Stayin´Alive

The four or five readers of our blog might be wondering if we fell off the face of the earth... well we didn´t. We are in Quito now, getting ready to spend our last night in South America at an inter-city soccer match between Quito´s two biggest clubs (Liga and Nacional).

Let me try to hit you with a few of the highlights since our last posting.

- Hiking through the Peruvian Andes and making camp in a cloud at 14,000 feet (it was a little cold at night).
- Eating some of the best food of the trip prepared by our camp chef Claudio with two burners and one cutting board in a tent. After the first day he mixed up the traditional Peruvian fair with won tons and spaghetti bolognese.
- Waking up at 4:45AM to watch the sun rise over Machu Picchu... unfortunately the city was completely covered in a cloud and we couldn´t see more than 10 feet, but watching the clouds part to reveal incredible ruins and breathtaking views was even more impressive than any sunrise could have been.
-Celebrating Phil´s 25th birthday back in Cuzco with shots of Pisco (liquor derived from sugar cane), roast spicy guinea pig, and brandy alpaca chops (the alpaca is highly recommended, guinea pig not so much).
-Avoiding disgruntled Peruvian workers blocking the roads the day we flew, and the airport the day we took a bus.
-The appearance of Juan "el capitan" Pearson in Quito who managed took the Quito Hilton casino for all it was worth with an incredible display of $2 blackjack skill.

I am missing a ton, but time is up...Felipe y Frijole will be back in DC on Friday... after one last night of sudamerican cerveza.