The Adventures of a Migrating Saguaro

Guest Blogger: Sam in India part IV.

2012-01-29T03:16:00.000+09:00

Greetings and welcome to the fourth installment of Guest Blogger: Sam in India.

Guest Blogger: Sam in India part III.

2012-01-22T14:34:00.000+09:00

And here we are with another installment from Sam in India. Enjoy!

Guest Blogger: Sam in India part II.

2012-01-12T12:17:00.001+09:00

Another installment from Sam's visit in India. Enjoy!

Guest Blogger: Sam in India.

2012-01-09T07:04:00.000+09:00

Greetings, I wanted to open up my blog to my brother, Sam, who is in India for five weeks. Keeping true to my usual blog entries, i'll focus on the images rather than words. Below is the first installment of my guest blogger series, Sam in India. Enjoy!

Fort in Agra:

Taj Mahal Monks:

Qutab, India.:

Sikh Temple:

Taj Mahal:

Christmas at Longwood Gardens

2012-01-07T04:10:00.000+09:00

A great Christmas tradition of seeing the flowers at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

Almost Christmas!

2011-12-10T07:35:00.000+09:00

It is that time of year again!

Thanksgiving in Chincoteague

2011-11-28T11:59:00.000+09:00

Texas

2011-10-31T07:57:00.001+09:00

My Grandmothers cabin:

Cousin Preston and his wife Ashley with baby Presley:

Cousin Walt and his baby Emerson:

3 Cousins, Preston Tucker and Walt:

Cousin Preston and his baby Presley:

Family graves:

Looking out past my Grandmothers farm

Back in Saint Louis - Catch up!

2011-10-13T11:55:00.004+09:00

Hi all, I've have been back in Saint Louis for about 7 weeks now and am just getting back to blogging! Graduate school has started and it is keeping me extremely busy. Therefor, not a lot of time for photography...I'll be checking back in and posting more in the coming months, but at a much slower speed.

For now, Enjoy these photos!

Cousin Bryan and Lisa's Ohio Wedding!

My Cousin Katie.

Heidi, back in her element!

Vanessa, enjoying the sunroom.

Isla, eating cake for her 1st birthday. Her parents were kind enough to ask me to photograph her birthday!

2011-08-20T21:49:00.000+09:00

Week two at elephants brought a nice end to my summer. We had the dream team staff line up, followed by awesome students and comfortable weather, see second photo.

Mahouts: keepers of the elephants:

Erica on top of Jompoui:

A few photos from my friend Octavian (For more: http://www.octaviancantilli.com/blog/)

A photo of my friend Octavian, just waking up looking through a blue mosquito net:

Ajarn Mahout: The teacher of all Mahouts.

BUGS!

I'm coming home!

2011-08-18T10:08:00.000+09:00

After a few full weeks of elephant kisses, it is time for me to come home!

See you soon friends and family!

This photo was taken by my friend Octavian Cantilli, who is a staff photographer for Rustic. More of his work from this summer can be found at http://www.octaviancantilli.com/blog/

Week one at the Elephant Conservation Center:

2011-08-11T11:22:00.000+09:00

It has been an incredible week at the Elephant Conservation Camp in Northern Thailand. I return for one final week at the camp before returning to the states. What an incredible note to be ending on!

Enjoy!

A honey comb taken from a nearby tree:

Bugs in the Jungle:

Dismounting from the elephant in my Mahout Suit:

Mahouts bathing the elephants:

The baby who was born on the 1st of August:

My roommate for the past week:

Chiang Mai and northern Thailand

2011-08-04T12:35:00.000+09:00

Asia is Changing...

2011-08-02T18:11:00.000+09:00

Burma's Invasion:

2011-08-02T18:10:00.002+09:00

A Few Days Around Thailand...

2011-08-02T18:07:00.000+09:00

It has been a bit of a whirl-wind of a tour around Thailand. So far just a few days with a lot of AMAZING things packed in. Here are a few photos from the week! Enjoy

Bangkok!

2011-07-30T20:04:00.000+09:00

Spent a few days in Bangkok...

The People of Angkor Wat:

2011-07-29T01:44:00.000+09:00

L'Peak Cambodia.

2011-07-26T18:43:00.000+09:00

Hello from the village of L'Peak!

There is always time for a Cambodian Hair Cut:

Boys cool off in the afternoon:

Sorting through fishing nets:

The village (neighborhood)

Views from around the village school:

There is always time to fly a kite...not always wind, though...

Monks at the temple:

My friend, Mr. Sun Ghon, who works at the temple.

...And here are some Cambodian Bugs to end this blog. Enjoy!

Geres Clay Stoves

2011-07-19T21:11:00.000+09:00

Geres is a French Non-Profit who focuses on efficient stoves and educating the population about deforestation and health risks of charcoal burning stoves. We were also able to visit two different stove factories throughout the day. Here are some photos from the visit:

Phnom Penh - Round II

2011-07-18T03:04:00.000+09:00

I have started round two of "From the Ground Up", a seminar on NGO's in Cambodia and am looking to bring in a different approach/focus/subject matter as I repeat the same program I ran two weeks ago.

The Grand Palace in Phnom Penh:

Construction at the Palace:

Tuk-Tuk driver rest between business in Phnom Penh:

Spiders for lunch?!?

Nightly exercise at Olympic Stadium:

Another visit to the infamous torture prison S-21:

A man fishing in the Mekong:

Construction is alway underway in this fast growing city:

A visit to a nearby weaving village:

Friend and co-worker:

Washing at the end of the day:

My favorite temple:

My group, floating along the Mekong:

Angkor Wat

2011-07-16T00:02:00.000+09:00

I finished up the first running of the "From the Ground Up" program with Rustic Pathways (which focused on NGOs and aid work in developing countries) with a visit to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. This was my second visit to the great temple, with a third to come in two weeks when the second running of this program comes to an end.

A week in L'Peak

2011-07-13T06:09:00.000+09:00

I wanted to share some photos from our week in L'peak, a small village in eastern Cambodia. Near here, Rustic Pathways has an orphanage set up where students learn vocational skills; pictured below is the teacher of weaving.

Children fishing:

Near the orphanage is a temple that dates back to 1000 B.C., older than Angkor Wat. Next: Inside the temple monks socialize.

Our home stay in the village is modest; pictures of village life follow:

A shy girl standing outside of the school:

Monk at the temple, watching the sunset:

Live in the village is powered by car batteries.

A boy and his bike:

A farmer and his land:

A road built in 1977 by a Khmer Rouge work camp to divide a body of water:

One morning I found myself moving a boat from one body of water to another:

Village dog:

The neighbor:

Khmer House:

Village store:

Evening rush hour:

Family portrait:

Village elder:

Village elder and his family waving goodbye to use:

The Rainy Season:

2011-07-05T02:06:00.000+09:00

Rainy season in southeast Asia doesn't stop life from moving:

Group aerobics at the stadium:

Walking in the rain:

One of my students suggested I try for this shot...nice eye!

S-21 and a nearby village:

2011-07-05T02:03:00.000+09:00

I believe it is best to start with this photo taken at the Grand Palace earlier this week:

We were given a tour of the torture prison S-21 by a surviver of the Khmer Rouge. He was 15 when he was separated from his parents and brought to the countryside for labor. Below, you can see the school as it was left by the fleeing Khmer Rouge in 1979.

A survivor of S-21:

A boat ride across the river from Phnom Penh is a weaving village. We spent the afternoon there, visiting a temple and seeing some of the weaving techniques of the locals.

A view of the local school. This was the unused classroom - though the next room over was operational...

Monks at the local temple:

Boys fishing on the Mekong River:

This is a man I met today at the stadium. He spoke French (from the french colonization of Cambodia) and allowed for me to take his photograph. He grew up in Phnom Penh, but was moved to the country side during the Khmer Rouge years.

NGO: Pico Sol

2011-07-02T10:57:00.000+09:00

Our first stop with students and NGO's in Cambodia is an organization call Pico Sol. They work with solar energy in rural Cambodia. They educate, train and develop methods of solar energy usage for Cambodians. Quick fact, nearly 85% of Cambodians are not connected to an electric grid.

Pico Sol is also affiliated with KamWorks, who have developed a solar powered LED light to replace kerosene lights in homes. Kerosene has notable health affects, while posing as a fire risk. It can also be expensive. The use of the moonlight in rural Cambodia was well documented by a photographer named Mathieu Young. You may view his photos of the moonlight: http://www.mathieuyoung.com/gallery/moonlight/

Boys playing soccer at the Orphanage near by:

Scenes from a near by temple:

a day in Phnom Penh...

2011-07-01T00:38:00.001+09:00

A day in Phnom Penh bring sights of street children to the forefront of you mind.

A day in Phnom Penh shows a watch seller adjusting the band of a watch for a prospective client.

A day in Phnom Penh is where a chess match can break out anywhere.

A day in Phnom Penh allows you to have good luck by buying birds for release.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

2011-06-29T01:21:00.002+09:00

I have had a few days in Phnom Penh before the students arrive and was quickly reminded how much I enjoy Cambodia. The chaos (traffic) is manageable, yet entertaining to some extent. Below are some photos from the past few days. Enjoy!

weekend update:

2011-06-26T19:00:00.002+09:00

Here are some photos from the last few days. I have now arrived in Cambodia and will be here for the next several weeks. I'll try to keep the updates and photos coming! Thanks all!

I was able to attend a funeral for the grandmother of one of our Thai Staff. Below are photographs from the service.

If you ever wondered how spicy "real" thai food is...this picture should offer a solid clue:

Looking over the rice fields which surround our base:

This Monk was collecting donations for a new temple that was being built.

the village women

2011-06-24T17:43:00.000+09:00

Bath time!

2011-06-23T09:28:00.002+09:00

Ghana update:

2011-06-23T09:10:00.002+09:00

We are back with another series of photographs from Vanessa, who is working in Accra with a legal organization. Enjoy!

Before I go to Cambodia...

2011-06-21T13:47:00.000+09:00

I have a few days left before I move over to Cambodia to work on some projects with different NGO's and high school students. Posted below are some photos of the past few days! Enjoy!

Children at the orphanage:

One afternoon this week we planted trees at a nearby temple:

The staff relaxing in the AC mini van:

Views from the Buddha Cave:

From around Town:

2011-06-18T10:29:00.001+09:00

A Market Vender in Udon Thani, Thailand:

Two gentleman participating in the Village Health Project, checking blood pressure and blood type, along with diabetes - which is an increasing undiagnosed problem in rural areas.

Pineapple vendor:

Surrounding rice fields:

Juice Vendor in a small village:

Monks cleaning the neighboring temple:

Receiving a blessing from the Abbot Monk:

More from the Village Health Project. Here ww screened an elementary school, blood typing for their village records.

Sunset at the Rice fields Base:

Thai Sculpture Gardens

2011-06-15T20:59:00.000+09:00

Below are some photographs from the sculpture garden near Nong Khai, near the Mekong river and the Laos border. So far, so good. Enjoy!

Thailand, part II.

2011-06-12T20:30:00.000+09:00

After a leaving Thailand in March of 2009, I have unexpectedly found myself back in the country for a summer of work with a group who specializes in service projects abroad. I am currently spending a few weeks in Udon Thani, north east Thailand. The project I am working on while I am here is the Village Health Project. We have been busy meeting with local clinics and setting up a schedule / services that we will do within the surrounding villages. Following this project I will be headed over to Cambodia to work with NGO's and the development of programs, working with students on how to run international service projects. I am excited to be back and excited to be spending the summer working towards what I hope to have a career in. For now, enjoy the photos!

Justin and Erikka's Wedding

2011-06-06T11:49:00.000+09:00

I had a wonderful time shooting Justin and Erikka's wedding at Wine Country Gardens this weekend. The weather was great (Hot Hot Hot) and the location was beautiful! Congrats and good luck to the both of you!

Update: Vanessa's in Ghana

2011-06-01T07:49:00.000+09:00

For those of you who know (or not), Vanessa has now been in Ghana for about two weeks. She is working on Legal Aid with a group who operates in Accra (the capitol city). Prior to her departure, we picked her up a nice camera and lens. I would like to share a few photos that she has sent to me, via email. Posted below are two photos taken by Vanessa Hill. I hope we have more from her soon.

2011-05-29T14:13:00.001+09:00

With Vanessa in Ghana, I wanted to post this photo of the three of us enjoying a nice sunny autumn day.

mother was here...

2011-05-20T10:48:00.000+09:00

We had a great weekend with mom and Vanessa's mom in town. I'll keep the review shot, as I usually do. Here are some photos from the weekend. Enjoy!

First off, at the Phils vs. Cards game I thought this was appropriate.

CWE House tour:

Trip to the Arch:

Up the Arch:

Phils vs Cards:

Thailand...

2011-05-12T13:33:00.000+09:00

I am in the process of editing up a lot of the images on www.patricknobles.com and came across this one. Thought I'd share, seemed to have slipped between the cracks.

Soulard

2011-05-11T11:51:00.000+09:00

I had a wonderful time hanging out in Soulard taking photos for Joanie from Joanies Pizza. Please do your self a favor and stop by and get a pie, truly some great pizza!

the end of the semester...

2011-05-01T01:05:00.000+09:00

A quick picture of Heidi watching Vanessa study for her final exams. Enjoy!

Storms in Saint Louis.

2011-04-24T04:30:00.001+09:00

Some severe weather last night brought strong winds and a tornado through parts of greater St. Louis. These photos were taken Saturday morning, April 23rd, in Ferguson - North of St. Louis City.

Heidi's Photo Shoot

2011-04-18T02:06:00.000+09:00

Spring is here...

2011-04-17T03:48:00.000+09:00

I wanted to share some photos I took earlier this month of Vanessa and Heidi relaxing in the warmth of spring. Enjoy!

April Storms

2011-04-17T03:47:00.000+09:00

The view from behind our building, looking south East at the approaching storm and the afternoon sun.

North Saint Louis

2011-04-16T05:24:00.000+09:00

Documenting my drive from the Central West End into North Saint Louis, where the University of Missouri is located. Signs of a depressed economy are present.

The Best in Show:

2011-03-26T10:57:00.000+09:00

Recently, I was able to photograph a dog show. Local to St. Louis you’ll find great similarities between the actual dog show and the movie, Best In Show. The characters seem to somehow match their dogs, channeling their energy as they directed them through the agility tests. At times, it was as much of an agility test for the owner as it was for the dog. And I do believe Eugene Levy was spotted as a guest judge. Enjoy the photos!

Whats Brewing Here?

2011-02-23T06:16:00.008+09:00

Hi everyone, I wanted to give you an update on the process in which derives energy from the oxidation of organic compounds. Also known as Fermentation.

Above is the Porter and below is the Brown Ale

Yours truly, holding a sample of the Brown Ale.

Here is a picture of the Explosion I.P.A.

Lastly, a sample of the Honey Dry Hop.

Enjoy! (As I will...)

Weekend update!

2011-02-13T11:48:00.000+09:00

I had a wonderful visit with Sam last weekend, here in St. Louis. We ate at some great restaurants, heard some Jazz and even some Gypsy Jazz! Here are some photos from the past few days.

ICE ICE Baby.

2011-02-02T09:38:00.000+09:00

Well, with the return of the ice and snow comes some more pictures! Stay warm out there!

snow day with the dog

2011-01-21T03:40:00.000+09:00

After receiving what could end up being more than a foot of snow, I took Heidi to the dog park for morning of fun. I hope everyone is warm wherever they are!

January 2011

2011-01-17T05:56:00.000+09:00

It has been a busy week here, getting back into the swing of things. My teaching schedule is slow this month, so I have taken on some photography projects in the meantime.

I have also been able to get out a bit more and explore the neighboring towns and countryside. Yesterday, Vanessa and I went to see the Eagles along the Mississippi River. As the river up north freezes, the eagles fly south where they can fish in the non-frozen waters. Here are some photos from the past week. Enjoy

The last photo is from when The Bad Plus played here in St. Louis in the beginning of January. The drummer always looks like he is having such a wonderful time.

Winter Holiday part 02

2011-01-06T08:46:00.000+09:00

Well now we are on the front end of the new year and I would like to wish everyone a great 2011. I had a wonderful New Years in Washington DC with Vanessa and her family. I am now back in St. Louis, catching up with all that I missed over the 10 days. But, it was totally worth it :)

Here are some photos from the latter half of the holiday.

Winter Holiday part 01

2010-12-30T03:14:00.000+09:00

I wanted to send out a quick "photo-update"for all of you internet seekers in need of some visual stimulation. It is so wonderful to be back east for a short time, catching up with friends and family. I hope everyone has had a wonderful few days. Best wishes as the new year approaches.

Heidi's Christmas present:

Christmas Dinner at the Nobles:

Snow Storm in Rehoboth:

If you brew it, they will come.

2010-12-22T10:25:00.000+09:00

Fresh out of the fermenter is a better than expected IPA with a semi-sweet flavor up front and a hard hoppy finish. Honestly, I thought this batch would be lousy due to the many mishaps during the brewing process but I am surprised how resistant beer brewing is to mistakes. For those of you back East, I will try to bring some home for all to try.

Enjoy!

Lights, Camera...

2010-12-07T13:18:00.000+09:00

ACTION!

We'll, I have recently gotten into the world of lighting. (...pertaining to strobes and photography)

And, I am open for business....(PLUG: if anyone in the St. Louis area needs a portrait taken, let me know!)

Here is a sample of yours truly and Heidi:

(ps - the winter is here....20 degrees outside and feels like 7. The beer has entered the second stage of fermentation and Heidi steals a loaf of bread a week from the kitchen.)

December 28th.

2010-12-01T13:32:00.000+09:00

My Thanksgiving experiment involved brewing my first batch of beer. I started off with a high level of ambition, brewing up a (hop-fully) tasty I.P.A. (PS - notice the pun. HOP - as a beer ingredient))

December 28th will be when the 5 gallons will be ready for consumption. Wish me luck.

In case you thought I forgot about you...

2010-11-26T09:46:00.000+09:00

Whoa! It has been months since I have updated, and I apologise! So - what have you missed?

It has been incredibility busy. I teach 30 hours a week at the English Language Center on the campus of UMSL, Monday through Friday. I have a few larger scale contract gigs with my photography, when I am not teaching. On the weekends, I work at an emergency homeless shelter in North St. Louis and on Friday afternoon I visit a production studio, where I help with photography projects and learn a lot about lighting! ...AND, I am taking 7 credits of classes at the community college. Whoa....

With that said, I would like to take you on a magical photo ride, to fill you in on what you may have missed.

Yumm - An international lunch!

Down town St. Louis:

This is how Heidi decorates the house while we are gone (my shoe is next to Vanessa's shoe)

The ZOO!

Art work at the botanical gardens:

...another international lunch!

HALLOWEEN!

Rest and Relax...

Habitat for Humanity in North St. Louis:

Heidi:

...And today, the first snow! Happy Thanksgiving!

Our Newest Addition!

2010-09-26T23:41:00.000+09:00

Well, after some thought and a bit of looking, we found Heidi. She is a 4 year old boxer who we got from the Animal Protection Agency in St. Louis. She is a wonderful lady, house trained and all. As far as boxers go, she is very gentile and surprisingly mellow. Below are some photos of Heidi.

The Forest Park Balloon Glow!

2010-09-19T04:29:00.001+09:00

This weekend marks the annual St. Louis Balloon Glow. Here, in Forest Park, about 2 blocks away from where I live, several dozen hot air balloons gather in the open field. Posted are some photos from the even. Enjoy!

The decorator is here.

2010-09-05T06:11:00.003+09:00

Thought I'd post a quick picture of our living room. We are getting closer and closer to becoming settled here in St. Louis and really loving the city and community we live in. I hope to start a video soon that will provide a proper tour of our place. Have a good holiday weekend!

Home in St. Louis!

2010-08-22T00:20:00.001+09:00

We have been here a week now and really enjoying this new and exciting city. Between setting up the house and getting school stuff taken care of, We have had a few chances to see some of the city landmarks. I'd like to share a photo of the Gateway Arch I took on a recent visit. Enjoy and take care of each other!

Yosemite

2010-07-31T11:24:00.006+09:00

With only a short few days in one of the most beautiful parks in the USA, I thought I'd share a few of the images I came away with. Enjoy!

Look what I see...

And thats all folks!

Nor-Cal

2010-07-28T14:54:00.005+09:00

One last vacation before the big move to Saint Louis. One of my favorite places in the world is San Francisco and north!

Enjoy the photos from the last week!

Home sweet home!

2010-07-22T03:09:00.008+09:00

After returning from Peru and getting some time to visit at home i'd like to share some photos from the past week.

It was so nice to have a family picnic at the park!

A day of surfing at the beach!

And, of course, nothing beats a Diego Paulo show at the Dog Fish Head Brewery!

PLANET Global Travel Photo Contest

2010-07-13T05:50:00.002+09:00

Recently, I was awarded an Honorable Mention for a global photo contest. Enjoy!

http://www.planet-mag.com/honorable-mentions/

La Selva

2010-07-05T01:12:00.016+09:00

We arrived in Iquitos, greeted by the humidy and the noise of motor cars. A slight reminder of our time in South East Asia.

Given the time we had here in the Amazon Jungle, we decided to get on board a freight boat and travel 600 miles (5 days) down stream to Pucallpa. Here, we set out for a tour of the jungle before getting on board a freighter and returning to Iquitos, where we are now. We really enjoyed the crew from our orriginal boat, and luckly we were able to return with them.

The journey there was quiet with few people and cargo on board. The journey home was packed with people and cargo. Really a difference in comfort, returning on board with minimal bathrooms and creative hammok spaces. I found it interesting to see what people on board brought with them. Chickens, pigs, monkeys and turtles, as well as personal radio speakers (for the world cup and late night teenage dance parties) were on board. Returning, we discoved that the waters we were plying are a bit notorious for piracy. Severial times during the journey home, as the river was shallow and our chances of getting stuck were high, the crew on our boat fired warning shots at suspicious looking boats that came too close to ours. This would happen during the wee hours of the night, as we would jump out of bed to the sounds of gun fire. When we asked the crew about the nightly gun fire, one captain replyed ¨robbers come on board and take everything¨, and pointing to our coffee mugs he repeated ¨everything".

As for now, we have 3 days left in the Amazon before returning to the States. I look forward to seeing many of you upon my return!

Here are some photos from the past few weeks in and on the Amazon.

One of the ships crew members relaxing during his break.

Watching weather systems in the distance.

A night time stop at a small village.

And all of the night time bugs.

Incredible sunsets!

Watching life move along the Amazonas.

even during the down pour, life continues along the Amazon.

stopping in several of the small villages along the way to pick up and drop off people and cargo.

lumber, lots of lumber.

With low water levels, beautiful beaches become exposed.

A man on board brought along his pet monkey, the smallest monkey in the Amazon. Later, he sold it to a lady in one of the small villages we stopped in.

Preporation before sail.

The day before departure, vanessa is in her hammok.

Below are photos from the joungle tour:

Vanessa Fishing for pirrana.

Our guide showing off his pirrana catch.

getting back to the boat.

beautiful!

A shipbu girl in a near by village.

fishing for Pirrana was successful!

Thanks for looking! See ya´ll in a few days!

Photo update of the past month.

2010-06-11T08:33:00.010+09:00

I am currently in Iquitos, getting onboard a freight boat down the Amazon. If the river conditions are good, it should be about 5 days until I reach Pucallpa. I thought I would do a photo-blog to catch everyone up on the last month of my travels. No stories here, just some photos and titles. Enjoy!

Vanessa and I getting onboard our flight over the Nasca Lines.

Humming Bird, The Nasca Lines.

The Spider, Nasca Lines

Nasca burial sight

Sand dunes outside of Ica.

Our 10 dollar hostal on the Oasis.

Wine and Pisco factory in Ica.

Waiting for business in Arequipa.

El Paca and the Volcano Misty outside of Arequipa.

Sun breaking through the Colca Canyon.

The Colca Canyon.

A man who lives in one of the canyon villages offers us a drink at a reststop.

Vanessa, resting at the bottom of the Colco Canyon.

Vanessa sitting on the rooftop overlooking Arequipa.

Grave ontop of the Colca Canyon.

A condor takes flight. Colca Canyon.

After a shopping trip, we seemed to have bought the same things...

A monestary in Arequipa.

Until next time! Thanks for looking!

Puno and the lake.

2010-06-10T04:06:00.006+09:00

I`ll keep this short with only some explanations of the photos...Its a bit of a back track from where we are now, but i`ll try to update ya`ll the best I can with as little time as possible.

PUNO!

Pre-Incan and Incan cemetary that is located 20k outside of Puno.

Lake Titicaca.

Our view from the Amatani Island. Here Vanessa and I stayed 2 nighs with a family on the island. It was beautiful, quiet, no electricity, relaxing, and over all AMAZING!

At night, thunderstorms would roll across the lake.

People on the island still live very traditionally.

Ok - hope you enjoyed the photos and we`ll be intouch!

Machu Picchu and other ruins

2010-05-26T01:11:00.005+09:00

Prior to our Machu Picchu trek, Vanessa and I finished visiting the ruins surrounding Cusco. Here we relied soly on public busses and the kindness of others to reach some of these less visited locations. Not being apart of a tour, we were able to pack lunches and stay all day in isolated ruins. The oldests ruins date back to the pre-incan periods. Similar to the ruins we have seen prior to this, the incan sights all sit high upon the mountain side, over looking great valleys.

Machu Picchu.

Vanessa and I took the 4 day Inca Jungle trail to the great sight of Machu Picchu. We were in a group of 8 others, all from different countries. Vanessa and i were so thankful of the solid group dynamic, and how well everyone got along. We have done enough group activities to be thankful of a solid group.

The first day of our trip consisted of biking down from 4,000 meters. The first few hours of the biking we were completly covered in clouds and downpour. At this elevation, it was quite cold, too. By the end of the ride, we were in the warm jungle at 1,000 meters.

The second and thrid day we walked. Hugging steep mountain sides, we ventured on the inca trail. In the jungle, we were surrounded by coffee plants, coco plants, and banana plants. It was beautiful, as we treked through the rich vegatation.

At one point we crossed a river using an old pully system.

Finally, we arrived to Machu Picchu on Day 4. Enjoy the photos and best wishes to all!

Cusco: week 05

2010-05-13T06:32:00.012+09:00

By now, we have become acclimatized to city and familiar with all of the street vendors. Our time is now split between work and play. In the mornings I am working at a clinic in the Belen neighbourhood, and Vanessa is continuing Spanish school. My duties at the clinic are kept simple, giving shots and assisting with small procedures. I have three more days there before I move on.

The clinic has offered some amazing insight to how the people live here, especially the poor. It has also showed me the importance of education and accessibility of services. The clinic is fully sufficient and does great work in the community.

In the afternoons, Vanessa and I have enjoyed visiting the ruins that surround Cusco. Cusco holds a lot of history, being the old capital of the Incas. In the towns near to Cusco, amazing ruins looking over a town, Ollayantaytambo, that has been in habited since the 15th century, high above in the mountains. The streets haven´t changed their narrow, cobble stone architecture. The culture of the Inca´s still feel very alive. Working at the clinic, often people will come in who speak mostly Quechuan, the language of the Inca´s.

Here are photos from Ollayantaytambo and the ruins.

Pisaq, another town outside of Cusco holds the remains of an interesting agricultural experiment. Terraced layers dug deep into the earth were used for growing crops, and understanding how altitude affected crops. Example, the Inca´s were able to produce over 1,000 different types of potatoes due to elevation.

From Pisaq, in the Sacred Valley, we walked a few hours through the mountainous region to reach the salt fields. A young girl walked with us, giving us a proper tour of the vegetation, chatting in Spanish the whole while.

Until next time!

Cusco week two.

2010-04-25T23:16:00.006+09:00

We have been in Cusco for two weeks now. We have settled into somewhat of a routine of class in the morning, followed by people watching in the plaza(s) during the afternoon. As we have enjoyed this routine, it is about to change.

On monday we will begin our volunteer stay at a medical clininc in a very poor section of Cusco. Our duties will mainly revolve around assisting nurses and doctors in high volume areas, working in the pharmacy, and perhaps some front desk paperwork. We are excited to have a bit of purpose here.

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On another note, I have been more than impressed with the markets here. The diversity of goods is more noticable than the markets I remember in Asia. The section that really gets me going is the meat isle. A note of warning, these pictures are not for those with weak stomaches or people who are PETA members.

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Well, if you made it though the last few pictures - way to go and thanks for reading!

First week in Cusco

2010-04-20T06:51:00.005+09:00

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to send out a quick update to everyone about our arrival into Peru. I´ll give bullet points to conserve time.

- My train from Delaware to the Newark airport was canceled, therefor missing my flight to Lima. Vanessa and I went into NYC for dinner with her friend claire, who lives there.

- We made it into Lima late Sunday night. We are so thankful that our friend Kendra arranged a hostal for us to stay in. It was a much smoother arrival, having a taxi take us straight to our room, arriving around mid-night.

- Since we missed our flight from the US, our flight from Lima to Cusco was delayed and the earliest we could leave was tuesday. The hour long flight over the Andes Mountains was AMAZING!

- Got to Cusco and met our host family. After a few days of little-to-no sleep we had a quiet place to crash for a bit. Also, Cusco sits at 11,000 feet so we needed some time to adjust.

- We started lesons at the Spanish school and have been going for one week so far. We are getting a lot of information crammed into our heads and I am waiting for the moment for everything to click.

- In Cusco, we have seen several markets. From the tourist markets of San Blas to San Francisco, and even more interesting, the local markets of our neighborhood - which is located outide of the tourist area. At the local market on saturday, we saw a medicine man from bolivia who had several medicinal objects spread out on a blanket at his feet. There were dead birds, bones, plants, cacti, and jars of opeaque liquids.

- Sunday, we went to Chenchero. Chenchero is a small weaving village that has a very traditional market. Located 35 miles outside of Cusco, we jumped in a collective taxi for 6 soles. The market had many hand made objects, such as dishes, masks, hats, sweaters, jewlery, as well as all types of produce, grains, beans, and meat. The colors here were amazing. We took a collective taxi home for half the price but double the people. There were 3in the front, 4 in the middle and 4 in the back (station wagon). We were the only non-Andean people in the car, as we stopped many times to drop people off throught the different villages we passed through on our way back to Cusco.

Here are a few pictures. Talk to you soon!