On the Open Road

Back on the road again. The open road. A well used cliche when referring to the uninhibited freedom of backpacking the globe, but an appropriate one all the same. If we stop to consider the notion of an open road it starts to become an even more suited expression if you take it literally. Open roads are one of the things we all love to get on when we drive our cars. Abandoning the metropolitan hustle and bustle of the roads is a liberating experience when you suddenly find yourself on a back country road and you take a little more control of the way you travel. Minimal signs, a rarely followed speed limit, no one up your backside trying to rush you along. Oh that's a beautiful sunset... ok I'll stop and have a look at it. The open road is something we look forward to because it has limited instructions about how we are supposed to travel along it. It is open and we choose to travel along it to reach our destination. Unlike the opposite, let's call it a structured road, that tells you when to stop, wait, go, merge, slow, speed up and all other things. The structured road is often one that we have to take. It has all this extra signage because if it didn't then things would get chaotic.

In many ways the 'open road' is quite like a metaphor for life. The desire to get onto the open road and control your own movement is similar to the freedom and liberties that travellers work so hard to achieve. As a traveller you long to cross that road in your own fashion and without the restrictions and constraints of life's constant motion. When you're on the open road of travelling you can choose when and where you want to stop, you decide how fast you want to get there and also when you want to leave. You take your time, you slow down and then suddenly you start to see more things. Things aren't rushing past you at 100kmh, but now you're walking past them and seeing intricate detail, you're noticing things you had never seen before. You start to realise that as you slow down and examine this open road, that there are now other roads just like it branching off and heading off in all other directions. Each one offers a new adventure! Each village you come across is as different from the last one, as the last one before that.

The open road now offers you options and lets you decide your own fate. All of a sudden you are in complete control of your life. It is an extremely empowering notion to have your life in front of you and to decide where you want to steer it. Instead of having your life off in the distant horizon dragging you through the routine, you now have it within a comfortable reach. Not enough to forcibly grab it, but enough to sheepdog it into the gates you want to enter. You no longer have life telling you how you're going to get on with it, but you're now telling your life what is happening. The open road has given you this opportunity and there is only one way to give back to it. Give with your head, heart and gut instinct. Don't regret you decisions, but rather learn from the ones that didn't work out how you planned. Be flexible, adapt, take chances, better yourself and most of all make sure you enjoy it. Take control of your life!

When I'm on the open road i feel liberated. It has nothing to do with the fact that I'm not working and have all this free time. It's not because I'm no longer in front of a classroom and working 50+ hours a week on school stuff. It's because i am in charge of my destiny and i listen to the universe as it continues to open up more exciting adventures for me. I'm flexible with my travels and i go with my instincts. I'm 'supposed' to be in Europe now if i followed my pre-purchased flight ticket, but what would that have left me with. Certainly not an amazing girlfriend that i now have the pleasure of travelling with and sharing my experiences with. Sure Europe would have offered other exciting adventures, but this is the one I've chosen and i have no regrets. I am happy at this very moment, so that means that everything leading up to this point has made it worthwhile.

Don't hesitate to choose your own destiny. You don't need to be on the open road to start making decisions that impact your life now. Simply think about what you're doing and put some conscious thought into where it will take you. Think about what you want to do, who you want to be and then don't stop in your pursuit to achieve it. Don't look into a mirror and see a reflection of what you should be, but instead look for your own reality. I'd rather see my reality than a preconceived societal reflection.

A lot of people ask me why i write like this; in this mixture of travel writing and attempted travel philosophy. A lot of the time it isn't planned. A lot of the time it's just my mind finding a way to conveniently offload my abundance of thoughts. For me travel hasn't just become a hobby, it has become a way of life. It is so much more than hopping from city to city taking a few snaps. It's living, learning and loving. It's about unlocking the mysteries of life and seeing how cultures all over the world go about their daily business. I've learnt equally insightful life lessons from rich inner city people living in Buenos Aires as i have from farmers in the poorest areas of highland Peru. What I've learnt is that there is no code or pattern that people need to conform to in order to live a specific way. That is what travel has taught me. People live in all sorts of conditions all over the world, yet people still live happy lives in these conditions. Just the same is that people all over the world live unhappily. People live in mansions with fancy cars and never have to work, but they are still crippled by unhappiness. Happiness is a state of mind. It can be made and it can be lost. Happiness is part genetic, part circumstantial and most of the time just how you decide to get on with your life and try to find the positive in what you do.

So this is where i leave it. No travel writing, just travel thoughts. With the next blog I'll actually write about what's been going on. I'm in San Francisco at the moment for the holidays with Christine. In between blogs is the 2 months we spent in Colombia on the 'open road' travelling at our own pace and drifting with the current of the universe. It was an incredible time in the north of Colombia that I'll definitely get into in a few weeks.

2 Weeks With The Williams

Cartagena, a city rich in historical significance, cultural beauties and colonial past. It had been over 2 years since I'd last been in Cartagena but immediately i was brought back to my last time upon seeing the hustle and bustle of downtown, the beautifully restored colonial building of Old Town and the picturesque wall surrounding the old city that holds so many tales of pirating and protecting. The wall, or La Muralla in Spanish, is undoubtedly one of the cities main drawing attractions as visitors from near and far flock to Cartagena to take in the rich history of the city. The walls main purpose was to protect the city from unwanted invasions because Cartagena was the principal port into South America that the Spanish conquistadors utilised upon capturing and colonising the continent. The protection of Cartagena was integral in order to protect the masses of gold and jewels that were being pillaged from ancient indigenous cultures throughout the continent. From huge cizilisations like the Incan's to small tribal groups, the Spanish were laying their claim to this new found glory and literal goldmine for exportation. The purpose of the wall was to fortify the pirating, but the history of the town is so much richer than that. You don't need to go far to witness some of the cultural beauties from past and present. The Caribbean influence is strong in the north, and along with the integration of African slaves during the colonisation times, which leaves a much darker Colombian look than you are used to seeing in parts of the South. With it also brings much of the pre-established culture of these parts of the world and there are many new exciting and interesting tastes, smells and sights to observe. Although visiting Cartagena in the past it was exciting to be back and to see this magical city once again. This time i had the opportunity to share it with more people and upon meeting the Williams' at the airport for the first time i knew that it was going to be an experience that was exciting and unlike my first time here in early 2010. 

Our first stop was in Old Town, well at least that was the plan when they hopped off the plane. There was a rough idea about where we'd end up, but no exact plan about how we'd get there. I would very quickly learn that this was a Williams' traditional travelling style, and although unconventional and at times stressful, it seemed to always work out for them. After the initial meet and greets i was already sensing we were all going to get along fine and there weren't any awkward moment that you might expect after talking about meeting each other for months and then it finally happening. In fact travelling with the Williams became one of the experiences I'd remember most fondly throughout my time in South America. Not only was it great to meet the people that helped shaped someone that had become such an important part of my life, but it also changed the style of travelling that had been our life for the last 7 months. Being a family holiday for the Williams they were obviously prepared to travel above the cheap standard of living that we had been experiencing. This meant a great deal of generosity forwarded to me and a hell of a lot of appreciation of my behalf. At the beginning there was a small unsettling period. After denying ourselves the most basic luxuries in order to save cash it was a refreshing reminder of the benefits we're afforded in our lives back home. Let's just say there was no cramming into single beds without fans in 35 degree heat, just to save a few bucks. 

After a few days exploring Cartagena it was time to move on. We only had a bit under 2 weeks together and there was a lot to see. On the way out of Cartagena, on the way to Santa Marta, we decided to stop by one of the well know tourist attractions... “the volcano”! I emphasise the “volcano” part because in all the guide books and information that is how they describe it. And i don't know about you but when I think of a volcano I generally think of a towering earth structure that creaks and moans with cries of escape. Having spent time a few years back in Ecuador with a volcano (blog available in the older archives) i couldn't help but be reminded of that sleeping dragon that rumbled and roared for weeks before spitting fire at night. This volcano, on the other hand, is know for its hot mud that bubbles up from below the surface. Being both therapetic, and an interestingly described experience, it was definitely work checking out.

Upon pulling into the road that led towards the volcano we were met with this looming structure in the distance. However, as we started to travel along the road it was suddenly appearing before our eyes a lot faster than we expected. Before we knew it we had stopped and we all had to do a double take down the road to make sure there wasn't some form of trickery. There standing in front of us is what could more appropriately be described as a giant ant hill as opposed to a “volcano”. It would have been lucky to stand higher than 30m and it had a rickety old wooden staircase that led up to the crater. Although being a bit of a funny shock the whole experience turned out pretty interesting. Once getting up to the top you can jump into the mud and float around. In fact this was a really crazy experience because the mud was so think, yet perfectly adjusted, that you would just simply float in the mud motionless. You wouldn't rise or sink, just be completely weightless in the thick ooze. Moving around reminded us of what it looked like when you saw space movies and people float around shuttles like swimming through invisible water. You just kicked back and floated around, or twisted and turned about getting no traction or making any forward movement. After some time they usher you out for the next group and you make the descend down the mountain looking like a creature crawling out of the swamps. You make your way down to the nearby river where a middle aged woman strips you down and rinses you off with a bucket. Assuring you that when you drop your strides in a foot of water next to a young child... “that everything is ok”. 

Feeling refreshed and with a strange new spray tan glow of dark brown we got back in our mode of transportation and continued on for Santa Marta. It was just a quick night stop over there before we headed off the next morning for the National Park of Tyrona, which makes the iconic link between the lush Sierra Nevada and the crystal Caribbean coast. We were headed here for the next few nights and it was probably one of the most amazing parts of the journey. Equally for the accommodation and relaxation time we experienced there as for the beauties of the region. During out stay we had the luxury of two cabanas nestled right inside the mountains and overlooking the ocean. To describe them as anything short than incredible would be an injustice. Double storey wooden huts with the biggest and comfiest beds. Pristine bathrooms with hot water showers and real toilets. Ok so at the moment it probably just sounds like most things people already have back home, but believe me this wasn't just homely luxuries this place was plush. To go into full detail would almost certainly lead me to digress because it was so foreign to our experiences leading up to it that i only barely knew how to appreciate it. Up until that point it had been all go go go getting up to Colombia, and before that it was 6 tiresome months in Pisco. We finished our volunteering, bolted 3 weeks from the south of Peru to the north of Colombia and now we finally had some time to stop and relax. Days were spent relaxing by the beach or just kicking back, reading and enjoying the surroundings. The days were hot, the beach was cooling and the air was fresh. It was a great spot to hang out for a few days. After these recharge days it was time to head to the last destination on the vacation, after that Christine and i would be back fending for ourselves in the depths of Colombia. 

All aboard, next stop San Andres Islands. The small collection of islands belonging to Colombia an hour and a half flight north off the mainland. They sit much closer to Nicaragua than Colombia, have a very distinct English Caribbean influence and are one of the best spots to head if you want to escape just about anything in life! If your problems can't be solved from a bit of Caribbean life then they're bigger than you are. That's seems to be an underlying and unofficial motto of the Caribbean lifestyle, especially of the islands. Anything goes, relax man and take it easy! This small island can be circumnavigated within a couple of hours in a motobike or golf cart hired in town. Most of the shops on the island are duty free and some of those more expensive purchases suddenly become a bit more accessible. Although with the cost to get out there and the lack of budget accommodation it pretty much levels out by the end. We spent 4 days at San Andres and had a great time exploring all that was to offer. We rented golf carts, visited different beaches, got some history on the island from locals, ate some amazing food and hit up some low cost liquor. San Andres is a funny little place because as soon as you land on the island you realise that, although you may still be in Colombia, this doesn't feel like a heavily influenced Spanish province. The majority of people speak English, influenced from the English Caribbean, they are significantly darker skinned than in Colombia and the food, music, art and all round culture look like something out of a Bob Marley concert. Picture your typical Jamaican stereotype and you're pretty close to what San Andres is like. Unfortunately not everything lasts forever and within a few days it was time for the Williams to make there final flight out to Panama and for us to get back on the road of poor backpackers. Although it was an amazing two weeks visiting some things i never would have had the opportunity to see, i was ready to hit the road of mystery again. We bid goodbye to the Williams in San Andres and I thanked them once again for the extreme generosity they shared with me. Now it was back to Christine and I on the open road of Northern Colombia. We had 6 weeks left before flying back to San Francisco for the holidays and there were still so many things to do before we left. 

We boarded a flight back from San Andres to Bogota and then made a connection to Barranquilla where we were going to restart our Northern Colombia journey where we left it. By the time the connecting flight made it's way into Barranquilla it was nearing 12am. We didn't really know where we were going to stay, the hostel district was far into town and then in the morning we were just going to have to catch a bus back to the bus terminal. All these costs we were suddenly faced with again came rushing back to us after a couple of weeks of forgetting about backpacking. We were well and truly on the road again. A swift and sharp reality check to our travels. Natural travel instincts kicked in and we came up with the perfect solution.... sleep in the airport! And that's exactly what we did to save $50! Cold, hard and lonely airport tiles. Bright like an operating room. But $50 richer and the way we had been travelling that could mean a couple of days between us! These are the sorts of sacrifices one must make when they enter a world of unknown and undetermined travelling. This is nothing, there has been so much worse endured to fully experience travel or cultural insight. Everyone has there own limits, but if you're willing to push yours you would be surprised how far you can go. This is why i love travel, this is why i hit the road with an open plan and and an open heart to the world! The world is a small place when you're living inside your comfort zone. Step outside that and opportunities and experiences you never knew existed are suddenly at your feet. Ready to peer out of your box and into the world! Starts with one step, and then a big jump! 

Jungle Fever

Out the front of the PSF gates with some of the many amazing people i met!

So I'd made it to the Amazon, but there were some adventures in between. I'll take you on a quick recap! 6 months at PSF and i thought I'd never get out of that place. It has a very appealing draw to it and it's no wonder people stay there so much longer than planned. Had it not been for some strict commitments myself it wouldn't be any surprise if i was still there now, but it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Everybody's times comes to an end sooner or later and it was my time to venture off. There is never a good time to leave Pisco, but the reality is you can't stay there forever. So with the help of Christine i was able to break the shackles of Pisco and move one.

Finishing the concrete sports pitch for the community of Jhiret!

Little Guadalupe who stole my heart! She is what made it all worth it!

Our first pit-stop after boarding that infamous bus at el cruce was to the centre hub of Peru and one of my least favourite cities, Lima. Now don't get me wrong, Lima is a beautiful city. Lima has the ability to find the right balance between historically cultured and modernly developed, but it just isn't the right city to travel to after an extended stay in one of Peru's poorest areas. It's almost like a culture shock in it's own right the with contrasting differences that are most significantly highlighted only 4 hours south by bus. After living on a peasants wage for the last 6 months the first battle i had to admit defeat on was the prices of things. Accommodation, food, taxi's, just about anything you were looking for in Lima is definitely overpriced. 


Now to the everyday person living comfortably back home these prices may not seem expensive, in fact a lot of these things will seem very cheap indeed, but after living on the alternate side to Lima for such a long time it is a very big shock. When you're volunteering you're not making any money, in fact you're paying money to donate your time to help. It may not be a lot of money, but you're still sacrificing your own personal funds to be there. You learn to be meticulous with your spending, not in a Scrooge like way, but in a way that makes you understand and appreciate the true cost of living. In a way that makes you realise how certain people have been living on the bare minimum, and how back home you have so much access to expendable and disposable money. It's not that you are being a big tight-ass about spending money, but you've seen, in its rawest form, just how far that money can go and it's hard not to think about that every time you want to justify spending wasteful amounts. The key is to just be a little bit more conscious of this fact, but also acknowledging the unfortunate fact that you are going to have to spend a little more when getting to these big cities.

With that fact resonating in our minds we decided to only spend a couple of relaxing days in Lima before embarking upon the next adventure. Relaxing being the key word, but not being the right word. These days were far from the relaxing adventure I'd expected with the running around trying to plan things, the longing in my heart from already missing Pisco and the uncomfortable spending situation. After a couple of days we were well and truly ready to hit the road again and after a couple of personal treats (McDonald's sundaes in the park everyday and some expensive sushi) we were ready to hit the budget again. We were heading north to the Amazon, but we needed to travel some distance first. First leg of the travel was a 30 hour bus ride up to a little town of the fringe of the Amazon Basin called Tarapoto. We stayed here for a night simply because the 30 hour bus was a very uncomfortable experience, and then we headed straight for the last stop on the road, Yurimaguas, before you hit the river. From here it's only by boat or plane that you can go any further into Peru. The next stop, and our next destination, is Iquitos. Iquitos is a city famous for being the largest city in the world unreachable by land. The only way to access it is by air or boat, and by boat it's a couple of days on the slow barge with a hammock strung up, which as the cheapest option we naturally decided upon.

After Yurimaguas we boarded a slow boat for the day before getting off about 12 hours later in a small section of the Amazon called Lagunas. From here they run tours into the Amazon jungle that are a lot less touristy than when you get to Iquitos. We hadn't really planned much so when we got there we worked off a couple of recommendations, but otherwise that was it. After a long stint at PSF and then a equally busy week we weren't the most energetic go getters so in hindsight perhaps settled for one of the easier more organised tours. Probably a lot more pricey when i think about it as well. In Lagunas there are many more options than originally thought in terms of jungle tours and guides pretty much work around you. If you've got the time it's recommended to go there and source out prices and haggle a bit. I mean don't get me wrong the tours are not really expensive, but after you finish and see how cheaply it's done then you do wonder where some of the money goes. Overall, however, the experience was one to remember. Whether it was the sticky heat, the constant bugs or the sleepless nights, this tour had something for everyone.

The base of the tour was canoeing down an arm of the Amazon and into the jungle. The tour itself only lasted 3 days and we didn't go deep in, but it was enough time to see some amazing landscapes, spot some exotic animals and do some crazy things. Among some of the local inhabitants we spotted were a baby anaconda probably 1.5m long, some small 1m caymans, toucans, jungle parrots, few different monkey species, a sloth, river turtles, venomous tree snakes and various other things. We got to fish for our dinner and caught all kinds of strange looking catfish and happened to snap up a few piranhas as well. We swam in piranha infested waters, chased wild pigs through the jungle with machetes and went exploring along the river in the middle of the night in pitch black for all the nocturnal wonders of the Amazon. For a short 3 day period we jammed a lot in and it was a great snapshot of the jungle life. Had there been a few more days to spare then perhaps we would have considered spending more time there and going deeper, but we were on a strict schedule to get to the north of Colombia in 2 weeks to meet up with Christine's family. So with the Amazon jungle experience ticked off our list of things to do we boarded another slow boat and heaped to Iquitos, this time for 2 days.

When we got to Iquitos we didn't have a lot planned. A couple of days to check the city out and then we were back on another 2 day boat to the tri-border between Peru, Colombia and Brazil. Iquitos was spent catching up on a bit of rest, cooking some delicious meals and checking out a few of the local sights. One which included the famous Belen market where it is quite possible to buy/sell anything. From all kinds of mythical concoctions in oddly shaped bottles to parts of animals dangerously close to extinction, Belen has it all. It was quite the eye open in some sections, but we were fortunate not to witness too many horrific aspects to the market. One of the main reasons this market is famous is for the floating village that comprises the population of Belen. We happened to be in the low season so all we saw we the houses resting on their stilts, but in the high season as the river rises up to 15m higher, this whole village rises with the water. The houses, shanty shacks more appropriately phrased, sit on huge raft type structures that help with flotation. We heard it was quite a sight, but even just looking at the village was enough to realise how amazing this little town was.

Other than Belen market the 5 days we spent in Iquitos were spent lazing around, catching up on sleep, planning the next leg of our adventure and cooking. Cooking has become a huge part of the travels since leaving PSF as we maintain a great budget that allows us to see all the things we want to see and keep costs down. In fact after eating rice, pasta and potato 2-3 times a day in Pisco it was an absolute pleasure to start cooking for ourselves again. We could not only reduce the costs of travelling, but we could also cook delicious meals of what we wanted, when we wanted and for cheaper. In fact the food we were cooking was a lot healthier as well as most of the 'gringo' restaurants catering to travellers only serve up the same crap food you can get back home. Greasy hamburgers, chips and whatever get repetitive, boring, pricey and fattening. But you'll get to hear more about the cooking adventures later on down the travels.

Iquitos was all but done, but on the last day we ventured out to an animal and butterfly sanctuary just a short boat ride out of town. It was really refreshing to see a different perspective on animal refugee and protection after witnessing people eating monkeys and selling tiger skulls in the jungle. In the sanctuary they worked on rehabilitating animals caught on illegal trades and had a huge jaguar, an ocelot, all kinds of creepy biting monkeys and other assorted animals, as well as a huge butterfly breeding station. With that trip finishing up in the early afternoon it was a mad dash back to the hostel to pick up the bags and then we were back at the dock boarding a cargo ship to the Peruvian border.

This time we were in a boat for 2 nights and 2 days before arriving in Santa Rosa, the border crossing and last spot in Northern Peru. Another couple of lazy days on the Amazon River swinging in hammocks and taking in the local wonders, but after a sleepless night because of loud partying and drinking at the back of the boat, it was fair to say the novelty of hammocks on cargo ships was wearing off. It wasn't just the loud music and particularly crowded boat that was wearing thin, it was also the ordinary food served and lack of showering that was making us feel like real sea drifters. However, luckily it wasn't too enduring and we really didn't have too many complaints, but after another 2 days we were definitely looking to ditch the boat for some land.

Peligroso Boys making a lethal Pisco Punch!

Arriving in Santa Rosa we were immediately greeted by eager moto-taxi drivers wanting to acquire our services, but we had heard it wasn't a very far walk to the immigration office so we battled the heat for 20mins before realising maybe a moto would have been a smart idea. After walking right past the office and for an additional couple of minutes it was disheartening to have to trudge back, but upon arriving out the front it's no surprise we missed it. There were no signs, no plaques and no indication at all that this was an official government office. We walked up the stairs, of what looked like someones house, wondering if we were going to step into their living room, but instead stumbled across the office of a pretty relaxed looking guy in his early 20s. He was more interested in chatting to us than exiting us from the country and didn't seem too bothered that we'd both overstayed our visas. This was the second time now that I'd overstayed my time in Peru, however this time didn't cost me as much. It's one dollar each day your over, and after almost 7 months in Peru i only had to pay 20 odd dollars. I'd been successful in gaining a 6 month visa when first crossing over from Chile and that really saved me a bit. Christine, however, who wasn't as fortunate had to cough up well over one hundred dollars. After exiting out we decided to stay in Santa Rosa for the night and try to catch up on some sleep.

The area that we were in is quite a unique one. It is a tri-border between Peru, Colombia and Brazil and there are certain boundaries that you're able to cross into without having to swap visas, as well as being able to check out of a country and then cruise into the next for your entry stamp within a 24 hour period. A very relaxed process and you could officially become a lost citizen at this point in South America because if you just decided to go wherever you wanted no one would know where in the world you were. It's no surprise then that this tri-border area is an important smuggling port for all kinds of things and it's not hard to get your hands on anything if you know where to look or who to ask. Unfortunately we weren't looking for any black market trade, so instead we headed towards a cheap hostel and settled there for a few nights. There wasn't a great deal to do in Leticia so after getting our entry visa the following day we mostly just spent our time reading and cooking. In a couple of days time we had a flight up to Cartagena so the main part of our time in Leticia was getting some rest in after a big couple of weeks travelling. One thing to note about Leticia is that it is a little bit more pricey than what we had expected, and Colombia overall is a bit of a price shock after living in Pisco for 6 months. Leticia is deep in the south of Colombia and within the Amazon so the only options are to fly or boat product in, therefore most prices are increased to accommodate the extra transportation fees.

With the days of relaxing over we boarded our flight to Cartagena and arrived safely to perhaps take on my biggest adventure yet... meeting Christine's family and travelling with them for the next 2 weeks. Next edition includes the time in Cartagena and then heading north to see some of the most amazing sights that Colombia has to offer, as well as the non-stop adventure that is travelling with the Williams'.

Adios Amigos!

Moving On In The World!

Floating down the famous Amazon River on a cargo ship with a hammock strung at the top deck. The girl I love swings next to me. It's a beautiful day and the picturesque landscapes that pass me can only be described as the type you see in exotic documentaries. The types of places you dream to be at when your at home wishing you were anywhere but home. It's also at this specific point, like something just triggered in my brain, that I think I'm the luckiest guy in the world. And why am i lucky you might ask? Well that's an easy question to answer in many ways, and more difficult to answer in others. In an easy and simplistic way this can be summed up with sheer level of happiness i have currently achieved. This may not seem like a lot for most people, but for me to be happy is the most important aspect of life.

Bring out of the cliches if you will, but something I've always said is that we're only on this world for a short time in the broader scheme of life. In realistic terms most of us will not account for any life changing or forever remembered event in life. We may not cure cancer, or win a Noble Prize, but at the end of the day even those people are forgotten. History proves that history is forgotten, eventually. I couldn't tell you who won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1959, nor could i tell you who invented the vaccine for polio. What i can tell you though, is that i appreciate the effort and cheers for keeping the human race kicking along. Your contribution to human life has been especially noted and appreciated, but in the broader scheme of life so is everybody's contribution when they make even the smallest positive impact. It may be the baker who provides you with bread everyday or the farmer who provides you with sustenance to live through their livestock or fresh produce.

The thing is, everybody has a role in society and everyone should appreciate life and be happy. That's not to say you shouldn't strive to become more, or that you should settle for mediocrity, but what you should ultimately strive for is being happy and then everything else will fall into place.

Now saying this is not as easy as making it happen and it is easy for me to say this from the position I'm currently in. Floating down the river of the one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. I'm laying in a hammock somewhere deep within the Amazon jungle and life couldn't get any less complicated. For me this whole journey has been one of discovery, learning, understanding and appreciating all that is being presented to me. And this is not the end by any means either. There is work, sacrifice, suffering, doubt and all the other challenges of finding happiness that continue to reside in retaining happiness. Just because i realise happiness in this present time doesn't mean that i am going to feel happiness forever. However, what it has done is given me the thirst, the desire and the encouragement to pursue it. It hasn't come easy, despite what people may think, but then nothing worth appreciating ever does. So now this is my motivation!

I have had the taste and i want to continue to pursue this. They call the good life many different things in many different places of the world, but it always comes back in its truest form as happiness. The feeling that you are not only contented, but you are also joyful of the way your life has panned out. You are excited about facing the challenges of the future and the anticipate the reality of the future with a strong and focused mind. The thirst of life, the Elixir of Life, living forever, praise some form of God, live a good life, karma, don't do this, do this instead, rules, regulations, societal expectations and norms, acceptance and whatever else comes in between are share differences and similarities interpreted completely different from one person to the next.

Out of all of this there can be only one true factor that resonates amongst all the obscurity of differences. What is important is the thirst for life. This is not a preach, by all means take it as you will, this is more intended as an appeal for those who have drank from the metaphorical cup of happiness and have realised their thirst has yet to be quenched. Pursue the rest of it and realise that it may not come easy, but when you finally get to drink from that cup again the harder it has been the more refreshing life will taste.

Teaching the kids at Ludoteca about Australia!

Ok so i might have forgotten a few things in between the last time we crossed paths. It was mid September the time i wrote that passage and a lot has happened since we last communicated. My level of communication over the last 6 months has been poor to say the least, but all within excusable reasoning. I have once again finished an extended stay at the volunteer organisation Pisco Sin Fronteras in southern Peru. An organisation established in response to the 2007 earthquake in Pisco that destroyed 80% of the town and left hundreds of thousands of people displaced. Even after 5 years of the earthquake and 4 years of operation by Pisco Sin Fronteras (|PSF) there are still many things to be done for the people of Pisco, but slowly that emphasis is finally being shifted more heavily to the local administrative governments as it should have been from day 1. However, that being said it has been a remarkable journey that PSF has been apart of over the last 4 years in helping to rebuild not only the physical infrastructure of Pisco but also the emotional and psychological damage created by the devastating earthquake 5 years ago.

Finishing off the last concrete slab of the 600m2 sports pitch we constructed in Tupac Amaru!

It has been another 6 months at PSF beginning way back in March and ending up in September, but it has been the most unbelievable challenge, once again, that has been presented to me at this stage in my life. This time around i was responsible for the additional role of being the Project Manager, a position that was equalling rewarding as it was difficult. But rather than go into that right now i would like to try and at least briefly describe my time at PSF. I can't even begin to explain how many times I've tried to sit down and right about this experience. I thought it was difficult the first time when i finished up 5 months back in 2010, but now after another long stint it feels even more challenging. It not only became a huge part of my life, but in my role as project manager it seemed to almost completely consume me into the PSF bubble and leave me without any concept of what was happening around me. 

Plaza del Parque at the end of my time!

Whether it was coordinating and managing jobs of construction and education for up to 60 volunteers from all walks of life at any one time, or whether it was trying to personally deal with the emotional roller-coaster that is PSF when you spend so much time becoming apart of a community that had been stripped back to its very basics because of this atrocious disaster. Some of the things i have seen, some of the living conditions i have seen children growing up in, some of the stories i have heard or the people i have met i will never be able to describe no matter how many words i throw down or photos i publish. And maybe this is why it has always become such a difficult experience to talk about. Maybe that is why the PSF community has always stayed so tight and family like, because the experiences you witness and are apart of in Pisco are so foreign to anything you could begin to explain to people back home. The bonds you create with these people seem to be forged with the undeniable notion that there is nothing like this back home and it is only these people that will ever be able to understand the kind of personal transformation that you achieved while experiencing the challenges of Pisco.

So in the short form that is where I'm at right now with my life. PSF is behind me, but never ever forgotten. And i know as PSF takes its next challenging step that this will not be the last time i cross paths with the world of volunteering. Actually I'm currently sitting in a hut in the middle of the Sierra Nevada on the Carribbean coast of northern Colombia, but there is a lot to fill in-between that and where i last left you that will be saved for another time! 

In the next addition there is the trip into the Amazon jungle, more hammock cargo ships, Iquitos, crossing into Colombia through Leticia, flying up to Cartagena and all that falls in-between!

Pisco Update #2 - Plaza del Parque

Hey guys thought it was time to fill you in again with a little bit of information on Pisco Sin Fronteras at the moment. Things are very busy here and i have taken on a few extra responsibilities since arriving so that is keeping me busy in the evening and weekends as well. So i'm sorry for the delay in getting to you sooner.

A few weeks ago i took on the administrative position of project manager, which has kept me particularly busy in the office as well as out on site. Things are settling down a little bit now i have my head around it, but there are still many exciting things to learn that will keep me busy long into the nights after work. The position of project manager is one that i'm very excited to take on board, and one that will see me really have a positive impact on the future direction of Pisco Sin Fronteras. Working alongside the director, i am now responsible for coordinating the daily projects for all the volunteers and ensuring that everyone is supported and working productively in their projects. As well as managing the volunteers i also have the coordinating responsibility of finding the next projects and doing the background research to get new projects up and running. This means taking applications from new families/communities for help, conducting site assessment to check the requests, organising materials and budgets and deciding whether certain projects are in line with the current vision and mission of Pisco Sin Fronteras.

Apart from the new responsibilities as project manager i have also been involved in many other exciting projects in the last week weeks. A huge community project that has taken a lot of my time has been a new park a few blocks away from the volunteer house.

Mid way through March PSF started work on a park like no other that has been completed in PSF's history. Through the hard work and constant perseverance from the administration at PSF and at the Municipality of Pisco, PSF was able to secure some land in the district of Vista Alegre, San Pedro to build an enormous community based project. In conjunction with a lot of planning, and contributions of ideas from all volunteers, PSF has seen the development of Plaza del Parque sky rocket in the last three weeks. With a total land area of roughly 2300 square meters to work with, PSF has been carefully sketching out the plans to help maximise the space to best meet the needs of the local community. After researching what the community are after we factored many exciting projects into Plaza del Parque that are going to see this project run for at least the next couple of months.

It started off with marking out and preparing the site, and then straight after it getting stuck into the beginning stages. Stage one was pouring a 6m X 8m concrete slab to place a community centre modular on. This modular will be used in the future, in cooperation with the municipality, to run a program similar to 'Vaso de Leche' where the government provides employment and resources for a team to give out free milk and bread to children around the area. As well as constructing this modular a team of volunteers came through and designed some amazing murals to go on the modular and wall behind it, which is a truly spectacular showcase to the community with tradition cultural creations making the basis of the design.

While this was all going ahead many other things have started, and also been completed in the process. A big shade area with 4 picnic benches, made solely from recycled wood, now sit outside the community centre as a place that the community and children to sit and enjoy the park. Right next to the shade we made a volleyball pitch with sand from the local Pisco beach, which is regularly used everyday and afternoon that we are working in the park. These are some of the completed projects that are already up and running in the park and being utilised all the time.

At the moment an enormous playground is underway. There are currently 2 swings, two see-saws and the beginning stages of some grand platforms connected with bridges, ladders, poles and all sorts of fun things to keep the local kids amused and out interacting in the community.

In the next couple of months this park will continue to grow with more work going into the playground, an adult/adolescent fitness station area, more shade areas and a plaza area for everyone to enjoy as a public space to rest, relax and socialise. Something for everyone! Build it and they will come! That is the motto! Everyday we chip away a little more at the park, and everyday we see more kids, more families enjoying the space and more friendly smiles from the community members.

In my next update i will fill you in with the earthbag construction that has been underway and also the community development projects that we are steadily implementing such as; compost toilets and the educational programs that are running.

Take care and i hope this email finds you all happy and healthy. Don't forget to spread the word!

Welcome to Pisco!

Hola amigos... and welcome to the first monthly edition of the Pisco Sin Fronteras updates. Since arriving here 4 weeks ago there has been so much going on that it's been difficult to find time to sit down and take a breather. The emotional roller coaster that was my return has started to settle and now it is back to business like usual. After arriving in Santiago a month ago i spent the minimal amount of time there getting adjusted to the jet lag and time zone and then i was back on the bus and making my way to Pisco. The decision to take a bus directly from Santiago to Pisco was something i anticipated as being treacherous, but i definitely underestimated how draining it would be. All up the journey took me 50 hours after leaving Santiago Saturday morning and arriving back home in Pisco Monday afternoon; with only a small hour break at the Chilean/Peruvian border for a quick dinner. The whirlwind of emotions has been so indescribable that it has somewhat put me off sitting down to write about it because i don't know where to start. How do I describe finally arriving at a place that I have dreamt about every night for 14 months since last leaving? How can i describe coming home to a place that has seen me laugh, cry, bleed, sweat and make some of the most incredible human connections in my life? A place that has set me free and showed me a way of life i now try to embrace daily. A place that keeps me grounded and shows me the important things in life.

Well I'm finally back now and it feels great. It was quite a surreal feeling being back in a place that feels so familiar after such a long time of waiting. Initially upon walking through those big blue steel gates i had an overwhelming rush of emotions as i was greeted with the familiarity of Pisco Sin Fronteras, but the unfamiliarity of the new volunteers who has already formed their close bonds and relationships. I didn't feel that much of an outsider though because i know as well as anyone that this is just how PSF is. You become tight with the people that you bond over experiences with. Working hard, helping families and helping the community gives you a sense of accomplishment and pride, and you grow with those who you experience it with. I was very conscious of not coming back in full stream ahead and being the 'new guy' that knows everything. I cruised back in and reminisced about the old days when it seemed appropriate, but kept myself level headed and grounded when necessary. I'd explain the history, the story and the memories for those that were interested; and there are always people keen to understand how PSF has evolved and transitioned over the years. And transitioned it has....

Pisco Sin Fronteras has definitely changed in some ways, and stayed exactly the same in others. The vibe, the operations, the connections and the volunteers have not varied much. Those sorts of things constantly fluctuate depending on the type of vibe the volunteers bring with them. Over my last 5 months here in 2010 there were many constants, and many fluctuating variables that you just become used to. Immediately the difference i saw was in the number of volunteers. Although typically this time of year is classified as the quiet period, i was shocked to see only around 45 volunteers. But over the next couple of weeks i looked back and appreciated 45 volunteers as only just recently we have picked up our numbers from 29 back to 40 with a sudden influx of volunteers over the weekend.

Apart from the volunteer numbers there is definitely a visible change in the type of projects that PSF is heading towards. There are much less projects that work solely to assist families, and more that are directed at community projects and initiatives to support long term sustainability. This is a good thing, and something that PSF needs to focus on if it's going to be a viable resource for the community in the years to come. Don't get me wrong, there are still people who are in desperate need for assistance, and PSF still endeavours to help them when it can. There have been house projects on the board, but there is a lot more of a balance that leans towards the community initiatives. Compost toilets have been something big for PSF that is starting to build up a lot more momentum. An initiative that sees compost toilet structures going up in community areas that don't have access to sewage or water. This stops families from using buckets as toilets and decreases the unsanitary practice that spreads diseases such as Typhoid and Hepatitis. Along with compost toilets there has also been a lot more work going into community centres made out of earthbag construction processes or modular centres made out of recycled wood from the local steel factory.

My first day at PSF was a half day and i took myself for a solo cruise of the town to check out how things had been getting along since i was last here. A few more paved roads, a couple of new buildings, but apart from that there really hadn't been a lot of change. The biggest changes will be determined once i have the opportunity to get out of the main district of Pisco and into the areas that were really struggling last time i was here. The first working day back at PSF i was straight back into the mix and taking the reins as project leader on a modular house project.

The project was Felix's House, and it was a project that came with a bit of history for PSF. Felix is living in a modular house made by PSF after originally being moved from his terrible living conditions. This time he was being moved yet again. Unfortunately the land that he was assured and moved to is now being sold and this leaves poor Felix with absolutely nothing. What makes this even more difficult for Felix is that he is no longer able to walk after an accident many years ago, and he also has a colostomy bag with the unfortunate medical complications that follow. The project started like most projects do; we had to get our head around the logistical nightmare of how we were going to take down a man's house, move it, move all his possessions and move him in a day. As Felix is bed ridden it's not like he could walk out of his house to a friends for a couple of days while we worked, so we needed a plan. As we were moving his current house to a new location we needed to get everything ready at the new site. The first job was trying to find the new location as we heard a few different stories as to where the location was. We met a guy in Pisco who took us in a moto-taxi to a random patch of dirt just out of Pisco. He marked out the boundaries of where we could build with his technical equipment (rocks) and then said we were good to go. For a few days we were out at site clearing the rubble and levelling it to get ready for a concrete slab to go down. After getting the site prepped and setting up the form boards we put all our material orders in and were good to go. The next day didn't go down as smoothly as I'd planned my first concrete slab being poured, but in the end we were left with a pretty decent slab. Definitely not my finest work, but I'd certainly seen a lot worse in my time. A combination of the mixer stuffing up before our pour, not having access to running water and having to run around to neighbours with buckets throughout the day to secure it and also the fact that we started a little late in the day at the highest and hottest point. All in all though the job got done and we were now set to get our move on!

The first couple of days back at Felix's house were spent cleaning up things, getting his house organised and packed up, taking apart and loosening some parts that would make it faster for us to make a quick dissemble. The day before the big move we took his roof off. Up on the roof for a few hours in the blaring sun chipping away the tin concrete roof and moving it off to the backyard. Then we had to take apart the split bamboo that supports the concrete and then take out all the bamboo support poles. The whole time Felix lays in his bed underneath keeping his spirits high and chatting away to us.

The day of the move was an epic moment. It started a little slower than we'd planned but we basically had Felix ready to go in the morning and his house just about set to take down. We started dissembling the panels from the back of the house to the front and when we got a truck loads worth we transported them across to the new site where we had a team working to reassemble. This happened throughout the middle of the day and we had to take a small recess as we waited for the availability of the truck. After that things ran pretty smoothly and by the end of the day we had pretty much reassembled the modular walls. While we finished up some work at the new house another group of people got together and went back to Felix's house to pick him off the plain concrete slab that was a shadow of it's former self. By this stage it was getting late and we were moving him in the dark with our portable torches. As the truck came past the PSF house we grabbed a few more helping hands to assist with the move and we were off. It was a great end to what had been a really productive day, but it was also a little sad to see that the whole contents of Felix's house, which included Felix in his bed, could fit into the back of our truck. Felix, however, was high spirited as usual and was chirpy as we rattled long the bumpy back streets of Pisco. When we got to his new place it was a quick transition of his possessions and then we called it a night. Over the next couple of days we returned to Felix's to work on reassembling the roof and getting some of the smaller things organised. At the end of the week, and what had now been a great two weeks at work, we poured the concrete roof on his house and restored it to it's former glory.

That was just the construction side of the project, but there are still many things that can be done to help assist Felix. At the moment we are trying to work out his electricity situation and do a couple of little things to make his stay a little more comforting. It's hard to know there is so much more we could do to help Felix, and all the other projects we have assisted back in the day, but there has to be a line that we draw before we move onto the next project. With limited resources and volunteers, if we're to get work done, sometimes the tough calls need to be made. Having said that, i have kept the occasional eye on Felix as the weeks progress just to show my face and give him a bit of company.

All in all it was a great first two weeks being back at PSF. Since the completion of Felix's modular there has been some enormous developments into a big community project that I've been leading from day dot. That story in itself is worthy of a separate blog so you might have to wait another week as i get that organised. It's fair to say that it'll be one of the biggest projects that PSF has taken on board and i couldn't be happier to come into it at this time and know I'm going to see it through over the next 3-4 months. Take care for now and I'll be in touch!

Hasta luego!