Home again ...

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." Marcel Proust

A few weeks early, we found ourselves traveling home to help Pat's family care for his mom, who was diagnosed with a brain mass and needed surgery and rehab care. Bernice is an amazing 90 year old mom, grandmother and great-grandmother who came through her surgery well and is receiving wonderful rehab care in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We are so grateful for the time we were able to spend with her, and to be honest we must have been ready to come home because we hadn't yet planned our Galapagos Islands adventure. It will have to wait for another time ...

So we've been thinking about how to put these five months in perspective, to sort through the images, experiences and relationships we have had so that we won't forget or lose sight of things. Which called to mind Proust's quote ... perhaps the best thing that happened over the past six months is that we have begun to look at the world differently. Whether in northern India seeing displaced Tibetans struggle to save their language and culture, or in Africa as children and their families struggle with poverty and illness and educational barriers but still retain their smiles and joyful dispositions, or in South America as committed and tireless citizens work to provide better lives for their communities, we see ourselves as connected and involved. We have been so blessed to have walked a while with these people, and we will hold them in our hearts forever.

We aren't really so different after all. Our countries look different, we look different, our language and customs and faiths may be different, but we all seek peace and joy in our lives, and we all love our children. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bernice was surrounded by her children and grandchildren as she faced this surgery, and a few days later welcomed her 15th great grandchild, Brady Haarman, into the family. And in so many parts of the world, generations work and live together in a life long struggle to thrive amid so many obstacles. Family, and the importance of connections between people, are the same the world over. If we understand that, how can we not live in peace?

So with these "new eyes", here are a few things we hope to see as we return to our lives in America:

- More possibility than worry in every day.

- Opportunities to simplify our life, so that we will have more to share with people in other parts of the world who ask for so little, but can really use the help.

- Valuing the connections that have made our life so meaningful by taking more time with friends.

- Continuing to trust that our adult children, who survived (possibly even thrived?) without us for six months don't need for us to waste energy worrying about them.

- Taking care of our bodies, and remembering that the carbs we crave don't have feelings and won't be hurt if we refuse to eat them. We have both lost about 25 pounds with eating less and walking several miles a day, and we feel better than we have in many years.

- Chances to thank our employers, patients and coworkers for allowing us to go "walkabout", because now we understand how really badly we needed the break.

- Ways to challenge, each and every day, the message brought to the American people that we are better off not caring about the world around us and isolating ourselves and our vast wealth rather than sharing our concern, compassion and abundance.

- Time to appreciate each other and the relationship we have together. After six months, it's nice to realize that we are both a bit sad to have to share each other with others again, and that we never had a day where we were sick and tired of each other's company. It is a wonderful thing to be married to your very best friend.

Who knows, maybe "walkabout" is also in how you see it. Maybe every day, when worry and anxiety and feeling overwhelmed and frustrated and over responsible start to creep up, we'll be able to sit back, take a deep breath, close our eyes and say "for the next five minutes I'm going walkabout to Zanzibar ..."

The Sacred Valley of the Incas ...

We were scheduled to depart from Cuzco at 4 pm on Saturday June 4th, which is defined in my mind as a "travel day". Pat has been hoping that after five months of international touring I will loosen up a bit on this, but on the day of departure from someplace, I generally want to get to the airport or bus station early (ie three hours or more) and do nothing that might jeopardize a timely departure. So despite his hope otherwise, I resisted his idea to hire a taxi Saturday morning to take us through the Sacred Valley visiting historical sites and villages where Peruvian artisans dye alpaca yarns and create their beautiful rugs and clothing. "What if we get a flat tire?" I protested, but he was sure we had plenty of time.

So the taxi arrived, and Pat said "Como se llama?", and the guy answers "My name is Achilles". What? Are you kidding me, as in the weak ankled Achilles? Off we went, with me muttering "This is not good". We drove off of the highway, through farm roads more stone than dirt, and about an hour into the drive Achilles pulled over and said "It'll be just a minute while I change the flat tire."

Pat didn't bother to tell me that the spare was not in the best condition, and I didn't bother to ask what we would do if we got another flat.

Achilles got us through the Sacred Valley where we saw a natural salt farm and some of the most spectacular mountains, valleys and Incan ruins

of our trip. We made the bus in time ...

Cuzco and Macchu Pichu ...

We flew back to Lima and then took another 24 hour bus ride, this time through the Andes to the ancient city of Cuzco. I was particularly happy that most of this ride was after dark, so we were unable to actually see the mountain roads we travelled on. We arrived safely and our hostel was very nice.

We took the train from just outside of Cuzco to the city of Agua Caliente, at the entrance to the Macchu Pichu national park area. From there it is a 2 hour hike up the mountain to the "lost city of the Incas". It is amazing to see the Incan architecture and landscaping, with brilliant green grass under blue Peruvian skies. A beautiful walk there and back, and then took the train back to Cuzco.

Hola, Chimbote!

We flew from La Paz to Lima, Peru, and spent one night in a hostel there before boarding another bus to Chimbote, the site of our next volunteering experience. We walked off the bus just after 7:00 pm, and were met by one of the members of the parish who said the van which would bring us to our home stay was coming. The other thing greeting us was a very bad odor from the factory across the street which makes fish meal.

A few minutes later, a van pulled in and we loaded into it. The guy driving introduced himself as "Juan" and said he was in a hurry to get to mass; when we pulled into the church parking lot, he jumped out of the van in his full priestly garb and ran into the church to lead the service. It would prove to be a fitting welcome to the ways in which people working in Chimbote are always multitasking and collaborating to serve the people of this impoverished community.

Our Host Family ...

It's amazing how first impressions can change; that first night we saw dirt roads and hundreds of stray dogs, very poor homes and rather barren hillsides. But from the time we were dropped off at the home of Udy and Waldo Palacios de Santos, we saw smiles and warm welcomes and a desire to share the Peruvian culture with us. The rooster next door who crows every night from around 4:00 am until 7:00, the man pushing a cart of vegetables through the streets while speaking into a loudspeaker "verduras, verduras" became expected parts of our days. And by the end of two weeks, we would no longer be surprised by the kisses and hugs of these warm and appreciative people, who give so much more than they ever expect to receive.

Father Jack Davis, an ordinary man doing extraordinary things ...

We came to Chimbote on the recommendation of our friend Mike Sullivan; the Parish Priest, Father Jack Davis, was a classmate of Mike's from St. John's. Jack has been in Chimbote for 30 years, and makes yearly trips to his hometown of Devil's Lake, North Dakota and other places all over the US to raise donations for projects in Chimbote. And what they have done is impressive. We visited workshops where the local people make furniture, housing projects for people with handicaps, a program for assisting women and children and a maternal child health and delivery center. Chimbote also has the first Hospice in Peru, and Pat will write about our time volunteering there and the great staff and patients and families we met.

Dignity, respect, love and service ...

It is hard to imagine that 2 weeks of one's life can lead to a lifetime of valuable memories. But that is exactly what Deb and I experienced with Hospicio Santiago Apostol affiliated with Fr. Jack's parish in Chimbote. Our goal was to evaluate the program and provide helpful suggestions and ideas for the continued success of the program. At our closing session we shared these thoughts and praised the staff for their dedicated service...mission accomplished! What happened in between is the story that's worth telling.

Sister Juanita and the Hospicio Team ...

Sr. Juanita Albrecht was at the very first meeting to discuss the idea of a hospice service back in 2002, and has been it's inspirational leader, accomplished administrator, and master designer of a wonderful residential facility and outpatient program from the beginning. The mission of hospice is to give care and support to families and patients dealing with terminal illness, with special attention to the values of dignity, respect, love, and service. Muerte con dignidad ..death with dignity, is the most important goal.

The Hospice Team ...

When Deb and I first walked from the dusty street and through the gate into this hospice facility, we both felt the peace, tranquility, and comfort of the surroundings. A beautiful green space, flowers viewed from every patient room, a vegetable garden in back to provide nourishment, and many birds made it ideal for patients and families. The staff were welcoming, interested, caring, fun, and worked well together as a team. We split our time equally between inpatient and home visits. We also had the pleasure of working directly with Dr. Cinthia Bocanegra, the hospice physician. Cinthia was knowledgable, caring, interested in new ideas, and understanding in her explanations despite the language barrier.

Home visit with a sweet señora ...

Actually, I think that communication is the most important skill in doing hospice work and if I had to rely on my ability to speak and understand Spanish, we would not have accomplished what we did. Deb to the rescue. She was terrific as my interpreter as well as a great comfort to the patients we saw. It was fun to work as a team and support each other.

It's hard to imagine how attached you can get to patients, families, and staff in just 2 weeks, but we did. Elizabeta was a 7 year old admitted with terminal lung cancer. Her young mother was in the room with her other child, a 16 day old infant, when we first met. Elizabeta had been diagnosed at age 2, and now was terminal after all treatments were not effective. Deb held the infant as we explained the situation to Mom and recommended pain medication for comfort. We revisited several times over the next two days meeting extended family and friends. Elizabeta was comfortable and asleep when she died on the second day, her little hand resting on the open bible and her head covered with a bright Peruvian hat.

Pedro and Juan ...

Pedro (pictured above)was in hospice because of a very large pressure ulcer over his lower back and a fever. We saw him frequently and enjoyed his great sense of humor and New York golf hat. He said we should just take him home with us to the US in our suitcase....no problem if he couldn't fit, he would just cut off his arms and legs. We gave advice about wound care and the good news is that he will likely be discharged in the next week. We'll both miss his humor.


Juan had been at hospice for some time with pulmonary fibrosis. Unfortunately, his condition declined as expected and all appropriate treatments for his disease were being tried. We asked him about his goals and he stated he wanted to be comfortable and not struggle to breathe. We taught the staff about the use of morphine for shortness of breath and helped them transition and accept his wishes that he not go back to the hospital. When we were leaving he had declined further but thanked us for making him more comfortable and tranquil.

Roseta ...

And finally there was Roseta. We saw her at home. She had a large external thyroid cancer and is not expected to live very long. She was not eating much and had become weaker and thinner. We didn't have much to offer in terms of changes to her treatments, but we both sat by her side on several visits holding her hand. She is a beautiful woman who looks you straight in the eyes, smiles and then has a healing touch of comfort. We came to comfort, but in Roseta's case, we both felt we were the one's being comforted.

This was true throughout our stay in Chimbote. The people we met were poor, but rich in love, spirit, and reaching out to us. A memory and lesson that will stay with us always.

Sister Peggy's return to Chimbote ...

Father Jack is a real character; watching him is to see tremendous energy, enthusiasm, and love for the people of his parish. They line up outside his office to see him, most with questions, blessings to request, or crafts which they want him to buy. And he can't seem to say "no". Neither can Sister Peggy Byrne, the Irish Nun who has been in Chimbote for almost as long as Jack. He tells the story of a time he bought something from someone, donated it to a parishioner to sell, and Peggy showed up wearing it the next day, having bought it from the parishioner. Jack tells a great story, and remembers to the year when things around the city were built or blessed. It was a visible sign of the love of the community for Sister Peggy the the night she returned from the United States where she had surgery a month ago, the parishioners lined the streets of Chimbote hand in hand to welcome her home.

Father Jack and Sister Peggy ...

A sweet little boy named Bryan ...

In addition to the needs for improved health care and elder care in Peru, we were struck by the lack of mental health resources for people. Medications for depression and anxiety are not prescribed by primary care providers as in the US, they are only prescribed by psychiatrists. There is one adult psychiatrist in Chimbote. Therapy resources are scarce. And the closest child psychiatrist is in LIma, which is 7 hours by bus from Chimbote. The mother of a boy with ADHD heard that I work in child psychiatry, and asked for help with her son, as his medication was not working. I spent some time talking with them, but in the end, it's hard to help them when they have fewer resources available and the cost of travel to a provider is prohibitive. While most Peruvians believe that education is the way out of poverty for their children, the children who have learning and behavioral challenges are at great risk of never completing school. Below is a picture of this little boy, Bryan, and his mother.

Andreas ...

We had a wonderful home stay with Udy and Waldo and the adult children who come and go from their home. Most especially I enjoyed visits from Anjeli and Andreas, Udy's grandchildren. Udy felt sorry for me not having any of my own, so insisted that I can share hers! We had many great meals, conversations and walks with Udy and Waldo. Udy is great at explaining things in Spanish so that you can still understand; it's like she plays charades, acting things out. And she took great delight when Pat would understand something before I did. Like many Peruvian families, Udy and Waldo raise guinea pigs (cuyis) which is a delicacy in Peruvian cuisine. But Pat and I couldn't manage to fire up to try it, and Udy was kind enough to wait until our departure to make it for the two French young men who were also staying there.

Anjeli and her papa Edward ...

"Mi hermana Peruana" ... my Peruvian sister ...

We said goodbye to Udy and Waldo and the community of Chimbote with sadness but with great hope that we will stay connected and return again!

A week in Bolivia ...

Our journey began with a dream and a plan, and when we had to book our around-the-world flights last fall, we chose LaPaz, Bolivia as a stopover before our volunteer work in Peru. We were not aware of how special Bolivia would be, and that we would meet someone with bigger dreams and plans...Dr. Jose Velasquez. I will introduce him and the organization Mano a Mano shortly.

But first, it was our close friends, Drs. Brooks Donald and Karen MacKenzie who introduced us to Bolivia. With their daughter Shannon, they have been involved with Mano a Mano for the past 9 years and told us their stories of the wonderful people, culture, and country. We gave a donation to a school they were helping build and it was our chance to see firsthand what they had been describing. Brooks sent a letter of introduction for us to Jose (perhaps overstating our importance), and suggesting a bunch of things we may want to do. For sure, we did receive the royal treatment, but realized that they treated all of their visitors and guests with the same gracious hospitality.

Bolivia by bus ...

We flew into LaPaz, a city built into a giant crater at an altitude of 3680 meters above sea level. The airport sits on a flat plateau above the city and the taxi ride into town was all downhill with lights of this city of 1.5 million dotting the hills and landscape. Despite our pre-med for altitude sickness, we both felt a little nausea with headache that soon passed. The next morning we boarded a bus to Cochabamba....over the hills and down the mountains. We had both read about the buses in Bolivia, although this one was comfortable and the roads were paved. I made sure Deb made the trip in fine fashion and my multi-drug regimen for nausea, frequent urination, panic, and altitude did the trick for her. After 9 hours, one pretty bad Jean Claude Van Damme movie and one flat tire we arrived safely in Cochabamba.

Minnesota healthcare professionals share their knowledge and friendship ...

Our next bit of good fortune was to be here the same week a group of physicians, dentist, nurses, psychologist, ER techs, firefighter, and PA from St. Paul Regions Hospital and other Twin Cities medical clinics were here in Cochabamba to present the 4th Acute Care Conference sponsored by Mano a Mano. We were tag alongs but really enjoyed meeting and hanging out with a great group of folks. It was especially nice to reconnect with Mary Margaret Conroy and her husband Tom. Mary Margaret is a neonatologist and pediatrician and my mentor during residency in the Twin Cities. She says she taught me all that I know about kids, and I think she may be right. We had lots of fun sharing stories about about families, kids, and mutual friends.

Women prepare for their community's clinic dedication ...

The morning after we arrived we all packed up for a trip to dedicate one of the medical clinics built by Mano a Mano. Our three jeep caravan drove further down the mountain valleys to Santa Rosa, a small village reached by a cobblestone road. The dedication was for the next morning, and under the direction of Jose and the other staff, we swept, drilled, lifted, hung, unpacked, washed and sweated to prepare the clinic for it's grand opening in the am. Opening a new clinic or school is a big deal for these small villages where families live in poor conditions. The whole village turns out, decorations are made, school children and elders gather, a formal program with the national anthem, speeches, thank you's, traditional dances, ribbon cutting, plaque unveiling, and confetti showering of the guests is joyously conducted. A large meal prepared by the villagers sent us off filled with food and appreciation for being part of a great event.

Bolivian schoolchildren ...

Mano a Mano ...

I was able to ride with Jose and ask him how this all became a reality. He learned his values of hard work and service from his parents who moved the family from a rural home to Cochabamba where their kids could get a better education. Back in the early 1990's, he had this idea of bringing necessary medical equipment and supplies from the US for the medical clinics he was working with. He asked his brother, a pilot in the Twin Cities if it were possible to raise some money for donations and supplies and send them to Bolivia. It was and he did and soon thereafter he helped create Mano a Mano, a non-profit with headquarters in Cochabamba and it's US affiliate in the Twin Cities. Their model was to create sustainable clinics and schools by partnering with villages and towns throughout Bolivia. The partnership required that the village and community contribute 30-40% of the cost of building, donate labor, food, and housing during the construction, and agree to maintain the building in the years to come. The government pays for the salaries of the doctors and teachers. With this model, their success has been phenomenal ......120 medical clinics, 41 schools, numerous roads and airstrips have been built throughout Bolivia. Mano a Mano also sponsors and requires continuing medical education of it's clinic providers, has a dream scholarship program for kids with financial needs, has it's own construction division and equipment for road development, continues to collect and donate medical supplies and equipment, and found that it was more cost effective to make it's own beds, windows, doors, and drapes for the clinics.

Dr. Jose Velasquez, a dreamer and a doer ...

As the week went on and we had further opportunities to meet more of the people at Mano a Mano, both Deb and I felt fortunate to meet such a dedicated group .....we found them all to be first class, genuine, value driven, mission focused, transparent, hard working,organized, and efficient. But most of all we liked them as people, and their dreams and plans have touched thousands of lives in Bolivia and the US. For additional info check out their website at manoamanobolivia.org

El Cristo de la Concordia ...

A trip to Cochabamba would not be complete without a climb to El Cristo de la Concordia, the largest statue of Christ in South America, on a hill overlooking the city and valley. We hiked up the 1349 steps (yes, Deb counted on the way down) to see the statue. It towers over you as you stand on the ground and watch the clouds float overhead against the blue sky. For both of us it was a special spiritual moment and prayers were said for all of the people in our lives, our blessings and faith. The inscription at the base says, "This is my commandment. Love one another as I have loved you." In all of our travels, we have surely been witness to the incredible love in the people we have met.

Bolivia's future ...

We celebrated the week with a big party at Mano a Mano's building and then were up early for our flight to Lima, Peru. It seemed only fitting that we were met by Andrea, a member of the Mano family who is a flight attendant. She also had a layover in La Paz and was there waiting for us. Her goal is to become an airline pilot....it seems like the dreams in Bolivia have been passed to the next generation.

Traditional dances at the party ...

A few thoughts on my grey hair ...

When I started our Walkabout in January, I had considerable trepidation about how I would keep up with coloring my hair. With underdeveloped countries on the itinerary, options would be few and far between for hair salons, and I didn't have room in my one suitcase for hair dye. So. I had it cut very short before the trip and I am now fully un-dyed.

For the most part, I love not seeing grey roots peeking out all the time and spending no time at all on hair upkeep. Every once in a while I'll walk past a mirror and see the white haired person standing where I'm supposed to be and think "what's Barbara Bush doing here?", but other than that, I'm used to it, and it feels kind of freeing in a way. When you get away from our high expectations for looking younger, thinner, and as perfect as possible, you find so many more important things to spend your time and energy on. And interestingly, I feel happier with myself and healthier than I have in many years.

The only annoying thing has been that whenever I step onto a crowded bus, men immediately try to give me their seat. It's like the parting of the Red Sea! I have become an old lady without the benefit of having grandchildren, which is utterly unfair. But since men in the US don't tend to be quite as accommodating as South American men, I suppose I should just relax and enjoy the ride.

Lost in Patagonia ...

We are at that point in the trip where anxiety is creeping in about running out of money, so with seven weeks left we have been getting to know the bus system in Argentina. They have pretty comfortable double-decker buses which travel long distances overnight, saving you plane fare as well as a hotel night. The rates vary according to how far back your seat reclines, and although we paid for the mid-level recline, Pat is too nice to put his seat back so he had a long (24 hours) bus trip to Patagonia sitting pretty much straight up. I, on the other hand, gladly reclined for a good night's sleep. He really is a saint.

Patagonia is hard to capture in words or pictures. It is just exquisite; the Andean mountains, glacial lakes, trees in the midst of fall color, picturesque villages and very warm hearted people. We went to San Carlos de Bariloche, in the lakes district, and once there we liked the hostel we were staying in (Arko, where we had a very large clean room with a front desk staff who act as travel agents with advise and tour booking help) and area so much that we stayed through this week and then took another overnight bus all the way to Buenos Aires to catch our plane to Bolivia.

Bariloche was settled many years ago by Swiss immigrants, who must have felt at home in this paradise of snow capped mountains. They brought many of their traditions and skills, and there are many chocolate factories and stores in the area. We had a cup of hot chocolate that was unlike anything we have ever tasted; so add chocolate to the things we loved about Bariloche.

Pilar, Alberto and a cup of mate ...

The first day we decided to hike to the top of a small mountain called Cerro Otto; this is a mountain with beautiful views of the entire area, and you can take a skyline tram to the top or hike, so of course we opted to hike. We were following a young couple who seemed to know where they were going, but after a few kilometers, the path ended and we were just hiking straight up the mountain over rivulets where the rain had come down the mountain. I mean straight up; I can imagine the people in the trams laughing at us struggling up. By the time we were halfway, the other couple were as lost as we were, but it was clearly too treacherous to go back down that way with slippery gravel and rocks. So we went on, finally reached the top, and this nice couple asked us if we would like to have some "mate" with them. We had not tried yerba mate, but it is a very strong tea which the people in South America drink out of cups carved from gourds like pumpkin, sipped through silver straws. The gourd is filled 1/2-2/3 full with loose tea, then hot water is poured over, and you sip it through the straw which has a filter on the end. The gourd is passed around ... and hot water refilled as needed. Above is a picture of Pilar and Alberto, the couple from Buenos Aires who we met on the hike and drank mate with. They have been married "for ten long, hard, terrible years" according to Alberto, who was quite funny.

So of course after all that mate, I had to use the bathroom in the little tea house at the top of the mountain, but they wouldn't let you in unless you bought a sky tram ticket, and you couldn't buy one way, you had to buy both ways; I was far too cheap to pay for that, so we walked the long way (about 9 k) back down the car road into Bariloche. Which was actually a lovely walk.

Preparing the Curanto

Pilar and Alberto also told us about the Curanto in what is called Colonia Suiza, or the Swiss Colony, on Wednesdays and Sundays, and advised us to take a bus there on Sunday. A Curanto is an earth-covered roasting of meats, chicken and vegetables which the Swiss settlers actually developed from Polynesians. We took a bus ride for about an hour to Colonia Suiza, paid our $12.50 each, and watched and enjoyed a beautiful day with Argentinean people. A fire is built until coals are very hot, then large river rocks are placed over the coals. More wood is piled on until the stones and coals are very hot; then the remaining sticks are removed and green branches of leaves are put on the stones. Chicken, lamb, beef, pork, and sausages are placed on the leaves, then potatoes and squash and whole apples and other vegetables, then more leaves and finally burlap. An Argentine flag was placed on the top layer of burlap, then one more layer of burlap, and the whole thing covered in dirt. It smoked for an hour and a half, then the bell was rung and everyone heard a patriotic speech by the cook (in Spanish, we didn't pick it all up) and the layers removed. It resulted in a perfectly cooked and delicious meal of roasted meats, potatoes, squash and apples. I still can't believe I ate something that at one point was covered with dirt.

A lake region bike ride ...

Bariloche's 109th Anniversary Parade ...

We happened to be in Bariloche the weekend of their 109th Anniversary Celebration, so got to watch the parade and see the entire village come to el centro for local food and music. We were impressed that while every day care and preschool through primary school walked in the parade, the honor of being first to parade past the stand of dignitaries and cheering community were the handicapped children and their parents. There were no fancy floats needed to represent the priority of the good people of Bariloche: the children, their community's future, took center stage.

A warm welcome to a beautiful church ...

Another very special highlight of Bariloche was our visit to a little church the evening before the Curanto. We had been to Easter mass in Mendoza at a big cathedral the weekend before, and to be honest it was a very somber service and not at all what we are used to for Easter. So Pat found this little church when he was out taking pictures; it looks like it has been entirely hand carved of beautiful wood, and you had to hike up 71 steps (yes, I counted) to get there. The evening service was packed, and it is hard to describe the warmth and enthusiasm of the people there - many young people, kids in boy scout/girl scout uniforms, just a really friendly group of people. So when the sign of peace came, Pat and I gave each other a kiss and put our big American hands out to greet those around us, and realized too late that we were being offered a kiss on the cheek from the sweet teenage girl and older woman next to us ... which they withdrew when they saw our hands and just shook them. We were so ashamed. Everywhere, people kissing strangers as well as loved ones, and we shook their hands. It was over in a second, but we wanted to take the second back and try again, this time pretending we aren't from Minnesota, where you wouldn't want to do anything too familiar or call attention to yourself. The service was in Spanish, so we didn't get all of it, but we got the important part: when people care about one another, it shows. A very special evening. We found ourselves thinking about our friends at our own church, the Newman Center in St. Cloud, and the blessing they gave us as we left for our trip. We are so thankful to be a part of that faith community.

Adios a Bariloche ...

We boarded another bus to go the 20 hours back to Buenos Aires, and flew to La Paz, Bolivia. Argentina was a beautiful, very diverse country with warm, friendly people, and we were both sad to say "adios" ... at least until we can find a way to fund a return trip!

Mendoza, Argentina

Our travels in Argentina had to include a visit to Mendoza, famous for it's wine country and Malbec wines. It is also located at the foothills of the Andes near the Chilean border and gave us our first view of this magnificent mountain range that covers most of western South America.
Mendoza is a beautiful city with wide, tree-lined streets and multiple spacious parks with fountains and statues. It was rebuilt this way after it was leveled by an earthquake in 1861. It still is at risk for further quakes and one of our guides mentioned that he even felt aftershocks in Mendoza after the major Chilean earthquake last year.

We learned the history of General San Martin who was governor of Mendoza. He led an army of 5,000 men over the Andes that defeated the Spanish and eventually won independence for Argentina, Chile, and Peru in 1816-1818. Which is why there is a very strong national pride here in Mendoza.

The area is actually more desert with over 300 sunny days per year. Only 10% of the land is inhabited, and only 3% cultivated. With a sophisticated aqueduct system from mountain streams and reservoirs, however, it is the 5th most productive wine region in the world as well as the 3rd most productive garlic region. Add grass fed beef to the equation and you have the makings of some pretty good eating ....yes, we have gone off the vegetarian kick for a couple of weeks.

Our days here were sunny, warm, early fall colors and brilliant blue skies. We spent one day on the wine tour with a fun group - Juan, our guide, and two couples from the USA - NYC and San Francisco. We had a great day together learning about and tasting the wines, and Tim from SF made points with Deb for his unabashed support of her favorite basketball team.

We attended Easter mass in downtown Mendoza and didn't notice the excitement and celebration of the day that we have felt in the US. It was probably the particular Cathedral and parish because Deb will describe a much different and warm experience we had in Bariloche.
We were grateful to celebrate the service as well as the beautiful day and spent the afternoon reading our books in Independencia park.

On Monday we were off to the Andes and learned more about the geology, history, and local animal population. It was also our first sighting of the Condor, Argentina's national bird. The rock formations with their multi-colored faces and the view of Cerro Aconcagua we're Incredible.

As we boarded the bus for Patagonia we have come to appreciate more the passion for living we have seen here in Argentina.

Our wine tasting group...and Celtic fans

Malbec vineyards, Mendoza

Puente del Inca

Plaza Independencia, one of many parks in Mendoza

Reservoir in the Andes, source of water and site of world cup wind surfing championships

Cerro Aconcagua, tallest peak in the Andes

We arrive in Argentina!

After a very long flight from London to Miami and then Miami to Buenos Aires, we arrived to find our little hotel in the San Telmo area very welcoming and accommodating. It was interesting to be back in the US with a layover for four hours and not have any American money!

Buenos Aires is a very large city and we didn't see very much of it - we had planned to spend more time in Mendoza, where they make the best Malbecs in the world, and then Patagonia. The San Telmo area is an older part of the city, full of antique shops and quaint restaurants. We discovered Argentinean steak here ... it is amazing. Just can't describe the difference in taste of the beef here. Sad to say our months of eating a healthy vegetarian diet have flown out the window.

Pictured below are the "Pink House" - the government building made famous by the Perons, and some sights in "La Boca", an area famous for its artistry and for being the birthplace of the Tango. Restaurants there feature shows where dancers entertain you, and classes where you can learn the Tango. We decided our backs might not hold up to the Tango.