28th October, 2009
Since Peru, last summer, I have had the fortunate opportunity of travel to numerous locations across North America and beyond. Here is the list I came up with: Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Hawai’i, Washington DC, Massachusetts, New York, Georgia (the US state, still fun), Wisconsin, Oregon and Washington again, Nevada, Arizona and finally Utah.
What brought me to Oregon the first time began with an encounter I had where a man was touting his permaculture/ cycling group at the Green Expo in St. Paul a few years back. I signed up for the “win a free vacation raffle” and was thanked with monthly newsletters. Later on, I would find myself thinking back on this, pulling the mental file from the depths of my mind and examining what this one or two weeklong bike trip was all about. Eventually, an impulse won me over and I signed up for not one, but two trips. There was a deal going on, where I paid for one and the second person who accompanied me would go for free. I jumped at the chance to pursue some of my passions, including community building, veganism and environmental action. This ended up being a learning service project type of vacation through Common Circle, an organization that fosters community building and connections between us and the earth, reconnecting with ourselves, living simply, following our passions, exorcising (biking 200 miles in a week and participating in yoga) and a whole host of other crunchy granola ideals that I do my best to uphold.
Living together up in everyone’s business for that length of time had been absent from my daily life since leaving after my contracted teaching position was up in China. Cooking, eating, setting up camp, biking, sharing, cleaning, listening, talking, brainstorming and working on service projects together all with the same group of people, all the time over the period of a week was intense, at first. Then, a previous reality set in that I missed and had longed for. This level of community, while potentially uncomfortable at first for some, is what I had yearned for. Belonging, being a vital part of a wheel, where if one spoke stuck out of place there would no moving forward, is just one example of a setting where I am at my best. Sure I have and belong to communities back home. But, reliance upon other people in what some might call a close knit group back home, only go so far. We lived and breathed together, throughout the day and into the night, and repeated that process the day after that and the following day, etc.
Number two, of three eventual trips with the same organization had me in a paradise I had only dreamed of stepping foot in. Where most people might think of tying the knot or spending their honeymoon, as a group we would stay and learn from those at intentional communities, share the freshest of fruit, hear amazing stories and bike up and even walk through an active volcano. The Islands of Hawai’i provided me a platform to explore more about myself, establish relationships with those interested in similar fields of study, experiencing the wonders of nature and in the end I became close to several of my peers. Not only do I cherish these relationships on so many levels, yet I know very well and honestly there are people rooting for me on my journey, just as much as I am rooting for them on there journey.
More details on other trips up to the present will be on their way soon…
My next adventure will take me to California, by way of Nevada, where I’ll volunteer at the Phish 8 Festival, which means I get in for free! Joshua Tree National Park is on the way, and so there might be a chance to stop for a short hike. We’ll see. My good friend M will be along. Between the two of us, we’re able to have fun and/ or find fun, regardless of what we set out to do, planned or not.
25th July, 2008
Peru, the country that conjures up thoughts of the Inca, known locally as Inka, and inevitably Manchu Picchu, even that is really the mountain peak behind ruins of what most know as Manchu Picchu. If only the world at large knew about the deliciouso food, friendly people and other countless attractions, many of which are scattered across this unique land of extremes.
Mm… food is always a good place to begin any conversation. Today I had a Bolivian delicacy called salteña. Yes I know, I´m in Peru. Although, I did buy the pastry in Puno, on Lake Titicaca, near its country of origin. Bye the way, “Titi” means puma and “caca” means fish. Here is a little further info in the form of a pronunciation guide: tee-tee-kah-kah. The tour guide made sure we all said this in unison with him. It was pretty weird and funny at the time. Anyway, this pastry has roughly mashed potatoes, shredded bits of pumpkin, cilantro and a savory, spicy seasoning al stuffed inside a flaky wheat crust. So, it´s an empanada of sorts.
Another lovely dish is Soupa de Quinoa. Good for all of you who figured out the main ingredient 
There is a veggie stock base, with quinoa that has been cooked so the outter ring of germ falls off, and I have seen peas, lima beans, chopped potato, pumpkin, yucca, etc. And it is lightly seasoned with cilantro and salt. Cannot beat this dish on a cold night, though you need o eat fast when at such a high altitude along with the freezing cold temps. Even now my fingers are about to succumb to being stuck over the last letters they´ve typed Aside from that, the fact that nearly every keyboard´s keys here are difficult to push down doesn´t help; guess I´m just so use to my ibook.
Whoa, I need to get some sleep, for tomorrow I head off to Colca Canyon tomorrow to witness the Andean Condor leave its clifftop perch to soar off in search of food in the valley below. Which is astonishingly twice the depth of the Grand Canyon in AZ.
More on the people and the scenery later 
