Wednesday, June 20, 2007

COLORADA!!!!!!!!!!!

Back home in Colorado, but first lets wrap up Latin America.
Lima, Peru
We'll start with the not so violent mugging. After about a 20 hour bus ride from Cusco my bus pulled into the Compton/South Side Chicago/Spanish Harlem New York of Lima. Not knowing this I went across the street to check my email for Fico's phone number. After I got the number I went around the corner down a side street to use a pay phone and call Fico. I called Fico and left a message that I was going to go find a hotel for the night seeing I couldn't get a hold of him. As I started walking back to the bus station a man grabbed my arm and started asking for Soles (the currency of peru), I tried to pretend I didn't hear what he said and keep walking, but that just caused him to grab harder and give a little yank. So I decided to use my six months of Hapkido training and.....politely hand over my wallet. I expected that he would be satisfied, but then his greedy friend showed up and took my small backpack off of my chest and tried to search through my large back pack (aparently he didn't want my plastic poncho). I realize now that I probably could have yelled for help, or attempted to get away. But when it comes to fight or flight, apparently I have neither. In the end they got away with about 50 dollars in Soles, my i-pod, my 2nd passport, and once again all of my spanish notes and notebooks.
After two hours at the police station filling out reports I finally made it to Fico's. I was robbed on Friday which meant I was stuck in Lima until monday when the embassy opened. Luckily Fico's house (or compound) is equipped with a pool and several servants. And it was located right across from the mall where I spent the weekend drinking Starbuck's coffee, eating TGIFridays, and watching the latest movies. By the end of the day monday I had my passport and Tuesday I grabbed a bus to Quito, Ecuador.
Quito, Ecuador
It was a 38 hour bus ride, but luckily I was sitting next to 2 nice Jehovah's Witnesses from Venezuela. Who took advantage of the time to explain to me the logistics behind how God created the Universe and because of this why all homosexuals will burn in hell. As you can imagine the time flew by.
Once in Quito I met up with my buddy Sean (who I met on the salt flat tour in Uyuni, Bolivia). He took me to the best Ceviche place in town for lunch, we went to the market to buy slightly belated christmas presents, then walked through the historical district, got a haircut, had dinner with his friends, and then we all went back to his house to watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (luckily they all speak english fluently, because I could hardly understand that movie in english let alone spanish). The next morning sean drove me to the airport and I caught my flight to guatemala.
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Arrived in Guate at about noon. Tried haggling over shuttle buses to Antigua, but in the end I decided it wasn't worth it seeing I was only going to be in guatemala for 18 hours. Spent the day wandering through the historical district and the markets. Bought a few more presents for the family and a Machete that I had been wanting ever since Pieter and I's excursion in the Amazon. Next day at 4 am I jumped on my plane home.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!COLORADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got home Saturday night where my parents met me at the airport with the delicacy I had been missing most: PB&J (that's a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich for you foreigners). Sunday I was as American as possible and watched my five year old niece, Elizabeth, in her first Rodeo! Since then I haven't done much other than run errands to get ready for medical school and return to normal life. I head to the lake in Minnesota with the fam friday and then I have 5 more weeks to burn before orientation.
If anyone's got some good ideas on how to spend those precious days before school starts give me a call on my new cell phone: 720 280 4550.
You Know It,
Chris

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