tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72151792644953691452024-03-08T13:58:37.953-09:00Anna's AdventuresI love to travel and I love photographyToshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-89343225162613731482013-02-22T10:09:00.000-09:002013-02-22T10:09:11.170-09:00Washington DC 2012, part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
No trip to DC is complete unless you spend time in the museums. With a group as diverse as ours we split up to see as much as possible. The Aerospace Museum is a must see, even if you're not into aviation.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Wright Brothers flyer.</td></tr>
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The Kitty Hawk exhibit honoring the Wright Brothers and their success on flying was on display here instead of Kitty Hawk NC. It was a beautiful exhibit. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Spirit of St. Louis nose cone with everyone's signature.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturn 5 engine cone</td></tr>
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From Air and Space, next stop: the museum of Natural History. From rocks to fossils, to dinosaurs to mammals; you can spend an entire day there and not see it all. I think this was my 3rd time here.<br />
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Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-57942798879396998612013-02-13T13:25:00.000-09:002013-02-13T13:25:10.507-09:00Washington DC, June 2012 Part I<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The day after Ken's memorial at Arlington was set aside by the family to play tourist. We split up to see the sights and museums. Bill and I had been in DC several times before and felt like we knew our way around. Doug, David and the granddaughters had never been to the Nation's capital so it all a grand adventure.<br />
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The first adventure was the Metro subway. No biggie for me but the girls found it intimidating in someways. San Diego doesn't have subways.<br />
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The Washington Monument was closed to anyone wanting to climb it because of earthquake damage. There were lots of signs explaining the damage and the plans for repairs.<br />
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The World War II memorial is awesome. Pools and fountains, lots of plaques honoring all the countries involved and the people lost.<br />
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David at the WWII<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David and Bill at the WWII monument</td></tr>
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The White House courtesy of a great zoom lens.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lincoln Memorial from the WWII monument.</td></tr>
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The Vietnam Memorial<br />
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The Lincoln Memorial<br />
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The Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.<br />
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The reflecting pool was empty and under construction. <br />
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David holding up a tree, Washington Monument in the background. Some of the trees along the paths are beautiful, massive and very old.<br />
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Korean War Memorial<br />
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The entrance to the WWII memorial. <br />
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The Jefferson Memorial<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lincoln's statue inside the memorial</td></tr>
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Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-91266487979606048262013-02-13T08:29:00.001-09:002013-02-13T09:36:03.630-09:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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May of 2012, Memorial Day weekend. I, along with Ken's children and two
of his grandchildren placed his ashes in the niche wall at Arlington
National Cemetery. It had been his last wish that the urn with his
ashes be placed there and I honored that request. </div>
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Ken's family. Granddaughters Laura and Tonya, sons David and Doug, with Gayle, Doug's fiancee, myself and Bill Peterson, Ken's brother-in-law and Gerry's brother.</div>
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It was a nice day for a memorial and Ken was interred with all of the military honors he was entitled.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was given his flag.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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The Honor Guard played Taps and performed a military salute.<br />
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Doug placed the urn containing his father's ashes into the wall which would be sealed. Each of us said a few words at the site and the memorial was done. </div>
Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-18782411159425286442013-02-12T16:05:00.000-09:002013-02-12T16:05:01.811-09:00Miraflores, Peru. On the way home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I left Cuzco the next day, catching a flight to Lima. My plans had been kinda side-tracked. Lima is the capital of Peru and where I would fly out of, back to Miami and eventually home. I really wanted a night to take a long hot bath, a good glass of wine and a long sleep before catching my flight home at midnight. But I had been warned many, many times not to stay in Lima overnight. The travel agencies, the cab companies, even the tour companies all stated that I would be mugged, as an American woman, traveling alone, if I stayed in Lima. I listened to the warnings and found the Renaissance Hotel in Miraflores, 30 miles outside of Lima. A cab took me to Miraflores without incident and I spent the evening and most of the next day exploring a very beautiful city and the wonderful people calling it home.</div>
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During my one day there I wandered the beaches, stopping for lunch at a wonderful restaurant halfway out on a boardwalk while I watched the surfers waiting for the perfect wave.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Z5F9HbUT0Y/URrbmdvAIKI/AAAAAAAACUY/WErvzo5DWug/s1600/DSCF1492.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--Z5F9HbUT0Y/URrbmdvAIKI/AAAAAAAACUY/WErvzo5DWug/s320/DSCF1492.JPG" width="320" /></a> The beach was accessible via a huge wooden and stone staircase down the cliff where the city was perched. I would have loved to have had a bathing suit and a beach towel to enjoy the sun and surf. Unfortunately, I was packed and I didn't want to deal with wet clothing, sunburns and sand.<br />
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The parks along the highway were full of artwork and flowers. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sidewalks were wide and clean to walk on.</td></tr>
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Their Virgin Mary watches over all the gardens and tourists enjoying the area.<br />
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I left Miraflores late in the afternoon to Lima, then flew home to Miami and Charlotte. It had been quite the adventure and while I'd love to do it again it was probably a once in a lifetime trip.<br />
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Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-42550349329193854182013-02-11T15:25:00.002-09:002013-02-11T15:25:08.286-09:00Peru - last day in Cuzco, Part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our next stop was a group of lesser known or visited sites right outside of Cuzco. Ancient developments of walls and terraced gardens are scattered throughout the Cuzco area, showing the amount of agricultural development that supported several different civilizations, pre-Inca and after the Spaniards arrived. Areas known as Puca Pucara, Cusilluchayoc, Qenqo, and Sacsayhuma'n, contained the remains of temples, terraced gardens, and fortified walls, with the remains of ancient reservoirs. The majority of these sites do not generate the interest that Machu Pichu does. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An overlook of what was once huge terraced gardens.</td></tr>
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A lot of the terraces are still in use today and when you stop at various overlooks you can see the crops that are being planted or harvested.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes all that is left is a wall and an idea what was there.</td></tr>
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Places along the road that once contained homes, a village or maybe a farm are everywhere. It's hard to imagine that during the time of the Inca the Andres mountains were home to thousands of people, living and farming in very thin air and creating a culture that leaves modern man puzzled on how they did that. <br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YYcrlHh-cNk/URAHJ273BQI/AAAAAAAACRE/m4Hmqls331E/s1600/DSCF1382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YYcrlHh-cNk/URAHJ273BQI/AAAAAAAACRE/m4Hmqls331E/s320/DSCF1382.JPG" width="320" /></a>The new inhabitants of Cuzco have placed their own memorials to the ancient sites. The population now are mostly Catholic.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0cC_rRmO2uI/URAHQGu4HgI/AAAAAAAACRk/CYHh8BMX5TQ/s1600/DSCF1393.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0cC_rRmO2uI/URAHQGu4HgI/AAAAAAAACRk/CYHh8BMX5TQ/s320/DSCF1393.JPG" width="320" /></a>Cusilluchayoc is the remains of a temple complex dedicated to the sun. There are lots of theories around the complex but what I found fascinating was the underground formations. The rocks and tunnels that borrow underneath the soil actually make the temperatures cool enough that it could be used for refrigeration of meats.<br />
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There are areas underground that may have been used as sacrificial sites; others as food storage, such as meat from successful hunts. <br />
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During the winter months the rock formations can actually make ice in one of the streams or food placed within these areas can freeze.<br />
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Part of the theory is that the tunnels are laid out in such a manner that air rushing from above is cooled on the cold rocks. The cycle continues until the rocks are actually refrigeration sources.<br />
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Going from outside in the 70s to the near 40s underground was a chilling experience in a tee shirt.<br />
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Sacsayhuma'n is another site that have more mysteries than knowledge associated with it. The stones that make up what is assumed to be a fortress are placed together without any mortar and even a piece of paper cannot be slipped between them. <br />
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Archaeologists don't have any explanation about the site.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_WpyUDIPgw4/URAHNxGzYbI/AAAAAAAACRU/Z0d2Ty9UmeI/s1600/DSCF1381.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_WpyUDIPgw4/URAHNxGzYbI/AAAAAAAACRU/Z0d2Ty9UmeI/s320/DSCF1381.JPG" width="320" /></a>Depending on who you ask or what you believe these stones were placed at this site over 1000 years ago, before the Inca, OR they were molded in place, each stone molded to fit where it needed to be. These stones are granite, show signs of being exposed to extreme temperatures and there aren't any tools in the vicinity or a quarry nearby where the stones could have come from.<br />
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One thing is known for sure, human civilization at this moment cannot duplicate it.<br />
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Leaving Sacsayhuma'n we headed away from Cuzco and into the mountains. Maria had a site in mind that was off the beaten track by miles. We turned off the pavement and started up a gravel road barely wide enough for one vehicle. The SUV growled up the mountain, higher than Cuzco until we reached Tipon. <i> (From Wikipedia: The Tipon complex is located near <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oropesa" title="Oropesa">Oropesa</a> in the Community of Choquepeda, 27 km southeast of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cusco" title="Cusco">Cusco</a>
and along the Cusco-Puno road. It contains enclosures, terraces and an
intact canal. The upper complex is crossed by the Inca Trail with an
irrigation canal.)</i><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kV8E90j1twU/URAHVIrvHLI/AAAAAAAACSE/m3dW0AD2Z8M/s1600/DSCF1401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kV8E90j1twU/URAHVIrvHLI/AAAAAAAACSE/m3dW0AD2Z8M/s320/DSCF1401.JPG" width="320" /></a>Because of the road tour buses do not make this trip and while it's considered a 'must-see' by tourist agencies the site is quiet and serene without a crowd of people trying to climb from the tiny parking lot to the ruins.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tipon hydro site</td></tr>
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Tipon was built to bring water to a village during the time of the Incas and it still works today. It is a series of terraces that hold water that trickles from various springs in the mountains. The terraces have been used for hundreds of years to hold water, purify water and create a home for various plants and flowers that need micro-climates for survival.<br />
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The site is beautiful, green, full of birds, wildflowers, etc. The water trickles down to a series of waterfalls that are are still flowing to a larger stream that continues down the mountain. Several years ago the village at the base of the mountain ran a new pipe into the stream to provide water to the community without being dependent on 800 year old technology.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VUwootsuS8s/URAHe_zCX8I/AAAAAAAACSk/ZkSNk9wZQ9I/s1600/DSCF1417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VUwootsuS8s/URAHe_zCX8I/AAAAAAAACSk/ZkSNk9wZQ9I/s320/DSCF1417.JPG" width="320" /></a>There are signs stating 'no trash' and ropes across some of the pools to keep people out of the water. While all of the area is open to the public it is mostly deserted except for locals and people hiking up the mountains to observe the immense size of the site.<br />
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I settled down under a rock wall and closed my eyes, just adsorbing the silence here. It is a wonderful place. <br />
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The people of this area are very proud of this site and protect the peacefulness of the mountain. No tshirt shops, no hawking vendors, no fast food places. Just the mountain, the terraces and the water.<br />
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Our last stop of the day was a pre-Inca site that is believed to belong to the Wari Empire. This area, known as Pikillaquta is a massive pile of mud walls, rock foundations and pits. Descendents of the Wari were incorporated into the Inca civilization, then disappeared.<br />
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Work continues on the site, with the information on the culture very sketchy. <br />
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Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-54981853961417257952013-02-02T07:45:00.000-09:002013-02-02T07:45:06.624-09:00Peru - last day in Cuzco, Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Since I'd been at this little hotel for almost a week the staff preparing breakfast had figured out 1)coffee, not tea. 2)Make a small pot (strong) then cut it with hot water to ease their trend to make it strong enough for a spoon to stand up. 3) 2 raw sugars. 4) that I would drink about the whole pot if I had time, but would take a travel mug with me for the rest of it. 5)I don't like yak milk. Yak milk is pink! 6) Breakfast for me was fruit, yogurt and cereal. No cooking required.<br />
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My last full day in Cuzco started at my hotel where my new tour guide
arrived at 8 a.m. Maria is a native of Cuzco, speaks English, Spanish,
and Quecha fluently. I was really surprised to find that my day was
just the 2 of us and a driver. It was a beautiful sunny day when we departed the hotel ready for another adventure.<br />
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Cuzco was the ancient capital of Peru and dates back to Incan times. I had walked a bit of the old city (where my hotel was) but having Maria with me for the day was great. She knew the history, the legends, the new city, and all the places I asked about.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9pz4lxiema4/UQ0BtkN7gWI/AAAAAAAACQQ/hTTyOiqM7Ug/s1600/DSCF1467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9pz4lxiema4/UQ0BtkN7gWI/AAAAAAAACQQ/hTTyOiqM7Ug/s320/DSCF1467.JPG" width="320" /></a>The old town square dominates ancient Cuzco and this is where the best examples of Inca construction is to be found, except for the ruins in Machu Picchu. The forts and churches there were built on top of the Inca stonework and today is a major attraction.<br />
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From the city square 7 different churches can be seen, representing multiple religions. While Catholic seems to be the most prominent, a multitude of others are there.<br />
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The churches are open to the public at certain times, but not the day I was there. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ePkCCqlB80w/UQ0Bq6nTbZI/AAAAAAAACP8/t-RozKRQiL0/s1600/DSCF1463.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ePkCCqlB80w/UQ0Bq6nTbZI/AAAAAAAACP8/t-RozKRQiL0/s320/DSCF1463.JPG" width="320" /></a> The fort built over the Inca ruins dates back to the days of the Spanish conquerors. The conquerors couldn't believe what they found when they invaded and the construction was so massive they couldn't see any reason to destroy it and rebuild. Plus the blocks of stones were so massive the invaders didn't know how to move or destroy it.<br />
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So they incorporated the Inca buildings into their own.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lego type construction used by t he Inca.</td></tr>
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As the conquerors tried to build in and around the Inca stonework attempts to dismantle it revealed how the stonework was put together.<br />
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Like Lego building blocks, everything fit together with stone pegs and holes. The next generations moving into the area left it alone and just built on top of it. Even a large earthquake that hit in the 20th century didn't budge what had been built in ancient times. <br />
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The connections have the appearance of being precised machined. I'm sorry, a human hand with a copper chisel and no math did not do this.<br />
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In one of the fortifications this gold sheet tells of the people and their lives.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting on a perfect rock wall looking over modern Cuzco.</td></tr>
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The modern city of Cuzco sprawls into the distance. Compared to the elegance of Inca construction it looks clumsy and disorganized.<br />
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Mid-day and I was hungry. I asked Maria for a local restaurant after she rattled off several 'American' selections. She led me through a shopping area in the old town, then down, down, and down again until she opened the door to this tiny little eatery buried almost 4 floors under the city streets. The menu was on a chalkboard with today's selection. There was a tiny bar in one corner. It was bustling with business people and students. <br />
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Today's choices included spaghetti, pumpkin soup and a fish dish. I had the pumpkin soup and fish. Pumpkin soup is served cold! Maria had never heard of pumpkin pie. The meal came with lemonade and water. It wasn't bad and inexpensive. According to Maria it was a family business passed through the generations. The menu gets put up every day and everything that is served as much as possible was local grown or caught. At night the bar is opened and it was a local favorite.<br />
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Our driver dropped us there and returned an hour later for our next adventure.<br />
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Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-22771420964339439092012-11-08T19:28:00.000-09:002012-11-08T19:28:31.211-09:00Machu Picchu, Part 2<br />
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Climbing down the ruins was just as much as an adventure as climbing up the ruins. My legs were beginning to tell me off for torturing them on all these stone stairs at an altitude of 10,000 feet. Plus it started to rain. I got lucky. I ended up falling in with a small group who were perfectly willing to help me down all those wet, slick stone stairs. When we finally got down to the tourist center I promised them a beer. At the base of Machu Picchu I took the opportunity to have my passport stamped for the site and then climbed on a bus for a ride down the rest of the mountains.<br />
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I was wet, tired, in pain, and happy, happy, happy that I had accomplished something I had wanted to do most of my adult life.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new found friends who made getting down the mountain possible.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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My plans for the rest of the time I had in Machu Picchu included exploring the community at the base of the mountain. By the time I got back to my hotel evening was almost there and all I wanted was dinner, some aspirin, and a soak in a hot bath. Exploring could wait until morning.<br />
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The next morning I had breakfast at the hotel and then went in search of an adventure. Number 1 on the list was to find a decent cup of coffee. I am not a tea drinker, no matter how many flavors are being offered. Luckily there was a tiny shop just down the sidewalk from the hotel offering a coffee deprived American a wonderful cappuccino. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee! A great cappuccino is a great way to start my morning. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful buildings and courtyards.</td></tr>
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Coffee and breakfast taken care of, it was time to explore the area. Across the railroad tracks from my hotel are beautiful old buildings and courtyards with lovely flowers and blooming trees. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The railroad is the only way in and out of Machu Picchu.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The railroad through the middle of the village.</td></tr>
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The village is very small and completely dependent on tourist traffic. It's safe and clean to walk with lots of wide walkways interspaced with small shops. If you're interested in shopping, it's an easy thing to do.<br />
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Of course when a train cuts through the middle of a village there is no way to escape the noise of the approaching train. Everyone takes the train in stride, crossing the tracks at various marked locations and waving at it as it approaches with tourists, supplies and mail.<br />
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Machu Picchu uses water for power and a large river roars down the mountain along the road. It looks very intimidating but I kept looking for suicidal kayakers trying their luck. <br />
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We use the term 'making mountains out of mole hills'. Peru doesn't use machinery to accomplish a lot of jobs... like making gravel. As I walked the road to the local museum and botanical gardens I came across a group of workers, making gravel. Using sledges, large hammers, picks and shovels, these young men broke large granite boulders into smaller and smaller rocks, until the finished product was gravel.<br />
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I think a lot of young people would be shocked at what is considered a good job in Peru. The unemployment rate is almost zero, because of jobs like this, making little rocks out of big ones.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q71SswEE10o/UJHl68RJE2I/AAAAAAAACH8/D34wnU-9VXc/s1600/DSCF1357.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q71SswEE10o/UJHl68RJE2I/AAAAAAAACH8/D34wnU-9VXc/s320/DSCF1357.JPG" width="320" /></a>The road ends at a local museum and botanical gardens. It's a nice destination for a morning walk and not so far that my sore legs decided they weren't going to work any more. The museum had just opened and I was the only guest, in front of all the tour buses. The museum officials didn't speak any English but it really wasn't necessary. All of the displays contained panels in several languages explaining the ancient history.</div>
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The museum contains a detailed history of how the ruins on the mountains were built hundreds of years ago, along with painted murals of the Inca building the temples, tools and implements recovered from archaeological explorations with explanations on how they were used. I'm sorry, using stone tools to polish huge blocks and copper implements to split the stones doesn't work for me.</div>
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When we finished the path and came back into the parking lot the first tour bus was pulling up and my private tour was over. I shook the gardener's hand told him 'thank you' several different times.<img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--8x7Z3TSDjU/UJHmM62BLoI/AAAAAAAACIQ/0sHBPSsBIso/s320/DSCF1363.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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I left a large donation for the garden at the museum.</div>
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My return trip to the village took me down a gravel path and under a sign that said Butterfly House. I found a small fenced enclosure and a young native man trying to safeguard and grow a population of endangered butterflies. He had a group of panels hung around the enclosure, in English and Spanish telling about this particular butterfly and how it was almost gone.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you see the butterfly? Look for the eye.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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He didn't speak any English but he took me around the enclosure, pointing out eggs under a leaf, cocoons under another. He showed me the flowers that this species of butterfly used as a food source. These plants were also endangered. I don't speak Spanish but we communicated very well. He told me he had 45 butterflies in this tiny enclosure and with great pride pointed out the one that was perched on a tree right beside of me. I would have never seen it. When I left the enclosure I left what cash I had left. He was a one man environmental movement, making a difference one butterfly at a time. I felt so much pride at seeing his efforts.<br />
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My walk back to the village was a lot slower than the walk to the museum. Lunch found me at a street cafe with a hamburger. I had been trying to eat local dishes the whole time I was in Peru but I finally gave in to the need for a huge hunk of meat. All I can say is that they make a burger! Big enough for three people.<br />
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While I was enjoying my burger and a glass of wine a local group sat up and played music for everyone sitting around the street cafe.<br />
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The group played all sorts of local melody with pipes and drums. Needless to say I bought their CD and I still enjoy it.<br />
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Because the railroad cuts through the middle of the town, freight and supplies are moved from the railroad station without any mechanical assistance. <br />
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While I enjoyed my burger, glass of wine and music, a group of young men, the majority wearing blue vests or other uniform shirts pushed wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow of supplies up the hill to the stores and hotels.<br />
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Anybody need a job? I guess I'm still amazed that manual labor is the preferred method for getting a job done.<br />
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After lunch it was time to retrieve my luggage from my hotel and head for the train station and my ride home to the hotel in Cuzco.<br />
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-37729557274038671912012-07-29T18:50:00.001-08:002012-07-29T18:50:11.712-08:00Climbing Machu Picchu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My last big adventure in Peru was a couple days in Machu Picchu. It was one of those things I'd wanted to do forever and it was rapidly getting out of my reach. The history here is so complex and in some ways still a complete mystery.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiram Bingman is the official discoverer of the ruins.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Even though the natives knew the ruins were there, officially the first white man who saw them couldn't believe what he'd found. The ruins were covered in vines and trees. It took years to clear the stones and start trying to understand what was found.<br />
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The Inca built this incredible complex high up in the Andes mountains to worship the sun. They did it without the wheel, without any advanced tools.<br />
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Now thousands of tourists climb these incredible stone stairs to marvel what was built hundreds of years ago.<br />
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Because the terrain is so steep, soil was hauled in and placed between rows of stones to create terraced gardens. These gardens fed a population that numbered in the thousands. All of the stones and dirt was hauled in by hand.<br />
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During the peak of the Inca civilization thousands lived in this complex at the top of the mountains. The complex included homes, temples, storehouses and layer after layer of gardens. The stones that are the most dressed were used in the temple and the residence of the king.<br />
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The complex contained a spring with irrigation channels providing water to the king's residence and other prominent buildings. <br />
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The king's residence contained a bathroom with running water.<br />
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The temple of the sun was the most detailed and beautiful in the complex.<br />
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The ruins are so impressive and awesome that it's hard to comprehend how much knowledge was used to build it.<br />
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An amphitheater was built with stone that had properties that amplified a voice. Someone speaking in the center of the arena could be heard by everyone. <br />
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Standing in the complex, the taller peak behind me.<br />
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The homes spread out all over the mountain were often two stories. The stones weren't dressed as perfectly as the king's residence and the temple.<br />
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The Inca thought that the condor was a magnificent bird. One of the stone arrangements resemble the condor.<br />
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Lamas still roam the ruins, not afraid of the humans at all.<br />
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-72341312892657303342012-07-22T10:08:00.005-08:002012-07-22T10:08:57.145-08:00Peru, heading for Machu PichuFrom Cuzco to Machu Pichu you pass through miles of farm land and rural scenery. I keep forgetting that you are thousands of feet into the Andres mountains. The farm land is lush and green and very productive.<br />
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What I find so amazing about the farmland is that there are no mechanical harvesters to be seen. No trucks, plows, tractors, nothing. It's all done by hand labor. There aren't even any horses, just oxen. I brought it up to my tour guides and they pointed out a couple things. 1) Food is cheap here because farmers don't have to pay for equipment, gas, etc. 2) Unemployment is very low, extremely low because if you don't have a job you can always work in the fields. As a rule Americans can't make a living working in the fields as a manual laborer because the cost of living in the U.S. is so high. But it doesn't seem to be an issue here.<br />
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The land is very fertile here. They grow 3 THOUSAND types of potatoes! I could see how with some mechanical help the area could turn into a bread basket for that part of the world. While I discussed it with my tour guides I kept seeing it from an American point of view and how you could increase production.<br />
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A large farming organization on these fields would produce so much more produce. But people that harvest it now would not be needed in the numbers that work the fields now. So what is the right answer? For this area of the world, people working the crops for a wage is important than volume.<br />
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My tour guides were very patient with me and my questions on the farm productive subjects. They have different interpretations of what is important I think. Homes are mostly small. There aren't a lot of vehicles except right in the city. And traffic is awful in the cities because they haven't figured out traffic rules yet.<br />
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Away from the cities the country side is beautiful and rugged. Mountains rim every valley and water falls and rivers are everywhere. A lot of the power is hydro.<br />
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From Cuzco I took a bus, then a train to Machu Pichu. Train trips are always interesting
The train ride to Machu Pichu has all sorts of adventures, from tracks
being washed out due to rain to making conversations in a dozen
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We got served a snack on the train and lots of coffee. Later I learned there was also a full dining car, complete with tablecloths and silver for all of us willing to fork out a few more dollars. While I love this sort of thing, I prefer to keep some trips reasonably inexpensive.<br />
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The train tracks run through a major river valley. Every fall during the rainy season the track foundation can be cutaway and suddenly the trains have to stop. In some places the old tracks actually hang over the water where new tracks have been laid.<br />
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Along the train tracks you find the station that will take you to the Inca Trail. This trail crosses over the mountain and leads you to Machu Pichu. If you decide to hike the trail it's about 6-10 days by foot. There are porters and guides on the trail to carry your supplies and prepare meals. But you pack in everything you need, food, water, clothes, etc.<br />
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The history of this trail is incredible and I wish my legs would have let me do it.<br />
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The train takes you pass lots of terraced gardens. Some are still in use, some abandoned since the time of the Incas. <br />
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Views from the train and through the glass roof. <br />
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Views from the train.<br />
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The train provides whistle stop service to tiny hamlets along the tracks, stopping for people, unloading supplies. In an area with no roads, the tracks are extremely important.<br />
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-44086706574150506572012-07-18T16:14:00.000-08:002012-07-18T16:14:58.855-08:00Peru, the Sacred Valley After Pisac it's on to Olantaytambo. As one of the Sacred Valley sites it is an Inca site with huge stone temples, terraced gardens and incredible views from the top of the temple. The town that lives at the base of the mountain temple tells of how the Spanish invaded, the Inca fled over the Inca Trail and Olantaytambo was a strong hold for a very long time. The history is incredible. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E-z3lNd4W6c/UAcIXhexPvI/AAAAAAAAB9g/RE1Zvu-6W_4/s1600/DSCF1201.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E-z3lNd4W6c/UAcIXhexPvI/AAAAAAAAB9g/RE1Zvu-6W_4/s320/DSCF1201.JPG" width="320" /></a> The valley at the base of the mountain is lush and green with lots of varied crops. The community is surrounded by the ancient ruins high in the mountains.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The grain storage in the cliffs and the face that guards it.</td></tr>
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There are storage areas for grain built into the mountain. Built of rock and ventilated, high above the dampness of the valley floor, the storage areas contained grain for the community and was still being used long after the Inca disappeared. <br />
The rock formation that looks like an angry face is a natural feature, not something carved hundreds of years ago. A few years ago geologists studied it in great detail.<br />
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The community thrives as a railroad depot and a tourist destination. The homes are built on the remains of the Inca foundations. <br />
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The temple in the mountain is built from the huge stones that the Inca are renowned for. Granite boulders are cut, smoothed and placed in the various buildings with no space between the stones. These stones are taken from a quarry miles away.<br />
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While archaeologists have explained how it was done without the wheel and with tools made from copper, after seeing this I have more doubts.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing the rock staircase to the mountain temple. </td></tr>
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The walls of the stone temple are smooth with no space between the stones. These stones have been here for several hundred years, dating back to the Inca Empire.<br />
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My tour guide for this trip. He is a native son and knows the history and legends intimately. One of the things he was demonstrating was how the Inca moved these huge blocks. According to research vines were wrapped around protrusions on the rocks and the rock is dragged into place. From there the protrusions are chipped off and smoothed with sand. <br />
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The view from halfway up the mountain. The terrace gardens are still being used today.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The temple of the Sun. </td></tr>
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At the top of the mountain, about 9000 ft up the Andes the Temple of the Sun stands, impressive granite stone walls guarding the valley,<br />
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According to historians it was never finished because of the Spanish invasion.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down the mountain</td></tr>
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From the temple there are paths that take you to other impressive ruins, from terraced gardens, watch towers, grain storage areas, to homes built into the cliffs, etc.<br />
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My tour guide was extremely helpful in helping me climb up and down these huge rock stairways. Sometime using a cane is a good thing, other times it just makes it more difficult.<br />
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-32735697099100870282012-04-26T18:37:00.001-08:002012-04-26T18:37:37.775-08:00Exploring Peru, pt. 1Traveling to Pisac<br />
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From my base of operations in Cuzco I traveled to Pisac for the day, with a small group of like minded tourists. We had a mini-van, a guide and a day to travel through farms, terraced gardens and finally this little village. Terraced gardens are all over Peru as the ancient civilizations took advantage of any space that could be used to plant crops.<br />
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Peru grows over 3000 types of potatoes, as well as beans, corn, and wheat. Rivers rushing down the mountain sides provide hydro-electric power.<br />
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The banner around my neck contains samples of the seeds planted and harvested. Tractors, trailers, harvesters, 4-wheelers, etc. are no where to be seen. Everything is done by hand, with oxen pulling the plows. I asked a lot of questions about why, because the land is fertile and Peru could be exporting crops all over the world. The answers I got were rather surprising, at least to me. The unemployment rate in a lot of Peru is almost nil. By not using equipment, everyone who wants to work, can work, from planting to harvesting. The cost of food, milk, meat is all low because the farmers aren't paying for fuel, equipment, etc. There is an active barter system between families and communities: labor for crops, vice versa.<br />
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The native people still follow many of the ancient traditions, from using alpacas for food and wool, and herding them from one field to another. Again everything is done on foot, with dogs and children. Alpacas can't do things like plowing a field or even providing a ride for someone. Some of them are trained to carry small packs.<br />
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The families always posed with their animals, expecting a small payment of course. I didn't feel comfortable with this; I felt like I was exploiting not only the children but the traditions that the families follow. The families would gather with their animals and traditional costumes whenever a tour bus would pull into an overlook or area containing native crafts.<br />
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I asked about the hats. I noticed a large percentage of the older native women wore hats, some even looking like top hats. Why?<br />
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Turns out it's a hold-over from 'colonial' times. A native person, working in a household or descended from the Spanish conquerors would show their status by wearing the clothing of the conquerors. The hat tradition still remains. A native wearing a 'colonial' hat can trace their ancestry to the Spanish conquerors in some fashion. The generation growing up now doesn't seem to be following that part of their traditions.<br />
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I asked my guide about their financial situations. Were they as poverty stricken as some of the literature would lead you to believe? I was really uncomfortable with having small children gather around me, hands out for coins and then smiling for the camera. </div>
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If so, was it by choice as they struggled to keep their cultures
alive? Was having tourists handing over small change for photos
absolutely necessary for their livelihood? <br />
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The answer was 'not really'. Turns out in this family's case they have a contract with North Korea (N. Korea?!) for clay! The clay is harvested from a local stream/hillside and shipped to N. Korea where it is turned into roof shingles. The terra cotta roof tiles seen around the area on homes is actually a sign of wealth. Many native families not only 'harvest' clay for N. Korean contracts, they also ship wool around the world. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xkX5411JrrI/T5g0b23NcRI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/cH_T2QbXJOI/s1600/DSCF1126.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xkX5411JrrI/T5g0b23NcRI/AAAAAAAAB4Q/cH_T2QbXJOI/s320/DSCF1126.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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A local tradition for a new family starting out is for the family and friends to buy roofing tiles for the newlyweds. The more friends you have, the more tiles you get, maybe enough to cover an entire roof. Some young men won't marry until they have bought or been promised enough tiles for a roof. Think of it as a dowry. Then the groom can go to the bride's family and show that he is a 'wealthy man' because he can tile his roof.<br />
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My guide chuckled with us and wanted to know if we could adopt him. He was trying to get enough tiles to do his roof so his girlfriend would marry him! <br />
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The government of Peru is very pro-active in helping the native peoples in their efforts. The invention of the Internet has really helped them to move into the 21st century at a level that works for the tribes.<br />
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The natives make beautiful wool tapestries. They are hand loomed, hand died and expensive! I would have loved to bring home several of them but I didn't have room in luggage or my pocketbook.<br />
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Notice the thatch roof. These merchant stalls are designed to be put up or taken down, depending on where the tourists are going to be. While this one looked more permanent than some, it's still all held toward with twine and nails. Nothing permanent. You don't put expensive terra cotta tiles on a temporary roof.<br />
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One of the strangest things I saw, and at the same time it makes so much sense I had to stop and look at it. You can actually buy them already modified.<br />
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Someone takes a old motorcycle (like WWII old), takes off the back-end and replaces it with 2 wheels, turning it into a trike. Then a bench seat is added, or cargo and a smaller bench. PVC piping is used to make a frame cover, then a cover is built over, complete with windows and doors. The driver sits on the motorcycle seat, his passengers and/or cargo sits behind him and away they go. No tags, no driver's license, nothing. I saw a lot of these completely filled with family and dogs. The back cargo area was full of groceries or whatever supplies they were moving. They were on the sidewalks, on the streets, anywhere a car would go, they would be there. Some of the professional designed and built ones had beautiful canopies, advertising all over them, fancy headlights. I saw what would be a 'biker's bar' with a sidewalk completely lined with these, all colors and designs.<br />
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These make great since in the smaller towns and villages because except for tourists vehicles and the occasional commercial vehicle there are NO cars. Considering that the roads are all one lane, made of cobblestones or planks worn smooth by traffic no wonder cars aren't around.<br />
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A typical street in Pisac. Stone streets, small vendors in little alcoves, with just enough room for foot traffic or carts.<br />
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The native people wander the streets, pose for photos and then smile. They speak Quechua, maybe a little Spanish. The children are so cute and sweet and just know to smile and hold out their hands.<br />
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One of the mainstays of the people living in Pisac is silver mining. There is a large mine in the mountains behind the village and you can watch the raw ore being made into beautiful jewelry and trinkets. The mines are owned by the local people and the local people that have the talent make beautiful things.<br />
The ones not involved in mining do a combination of farming, weaving and tourist industry.<br />
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The tiny children wear flowers from local gardens wove into their hats. This particular family included a puppy and a lamb for photos. I had 5 sol in my pocket (about 1.25 in US). I watched at least a dozen people hand them a lot more.<br />
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I still don't like it. But the family knew how to take advantage of every camera around everyone's neck.<br />
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The side streets contain an assortment of stores like any other small village. The signs are in Spanish, Quechua and English. There was even an Internet cafe. But there aren't any cars, just carts, motorcycles, etc.<br />
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-62674647699141836422012-04-23T12:45:00.004-08:002012-04-23T12:45:51.326-08:00Arriving in Lima, Peru, January 19th<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The 7 Seas Marina pulled into Lima Peru on the 19th and that marked the end of my cruise ship adventure and started another one. While I really enjoyed the 2 weeks on the ship I was more than ready to get off of it. I'm sure in the future I'll do it again, but it might be a few years. The next morning I left the ship early (4:30 am early) and took a bus to the airport. From Lima I flew to Cuzco, (or Cusco, depending on who you listen to), which is high in the Andes. </div>
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From sea level to 11,200 feet in about an hour is quite an adjustment. Landing at the Cuzco Airport is also an adventure worth noting. The single runway is perched on top of a mountain and the plane makes a couple hard turns around other mountains to line up with the runway. I'm flying on Star Peru, which is a local airline, on a plane that is definitely of Russian design. It has short stubby wings, mounted on the top of the fuselage and 4 big engines hanging from them. My first thought was that I was flying on a converted cargo aircraft and I'm still not sure that I wasn't right. The big engines are needed to suck in the thin air and to give some power to the short wings. When you hit the runway with a thud the pilots stomp on the brakes and the plane screams to a stop in a short distance. Which is a good thing because at the end of the runway is the end of the mountain and a long drop.</div>
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I had a guide waiting for me with a sign so I'd know him. A porter and Jordan (my guide) hauled my luggage to his little car and we were on our way to the hotel. While I had been told time and again that there were weight restrictions on luggage and I was seriously over it, I didn't have any problems. It's really tough to go from cruise ship for two weeks and the clothes you need, to an environment where all you need is a good backpack and hiking stick. My guides and porters earned their tips.</div>
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My home for this week was the Casa San Blas Boutique. First of all, it's clean. The floors are polished hardwood and flat stones. There's about 20 rooms on various levels. The manager speaks excellent English. I was the first American they had as a guest in a long time. I met several Canadian's, French and German guests sitting in the lobby with my laptop. The rooms have wi-fi (yay and it's free). The staff really bend over backwards to make you comfortable. I was met with a cup of coca tea (good for altitude sickness), and every night when I returned after a day exploring my bed was turned down, there were chocolates on my pillow and hot water bottles under the blankets. (After all it was the rainy season there and cold by their standards.) This little tiny hotel is in the old section of the city and is a charming place to visit. This part of the city contains the ancient Inca stone construction and is home to lots of artists making this historical area home for their artwork, weaving, pottery, carving and stone masonry.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the Casa San Blas Boutique.</td></tr>
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The hotel's lower walls are all Inca stonework, some of it restored after an earthquake many years ago. There is a small continental breakfast every morning, which can be a challenge. Coffee is tough to enjoy since they drink their coffee as thick as espresso. Yak milk is pink! I don't care for goat milk on my cereal either. But there are lots of different fruits and breads, fresh butter and local jams. After the 2nd morning there the cooks had figured it out and there was a tea kettle of hot water I could use to cut my coffee with. You do not drink the local water and I spent several dollars on water both for my room, my coffee/tea and to take with me on my day trips. Even brushing your teeth with local water is not recommended.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K4D4Zpx5Gms/T5Wg8CNiUcI/AAAAAAAAB2w/eM91x-Hclls/s1600/DSCF1469.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K4D4Zpx5Gms/T5Wg8CNiUcI/AAAAAAAAB2w/eM91x-Hclls/s320/DSCF1469.JPG" width="320" /></a> The inner courtyard at the hotel. That's me and my favorite guide. She spoke English, Spanish and Quechua. My last day there she took me way out into the country to spots most tourists can't see because tour buses won't fit on one lane gravel roads climbing up a mountain.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A typical street in the old city. Notice the stonework </td></tr>
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Walking the old city is a challenge. The first couple days I had to deal with the altitude. I never got sick but I kept a headache for several days and was thankful I'd packed a small medical kit, containing various remedies for head, stomach, even an elastic bandage for sprains. The streets are one lane with raised stone sidewalks. The rocks are round and flat, easy to slip on when it rains and the stone staircases are at an awkward height for easy walking. When a car appears it's a scramble into doorways or flat against the building because the drivers here are crazy!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxWIh0AxL9c/T5Wg_B7oxQI/AAAAAAAAB24/v8-2qUihC4Y/s1600/DSCN0852.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxWIh0AxL9c/T5Wg_B7oxQI/AAAAAAAAB24/v8-2qUihC4Y/s320/DSCN0852.JPG" width="320" /></a> Lots of the shops are just little indents in the rock walls. These big stone rocks from the Inca Empire each tell a story (or so the guides say) but nobody really knows what the story is, just that there is one. Homes are built on top of or into the walls, using beams, tin, terra cotta shingles and in some areas palm thatch roofs.<br />
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The back of the hotel contains a courtyard and church grounds. The Casa San Blas means Church of San Blas. San Blas is a Saint and the week I was there was his birthday. The party started at dawn every morning and went to midnight every night. There were fireworks every night and the first morning I was there the band started at 6 am. The band consisted of lots of large tubas and big drums. You didn't need an alarm.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HlP1gSQZvdw/T5WhQeqLNvI/AAAAAAAAB3o/RcntqI3GA6o/s1600/DSCN0863.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HlP1gSQZvdw/T5WhQeqLNvI/AAAAAAAAB3o/RcntqI3GA6o/s320/DSCN0863.JPG" width="320" /></a> The courtyard held lots of vendors selling local wares, food stalls, etc. I wandered through the courtyard the first night and decided I didn't need to add to my overloaded luggage. I was also reluctant to sample the food being offered because I'd already been warned off of it. But the smells were interesting. Roasted guinea pig is considered a staple. Too greasy for me when I tried a leg.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side streets of Cuzco</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side streets</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The oldest church in the center of Cuczo.</td></tr>
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The middle of the historical section contains multiple churches, some dating back to the Inca Empire. From the middle of the town square you can see 7 different churches that represent multiple faiths, from Catholic to Judaism. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the churches are used for other things, like theaters or local schools</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stonework and the artwork was incredible inside. NO cameras allowed.</td></tr>
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-54765380643098096512012-04-16T18:13:00.000-08:002012-04-16T18:13:29.819-08:00January 18th, Salaverry Peru<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The 7 Seas Mariner pulled into Salaverry for an overnight and I took off to the Chan-Chan Ruins, both in the city and on the outskirts. Most people have never heard of the Chan-Chan people, their ruins or their history. That's because it's been buried and forgotten for thousands of years.<i> From Wilkipedia: <b>Chan Chan</b> is an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeology" title="Archaeology">archaeological</a> site located in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peru" title="Peru">Peruvian</a> region of <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Libertad_region" title="La Libertad region">La Libertad</a>, five km west of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trujillo,_Peru" title="Trujillo, Peru">Trujillo</a>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-0"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_Chan#cite_note-0"><span>[</span>1<span>]</span></a></sup> Chan Chan covers an area of approximately 20 km² and had a dense urban center of about 6 km².<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chan_Chan#cite_note-1"><span>[</span>2<span>]</span></a></sup> Chan Chan was constructed by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimor" title="Chimor">Chimor</a> (the kingdom of the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimu" title="Chimu">Chimú</a>), a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_periods_of_Peru" title="Cultural periods of Peru">late intermediate period</a> civilization which grew out of the remnants of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moche" title="Moche">Moche</a> civilization. The vast <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe" title="Adobe">adobe</a> city of Chan Chan was built by the Chimu around AD 850 and lasted until its conquest by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inca_Empire" title="Inca Empire">Inca Empire</a>
in AD 1470. It was the imperial capital of the Chimor until it was
conquered in the 15th century. It is estimated that around 30,000 people
lived in the city of Chan Chan.</i><br />
Don't you love having an encyclopedia at your fingertips? Anyway, the ruins are slowly melting into the sand because they are made of mud. Now that the ruins are mostly uncovered rains are melting them into the sand from where they came. Thousands of years ago this was more desert and rains were rare. Climate change has changed that. <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dkCHAEfI1qA/T4zExa1MYaI/AAAAAAAAB1c/gU84dKsGBdM/s1600/DSCF1053.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dkCHAEfI1qA/T4zExa1MYaI/AAAAAAAAB1c/gU84dKsGBdM/s320/DSCF1053.JPG" width="320" /></a> The ruins of the Rainbow Temple are within the city of Trujillo and efforts are being made to restore it to what archaeologists think it may have looked like. Some of the walls still have bits of paint which gives the restorers a hint that the temple complex worshiped rain. During the rainy season blue tarps drape the walls to keep them from dissolving into sand.<br />
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Restoration efforts vary, from restoring walls, to restoring carvings on the walls. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2D-lOxHzPk0/T4zEkoXBLYI/AAAAAAAAB1U/azNfmvDo8Iw/s1600/DSCF1048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2D-lOxHzPk0/T4zEkoXBLYI/AAAAAAAAB1U/azNfmvDo8Iw/s320/DSCF1048.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the carvings uncovered carefully.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dkCHAEfI1qA/T4zExa1MYaI/AAAAAAAAB1c/gU84dKsGBdM/s1600/DSCF1053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> Unfortunately, all of the ruins are basically sand castles, preserved by luck more than anything else. Local historians tell the Moche history as best they can because there isn't a written language.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wall that has been completely restored. </td></tr>
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A couple hours away from Trujillo is the largest ruin site, stretching for miles in the desert and mostly uncovered for tourists to wander through. Local citizens dress in Moche costumes for photos. <br />
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The walls of the ruins are composed of sand and mud 'x' that represent fishing nets. The history of the Moche people all hinged on the anchovies runs up the coast. All of the carvings along the walls show the small fish, large birds and fishnets. When the climate changed and the fish runs disappeared, so did the Moche people.<br />
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Because the ruins are so delicate roofs and gutters shield the ruins from the rain, trying to protect the sand walls. Some of the walls are 60 feet tall, but they are slowly melting into the sand, taking the history of a culture with them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The source of water for the city.</td></tr>
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The only source of water for the ancient community was found to be contaminated by ancient sacrifices. The history seems to point toward human sacrifices to bring rain, or to make the rain stop. But contaminating the water led to illness and eventually death. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niches in the walls probably held some religion artifacts that are long gone.</td></tr>
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-39954428432327240782012-02-26T07:26:00.000-09:002012-02-26T07:26:26.878-09:00Cruising to South America, The Center of the World, Quito, Ecuador<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
January 16th 2012. Our 2nd day in Quito took us to the Center of the World park, just outside Quito. This location marks where the Northern and Southern hemisphere meet and the Equator runs through it. The Latitude is 0.00. This monument was established years ago, when square riggers crossed the ocean and before GPS and satellite navigation. A monument was built in 1936, then a few years later the 'real equator' was established about 240 meters down the road. So another park was established.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The monument to the Center of the Earth</td></tr>
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This monument salutes explorers from all over the world, the history of travel and the efforts explorers made to map the world.<br />
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The interesting thing about the whole equator location becomes even more complex after a discovery a few years ago was made public. A small plane/ultralight flew over a mountain and found a monument to the equator, put there by ancient peoples thousands of years ago. A GPS fix confirmed that this monument was also on the equator. Another piece of lost knowledge that raises questions about how the ancients knew what they knew.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda, one foot in each hemisphere</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Further down the road is the true spot.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance the museum/park</td></tr>
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The 'true' equator has a small park/museum, managed by the native inhabitants with educational displays and examples of tribal homes, totems, etc. Here, you can straddle the equator, balance an egg on a nail, observe water going straight down a drain, then revolve clockwise, or counter-clockwise when the drain is moved from one hemisphere or the other. The magnetic field of the planet is balanced here therefore almost non-existence.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samples of the historic tribal rituals</td></tr>
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The ancient culture practiced ancestor worship. Mummies have been found, entombed in a fetal position within excavated villages. The living relatives would visit the tombs, leaving offerings of food and other items for the family members on the<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A totem park. Totems from ancient cultures around the world or collected and displayed here.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cg-fcg4tTys/T0pKsMMSYnI/AAAAAAAAB0I/xspT7KxviL0/s1600/DSCF0904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cg-fcg4tTys/T0pKsMMSYnI/AAAAAAAAB0I/xspT7KxviL0/s320/DSCF0904.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standing on the equator</td></tr>
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Spent the day visiting the park and trying to balance an egg on a nail. (Never did do it.) While some would find the displays and exhibits a little 'hokey' the effort to show the science behind the planet's rotation and magnetic field is real.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the totems dedicated to the Mayan gods.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--FFsiBWnI_8/T0pLELFYTSI/AAAAAAAAB0g/q9unUCc7r7c/s1600/DSCF0911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--FFsiBWnI_8/T0pLELFYTSI/AAAAAAAAB0g/q9unUCc7r7c/s320/DSCF0911.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Samples of the tribal homes and artifacts from the various tribes in the South American jungle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7NcsMGvpxD8/T0pLMxbz-fI/AAAAAAAAB0o/5lBL0wga4PY/s1600/DSCF0917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7NcsMGvpxD8/T0pLMxbz-fI/AAAAAAAAB0o/5lBL0wga4PY/s320/DSCF0917.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside a tribal home</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samples of shrunken heads</td></tr>
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The methods and knowledge of how to shrink a head is alive and well. The guide through the exhibit was very knowledge of tribal lore. At the end we actually saw a shrunken human head. No photos allowed. Talk about disturbing! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our reception when we got back to the shi</td></tr>
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We flew back from Quito, taking a bus to meet the ship at the next port, Guayaquil. The ship kept going while we were in Quito. We were greeted at the dock by music, champagne and a reception line.<br />
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There was a big banner on the ship 'Welcome Home'. The reception, music and champagne actually acted as a distraction and camouflage. While all of us leaving the buses were being welcomed back with champagne and music, behind us drug sniffing dogs went over our luggage, baggage handlers took our luggage to the ship, and anything suspicious was set aside. Discretely uniformed police, along with the dogs went thru the suspicious luggage before the bag was allowed on the ship.Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-15966510724650892462012-02-17T07:55:00.002-09:002012-02-17T07:55:43.448-09:00Cruising to South America, Ecuador January 15th, 2012. The ship pulled into Manta, Ecuador. Manta is a relatively new port for the cruise ship as the city tries to woo the cruise ship industry. There's not much to see or do here: it's claim to fame is that it's a large tuna fishing port. A new museum has been built that we got a brief tour of. The museum is trying really hard to tell the history of the area, from tribal times to now and wasn't expecting a couple busloads of cruise ship passengers to arrive on a rainy morning. <br />
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As we were driven through the rainy streets the bus driver wanted us to see the bustling port, the ship repair facilities and all the 'new industries' coming to the area. I was reminded of Seward, Alaska. A small city trying to expand and grow and not knowing which way to go.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ships hauled out for work along the road.</td></tr>
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Ship repair facilities were in their infancy. <br />
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The big reason we were in Manta is so a group of us could fly to Quito for an overnight. Quito is the capital of Ecuador, and it located about 8000 feet up in the Andes mountains. The city has a population of several million people and is a completely modern city. I didn't know anything about the city or the country. I need to study so many things about South America.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Swissothel, our home for the night.</td></tr>
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The Swissothel is a 5 star hotel located in the heart of the city. Buses met us at the airport, brought us to the hotel where a buffet lunch was waiting. <br />
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Roses are a huge export for Ecuador. We were greeted with beautiful roses, roses were left on our pillows and there were huge bouquets all over the hotel.<br />
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The lobby of the hotel. The staff of the hotel are decked out in long tails and top hats. You can't push a button for an elevator, open a door, carry a bag larger than a purse, or walk across the lobby without being intercepted and asked if you need something.<br />
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Our beds were turned down at night, chocolates and roses on our pillows, terry cloth robes and slippers in the bathroom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inner courtyard and small swimming pool.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inner courtyard.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna at one of the many parks and sculptures in the city. </td></tr>
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We were taken on a tour of the city that really emphasized the beauty of the area, the volcanic history and the art and culture. Quito is surrounded by volcanoes that are dormant but have erupted in the past city. <br />
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A view from one of the overlooks. This cathedral is huge and ancient. Built hundreds of years ago it was the center of the city for a very long time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The city is dense with millions of people on the flanks of dormant volcanoes. There are 7 volcanoes ringing the city.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top of one of the ridge is a winged angel statue that is the pride of the city.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The city streets are very narrow and people usually have right of way over vehicles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Restoration work was being done on one of the cathedrals in the city.</td></tr>
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Me and Mary Kay in the lobby of the hotel waiting for the bus that was taking us to a monastery for dinner. <br />
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The San Francisco monastery in Quito where we had dinner. This is still an active monastery and the huge dining room is often used for large groups of VIPs. (We're VIPs?) There is a museum within the monastery that was opened in the evening during our visit.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Francisco monastery</td></tr>
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While we wondered through the monastery and was served with drinks and appetizers, discretely stationed monks and/or their staffs directed us to places, like restrooms. The building was all stone, lit dimly throughout with uneven rock floors that were difficult to walk on in heels. It didn't take long to get turned around in the long stone hallways, especially in the almost darkness. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dining room.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our dinner menu</td></tr>
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The hotel provided the servers for the dinner. White gloved, bow tied staff served each table. I was really impressed with how smoothly everything went, from dinner to dessert to after dinner coffee.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our dinner expertly served by the staff of the Swissotel.</td></tr>
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-33525902575631634592012-02-13T14:47:00.001-09:002012-02-13T14:47:35.059-09:00Cruising to South America, Panama Canal<br />
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January 13th, entering Panama Canal.<br />
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This is the first time I've been through the Panama Canal. I'd read about it, how it was built, how it was transferred from US management to Panama management, all the issues with ships transiting it. But seeing it was so incredible. This is a series of locks that raise and lower massive ships from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and vice versa, all using gravity and pumps to move the water. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering the canal.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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A tug meets you at the entrance of the canal. <br />
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All sorts of ships maintain the locks, from dredges to freight haulers. <br />
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Once in the lock the ship is pulled along by engines on either side known as mules. They travel up and down on tracks. While the captain of the ship is always in charge, pilots control the ship as it moves thru the canal.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the series of huge gates that hold the water, lock to lock.</td></tr>
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There are a series of gates that open and close, allowing water and ships to move either up or down. These gates and the entire canal system was designed and built in the early 1900s. Except for maintenance and repairs, the major components are still the same.<br />
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The largest of the ships on the ocean's waters don't fit into the Panama Canal as currently built. A third, larger lock system is being built and is due to be open in 2014.<br />
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The largest ship that has passed through the lock to date had 11 inch clearance on each side. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mules</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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Electric engines pull the ships the length of the locks. They're called 'mules' and they have never been live animals.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cargo ship in the lock.</td></tr>
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Because the largest of the cargo ships no longer fit in the canal, and the length of time as well as the weather condition rounding the Horn, a train track has been built the length of the Canal. Cargo ships offload their containers onto the train, the train moves the cargo to a ship already on the other side of the Canal, and the ship continues on to the cargo's destination. The train track was built by Chinese companies moving cargo to the US. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gates in the locks. When the water level is even on both sides, the gates open.</td></tr>
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I'm on the bow of our cruise ship as we go through the locks. I'm one of the few on board who haven't done this before.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A panoramic of the Panama Canal.</td></tr>
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The Freedom Bridge as you enter the Pacific Ocean. Again my ignorance of South America and Panama Canal is showing. This bridge is huge.<br />
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Panama City. Once again I'm blown away by what I don't know. I had always visualized Panama City as a small city at the end of Panama Canal. This port puts San Francisco to shame.Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-3979335961231155652012-02-11T17:45:00.001-09:002012-02-11T17:45:34.660-09:00Cruising to South America, Cartagena, Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The second morning we were in Cartagena Linda and I went in separate directions to explore the city. I headed for the historic part of the city and the fortress.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our balcony while we had breakfast.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Cartagena, being the major port on the Atlantic and on the South American coast was the target for lots of things, but particularly pirates and governments wanting to conquer it. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the entrances into the fortress tunnels.</td></tr>
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So the residents and the local government built a huge fortress to safeguard the port in the 1500s. It had everything that was needed to support troops and safeguard the community. From cannons to water supplies, ammo to food stores, tunnels built under the fortress were stockpiled. Now tours to visitors lead you deep underground and through dark tunnels to wind in and out of the fortress. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tunnels are not very high. There are alcoves where soldiers hid to ambush invaders.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the top of the fortress.</td></tr>
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There is a huge amount of history here that I know nothing about. Cartagena was a slave port, a resupply for square riggers crossing the Atlantic, a place for explorers and conquerors to come to. The citizens here are a beautiful race; a combination of the tribes conquered by the Spaniards, the African slaves brought to the country in chains, and the white Europeans who invaded in the 1500s. Americans know so little of history and how we came to be what we are now. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views of the fortress.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Views of modern Cartagena from the top of the fortress.</td></tr>
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The modern Cartagena is a multinational city with millions of residents and a thriving population. Being almost on the equator gives the city a temperate climate year round. It's also below the hurricane tracks so it's outside the threat of dangerous weather. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Historic Cartagena</td></tr>
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The Catholic faith was introduced to the native population when the Spaniards arrived in the 1500s. There are hundreds of churches scattered through Cartagena built with local stone, imported woods and marble. Murals and tapestry tells the story of how the Catholic church made inroads into the local religion.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood altars in one of the larger churches in old Cartagena</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Pedro Claver church museum</td></tr>
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One of the revered Catholic priests during the years that the slave trade flourished was San Pedro Claver. He ministered to the slaves being forcibly removed from Africa and then sent to North America. He was proclaimed a Saint after his death. His church and museum is a beautiful tribute to a man who spent his life in service to others.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_Rb1qAYP_0s/TzcTsIWuoqI/AAAAAAAABts/wgeNBwNNCt0/s1600/DSCF0634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_Rb1qAYP_0s/TzcTsIWuoqI/AAAAAAAABts/wgeNBwNNCt0/s320/DSCF0634.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bones of Saint San Pedro are entombed within the alter at the church that bears his name.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance into the botanical garden.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Saint San Pedro had a huge botanical garden that he used to make medicine for slaves. His experiments into plants, herbs, leaves and flowers as a basis for medicine is still renowned. His garden is still maintained, along with the well that provided water to so many.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb1sJUF0e9M/TzcT9Q-ulKI/AAAAAAAABt8/apWFPwXVb3o/s1600/DSCF0642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb1sJUF0e9M/TzcT9Q-ulKI/AAAAAAAABt8/apWFPwXVb3o/s320/DSCF0642.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Native costumes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iqmi5a19qL4/TzcUFPBjzoI/AAAAAAAABuE/5j7y0o0aqFU/s1600/DSCF0643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Iqmi5a19qL4/TzcUFPBjzoI/AAAAAAAABuE/5j7y0o0aqFU/s320/DSCF0643.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna with a lady in native costume.</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_306751818"></span><span id="goog_306751819"></span>Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-1843431180325688092012-02-10T05:26:00.000-09:002012-02-10T05:26:00.526-09:00Cruising to South America, CartagenaWednesday, Jan. 11, 2012. Pulling into Cartagena, Columbia. We spent 2 nights in this port and I would love to have about a week. Cartagena is a huge safe harbor for ships, with multiple large docks and stacks of container vans, cargo ships, passenger ships and local ferries. It got its start as the port that brought in the slaves from Africa. For a square rigger it was ideal, the trade winds would blow the square riggers across the Atlantic and it was a safe harbor below the hurricane tracks of the big storms. There were 2 channels into the bays that could be protected from intruders and pirates. The citizens were very pro-active in protecting their harbor and city.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance channel to Cartagena</td></tr>
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There are 2 channels into the bay leading Cartagena. One of the channels is almost a 'fake' channel, from the water it looks safe to use but there is a shallow reef across it. The other channel is deep and wide enough for ships and in historic times chains were draped under the water, then pulled tight to rip the keels off of unwanted sailing ships.<br />
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As the harbor turned into a large protected port battlements were put into place, including cannons, lighthouses, and garrisons.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aVIJAM143a0/TzPuOP0hP5I/AAAAAAAABm0/G8C08dMhx0Y/s1600/DSCF0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aVIJAM143a0/TzPuOP0hP5I/AAAAAAAABm0/G8C08dMhx0Y/s320/DSCF0371.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance channel to Cartagena</td></tr>
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Now a pilot leads ships into the port to avoid underwater obstructions. Locals dive with spearguns for fish, lobsters and other shellfish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qrNN23fqPsY/TzPubJ34qlI/AAAAAAAABm8/hWL347a8a2I/s1600/DSCF0378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qrNN23fqPsY/TzPubJ34qlI/AAAAAAAABm8/hWL347a8a2I/s320/DSCF0378.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna on the bow as the ship enters the channels.</td></tr>
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It was a beautiful warm day as the ship entered the port. We were greeted by local fishermen waving from their small boats as they fished in the channel. I watched as one guy, in a small outrigger canoe, held onto his vessel and drifted in the water, watching for his catch underneath. Then he disappeared, reappearing a few moments later with a fish on the tip of his harpoon, hanging onto the side of his canoe as he dumped his catch into the bottom of the canoe. Their techniques and methods haven't changed in hundreds of years. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Cartagena harbor.</td></tr>
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Once we were moored at our dock we were free to explore the city. The harbor itself was beautiful. Hundreds of sailboats from all over the world are moored here. It was such a pleasure to sit on the balcony of our room and just adsorb what was around us. Water taxis zoomed around the harbor delivering people and supplies to the moored vessels.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The business side of the harbor. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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While the beauty of the harbor can't be denied: this is a major shipping port. Freight from this harbor goes around the world through the Panama Canal. The container vans are blazoned with logos from dozens of countries and languages. I have no idea how many of these end up in the USA.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sCpd97OqgAc/TzPunjwC1mI/AAAAAAAABnE/ts59lrXPCrk/s1600/DSCF0393.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sCpd97OqgAc/TzPunjwC1mI/AAAAAAAABnE/ts59lrXPCrk/s320/DSCF0393.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cartagena is full of tall buildings, all white and gleaming in the sun.</td></tr>
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There are two definitive sides of Cartagena. The historic side of the city are narrow cobblestone streets, adobe buildings and old infrastructure. The new side of Cartagena is known locally as the 'Miami of Columbia'. Tall skyscrapers, bright colors, lots of music, beautiful gardens. The streets are wide, with sidewalks, and lots of traffic, buses, taxis and fast little cars. A 2-bedroom condo runs about $320,000 dollars, American.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A replica of a square rigger providing tours of the harbor.</td></tr>
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After our ship docked Linda and I took an old square rigger around the bay, getting a history lesson and enjoying a local band and dancing troupe.<br />
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We were greeted by a local dance troupe as we boarded and took our seats for our brief tour. While we had hoped that the ship would raise sail it wasn't really logical to do so with lots of people, dancers, etc. on board.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the dancers in local costume greeting the guests on the square-rigger.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The drummers from the dance troupe</td></tr>
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Drums and pipes seem to be the mainstay for music in Cartagena. Multi-layered pan flutes play in just about every street corner.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So I pretended I could steer a square-rigger.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on the Cartagena bay.</td></tr>
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While the passengers were getting settled lots of us jumped up to have our pictures made with the ship's wheel.<br />
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When the 7 Seas Mariner docked it was announced that there would be shuttle buses available to people who wanted to go into the city. Unfortunately the local taxi fleet and drivers disagreed with the ship's efforts for buses and protested. How did they protest? They blocked the dock and entrance to the parking lots with their vehicles, making a barricade against buses. The ship backed down really quickly and suddenly shuttle buses didn't exist. There were a few problems with some of the taxis acting as 'pirates' and not as legal transport. But overall, everything worked pretty well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local performers dancing for our cruise ship.</td></tr>
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While we were docked in Cartagena another local troupe performed for us on the pool deck. It was quite an impressive performance with multiple types of local music, dancers and performers. I always knew that the cruise ship industry brought a lot of revenue into a community with tourists shopping, moorage fees, etc. What I didn't realize that local performers also benefited when a ship pulls into the dock. Local performers are hired to give shows on the ship, which gives local artists a boost.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1lQSLE1T11E/TzPxcL36v2I/AAAAAAAABpE/Rv-eeClZJ2M/s1600/DSCF0496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1lQSLE1T11E/TzPxcL36v2I/AAAAAAAABpE/Rv-eeClZJ2M/s320/DSCF0496.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The costuming was beautiful.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"></td><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VIpFtj0wF7Q/TzPxtpWv1JI/AAAAAAAABpU/DV3Bwdc6diU/s320/DSCF0548.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the tribal dances were really intricate.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast on the balcony of our room.</td></tr>
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The following morning both Linda and I had early tours so we ordered breakfast in our room. Our purser delivered breakfast about 7 a.m. and set it up on our balcony. It was such a nice morning that we were reluctant to leave and climb on a bus.<br />
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Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-69454699487599587022012-02-01T16:39:00.001-09:002012-02-01T16:39:50.567-09:00Cruising to South America, heading to Aruba<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Jan. 10 we pulled into Aruba for the day. Linda and I were excited about going sailing and snorkeling along the coastline.<br />
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A view of the ship from the ship that we would go sailing on.<br />
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As we left the ship and walked along the dock this sign greets everyone using the port to come to Aruba. I thought it was kinda neat. Everyone there seemed to be happy and rum punches flowed freely.<br />
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Robert, our skipper for our sailing/snorkeling day. I hate to admit that Linda and I were both extremely disappointed over this, especially in the way it was advertised for us. Our sailboat was a trimaran that was severely overloaded with passengers wanting a day on the water. Not only was it overloaded it was a sailboat in name only. As the mainsail was raised it was ragged and torn, with a rip that a competent sailor would never let go unrepaired.<br />
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So our sail turned into a powerboat ride, with a raised mainsail being beat to death. It was an hour to the reef where we were supposed to snorkel. The reef was really just some rocks off of a beach in about 12 feet of water. There were lots of sea urchins and some fish, but no coral or very little coral or beautiful colors to see. We had about 30 minutes to play over these rocks before the anchor line was pulled up and we moved to another site; a wreck from the forties that loomed up from deep water. Again we had about 20 minutes over the wreck.<br />
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There was a lot of current over the wreck and someone who wasn't a strong swimmer was immediately swept out of the area. I had taken my own snorkel and fins with me and was very comfortable that I could handle the current or any other problems that might occur. But a lot of the passengers weren't strong swimmers or comfortable in the water. They didn't stay in the water long. Linda didn't go in at all. The crew on the sailboat was less than helpful and I found myself lending a hand to other people as they tried to re-board the swim ladder and balancing people or supporting ladders to help. I was last one out of the water. I was not pleased and I told the cruise ship that in a survey. This was the only complaint I had about the whole cruise.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shoreline in Aruba. Beautiful blue-green water.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shoreline in Aruba.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda covered up against the sun.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna enjoying the sun. I used lots of sunblock and ignored the hazards.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-87392676939456220642012-01-31T19:47:00.001-09:002012-01-31T19:48:23.844-09:00Cruising to South America, first port of call: Willemstad, Curacao<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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First port of call, Willemstad, Curacao. Since this was our first port there was a lot of fan fare as we docked. The crew prepared champagne and snacks on the fantail while we watched the docking process.<br />
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The chef on the fantail prepared wonderful fruit drinks and mixes, along with fruit salads and chunks of fresh fruit in your drink.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the carved watermelons</td></tr>
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There was a large tug taking lines to a big mooring point.<br />
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The dock that we moored to for the day/evening. Since we were only there for the afternoon/evening, tours were short and everyone stayed close. Linda went into the community and I took off to the beach.<br />
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Passengers leaving the ship for the day. One of the passengers had the neatest little scooter. Almost a tricycle that broke down to fit into a suitcase. 30 lbs to carry on. I don't think it could handle a lot of weight but it went up and down ramps easily.<br />
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The buses to the beach. The beaches were a disappointment overall. Not because the beaches were dirty or anything but because it was an hour both directions which only gave you an hour on the beach.<br />
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Because it took so long to get to the first beach as we boarded the buses there was a pretty vocal mutiny before leaving for the second beach. Half of the passengers wanted to go back to the ship and bag the beach, half didn't.<br />
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After several minutes and votes, one bus went to the ship, one went to the beach. It was kinda funny in the long run. The smaller bus went to the beach, yet it was the one with the most people on it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beaches at Curacao</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The high tide line at the beach. Lots of broken coral and shells. Not something you wanted to walk on.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hills above the beaches are full of tall cactus. Really neat cactus which just show how dry the environment really is.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the housing along the roads. Bright colors and adobe walls.</td></tr>
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That night on the ship a local group came on board and performed native dances with beautiful costuming. All of the dances tell a story about love or the fall harvest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's really hard to catch a good photo when everyone is moving so fast.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonlight over the harbor as we pulled out of the port.</td></tr>
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-79727399009677533382012-01-31T07:19:00.000-09:002012-01-31T07:19:55.047-09:00Cruising to South America, Part 3. On the ocean<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our first morning on the Atlantic Ocean. As we plowed thru nearly flat seas toward our destination the ship settles into a routine. It took me days to find a routine that worked for me. I wanted to sleep late but it was too warm. Getting up early seemed ridiculous when you're confined to a ship but after a couple days that's exactly how it was. Up around 7 and spend the day being really busy with shipboard things. <br />
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Morning on Deck 11. There's a nice little grill open on the pool deck which serves coffee, fruit smoothies and bakery treats. After coffee I walked the track on Deck 12 for exercise until my left knee started aching.<br />
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The pool deck is a great place to spend the day if you can sit still that long. Between the pool and hot-tubs, a full bar and grill you don't need to move from that deck for hours. Lunch is varied, from hamburgers and hot-dogs to shrimp curry and salads with ice cream for dessert. I wish I could say that I spent hours here but I didn't. There was too much to do and not enough hours in the day to do it.<br />
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Every day a band provided live entertainment at the pool during lunch.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda having lunch by the pool.</td></tr>
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The ship provides all sort of education seminars and events while on the water. In many ways it is a floating classroom. Between the people you meet from all over the world, the diverse international crew and the seminars offered a person can spend the entire trip learning.<br />
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One of the first things on this trip was a wine tasting event, where you got to sample 4 different wines and learn how to sample and analyze each one. You need a notebook to keep track of the hints. It was great fun.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda at the wine sampling event.</td></tr>
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One of the great things about owning a camera is all the diverse things you can do with it. Like spending time organizing a table top for a photo. The crew of the ship really got used to seeing me with a camera all over the ship, posing things, moving things, arguing with myself over the light, etc. This photo is from the wine sampling event. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the centerpieces at the wine sampling event.</td></tr>
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The ship had lots of ways to get around, deck to deck. From stairways to elevators, going up and down could also reveal some beautiful and interesting photo moments. One of the coolest thing on the ship were the staircases. Teak and chrome; all reflecting lights in spotless glass. I kept stopping and pointing a camera at them, puzzling the people I was with.<br />
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There was an art auction on board. While I wasn't impressed with the art, the display and location for it was pretty awesome. I wandered through it all and didn't see anything I couldn't live without.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many bands in the Horizon Lounge. Here you could dance until midnight every night.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joe, one of the dance instructors on the ship. He was a constant dance partner as I was alone. He was a really cool guy. Teaching dancing on a cruise ship is his second career after retiring.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several shows happened on the ship, from dancing to Broadway, comedy to puppets. At each port a local act would come on board and perform while we were in port. </td></tr>
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There was a meet and greet with the crew and the Captain's executive staff. This happened right after the cruise ship in Italy hit the rocks and partially sank. Our Captain (Captain Stan) promised he wouldn't hit any rocks while we were on this cruise.<br />
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He was French and I loved his accent. With the crew being international and English being the 2nd or 3rd language for many I felt so inadequate. Americans have no clue how poorly our lack of mufti-language skills is received.<br />
<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-1354259580784003002012-01-29T14:39:00.000-09:002012-01-29T18:48:30.049-09:00Cruising to South America, Part 2, leaving Ft. Lauderdale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On the morning January 6th we left the luxury hotel for our new home, the Seven Seas Mariner. With lots of buses and well coordinated movements about 700 passengers moved on-board after clearing security. Each passenger gets photoed and issued an id card containing your cabin information and personal identification. Your passport is collected and held for the duration of the cruise. At first I didn't understand the logic of taking passports but it became clear the first time you went ashore for any length of time. When the ship pulls into a port in a foreign company, your passport is stamped for that country and your passport is given to you for the duration you are on shore. This method keeps you from having to clear customs every time you enter a country.<br />
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As part of the boarding process we passed through a 'receiving line' of the crew. <br />
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We're given a glass of champagne as we enter the ship, met our purser and then escorted to lunch at the Compass Rose Restaurant. Lunch was a beautiful array of small dishes to choose from along with more champagne or wine.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Compass Rose Restaurant</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda at lunch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna at lunch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our cabin</td></tr>
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After lunch we're escorted to our cabin where we found our luggage, a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice and 2 glasses. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our cabin </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna with champagne</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the cabin</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda with champagne</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the balcony</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full moon on the harbor as a sister ship pulls out of the harbor.</td></tr>
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<br />As we pulled out of the harbor we were given a rousing horn blast by other ships. It was a beautiful full moon night and our balcony gave us a wonderful view of the ships as we departed. We would be on the ocean for the next couple days and would have a chance to explore the ship.<br />
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-54525775288049349982012-01-28T18:36:00.002-09:002012-01-29T09:07:33.097-09:00Cruising to South America - First leg Ft. Lauderdale.<br /> January 5, 2012. Linda Kumin and I in Ft. Lauderdale in preparation of going on a cruise to South America.<br />
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While I was getting off the cruise ship in 14 days, Linda is continuing on around the South American continent. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anna on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale.</td></tr>
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The Regent Cruise lines provided lodging for everyone on the ship at the Ritz-Carlton right on the beach. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The swimming pool on the 4th floor.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8sJKoYq3Ddc/TySYf7T8lqI/AAAAAAAABbE/V1iCgISVWPk/s1600/DSCF0077.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8sJKoYq3Ddc/TySYf7T8lqI/AAAAAAAABbE/V1iCgISVWPk/s320/DSCF0077.JPG" width="320" /></a> The main lobby of the Ritz Carlton.<br />
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View from our room at the Ritz-Carlton<br />
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The suite Linda and I shared the first night. <br />
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There's a reason the Ritz-Carlton is a great place to stay. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Linda on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale.</td></tr>
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Views of the beach in Ft. Lauderdale.<br />
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-48584478061311772962011-08-29T17:55:00.005-08:002012-07-18T16:16:16.218-08:00Myrtle Beach May 2011<br />
The boardwalk at Myrtle Beach. A long walk with lots of shops and places to spend money. First time I have ever had the opportunity to see and experience this.
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yEVM_MD9IfY/TlxFLwixWzI/AAAAAAAABaA/8GsfBiIHa3Y/s1600/DSCN1274.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646464101127379762" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yEVM_MD9IfY/TlxFLwixWzI/AAAAAAAABaA/8GsfBiIHa3Y/s320/DSCN1274.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Rayna and McKenna on the Boardwalk. It was very quiet during the middle of the week. This really changes on the weekends. Especially Memorial Day weekend and the motorcycle rally. Over 3000 motorcycles rolled in starting on Thursday.
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ooRL_WERcnE/TlxFLr2RfgI/AAAAAAAABZ4/2onP8ICYJRw/s1600/DSCN1273.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646464099867000322" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ooRL_WERcnE/TlxFLr2RfgI/AAAAAAAABZ4/2onP8ICYJRw/s320/DSCN1273.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>On the boardwalk we found a great little spot for dinner. Between oysters on the half shell and mussels, and a pitcher of margaritas we had no complaints.
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bRXW_HjLrDw/TlxI-Mvc77I/AAAAAAAABaI/nWDMUItablA/s1600/DSCN1277.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646468266225102770" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bRXW_HjLrDw/TlxI-Mvc77I/AAAAAAAABaI/nWDMUItablA/s320/DSCN1277.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>There are lots of games, rides and video arcades on the boardwalk. The newest Ferris Wheel on the boardwalk has a climate controlled capsule for you to ride in.
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-14p0LRjqmfY/TlxEWg6YMlI/AAAAAAAABY4/oweJKBE-aTo/s1600/DSCN1269.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646463186398360146" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-14p0LRjqmfY/TlxEWg6YMlI/AAAAAAAABY4/oweJKBE-aTo/s320/DSCN1269.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>The beaches at Myrle Beach.
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cEoXWxJUtvI/TlxFK_koUDI/AAAAAAAABZg/HX7_Wv95UsE/s1600/DSCN1262.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646464087981838386" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cEoXWxJUtvI/TlxFK_koUDI/AAAAAAAABZg/HX7_Wv95UsE/s320/DSCN1262.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lrNvV7sciAs/TlxEXS8OauI/AAAAAAAABZQ/VdmiV1lITTM/s1600/DSCN1260.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646463199827880674" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lrNvV7sciAs/TlxEXS8OauI/AAAAAAAABZQ/VdmiV1lITTM/s320/DSCN1260.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Dune fences to keep erosion down.
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-knIaRcmSouU/TlxFLKxfIBI/AAAAAAAABZo/zXdT6aJ0BuI/s1600/DSCN1263.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646464090988552210" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-knIaRcmSouU/TlxFLKxfIBI/AAAAAAAABZo/zXdT6aJ0BuI/s320/DSCN1263.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>The motorcycles start arriving on Thursday night. There were some incredible machines.
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<br />Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7215179264495369145.post-37584856736114187722011-06-05T09:24:00.005-08:002011-06-06T05:10:56.346-08:00A new homeLeaving Alaska caused a lot of things to happen. One thing is to have Oscar shaved before we arrived in a hot climate. He will be much happier then with 6 inches of thick fur. His brother has a different fur and doesn't have the thick undercoat.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PkKzd0QkUuk/Teu9Lbga9eI/AAAAAAAABXY/pSh4A7ZF0CQ/s1600/DSCN1195.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PkKzd0QkUuk/Teu9Lbga9eI/AAAAAAAABXY/pSh4A7ZF0CQ/s320/DSCN1195.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614789364507407842" border="0" /></a>Both cats flew in the airplane with me. That was an adventure in itself. From Anchorage to Charlotte through Chicago was a 12 hour day for 2 felines to stay confined. Fortunately there is a wonderful chemical spray that my vet said would 'put my cats in a happy place.' He was so right. Except for going through airport security it wasn't a bad experience. Oscar slipped his harness at the checkpoint and I ended up with scratches. Please tell me that having TSA ex ray a pet carrier will help keep America safe.<br />A dear friend and her daughter came with me; you can only have one animal per person. 2 cats, 2 people.<br /><br />The first week back was a whirlwind. Between getting the cats used to a new environment, showing friends around and unpacking a few things there were a lot of long days. The first weekend back in the 'Lower 48' we had tickets for the Charlotte Speedway. This was a real first experience and I must say it's impressive. 150,000 people, cars, noise and races. The noise and air generated by a pack of cars all going through a turn at the same time has to be experienced to be understood. Even with earplugs the noise is unbelievable.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PjgBSuDHqf8/Teu9MVmEiFI/AAAAAAAABXw/Y_2hIULk3bw/s1600/DSCN1227.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PjgBSuDHqf8/Teu9MVmEiFI/AAAAAAAABXw/Y_2hIULk3bw/s320/DSCN1227.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614789380100360274" border="0" /></a>The entry into the racetrack. People. people, people.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6u4Giu21kvA/Tevt_w_f3uI/AAAAAAAABYA/Zz8QUZH7wtE/s1600/DSCN1231.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6u4Giu21kvA/Tevt_w_f3uI/AAAAAAAABYA/Zz8QUZH7wtE/s320/DSCN1231.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614843040186228450" border="0" /></a>The racetrack sponsored a salute to disabled veterans. Everyone on the track was disabled in some devastating way.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mJgeeV03k8A/Teu9ME28Q6I/AAAAAAAABXo/KhWo_8Z7XwU/s1600/DSCN1224.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mJgeeV03k8A/Teu9ME28Q6I/AAAAAAAABXo/KhWo_8Z7XwU/s320/DSCN1224.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614789375607718818" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bAMdkAKrgPU/TevuAFWRj_I/AAAAAAAABYI/l6rseI9m6oA/s1600/DSCN1245.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bAMdkAKrgPU/TevuAFWRj_I/AAAAAAAABYI/l6rseI9m6oA/s320/DSCN1245.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614843045650468850" border="0" /></a>The track is so impressive.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QIKH4DAR3-s/Teu9MkOUfZI/AAAAAAAABX4/QmHXOa8vMzk/s1600/DSCN1238.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QIKH4DAR3-s/Teu9MkOUfZI/AAAAAAAABX4/QmHXOa8vMzk/s320/DSCN1238.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614789384027274642" border="0" /></a>Energizer battery company wanted to set a record for the number of battery operated lights lit at once. They handed out thousands of LED headlamps and at 830 pm everyone turned them on. The record was set and I have a great headlamp.<br /><br />The following weekend we took off to Carowinds Amusement Park. It's been over 30 years since I've been to the park. There are more rides, lots more people and a whole lot more expensive.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E7Zz0lMXGNw/TevuBV3p7oI/AAAAAAAABYY/-kbL-TxuRP8/s1600/DSCN1307.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E7Zz0lMXGNw/TevuBV3p7oI/AAAAAAAABYY/-kbL-TxuRP8/s320/DSCN1307.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614843067265314434" border="0" /></a>The park has added lots of new roller coasters, ones that go upside down and sideways. No thanks. I rode Thunder Road which is a double track wooden roller coaster and about had my head snapped off. I really don't enjoy roller coasters anymore. The neck doesn't like being snapped.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QuXeXQrr_qE/TevuAyXMjlI/AAAAAAAABYQ/Is5DHTpG4xU/s1600/DSCN1303.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QuXeXQrr_qE/TevuAyXMjlI/AAAAAAAABYQ/Is5DHTpG4xU/s320/DSCN1303.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614843057733930578" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t2AzaWRpn7U/TewI7v21qbI/AAAAAAAABYo/MeYndAEPcn4/s1600/DSCN1305.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t2AzaWRpn7U/TewI7v21qbI/AAAAAAAABYo/MeYndAEPcn4/s320/DSCN1305.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614872657975945650" border="0" /></a><br /><br />But the park is full of fountains and streams and beautiful little places to sit and watch the birds. But there is way too many people to enjoy the park.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U4N4kO57zCc/TewI7yBuZPI/AAAAAAAABYw/1jFxEND9Zg4/s1600/DSCN1309.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U4N4kO57zCc/TewI7yBuZPI/AAAAAAAABYw/1jFxEND9Zg4/s320/DSCN1309.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614872658558477554" border="0" /></a>Ken's reaction to the whole thing. Take a nap in the shade. He didn't enjoy it at all. Long hot day in and out of the sun made him sick. Problem with having mobility problems; can't enjoy amusement parks.<br /><br />Next trip Myrtle Beach.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QuXeXQrr_qE/TevuAyXMjlI/AAAAAAAABYQ/Is5DHTpG4xU/s1600/DSCN1303.JPG"><br /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BZij-pSLtjI/Teu9LzWMPdI/AAAAAAAABXg/UkIvQcsfFLg/s1600/DSCN1220.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PkKzd0QkUuk/Teu9Lbga9eI/AAAAAAAABXY/pSh4A7ZF0CQ/s1600/DSCN1195.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QIKH4DAR3-s/Teu9MkOUfZI/AAAAAAAABX4/QmHXOa8vMzk/s1600/DSCN1238.JPG"><br /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PjgBSuDHqf8/Teu9MVmEiFI/AAAAAAAABXw/Y_2hIULk3bw/s1600/DSCN1227.JPG"><br /></a>Toshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17401472350074051703noreply@blogger.com0