Hi Everyone!

As I write this it has been about six weeks since we've finished
our voluntary work in Ecuador. Time does indeed fly when you're having fun.
(Come to think of it, time also flies when you're not having fun. Hmm.
Oh well, there goes another perfectly good proverb...) But anyway,
where was I? Ah yes, six weeks ago I was still trudging through the
rainforest on an enormous pair of green rubber boots (dragged all the
way from Holland and up through Peru, tied to my backpack), up to my
knees in mud. I now see why they call it "rainforest".

The best bit was when we visited the Cuyabeno Reserve in the north-east
of Ecuador, a superb bit of primary forest only accessible by canoe.
Among the weird and wonderful things we saw there were walking
palmtrees, huge frogs, flying cows and pink freshwater-dolphins
that weren't really pink.
Aditionally, we went fishing for piranas with bits of meat on a
string. Nasty little buggers, and their teeth are indeed razor-sharp.
But still they're not half as dangerous as certain cartoons would have
you believe. In fact, we went swimming in pirana-infested waters several
times, and I still seem to have all my toes.

No, for fierce battles to the death with flesh-eating fish we would
probably be better off in the chilly waters of the Pacific.
Unfortunately our time in South America was running at an end.
By the time we returned from Cuyabeno, my traveling companion,
Lindske, was scheduled to return to Holland in four days. I myself
still had two weeks to return to Peru, before flying to San Francisco.

With this in mind we hurried south to Riobamba, to sit on the
roof of a train for nine hours, going down 'Devil's Nose' with
loads of other tourists. It definitely wasn't the most comfortable
ride in the world, but as scenic tours go it was one of the
most, well, scenic. It was brilliant.

The last day we went up Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano in the
world. And of course, being Dutch, I went down it on a bicycle.
Also, being Dutch, I am not really used to cycling down mountains.
We are used to places that are nice and flat (and very windy),
as opposed those that are very steep with lots of holes in 'em
(and very windy). Actually, all things considered, it didn't go bad.
I managed to stay on my bike for *most* of the way down. And as soon
as I discovered that mountainbiking has very little to do with riding
a bicycle and seems much more related to skiing, there was a
significant decrease in the number of close encounters with those
holes I mentioned earlier.

After Lindske returned to Holland I spent several days in Quito,
in the enjoyable company of some other Dutch students, exploring
the city's many excellent restaurants and its curious nightlife.
Somehow I was even persuaded into an attempt at salsa-dancing
(which undoubtedly looked very funny) (and no, I will not give
a demonstration when I get back, don't even think about it ;-).

Interesting fact: One of the most popular songs at the time in
Ecuador, "A Dios Le Pido" by Juanes (which means something like
"I Ask This of God"), could easily be misunderstood as "Adios Lipido"
(which translates as "Goodbye Fat"). Hmm.

Anyway, sadly the time had come to leave this interesting little
country. Alas, no more would I encounter shops selling Durex
refrigerators (complete with big posters of housewives saying
things like "Of course I use Durex!").
A good side to all this though, was that I got to go back to Peru!
(albeit only for a few days...)

The bus-journey back to Lima from Ecuador was long, cramped and
uncomfortable. Things were not really helped by the movie playing
in the bus: 'Air-Bud', an American teen-sportsmovie made by Disney,
starring a dog. Now *there* are some ingredients for a truly
afwul film.

Back in Peru I spent a day of two spotting sea-lions, pelicans,
comorants, flamingos and lots of other creatures at the Paracas
coastal reserve near Pisco. The area is actually mostly famous
for its bird-droppings. I wore a hat.

My last days in Lima were mostly filled with shopping, exploring
the city and getting lost in the public transport system.
Some of the big museums in town give an interesting overview
of the many Peruvian cultures and empires over the last three
millennia or so. As far as I could make out, the favourite
pastime of the ancient Peruvians seems to have been beheading.
(At least judging from the many depictions of guys holding
a trophy head and grinning widely :)

By the time I left South America I had been there for nearly four
months. So you can imagine the slight culture-shock upon arrival
in the United States.
My flight featured another one of those Hollywood-films with an
absolutely brilliant script. ("How long wil it take you to finish
the formula [for nuclear fusion]?" -"I think I'll need about
two hours.") They actually showed it twice as well, so I ended up
having to look at Val Kilmer's head for three hours.

California is a weird place. Arnold Schwarzenegger is running for
governor - draw your own conclusions. Also, its seems more common
here to have your own swimming pool than it is to have your own
washing machine (though I cannot really complain about that ;-).
I am currently staying with two friends in the Bay Area, Max and Hella.
Both are grad-students at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre,
where, according to The Rough Guide, "infinitesimally small particles
are crashed into one another at very high speeds to see what happens".

The last few weeks I've had plenty of oppertunity to indulge in
one of my favourite pastimes: hanging around in bookstores.
(people who know me better are probably nodding heavily at this point)
Also, I've been spending a lot of time wandering around San Francisco.
It's a fascinating place. Fisherman's Wharf is a bit too touristy
for my taste, but the coastline and bridges are nice, as is the
enormous Chinatown, covering 24 blocks and teeming with shops
selling everything from T-shirts and Chinese worry-balls to obscure
dried bits of unidentifiable sea-creatures. Also quite interesting
is the former hippie-neighbourhood of Haight-Ashbury, which features
among other things an Anarchist bookstore and plenty of places
where you can get all kinds of unlikely bodyparts pierced.

In a few days we embark on a small tour of National Parks in Utah,
with bits of Arizona and Nevada thrown in for good measure.
It promises to be good fun - it will also be the final part of
my journey. In three weeks I shall return to good old Amsterdam.
After nearly half a year of traveling, I don't really mind...
Besides, I will finally have a chance to try out my hammock. :)

Regards!
Levien