Why

In the past week I have had my ipod, check card, $500 cash money, 2 jumpers, my only towel and a significant portion of my soul either lost or stolen. Trying to stay out of trouble in my last week but it seems to be finding me, hopefully my string of bad luck has come to an end and I can cruise through my last two nights. Staying at a little desert oasis outside of Ica called Huacachina, with sandboarding and dunebugging riding on the agenda for tomorrow. Couple days in the sun before diving into Fall in the south!

Huanchaco has a way of taking you back in time. Fisherman use ancient technology with their Caballitos de Tortora fishing vessels to bring in the daily catch - why fix something thats not broke right...

Chicama, with the world's longest left handed break is only about an hour north of Huanchaco and easily accesible on a day trip.


Tongues out series featuring Chicama


Average evening in Huanchaco, surfer and fisherman chasing the light...

Dos Semanas

2 weeks from today I will once again be blessed with the opportunity to sink my teeth into one of those oh so sweet Georgia peaches. 2 weeks, which is 2 weeks more than my vacation time for all of last year, 2 weeks which is about how long I have been growing this beard (probably is time to shave), 2 weeks which used to seem like such a long time but after 6 months of being abroad, 2 weeks, well 2 weeks seems like nothing. Just 2 weeks ago the Pacific sun rained down on my back as the worlds longest left handed break beat against the coast of Chicama. The wave is said to be 2 km long providing one of, if not THE longest water ride in the world. The conditions weren't perfect but Chicama doesn't have to be in order to thoroughly enjoy yourself. No crowds, perfect sun, gorgeous point breaks, cool group and every bit of a good time - I would even goes as far to say it was an epic day on the waves - buen olas para todos! Could have been yesterday, but no, it was a solid 2 weeks ago. I think it is something in the salty air that can just evaporate time right in front of your eyes. I have been volunteering in the beach town of Huanchaco for the past month, but it could have easily only been 2 weeks - I just don't know where the time has gone. So 2 more weeks in South America, with no real plan to speak of. Even though there is still loads I would like to see and do, it looks like those stories will remain in another time and place. With only 2 weeks before returning home I feel as if, 'Other arms reach out to me, other eyes smile tenderly, still in peaceful dreams I see, the road leads back to you, oh Georgia, Georgia, no peace, no peace I find, just an old sweet song, keeps Georgia on my mind'. For all you Georgia folks, see ya'll in 2 weeks.

getting close

Had a dream last night Governor Schwarzenegger was rocking out at a charity event with a bright red UGA tshirt on. This must mean 2 things, the Dawgs have the governator on their side rendering them utterly unstoppable and being back home is starting to seep its way back into my subconscious. I have done a pretty good job thus far of 'living in the now' making the most out of everywhere I go and keeping my thoughts in the here and now. But as it gets closer to my departure from South America I cannot help but get a bit ancy about getting home and figuring out what is next. What exactly that will be, I cannot say simply because I have no idea and that unknown factor is exciting in itself.

Was gonna try to head up into Ecuador, but time is starting to slip away as I depart in less than 2 weeks now. So gonna head north and see how close I get to the equator before turning back to fly out of Lima at the end of Sept. More good times to come...

Stream of Conscienceness

My head thrusted up from the pillow as I impatiently blurted out some freshly brewed sleeptalking jargon. The overhead light was shining especially bright, the clock read 4 am and my body was displaying all the physical signs of annoyance on the verge of full blown anger. My heart is beating rapidly, all my hair seems to be on end, my skin almost has an itch clinging to it, I am worked up to the point where something needs to, no had to be released. I´m really not happy with someone who I believe is in the process of nagging me unmercilessly about something I apparently find completely irrelevant, or could possibly have a very strong conviction for - I can't be certain. Why is my light on? I must have fallen asleep reading. Not having a bedside lamp really is a pain in the ass. Why does that thing have to be so damn bright? And what the hell did I just say? Something about 'Would you just leave it alone' or 'Why don't you go fly a kite' or 'Please God, shut the hell up' or...Whew, I haven't been this aggitated in a while. Is it worth it to walk to the bathroom, I really gotta take a piss. I guess I gotta get up to turn off that light, but the bathroom seems so much farther away. Damn that thing is bright. I will just decide about the can while I am up turning off the light. Oh yeah, I definitely gotta go - its gonna be nice too. I wonder why that dream got me going so much? Maybe its just a little too chill or worry-free in this place and I was in need of an anger fix. Mmm hmm, this was definitely worth getting out of bed for. Then again, that book could be getting to my head - homeboy in it is having trouble differentiating between the real world and dream world. Man it really is a whacky read, I wonder if sitting in a well really is that good for a ponder? Good God that was a wonderful pee! Maybe I was angry because I had to pee so bad, but surely that wouldn't make me that mad. Nah, I bet it was this light, why isn't there something to soften the glare of that bare bulb, some kind of glass fixture or I bet I could take that oriental style paper like deal from upstairs. Now that is what I'm talking about! No pesky full bladder, no blinding bright miserable light, this pillow is doing exactly what it should be doing and I still got 3 more hours to snooze. Uh huh, uh huh, its gonna be some sweet, sweet sleep. What if all this sand is what triggered my little verbal outburst? I just put these sheets on 6 hours ago, but yep, I am sure of it there is sand everywhere. Damn, and I forgot to brush off my feet before I jumped up here. There has to be some easy way to get it all out. Brushing it off doesn't seem to do the trick, I could get up and flip the sheet over but ofcourse that will never happen. Maybe I will figure out why I am pissed off if I go back to sleep, surely something to get that worked up over hasn't left my subconscience yet. But I wonder, is it possible to be just a little too content and my mind and body are just craving some conflict. Seems strange to crave such things but I suppose you can't really enjoy the easy times without a bit a aggitation from time to time to level things out----------

Taming alligators

Water skiing in Doctor's Lake as a kid always seemed pretty crazy to me, but when your mother assures you that its totally safe, you know, who was I not to jump in the water. But we still carried out a bit more caution by putting the dogs in the house and sticking to dry land when there was a gator lurking about. Not really the same in The Pampas. Even the most timid of people in our crew was frolicking about in the water with a nice 5-6 foot gator glaring on from the bank. I have to admit, it does make you a little nervous when you see that menacing head disappear and the beast could be anywhere. But like my beloved mother, Chalo and Juan Carlos our guides through the area seemed to think everything was perfectly ok - 'no, es ok, tranquillo amigos', so ya know, when in Rome thou shall swim with aligators and paranas(I still don't know what that means).
It literally went from everyone being star struck by that first gator siting to not even thinking twice about antanganizingly taunting the camp mascota, Fredrico - former star of the 90s comedy classic, 'Happy Gilmore'. Fredrico has found solace here in the Amazon as he playfully threatens to bite off the hands of tourists, munches on parana remains, and winks his lone eye at the gringas passing through.
The really freaky side of the gators comes out at night, flashing a light along the shore to have 10 demonic red dots respond to the intrusion. But even the night time red eye intimidation technique didn't stop the lone ozzy in our group from grabbing a baby gator on shore to parade it around the boat - of course the beers probably had something to do with that.
Other than the abundance of gators The Pampas region of the Amazon is an especially fertile expanse for an array of wildlife. There are turtles, Rodents of Unusual Size, Pink River Dolphins, Paranas, various monkeys, uncountable species of birds, anacondas, cobras, and supposidly some jaguars sneaking about. Ah, the Amazon, a truely unforgettable experience: the wildlife, the landscape, the lifestyle, and the miserable effects on your bowels.

Huanchaco for a month...

Arrived late on Monday night and volunteering my mornings at Un Lugar surf school, owned and operated by the infamous Juan Carlos. I will also be spending a couple nights a week teaching English to University students in exchange for a critique of my español. The surf here is nice even though any skills I thought I once had have completely deteriorated. Got a month here, a little more exploration north - maybe cross over the equator, and its back stateside...time is'a flyin by!

64 Clicks for the adrenaline junkies soul

Cafe Terrazo was packed and the tension all but smacks you in the face as you walk through the door. The murmurs circulating are all centered around what was to come, "When was the last time you rode a bike", "I heard somebody broke their collar bone last week", "Are you really sure you wanna do this?" I was feeling that queasy tension in my gut similar to the excited anticipation before a day on the slopes or stepping onto a new roller-coaster as a kid. The WMDR: The World's Most Dangerous Road, otherwise known as Weapon's of Mass Destruction Road, is in fact the world's most dangerous road. Buses and Trucks carrying loads of people and cargo fall to their death every year on this stretch of about 35 kilometers of gravel. Why not grab some mountain bikes and give it a go!
Starting at 15,400 ft, the lack of oxygen and bitter cold hit you all at once. You got about 30 kms of road to cover, getting a chance to feel up your bike while reaching top speeds of around 50-60 kms/hr. But the real fun comes when you hit that gravel. That first bend you come up on that looks as if you are riding straight on into oblivion is truly breathtaking. With a 2,000-3,000 ft drop off to your left, mistakes are completely unacceptable and ensure a pretty certain and undoubtedly miserable death. During the overall 11,800 ft vertical drop you end up stripping about 3 layers of clothes throughout the day. The morning starts off surrounded by snow-capped peaks and you finish up in the evening chillin in the Amazon at an wildlife reserve. Needless to say the day was full of excitement and straightup downhill fun!
In all honesty, I was expecting a bit more out of the track with all the hype that it got. I mean it was definitely fast and fun, just not terribly difficult. Even so, the novelty of riding down the World's Most Dangerous Rode is pretty cool and you are definitely into it while you are riding with that monstrous drop off pumping adrenaline through your veins. Thanks for another good time Bolivia!

Club MP

The ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu is surrounded by an ever changing blanket of mystery and intrigue. The construction, the purpose, the how, the why, the when, and the what for have all been the subjects speculation and suspense throughout the years. Some believe it was a fortress hosting the last stand of the Inca empire at the hands of the Spaniards, others are convinced it was the capital of the empire where all the Inca royalty resided, while still others have theorized it was a sanctuary for the Inca women. As I scaled Waynapicchu, overlooking the ancient ruins, a vision was bestowed upon me and I now know hold the truth behind all the hype. The nearly vertical staircase near the top of Waynapicchu is enough to put the fear of God into anyone on its own and it was at this spot when The Roots highly beat-tastic single, Seed 2.0, randomly came up on the shuffle mix I had playing on my ipod. A combination of the critically acclaimed tune, along with the fear of falling into oblivion to my left and the unique energy the ancient ruins radiate, I was granted a vision of the truth behind the mystery of Machu Picchu and I shall share that truth with the world...

Machu Picchu was an erotic resort for newly weds and those trying to mend the fabric of a broken relationship. A club med of sorts maybe referred to as Club Machu Picchu, or the Quechua equivalent back in the day. It makes so much sense when you put all the pieces together. First of all the Inca´s were a very sensual people, so shrine of this magnitude would not be unusual. Then there are all the different theme rooms: the puma room, the condor room, the snake room, there is even one whole section of the place in the shape of a sexy alligator. The llamas gallivanting around the place can absolutely, without a doubt feel the sexual energy flowing through the ancient stones. The llama foreplay ran rampid throughout the site, and we even got to witness a full-on llama lovin scene, which was of course rewarded with a standing ovation from the crowd of ruin dwellers. Inca women were also known to be rather large ladies, and we all know the female sex drive is directly related to her current measurements. As they say, the more cushion, the more the need and desire for constant coitus. Those Inca dudes had to build a sexual fantasy-land of monumental proportions to keep their women from going mad. So there it is, mystery solved, no need for further speculation or ridiculous theories.

The big peak is Waynapicchu, had to borrow this photo off the web as all my Machu Picchu pics got deleted at Lake Titicaca. Even the scandalous llama pics...very depressing I know.