Brazil for now

hmmm. blogspot will not give me any love these days and let me upload pictures easily. and it seems I don't really know how to arrange my thoughts without pictures. so... here's the best I can do:

after nearly three weeks in the jungle and getting the unspeakable heat rash/yeast infection on my ankles, I fled to La Paz to let the cold air and high altitude heal my feet and kill the mold that was growing on my backpack and shoes.....

ew.

Anyways, pancake breakfasts and wandering through stalls of llama fetuses was good to clear my head, rest my feet and take my breath away (highest capital city in the world and all). I wonder how La Paz of today compares to the La Paz my aunt Kitty knew in her Peace Corps days...

and then it was to Brazil, with Anthony, and wham bam, now we're all speaking Portuguese, thank you ma'am.

and after a week of horse riding and kayaking and tramping through sugar cane fields planted in the reddest dirt I have ever seen, we pulled ourselves away from paradise to go to Rio. In Rio, we met Em and we ravaged the usual tourist spots and caught up hanging out on the beach.

We go to witness Iguazu falls, which because of the drought and dry season, is only at a 1/3 of it's capacity. 450 m3/s still impresses the hell out of me. I simply cannot organize my thoughts without showing some pictures... hopefully, this technicality will get sorted out.

and after mailing Em to Ecuador a few days ago, I'm back on the sugar cane farm with Anthony and his family. I'm learning some Portuguese, trying to communicate with his 91 year old grandmother (who keeps walking in on us, forgetting what she saw-thank god, but also forgetting that she shouldn't walk in...), and learning all about all things sugar cane. In theory, I am also using this time to get back in shape before heading back to the jungle to run with cats. However, the cold I caught in Iguassu is kicking my ass, still, and the running is uninspired.

So, I've changed my ticket. I'll fly back to the states September 1st. And then soon after will be flown to Italy for 3 weeks as a birthday present.... life is good, though I'm sad to miss eventing season in the states.

So some time here, some time back in Bolivia in the jungle, some time in Buenos Aires, some time as a birthday present and then October and a bit of November in the states before heading back to Japan. Because after all, at some point I really need to work again.

life is good.
the writing will get better when the pictures happen.
really. hmmm.

the adventures continue...