PEOPLE PICTURES

Here we are, the whole jing-bang lot o' us: Jock (the tall, blond bloke from Aussieland); Aabir (the little, brown idiot with the backpack looming over his head); Teressa & John (who'll probably never live down their contribution of the "anayee" song or their explanation of why one should never use the term "fanny" among British folk); Travis & Cari (fearless and fun, and possibly the best-looking couple among us); Dan (the ever-ready, seasoned adventurer of our group with the warmest smile and quickest wit); Cailyn, Molly, & Amy (our beloved chicas locas); Steph (my best friend and the card shark of the group... or was it hammer-head?  Well, it was something sharkish, in any case); and Doug (at first glance, the most sensible of us all... but don't be fooled; it's always the quiet ones, you know!).

Sight-seeing in Lima... and I'd say that Steph was a sight to see in her own right.  Hehe.

But, then, I'm not exactly one to talk.  Hehe.

"Did you say you want this over on the right, Comodoro?"

Don't let my smile fool you... I'm in abject terror.  Hehe.

And that, mis amigos, is the reason why.  The dreaded... guinea pig.  Ugh... they were kind enough to chop off the head and feet, at least.  There should be a law against eating any mammal the size of a chihuahua or smaller, I tell ya.

She's cute, isn't she?  Has good eyesight too... she could see the word "sucker" on my face from a couple miles away.

Steph staring off into the distance, probably looking for the open sea. 

A nice lady.  Of the sixty or so people trying to sell me something, she was the only one to take "no" for an answer and not lay a guilt-trip on me while doing so.

I can't quite remember where I had to stand in order to get this angle.  Hmm.  Well, it couldn't have been any place too treacherous. I'd remember if I had fallen, rolled, and bashed my head against a fence-pole, right? Right?

One of my more embarrassing antics -- I had actually wanted to climb up on top of the pillar, but I found that the stone was too soft for me to get a firm grip on and that broken glass had been placed on the top, just in case anyone was stupid enough to try.  N'yeah, well. Had to be a ham, all the same. Hehe.

Mango-munching in progress. Do not disturb.

"Agustus Gloop again? No, Mr. Wonka, I'm afraid it's Steph this time."

Tattoos for everyone!  Courtesy of Mauro, our intrepid guide.

Mauro!

Arrrr!  Looks like Steph got a tattoo, too.

"Man! What's a guy gotta do to find a campsite around here?"

"Ah, there's one!"

Breakfast tent. Hey, wait a sec... since when do I drink soda pop in the morning? Oh, right. Not soda pop. Rehydration-salt solution. Poor me.

"Oh-oh! Do you have her, Travis?"

"Good man! Nice save!"

Some guys have all the luck. Yes, sir, that they do. And some get to keep the pictures. Hehe.

Ooooouuuuuummmm! 

Phew! Still alive!

"Now, it's what you might call a 'fixer-upper,' but, trust me, you'll love it when you get to know it a bit! As you can see, it's got running water, lots of room, and a fairly nice lawn area...."

The usual suspects... with a couple extras? Hmm... well, the more, the merrier, eh wot?

Hmm, well, at least Steph's looking presentable. As for me... (grumble, grumble)... unshaven face, disheveled hair, barely tucked shirt, heat exhaustion, eyes squinting from sunlight and sweat....

But, nevertheless, you may refer to me as your lord and master, my dear sirrah!

"Greetings, traveler, and welcome to the temple of the Sun!"

"Aaahhhh! No, no, I'm too old to be sacrificed! What's that, Mauro? 'Close enough,' you say???"

Judging from the sundial/compass thingie, we needed to go that-away.

Mauro and the top two aerial and marine infiltration experts of his elite beach-bumming squad. (Yeah, well, a guy can dream, can't he?)

What did I tell you? One little glimpse of Mother Ocean, and she's at total peace with the world.
 
 

SCENERY PICTURES

Would be soothing to just sit on the fence and stare across the valley -- if not for the crazy tourist buses periodically rampaging around the bend.

That sign up there on the mountain?  The one made of trees?  I think it has the name of the people who own the land.  In our neck of the woods, it would probably be made of canvas-board and read "Eat at Joe's" or something.

I liked the red roofs.

Even took a second picture.

Farming steppes close up.  Pretty.

Farming steppes from afar.  Still pretty.

Mountains and a river.  Gotta love it.

Mountains and a river... who could resist taking a picture?

Yes, sir, gotta love it.

"Can't... stop myself... must post... one more!"

Not even half-way up on our hike.  Nice view, no?

Machupicchu -- the stuff that dreams and postcards are made of.

A portal in time.
 
 

MISCELLANEOUS

Dog and donkey (the latter, I must insist, should be pronounced "dunkey").

Steph's squishing the mountain between her fingers. She's just gotta align her fingers with the view-finder. Hehe.

Alpacas. Apparently the best lawn-mowers in the business.
 
 

            Well, that's all for now, folks.  Join us next time --
             same Bat-time, same Bat-place (or... uh... something like that).
             Hehe.  Take care.
 

"Sharks are like British soccer fans, well-behaved until one gets excited, then the whole bunch go bananas!" -- Rico Leffanta.
 
 

If you're interested in signing up for a tour of your own, visit GAP for more details.
 

Back to my homepage.