We’ve had an amazing early morning roaming around this

ancient jewel and it’s time to earn lunch! Up up up we hike

overlooking Machu Picchu.

Waynapicchu, one of the closest mountains

Incans have paved the way with

a treacherous stairway, yet there is a happy trail of visitors from all over the world who puff out encouragement in their native tongues to everyone still on their way up.

I would be scared to hike this in the rain – but the views at the top are definitely worth

every ounce of effort to get there.

Some rejoice in the

strength to climb, others are happy to sit so high and catch their breath and not fall off the boulders at the peak!!

If you get the chance to visit this amazing piece of history– think seriously about hiking Wynapicchu. It’s a difficult hike but absolutely worth it.

We three from B42 (my PC training group)

take a few moments to celebrate our service at the top and give thanks for all these incredible experiences and lifelong friendships we’ve been so blessed to have.

Careful on the way down

– it’s just as dubious a descent!

This is undoubtedly one of the best trips I’ve ever had the good fortune to go on; my thanks go out to the entire crew – thank you for making this such a special experience!

Suerte con todo en sus vidas – que Dios les bendiga e que no les olvidan de disfrutarses del amor de cada dia!

Now playing: Billy Joel - You May Be Right

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It’s 4:45am and we are on our way to Machu Picchu!

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How was your thanksgiving? We Tarija volunteers would have invited you to our river celebration, but we were desperate not to run out of turkey this year!

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Translation – what a rush ! Have you ever tried it? Boy do you feel powerful . . . errrr, I mean, helpful . . . no, really!

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While most of our friends in North America are busy adjusting their air conditioners and car stereos a few of us down south are remembering the nostalgic days of summer when there was actually water around here.

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The Nuns of Santa Isabella are truly amazing. They run a soup kitchen, a vocational school, an adult school, and a boarding house / orphanage all on the same small plot of land ! One of the most important components of their service is their steadfast commitment to the soup kitchen that feeds young children from the community on a daily basis. This seemingly innocuous soup kitchen proved the catalyst for an emotional revelation for me – I hope you’ll appreciate my experience.

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Lately, I’ve been receiving a few emails about how many different ‘types’ of volunteers there are in the Peace Corps. Fortunately, the Peace Corps web site has plenty of information – this is just a short ‘cheat sheet’ on PC in Bolivia. 

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Many factors have contributed to the explosive spread of  HIV/AIDS in Africa; sadly some of these Bolivia shares. The macho/patriarchal and heavily religious elements which enjoy such power in Bolivian society contribute heavily to the lack of sexual education. Moreover, goods are transported throughout the country by land – creating a large cadre of (overwhelmingly male) workers who work far from home. Sex and sexual education are still taboo topics here, which unfortunately escalates the danger of Bolivia having a more serious problem with the virus.

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Now I know you’ve all been dying to learn how to make adobe bricks and then construct (hopefully) permanent structures out of them – yes ?

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