Sunlight everyday, all day July 22, 2009

With temperatures between 60 and 115 Fahrenheit, endless amounts of peaches, nectarines, excellent Mexican food and health food grocery stores galore, California has to be one of the coolest states the northern part of America has to offer. Arriving in the southern part of the state on the Forth of July to fireworks and constant Michael Jackson music and  news, I was reminded that returning to the United States is a challenge, but always an entertaining one. I began the adjustment with five days in Los Angeles before heading north 4 hours to Morro Bay for Grandpa’s 95th birthday. I stayed with family (see picture of totally cute nephew above) and enjoyed the incredible vacation.

 From Morro Bay I continued traveling north and met up with friends. We hung out in Santa Cruz and once again I had awesome weather and incredible company.

We played frisbee (see pictures above), checked out the boardwalk including rides (below), ate lots of Mexican food (the national food of California I’m sure) and chilled on the beach. 

I also visited a farmers market in Santa Cruz. What incredible produce that state has.

 

Fresh blueberries were in abundance….for $10 a cup. 

After reaching the most northern part of the world I will visit in the next 2 years, I ended my trip with an exceptionally long drive back to LA and another few moments with my parents. I then set out for a journey south through Atlanta and on to Santiago…where I am currently chilling on the 7th floor of Mar del Plata, Providencia with a glass of Chilean (of course) Cabernet Sauvignon. From here it’s on to finding our traveling vehicle, getting our things together and setting out for six months of traveling. 

Thanks to all who made the past 17 days possible. To good friends and family who made the time to hang with me, drive me places, laugh like fools together and catch up on lost time. And to the beautiful state of California for it’s incredibly dry, hot and clear weather (a complete contrast to where I am now) and its sunsets after 8 p.m., I couldn’t have asked for more. 

Lastly to the California Kittens who surely have a home on earth or in kitty afterlife today. You made me laugh harder than I had in years and gave me yet another tragic animal story for the year. 

A special thanks to Mom and Dad. They make it all possible.

Zumbahua to Quilotoa March 10, 2009

I traveled with my Dad for a long weekend south of our place to a town called Quilotoa. After 4 hours in the car we stopped to visit the market in Zumbahua. On Saturdays Zumbahua has an amazing Andean open air market. The stands are full of ready made food, knit wraps and plastic shoes and the floors are littered with sheep skulls. It is an experience. We arrived hungry and, as neither of us were that bold, ate granola we had brought and some bananas we bought. It was no sheep head stew, but we were satisfied.  

After a stop there and 30 minutes driving in the wrong direction we were finally back on track towards Quilotoa. We arrived in the late afternoon to the beautiful and small town. We checked into Pacha Mama hostel and I visited the reason most people come to visit this small town; the caldera Quilotoa. 

The town of Quilotoa lies 1500 ft. above Quilotoa lake. After a strange night of sleep we spent the day hiking down to see the turquoise water from eye level. We spent our late morning and afternoon kayaking, eating crackers and tuna and chilling in the good weather. 

After relaxing by the water we rode some tired mules up the hill. I think I may have preferred the walk, even at 13,000 feet. It was such a wonderfully, typical, Andean town and I’m lucky to have visited it with my Father.