city. January 21st. I had an interesting weekend just wandering around the city. I managed to find the Ecuadorean flea market by just walking until something appeared. I found the central park where the Jardin Botanica is located. There is something special about viewing the exotic plants that are native to another country, and since Ecuador is located on the Equator, there seems to be quite a variety of things that are unlike what I usually see. When I returned I found out that the evening meal was going to be including some musical entertainment by a local group of people playing Ecuadorean tunes. They have already released several CDs, so the performance went really well. This hostel is unlike any I have stayed at in all of my travels. New people arrive everyday , yet after several hours they sort of blend-in with the rest of the guests , and it feels like one hugh family. I seem to meet new people on a regular basis and learn so much by just engaging them in conversation. I have found that traveling just seems to agree with me. Anyway, this is my last day in Quito since I leave for the Cloud Forest tomorrow but I will return for about a 5 day stay before heading home. Hopefully, I will see plenty of Aves on my side trip. Adios , till next time.

I decided to head back to Ecuador after my trip to Machu Picchu so I boarded a flight to Lima. I fell asleep as soon I fastened my seat belt and did not wake up until the wheels touched ground. It was a 12 hr. layover before my bus left for Piura. Again , as soon as I sat down I went out and did not wake up until I got to town 12 hrs. later. After one night in town I left for my border crossing into Ecuador. That is when things got interesting. We made it past the Peruvean side ok. but the computer on the Ecuadorean side was down so we had a 2 hr. wait. We finally left at 2 in the morning, but since the driver was way behind schedule he wanted to make better time. Unlucky for us. First , we were already up in the mountains and second it was very dark. I never imagined that a hugh bus like that could lean so far without tipping over. This guy must have been doing 60mph. in some areas. Add to this, the fact that several turns had no protection from a veer to the side as well as areas of road where the pavement would cease to exist. I really thought that this was the last ride of my life. When I planned this trip I decided not to do any extreme sports ( bungie jumping, rock climbing etc. ) but this seemed more dangerous than any I could think of. It was not the thought of the bus leaving the road or that once it did it was headed for a long ride about 2000 ft. down the mountain ,but the thought of the sudden stop when it finally reached the bottom. Luckily, after about 30 min. he stopped and there was a change of drivers. I can only imagine that he decided that he had had enough and had to go get some fresh clothes. I am in Cuenca now and plan to stay a couple of days and also re-connect with some people I met the first time I was here. This is actually a very comfortable city. Lots of interesting things to see and do. Anyway, Time to relax.