Oh right, we have a blog!

Well folks, we apologize for our long radio silence. We've been moving fast and haven't had a whole lot of time to do much other than sit on buses for hour after hour...such is life!

Since we talked to you last, we've successfully made it from Santiago to Bogotá via plane--which we were inevitably comparing to the bus services we've had thus far (it took the cake, by far: BLANKETS?? WE CAN CHOOSE THE MOVIE?? BATHROOM WITH RUNNING WATER????). We spent 8 days in Bogotá, most of which was enjoyed (very, very much) in the company of Bob Barlow, visiting lots of fun coffee houses and museums.

Bogotá is such a city of extremes: the clouds roll over the cerros to the east, bringing in torrential rains every day, usually after whole days of sunshine and beautiful breezes. The police presence is intense in La Candelaria, the neighborhood in which most of the colonial buildings are located, but almost nonexistent in the rest of the city. Poverty runs rampant, and yet there is a tailor who creates bulletproof designer clothing for the upper-crust citizens of this huge city in the clouds. The tamales are extremely cheap, and the coffee is extremely good--the first time we've been able to say that in South America.

And then off to another extreme: Cali. That is to say, extremely boring and extremely unsafe. We stayed for three days at an extremely uninteresting hostel with extremely loud individuals who seemed extremely...materialistic? blasé? Not sure what to say...

Cali was followed by Popayan, a cute little colonial town nestled in the mountains. Gorgeous, relaxing, and ultimately a 3-day stay doing not much other than watching movies and eating great Mexican food (random, but important).

And now we're in Ecuador! Quito, to be exact, in a reconaissance mission preceding the arrival of my father and his wife on the 7th of May. In the next couple weeks we're going to visit the cloud forest, the Amazon, volcanoes, and sleep in hammocks. I could not be happier.

Nor could I be happier about This. I think I've found what I want to do, at least in this next chapter of my life. This year: apply. Next two years: learn, make contacts, and figure out what I want to do with my degree. Immediately after graduating: start a business, bringing green energy to the masses, write a book about it, and invent new technologies.

...perhaps lofty goals, perhaps not. Either way, new dreams to add to my collection, and ones that put a smile on my face.

We only have 7 weeks until we come back to the States, and while I am definitely enjoying the trip as much as (if not more than) when it began, I am excited to come home! Can't wait to see you all!

Love,
Sam