November 28, 2001 - Tucson, Arizona 

I finally got a plane ticket to get back to Baby Blue in Lima. I will be driving from there into Chile. Chile is a long narrow sliver of a country. About 3000 miles long and less than 200 wide. What strikes me are the many levels of latitude that makes up the country and what diversity I will find just in weather alone, from northern desert all the way down towards the South Pole.

In my efforts to organize my departure, I am aware of the many layers and levels of my psyche that push and pull and squeeze me in different directions. I certainly am feeling the squeeze at the moment. Pulled by my desire to create something out of my life. Pushed to simply enjoy the experience. Compelled to create a home for myself and simultaneously pulled from that home to create something on the road. All of these forces combined seem to keep stuck under the covers.

I can’t speak for the inside of anyone else’s life but I am often amazed that I am able to accomplish anything in my life (much beyond getting out of bed) given the conflicting parts of my personality. Phew. I am sounding overly dramatic. Almost to the point of parody. It would be funny if it weren’t so real to me. Could somebody please point all of these parts of myself in the same freakin’ direction for a few moments?  I look back at my journal as if someone else wrote it. Who was that person? How was he motivated to do what he did? Where is the clarity to just get up and GO? What does he really want to do right NOW? This is just another “Why Am I Doing This” Part Three? Or is it Four? OK. This is part of my ritual of getting back on the road. I’ll get over it.

June 7, 2001- Guamote 

 
In Guamote I was invited to attend a meeting of the mayors of the surrounding communities. I was there as a representative of Ecotrackers. One of the items on the agenda was the promotion of tourism in the area.

 
I didn’t contribute much other than to say that I was helping to produce a video that would attract eco-tourism volunteers to the area. They liked that. They were happy to have me and took me on a guided tour of the areas’ tourist attractions.
 
The fertile mountains around Guamote produce primarily potatoes and carrots. The farms are organized by the municipality on a co-op basis and seem extremely efficient and productive. An hour on a bumpy dirt road into the country, the community has their own fish farm producing tons of North American rainbow trout.

 
Again I was impressed by their management skills. I got VIP treatment there and was treated to fresh trout for dinner!
 
The area has gorgeous mountain lakes, as of now, unspoiled and undeveloped. They hope share the beauty with visitors and bring income to the community. 

 
They seem very community and conservation oriented. I hope they are successful in their hopes of developing the area carefully.

July 7, 2001- Chiclayo, Peru 
 

On the surface you could say that Peru is just another Third World Latin Country. But I find the subtle differences between Ecuador and her neighbor to the south fascinating. 
 
What a difference an imaginary line in the sand can make.
 
Makes and models of cars for instance. A bunch of old Dodges rumbling down the roads here, didn’t see a one in Ecuador. The cops here are all sporting spiffy new SUV’s, in Ecuador only battered Japanese Sedans! 

  
Just across the border, construction materials and techniques vary drastically, even the colors of paint! The roads here are much better, but the drier climate gets some of the credit, not just Peru’s Dept. of Public Works.

 
One of the cultural differences was a nice surprise. Big smiles on the street. The girls here are much more open and friendly toward foreigners. Well, one foreigner in particular… not exactly a scientific survey, but a very noticeable improvement for me.