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Date:
February 21, 2002
Hello !
I hope this email finds you all well. I am doing just
wonderfully.
As the 6 month anniversary of my leaving home
approaches I grudgingly accept that my traveling
adventure will some day come to an end. When I do
return home there will be some radical adjustments. I
will have to decide how to make money again instead of
just spending it. I am confident that my life will
return to somewhat of a " normal " routine. This I can
do. What will be infinitely more difficult will be the
loss of my celebrity status. After all I am a rock.
Screaming children run out to the street with their
hands in the air as I pass. Beaming young women
whistle and wave when they see me. Truck drivers lean
out their windows and give me the thumbs up. Soldiers
salute my efforts. Families crowd their doorways
solely in the hopes of getting my attention. When I
return home I will be a thin, bald guy with a good
suntan. Sure I could regal the person next to me with
some great stories but alas I will be merely another
guy in the Walmart checkout line. This could take
years of therapy.
I arrived In Piura, Peru yesterday. It is a provincial
capital city located 300km south of Ecuador along the
Pan American Highway.
Ecuador changed between Cuenca and the Peruvian
border. The lush mountains became desert, then
tropical rain forest and finally flattened out into
huge corporate banana plantations. I will never forget
the pungent odor of rotting bananas in the midday sun.
The poverty of the locals also became much more
evident. The stone and wood houses were replaced by
mud huts and the gutters were full of fetid garbage. I
have witnessed extreme poverty in Central America. I
can understand the lack of money. It is what seems to
be the lack of ambition to raise living standards that
baffles me. I can be very poor and not deposit my
garbage outside my front door.
My border crossing into Peru was exceptionally easy. A
man exchanging money did palm a $10 bill when handing
me my money. It is the never ending game of trying to
seperate a gringo from his money
The coast of northern Peru is a desert. The highway
allows me vistas of white sand beaches and the Pacific
Ocean. This desert is infinitely easier to bicycle
than the Baja in Mexico. The road is flat. The towns
are spaced at reasonable distances. The ocean breeze
moderates the scorching sun. The locals are extremely
gracious. The drivers are polite and THEY HAVE CLOUDS
HERE. This is the rainy season in northern Peru. I
laugh when I see the locals huddle from protection
from the few drops of rain that fall for only a few
minutes. A young man selling papas along the road ask
me for my tarp because of the cold rain. It was 85
degrees.
Scott and I both became ill in Riobamba. My stomach
ailment lasted only one day but Scott‚s continued for
a week.The only food item we shared that day was a
package of cream cheese. It was not until I was sick
that I noticed the cheese was not pasteurized. As a
result of his sickness Scott lost that extra 5 to 10
lbs he wanted to lose. I now refer to the episode as "
Scott‚s Cream Cheese Diet". Guaranteed !
I am still receiving acts of kindness. In Peru a
fellow truck diver bought me a Pepsi and a friendly
man offered his families house as lodging for the
night. Water has been freely been given and permission
for camping has always been granted whenever we ask.
My favorite occurred in Ecuador.I was struggling up
what seemed to be an endless mountain. Suddenly 3
giggling boys overtook me from behind and started to
push me up the hill! This continued for a few hundred
meters until they were gasping for air while they
laughed. At this point I was pulling them up the hill.
They soon released their hold and waved adios.
Here is a shocker for those who know me well. I have
given up coffee. OK not completely. I still have a cup
with a meal later in the day. What I have overcome is
the morning ritual to search for caffeine. If I found
coffee it is a good morning. If I do not it is a long
day. I feel better with out all the coffee.
Difficulties in South America and an extra week in
Costa Rica have left me about two weeks behind
schedule. To compensate Scott and I will continue to
ride south until the riding condition deteriorate.
Then we will board a bus that will take us through
Lima to the southern city of Cuzco. From Cuzco I can
tour the ruins Of Machu Picchu. Lima is a massive city
of 8 million people that I would prefer to avoid.
I miss you all !
More later,
Dennis
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