Things Americans have that most Peruvians seem to think are unnecessary

- Winshield wipers
- Pleain water to drink at a meal
- A funcional speedometer
- 2-ply napkins
- Defrost
- Fresh fruits and/or vegetables at a meal
- More than 2 nights without church activities
- A planner
- Disticition between the type of food eaten at breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Using the piano sound when playing the keyboard
- Idle hands during worship at church
- A yard without chickens, pigs, and/or ducks

ADVENTure

our first christmas together

(warning: kat is longwinded) advent is typically known in the liturgical calendar as the four weeks prior to December 25. it is a season of anticipation and preparation for remembrance of Christ’s birth and is usually celebrated by readings and teachings that center on the second coming of Christ. this year, luke and I decided to prepare by focusing on a theme that fits our current situation: we have been reading the stories of ordinary people from the Bible that the Lord called away from their comfort zone and their life to a completely new place, so that He could use them to accomplish His will and also so that they could be taught. some of the characters we met were:
*jonah (jonah 1-3)
*the Israelites on their exodus from Egypt (exodus 12:31-exodus 16)
*abraham and his family (genesis 12-genesis 15)
*joseph when he was sold by his brothers (genesis 37-genesis 41)
*mary and joseph (luke 2:1-20)

through the stories of each of these people, I was amazed at the faithfulness with which each person did not hesitate, but rather was quick to obey and follow the Lord’s calling. luke and i are truly living into this advent story as we are on this journey. early last year, as soon as we were engaged, we took a leap of faith and bought plane tickets to quito, ecuador (before we had really even started to plan the wedding). we both felt a strong desire in our hearts to travel to South America, not knowing exactly what God had in store. some would say it was the holy spirit prompting us. there’s no way we could have ever predicted the experiences we have had up to this point. we both just knew we were being called to leave and so without hesitating, we left!

motokars, the main source of public transportation in pucallpa

in leaving and finding ourselves somewhere completely new, I am reminded that it is often in these spaces when we are away from all things known and comfortable that i become teachable. in these vulnerable moments where my focus is solely on God and my reliance upon Him, i can see clearly the things that my mind is normally too distracted to see.

in the church here, I have found myself in moments of discomfort, mainly caused by the fact that things are different than what I am used to or have experienced in my life. when I take a step back and observe, i can see beauty in the fact that my brothers and sisters here are without a doubt in love with the creator of the universe and that their lives are being affected in tangible ways by that relationship. God is moving here for sure! I am reminded of a verse I read while living in Nicaragua several years ago. Habakkuk 1:5 says, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” the reality is that I probably wouldn’t have believed what God is doing here in Peru, and that is why I was brought here to see it in person. seeing God do big things reminds me that He is not the small idol I often tend to turn him into.

the luz divina church in pucallpa
part of our desire of spending time with the church here in Pucallpa was to have a community of believers with whom to celebrate Christmas. not until last week, however, did we realize that this particular church does not celebrate Christmas. everyone else in Pucallpa does, just not the church we have connected with. we would say “feliz navidad!” and they just smile at us politely. we have heard various explanations, the most common one being that nowhere in the Bible does it say that Jesus was born on December 25th, so how do we know to celebrate on this given day? on Christmas eve, there was a church business meeting and yesterday, on Christmas day, there was a church service, but Jesus was not mentioned by name- in regards to his birth or his life. rather, it was a prayer and worship service, typical to the one held each Saturday night.

making sugar cookies (note the PVC pipe we used for a rolling pin)

that being said, we were able to carry on some of our own Christmas traditions, such as making and decorating sugar cookies with some of the young people and handing out candy canes this morning in Sunday School. we have also been able to learn what a typical Peruvian family does to celebrate the season. during the week leading up the Christmas, there are “chocolatadas” held around the city, in which certain organizations, such as churches, hand out hot chocolate and panetonne- an Italian inspirited sweet bread filled with raisins and other candied fruit, donated by the government, to neighborhood children. most families prepare to eat ham for their Christmas dinner, and to do so, must kill a pig in preceding days. that being said, I witnessed my first butchering and am officially turned off any meat besides chicken. at midnight on Christmas eve, the town comes alive with the noise and lights of fireworks. children and adults of all ages can be found in the street lighting their shoddily made firecrackers, which generally are made of some gunpowder rolled in paper, with a fuse attached. the noise continues for at least an hour, making it impossible to sleep. also, consumerism is just as alive in Peru as it is in the United States. going downtown guarantees a glimpse of all the town rushing about to buy gifts that they don’t have money for and that their children don’t actually need. how have so many people lost touch with the reason that we are celebrating in the first place?

luke with his afternoon soccer club

when luke and I first arrived in Pucallpa, we came with ideas of volunteering and giving of our time. as it turns out, we have been giving more of ourselves through relationships with the people we have met. luke enjoys passing his afternoons playing soccer with the neighborhood boys, teaching rock, paper, scissors, and giving drum lessons to young people at church. i have bonded with many of the young ladies here who are all on vacation now, and we spend our time trying to speak in each other’s languages, and me learning how to make the killer fruit juices we are treated to here. we are putting into practice what paul writes in romans 12:16 “don’t be afraid to enjoy the company of ordinary people.” we are observing faith in action. we have been able to visit many of the satellite churches in the area and share a testimony of the ways we have seen God in our lives on our trip. we have both felt a strong personal desire to listen to God and grow in our relationships with him, both individually and together as a married couple.

we leave this Thursday to head to lima, where we will see a few more sights in peru, before heading through chile, argentina, and uruguay to arrive in paraguay, hopefully mid-february to spend time with luke’s family there. we will take with us fond memories of our time here and the brothers and sisters in Christ that we met. we will also leave challenged to act on the things that we have seen and encouraged by the fact that our Messiah is indeed ALIVE!

Shout for joy!

(via luke) This month we will spend more time in church than we will spend all next year at Imago Dei. We have landed in the town of Pucallpa, in the Amazon jungle of Peru with the church of Luz Divina (church services Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun AM, Sun PM, Potluck Wed). Months ago we contacted Jennifer Harris, a missionary from Salem who has lived here for the last 10 years. Before meeting us, she welcomed us to stay in the church apartment, and let us know that there are constant projects happening in town if we wanted to volunteer. (http://www.jensjungleministry.org/) We decided to spend the month of December here, and quite a blessing it has been. Here is an account of the ways we have seen God in the last few weeks.

Psalm 66
Shout for joy to God, all the earth!
Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious.
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.
All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing the praises of your name.”
Come and see what God has done,
his awesome deeds for mankind!

Before arriving in Pucallpa, we stayed with Pastor Juan Bautista in Huánuco, a town that claims the best weather in the world (we’re not convinced). His family’s hospitality was incredible, and the first night when we went to church with them (they had us preach in Spanish), the church presented us with gifts and they all lined up to greet us. In Huánuco we were able to share stories, games and cultures with youth and kids that flocked around the house. They were incredibly grateful that we would care to visit them and their town, and treated us like royalty.

Someone has to be the net

One day our children will look just like these!

Upon arriving in Pucallpa, we were immediately invited to go farther into the jungle to a farm. Before we knew it we jumped in a fully loaded truck, then a boat, and arrived as fresh food for the mosquitos and other bugs.



The grand event was a church anniversary celebration farther up the river in a small town. The next day, we traveled another 3 hours in a boat and were welcomed warmly with big bowl of chucky beef stew. Those living here are not the loin cloth, bow and arrow type Indians that we have seen in movies, but the living conditions are rustic. The church celebration included several church services, kids time with the American gringos, a wedding (small and simple), a 2 am meal followed by church until 5 am. After the church service/wedding, we were invited up as special guests to say some words to the church. After that, we stood with the bride and groom to be greeted in the greeting line, and we all ate cake that was both accredited to the wedding and my birthday. The overwhelming kindness and hospitality have been incredible, but sometimes I wish we could just blend in a little more.


Us with the happy couple

The first nights of our stay in Pucallpa were spent in the wonderful “Hermana Ana’s” house. Because the status of our bowel movements were not quite normal, the outhouse provided felt particularly uncomfortable. On top of that, 90 degree weather plus 80% humidity, bug bites, and no fan made for a hard night’s sleep. What I learned about hospitality from Hermana Ana is that true hospitality is extended without reservation and is not self-conscious or apologetic. She said “what I offer is simple but given with great love” and extended what she had to us with great love, no matter how humble her living circumstance are. Lesson learned: no excuse for withholding hospitality.

Eating on the farm in the jungle is a very different experience. The idea of a supermarket makes no sense to them. They rely on the provision of God through what food is in season or what animal they can kill. They eat lots of meat, but they kill it and cook it all themselves, and every woman knows how to gut a pig, chicken, fish, or monkey in 2 minutes flat. God does provide for them, and in turn they are generous with his provisions.

Pork for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

From the Peruvians here, we send authentic greetings to our brothers and sisters in Christ! Be encouraged! And remember, this Christmas live a little different. Worship more. Spend less. Give fully. Love all.

machu picchu.

when we pause for a moment and think about our lives, it is not hard to think about all the blessings that we have in our lives. there are all the obvious ones that i have spouted off in the past years like friends, family, and health. this thanksgiving, i found myself thankful to be without a job (so that i could be here on this trip), thankful for the hug of a mother (who travelled from countries away to visit) and thankful for a spouse with whom i am blessed to grow, learn and adventure with. thankgsiving this year found us not where it has in years past, sitting around the table overflowing with great food and even better company, but rather, at just about the time most people in the states were probably going for their second piece of pumpkin pie, we were huffing and puffing our way up to the top of machu picchu, one of peru's most visited tourist destinations.

my mom, deciding to cross yet one more thing off her bucket list, ventured to peru two weeks ago to see what we were really up to down here. meeting her in lima was just the start to a very adventurous week in which i'm pretty sure we saw and did more than i think luke and i had done in the previous two months. we were treated to a flight to cusco (rather than spending 24 hours on a bus), where we set up camp for seeing the sacred valley, a lush and fertile valley, and LOTS of incan ruins. after a few days, we took the train to the town of aguas calientes (at the base of Machu Picchu). we went to the (not so hot) hot springs for a soak. the highlight of the trip was taking the bus up to the park, on a windy switchback road. there, we joined the throngs of tourists we had come from around the world to see one of the seven man made wonders of the world. finally, we arrived at what felt like the top of the world. we spent a whole day exploring around this lost city of the incas, learning what life was like back then. it was unreal to be standing on top of the hillside with the whole stone city below. my mom is a trooper for getting to the top and i admire her persistency!

after machu picchu, we headed back to lima for a few days to discover the city there. before we knew it, we were sending here off back to the states. what a quick trip, but it was wonderful to have a touch of home here with us to remind us of all those who love us, those we miss, and all we are thankful for at home. we hope that you find reason to be grateful in each day we are blessed with! want to see more pics? check out my mom's facebook album by clicking here.

the cordillera blanca

(from luke) Greetings from the rainy season in Huaraz Peru, at the base of the Cordillera Blanca, mountains I never knew existed. This is the ¨tallest tropical mountain range in the world¨ (whatever that means). we did find that climbing to a lake at 14,600 feet above sea level gets your heart going. The weeks were spent camping at various lodges at the base of the mountains, so that we could feel really rustic (and cheap) but still have the luxury to go inside whenever we wanted. No words really describe the sights that you see in any mountains- when the clouds clear to a huge peak or the bend of a path gives you a clear view of a new waterfall cascading down the rock face. We have been enjoying the beauty and the simplicity of camping and hiking for several weeks. No words or pictures can really portray nature, but we will give you a few here to look at. Next week: Kats mom arrives and we travel to Cuzco, Macchu Pichu, and the Sacred Valley! Happy thanksgiving! Hope you find yourself with plenty to be thankful for, much as we are. (ex: new baby niece, new sights to see, a new marriage and a chance to see family!)


Laguna 69 at 4650m


A waterfall we found on the way to Laguna 69


Valley of Quillcayhuanca




our mobile home

beach or mountains... why choose when you can have both?

(kat´s ramblings)
when thinking about where to go on a honeymoon, luke and i pondered some of our favorite ways to enjoy nature. the beach, a river, the mountains. and now that we are actually on our trip, turns out we haven´t had to choose, but rather have been able to enjoy all of the above! since our arrival to peru, we passed through the less traveled northern parts of peru on our way to the beach. i was having a bit of a sore tummy, so we basically bummed around the beach called Huanchaco for a week. we enjoyed falling asleep to the sounds of crashing waves from the comfort of our tent, drinking lots of mate while marvelling at the beauty of the waves, and eating lots of fresh mangoes (which are currently costing about $1 for 6 or 7 mangoes). we explored some ancient ruins of the Moche people, took our first night bus, and landed in Huaraz, the gateway city to exploring the Cordillera Blanca (some of the tallest mountains in South America). from our base at a lodge way up in the hills, we have been able to be amazed day after day by the stunning, jagged, snow covered peaks poking out from behind the andes. taking walks into valleys and following winding rivers, climbing up ridges to glacial lakes, and enjoying the daily light show that is sunset in the mountains, we have been so blessed to see the creativity of our heavenly father. we are now back in huaraz before heading up north to enjoy more of the cordillera before my mom gets here in one week to enjoy thanksgiving and machu picchu with us!


little fishing boats called caballitos in huanchaco made out of totora reeds

since being in peru a few weeks, we have noticed a few differences from life in ecuador. sure, there are the obvious things like the currency, the increased amount of quechua (an indigenous language spoken by people who live up in the mountains) that is heard, and the food. but there are also some more subtle differences and one of them would have to be the fact that peruvians are always willing to stop whatever they are doing to engage in a conversation with us- to tell us about their country and ask us about ours. i could write for hours about peruvian culture and how we have experienced it, but want to tell you about two different times in which we felt this particular friendliness of peruvians.

1. we had just arrived in the city of trujillo, peru on the coast and were ready to begin our exploration of the city. armed with our dinky map that the lonely planet guide book gives us and barely legible street signs, we headed towards the plaza de armas (the main square). in our wanderings, we landed in a plaza that was full of girls all dressed in school uniforms and a few in elaborate costumes. we realized we must have made a wrong turn and just as we were about to turn around to fix our mistake, luke was being pulled on both arms by pre-teen girls that were guiding him towards what seemed to be a display of sorts. in spanish, all the girls soon crowded around and encouraged the gringo to try a variety of food dishes prepared with camote (sweet potato). they asked us about where we were from and what we eat, and a myriad of other questions, the whole time giggling every time luke would try a new food. after we tried all the dishes, several gals took pictures of us with their group. as we left, we asked them to point us in the correct direction and we walked off, chuckling to ourselves at the novelty of being extranjeros and they were all beside themselves that they have succeeded not only in getting someone to check out their display, but the fact that we were americans to boot!




2. a few days later also in trujillo, we were headed back to the city after exploring some ancient ruins. we landed in the plaza de armas (that we were looking for a few days before) and decided to sit and enjoy some terere to kill time because the power was out in the whole city, meaning that we would not be able to get money from any ATM (a few restaurants had generators, but not the banks. go figure) the power was supposed to come back on at five (or at least we were told that by everyone we asked), so we just chilled and people watched. soon enough, a japanese man we had met on our tour of the ruins showed up and we started chatting with him. he generously shared some tomatoes with us that he had just got from some farmers and before we knew it, there were three children who timidly came up and started questioning us about why we were eating tomatoes plain, and not with anything else. these simple questions led to more and more and before i knew it, i was busy talking to these children about any and everything that has to do with life in the US. boy, was i thankful to have a little photo book of our life to share with them! distracted as i was by these children, i didn´t even notice the crowd begin to gather around luke. soon, there were 15-20 adults talking to him! (imagine that we are literally just sitting on the curb and everyone else is standing up around us). luke starts showing our postcard book of oregon, and explaining the guampa and bombilla for mate, our buckets, and anything else that pops into these curious people´s minds. an hour passes. SEVERAL people wander over and ask ¨¿que venden aqui?¨ (what are you selling?) we just had to laugh. we were selling nothing, but rather just sharing about us and our lives and that was enough to entertain people who chose to listen to us on a sunday afternoon in the plaza. we finally excused ourselves, not wanting the crowd to grow any bigger.


from both of those experiences, we learned to always take a genuine interest in the lives of the people we come across, although it´s something that we´re still working on and will be for awhile. we also learned that everytime we get ¨lost¨, we end up finding something that is much more memorable than what we set out to find in the first place!

as each day comes and goes, we cannot help but be incredibly grateful for all of our friends and families that gave us the gift of this trip. we are having ordinary and extraordinary experiences daily that are allowing us to experience a new place, practice our spanish and grow our love for the latin american culture, and get to know each other more and more, while learning how we work together and can grow as a couple. for that, we say MUCHISIMAS GRACIAS! we think of you all often.

Dirt Roads

(from luke's perspective)
We made it to Peru! We took quite a few modes of transport to get here, mainly because we decided to take the dirt roads: the ones that sometimes don't show up on the maps we have. The route began in Vilcabamba Ecuador, headed south in the back of a few pick-up trucks, then onto a bus-that-used-to-be-a-Pepsi-delivery-truck, then across the border to a shared taxi, on to another shared taxi, into a moto taxi, then a big van, and a bus, and a few more busses, i think. The main pass through the Andes was on a road that took us 200 kilometers in about, uh, 9 hours. Every corner that the bus went around was preceded by a loud honk, the kind that says "i'm coming around the corner, and there is not enough room for you" (whether a car, animal, or person). One lane, no guard rail, and some tremendous sights out the window. We have now ended in the town of Huanchaco- a beach town in the Peruvian desert after crossing mountains, hiking to Gocta waterfalls (770 meters tall), wandering markets, and eating our fair share of mangos (just now coming into season) and avocados.



Gocta Falls, Peru

We have learned that when taking the dirt roads, a different side of a country shows. These were the places that have always been less accessible and visible to the tourists. We are reminded of the way that many areas of the world live- their poverty and hurt unseen. Whether it was a 7 year old shoe shiner, asking for money for his brother with cephalitis, or the grandma begging for change, or the brothers selling Chicle in the Chinese restauraunt, looking over the large platters of food; hurt can't be ignored. They have asked for money for so long that their request is mumbled- they instead ask with their eyes. Part of me wants to "play God" for a while- give all the money I have away, because it's tiring to be the privileged ones, no matter where we go. But I won't do that. I am comforted to know that the good news of Jesus is that he is there in the suffering of his family and he doesn't ask us to carry that burden.

For me, I think a better start is to experience it and let my heart be changed, then let my heart lead my actions. The greatest problem might be that we so easily insulate ourselves away from the pain that goes on everywhere around us. For some strange reason, Kat and I have the chance to be Bohemians Benditos- blessed to roam around for a time and take the beauty and the pain in with open eyes- to let both impact us. We will continue with open eyes here as we travel. We look for dirt roads to take us to places that have many stories and experiences to show us. We will allow our hearts to be impacted, and we will be changed.


the road, etched into the mountain side, near Chachapoyas, Peru

mountain side madness

(kat´s turn) it all began two weeks ago in the gringo filled town of vilcabamba, ecuador. we had decided to volunteer for two weeks on this farm project, Sacred Suenos, and all that we knew was that we were to show up early Sunday morning. we met up with the other American couple we would be spending our volunteer time with and Jen, our host. leaving all but one outfit each (so as to make use of the communal clothes closet we were promised), we showed up with our chacos on and one small backpack. we left town in a taxi and hiked two hours UP into the Andes. i don´t remember much of the scenery because i was staring at the ass of a stubborn, wheezing donkey named Bonnie, who was ambling up the narrow path, carrying up our food for the week, along with some chicken wire.


Bonnie the donkey

the Sacred Suenos site is inaccessible by road, so every person or piece of supplies that is needed must make it up by its own two feet or via donkey/horse. the vision for the project, as started by a swiss-canadian named Yves seven years ago, is to make this piece of land on a mountain side that has been deemed ¨good for nothing¨ into a producing piece of land for the self-sustaining permaculture community. a challenge indeed that Yves and Jen are willing and excited to take on with the help of their transient community of volunteers who pass through from all around the world.


upon arrival, we were instantly met with a lot of creativity. structures have been made out of cob and adobe, but since there is not enough sand around, they have substituted strips of plastic from all of the packaging of food. compost is a complex system, with different containers for donkeys, chickens, regular compost,and my favorite- the ¨skanky garbage¨, for those things that do not fit into any of the above categories and will have to be carried down the mountain to be disposed of in town (ie. butter wrappers). everything has a purpose (ideally three purposes) on the farm. nothing is wasted. containers and washed and reused. old clothes are made into siding for housing. a pressure cooker is used for nearly all meals, so as to use less energy. there is no electricity, so when the sun goes down, the candles go on and bedtime is early. there is a makeshift solar shower with the most magnificent view of the mountains. bathroom facilities... if you have to pee, find a bush. if you need something more, just use the bucket that will later be emptied by you or one of the other volunteers in the ¨humanure¨ pile (apparently human waste is great fertilizer for the fruit trees growing on the farm).

the shit bucket, (humanure is good for the fruit trees)


an average day looked like this: waking up with the roosters or sun around 6am. breakfast and ready to work by 8am. the cooler hours were in the morning, so we would each work on our assigned task until lunch time. over the two weeks, we worked on things like trail building, luke helped put on a roof, weeding, collecting green and brown leaves for the compost piles, one day i got to make a new compost pile (layering it like a lasagne), scooping up donkey droppings that are a great addition to the compost, macheting weeds that the goats don´t eat, disassembling structures, cutting old plastic bags into strips for cob, on and on. then, we would all gather for lunch- a vegetarian feast generally and lots of long, leisurely conversation as the afternoon heat or rain rolled in. lots of reading in hammocks in the afternoons and then evening watering of the plants in the garden. candle light conversations, leftovers, popcorn, cards, and laughs until exhaustion usually set in around 8:30pm. pretty tough life, huh? it is amazing how doing a bit more physical labor than usual can really tucker a person out. in addition to our tasks each day, we would each have a community job to do, whether it was feeding the animals (aka trying to keep the ten chickens in their cage while changing their water), doing dishes, making lunch, checking the water tank level, or emptying the ¨shit bucket¨.

although i was out of my comfort zone from day one, luke is a great encourager and helped me see all the reasons we should stay. overall, it was a great opportunity to be helping hands and listening ears. without fail, the sunset was spectacular each night, the Andes mountains just adding to the views. after traveling for a while, it was great to put down in one spot and get to know some people, beyond the simple pleasantries exchanged in a hostel. it was nice to be around people who are different than we are and who challenge us to think about why we believe the things we believe and why we choose to live the life we do. we are thankful to Jen and Yves for welcoming us into their lives for a short while.

onto Peru tomorrow... via the adventurous border crossing at Zumba.

(written by luke) This week, our adventure took us to the Pacific Coast of Ecuador. The trip was defined by long bus rides, cloudy days, the president being kidnapped by the police, getting sick, and swimming in the warm Pacific Coast.



We decided to treat ourselves to a ¨whale watching tour¨ off the town of Puerto Lopèz and hike on the isla de la plata, where rare birds are in abundance. This is a prime area for humpback whales and their babies to play, so on the boat ride, we were able to see several whales breach including a baby. What we forgot is that we both get sea sick very easily. ME ESPECIALLY. Before long, my breakfast was completely gone from my stomack, and needless to say, the rest of the 1- 1.5 ride there and back were quite sickening. On the island were hundreds of bluefooted boobies and other colorful birds, and we were also able to go snorkeling in the choral area with the bright fish- a first for me!

blue footed boobies


The next day we went to the protected beach los frailes, a pristine beach with no one in sight! That evening we moved to a secluded eco-resort where we were able to camp. The front desk guy looked at us a little funny when we asked to camp, because the weather had been cloudy and rainy, off and on. We were determined to camp, so we slept with the sound of both ocean waves and rain that night. The next day one of the staff said that they felt bad for us, so they wanted to put us up in one of the cabins for the same price as camping! So we moved to the more luxurious part of the resort.

That day we noticed that many people were intently watching the news, so we asked what was up. Well, they said, ¨the police just found our they got a pay decrease today, so they kidnapped the president and are holding him hostage in the police hospital¨. Airports were closed, streets had burning tires, people were in the streets, we were at the beach! a perfect place to be. That night the military rescued the president, and in the end some 7 people died in the gunfire. Life is back to normal now, other than the pro peace and democracy rally that we ran in to today in the streets of Cuenca.

From there, we ventured farther south, and landed in the surfing town of Montañita. Little did we know, this was the PARTY town of Ecuador, and the thumping bass from the clubs kept us up till all hours of the night. One strange phenomenon that we have seen here is that when one business idea succeeds, neighbors tend to do the EXACT same thing. so in this town, on one street, there were no joke, spaces for 30 coctail stands, all with their fruit and hard alchohol on display, and with rival music, anywhere from power ballads to raegeton. People could buy mixed drinks for a mere $1.50, and on one occasion we even saw a bartender deliver a mixed drink to the police man on patrol that night. We didn´t need to drink to enjoy the people watching on the steets of Montañita, although we were eager to escape the noise.

We left back to the mountains on Sunday, to ride busses all day through the windy roads up the Andes. little did we know that our stomachs would once again protest, and we ended up getting off the bus at some gas station, and told them they could continue on, we would catch another bus. Intrigued by the foreigners, the gas station attendants and their whole family came to talk to us, and later invited us to stay the night in their extra bed room. A blessing it was, although our stomachs were outraged by the mixture of bumpy rides, weird food, and some bug that had been bothering them for days. Upon waking up, found the strength to continue to the beautiful colonial city of Cuenca, and will soon be hiking into the hills to volunteer with a organic farm community called Sacred Sueños for 2 weeks. http://www.sacredsuenos.com/
We´ll send another update in about 3 weeks. We miss you all very much!

and the adventure continues...

so our bikes are gone and we have joined the masses of travelers that take to exploring this country (the size of Nevada) by bus. Clutching our Lonely Planet book and comparing notes with other backpackers, we find the best deals and the must see places. that being said, we have found ourselves in a variety of places in the last week.


At the Otavalo market

first, we visited otavalo, a town up in the mountains, a few hours from colombia, most well known for it´s indigenous market. after a night of camping, and lots of mate overlooking the stunning, lush mountainside, we descended into the town to explore the market. if you have never experienced an open air market, i suggest that you make it a priority in your lifetime! it is one of luke and my favorite experiences in latin america. the otavalo market is a strange juxtaposition of indigenous culture and the present day. women and men, all dressed in their traditional attire lug their crops, artesania, and anything else, hoping to sell it during that day, so that their load will be lighter on their trek home. tourist mill about (easily identified by the large camera hung from their neck) hoping to find something ´original´ to take home with them as a souvenir from their trip. little do they know that millions of other visitors to ecuador carry home that same hammock, wool socks, earrings, etc. since luke and i will be travelling for quite awhile, we managed to avoid buying any trinkets. we did however enjoy the food market. fruits, vegetables, grains, rice, you name it and it´s for sale. you could wander the streets for hours and that is exactly what we did!

from the northern highlands of otavalo, we headed south of quito to the town of latacunga, the jumping off point for our trip up, up, up into the mountains in search of the quilotoa crater and the lake it contains. the bus ride up was windy, and we caught a glimpse of the volcano cotopaxi (stunning, especially since it had previously been hiding behind clouds). finally we arrived at our long awaited destination. for all of you oregonians, just think crater lake. for everyone else, think about the most impressive sight of nature you´ve seen and this lake was comparable. where once stood the tip of a volcano now lies only the crater and the water that has filled it in to form a lake. indigenous families vie for our business, offering us hats knit from llama and alpaca wool and a room to stay for the night. it´s disheartening to know that we will probably be their only source of income for the day, as tourism is slow right now. the lake was definitely a place to sit and contemplate God´s majesty!


Laguna Quilotoa- Ecuador´s crater lake

we left the solace and solitude of the lake for the most popular tourist town in ecaudor- BAÑOS. it´s most popular for it´s thermal hot springs that are poured into two pools, situated near a waterfall at the end of town. one is tepid and the other is nearly too hot to touch. we were the only foreigners there when we went. nice, but we were definitely spoiled by our time at papallacta and the hot springs there. along with the hot tubs, baños is also a hot spot for outdoorsy adventures, such as mountain biking, rafting, bridge jumping and the like. luke and i tried our hands at biking (surprised?). we rented mountain bikes and rode 60km to the town of puyo, the gateway to the jungle. the route we took was called the ¨ruta de las cascadas¨ (route of the waterfalls). it was impressive! comparable to the columbia river gorge, there was not a shortage of waterfalls along the way. the most incredible was the ¨pailon del diablo¨. we were soaked! but dried quickly on our bike ride. it felt great to be back on bikes, if only for a day! after that, we were ready to escape the hip cafes and all the tourists that we saw in baños and head for a slower, quieter pace of life at the BEACH!

Baños Hot springs

the quickest route to the coast took us through Guayaquil, Ecuador´s biggest city. a loud, dirty and busy city, we were happy to leave after one night. and now we find ourselves in the sleepy town of Puerto Lopez. Blue fishing boats bob off the shore and people just seem to walk slower here. we are definitely enjoying taking it easy here and taking the time to enjoy the small things we are often so busy in our lives at home to notice.

Want to see more pictures? go to
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2097373&id=42005546&l=d74d249aa2

the rocky road

(written by luke) Those of you who told us that biking in South America was not the greatest idea...YOU´RE RIGHT! Whew! There, I said it. The last few days have been quite an ADVENTURE. Not your normal ¨vacation¨ or ¨travel¨. Adventure, I think, is best defined by trying the unknown. That is what we did. And we found it to be incredibly difficult. Here are some stories and lessons learned from the last few days. (we had to wait until our emotions subsided to a normal level to write this).

Wednesday- we wake up with the idea in our minds that we are ¨biking the mountains today to continue our adventure¨. Too stubborn to see that the weather was not the greatest, we left the Papallacta paradise hot springs on our fully loaded bicycles. The road is dirt downhill for about 1 Km, then about 2 Km uphill. First drizzle, then sprinkle, then the roads that we are walking our bikes uphill become muddy. Yet, we are too stubborn to go back. We make it to the highway, and begin riding. The altitude and grade of the road are suddenly too steep- we must rest about every 50 yeards. This continues, the rain comes and goes, and worse of all- the road never shows a downhill! Some weak attempts at hitchhiking and 3 hours uphill later, we find a shelter from the cold rain and ask God to just help us get out of this! Finally we boldly stick out our hand and waver it up and down (thumbs up means ¨hey look at us, we are doing great!¨ hand out means ¨a little help, please?¨) The next pickup truck comes, and what do you know- it stops! ¨we are going to San Rafael, they say. ¨perfect¨ we say (not knowing where San Rafael is). The road we see keeps climbing. It climbs so high that it begins snowing! At this point, we didn´t even want to ride our bikes down that giant 30km downhill road. We make it to a town, and find a place to stay, and eat some pizza and chocolate.


kat pushing her bike up the dirt road, just barely out of papallacta.

the mountain pass we struggled up before finally admitting our need for help.

a dry hut where we found refuge from the downpour on the side of the road.


Thursday. ¨surely we just need to find the rural roads, the ones with less traffic through the smaller passes¨. We continue determined. Today we follow the compass south- around a mountain and to a town that we are assuming is ¨over there¨. The morning ride is delightful! Everything we hoped for! Children in the rural street, a calm semi-paved road, people staring at us, smiling, waving. The road climbs in front of this spectacularly jagged mountain. At last! we have found the ¨rural route¨, the one withouth the trucks and busses. We ask if this road connects to the other side. Some say ¨of course¨ and other say ¨no way!¨ We continue up. We then begin walking, because the road, or big path, is cobblestone and steep. ¨just to the other side¨ we say. The road narrows. Another person tells us that sure, we can get through, but as we get higher, we only see horses and motorcycles going up this road. It ends at a farm. UhOh. We stop to rest, and are soon chased off the area by the herd of cattle going to be milked. This road does not pass through. so down we go. We have the hard conversation- we have now tried 3 days to traverse the mountins, but all we have found are bigger mountains, exhaust, long stares (truck drivers would stare for so long that it seemed that they might run off the road)difficult roads, and no good map of anywhere. Maybe it´s time to travel like everyone else. Once again, waver the hand and hop into a pickup truck.

on the cobbled path that we thought would lead to victory!

cows chasing us from our beatiful view of the mountains we were trying to pass.

Friday. We pack up our valuable bike gear, all the extras that made this attempt possible and pack them into a box to ship away. Our bikes, Pete and Ethel now look very sad and naked. It was a somber morning, knowing we would be selling our dear friends, who have taken on a personality and have followed us closely all the way from early dating to marriage. They, without problems, travled the San Juan Islands, the Oregon Coast, Mt. Rainier, and countless other places. They did not have a single problem here in South America (in fact on the other side of the world), yet we must get rid of them. We took them down to the 2 main bike shops (mostly mountain bikes) that we learned about and in a painful exchange of bartering, left both our bikes for a meager $40. It´s not that the money matters. It´s that these two bikes, which have tremendous worth to us, are practically worthless to anyone else.

naked Pete.


Lessons learned: Don´t shy away from an adventure. What we did was unknown, and we do not regret the attempt! To make life memorable and interesting, you must do those things that are risky. We have no shortage of ¨honeymoon¨ stories. As well as honeymoons are good for adventures together, they are also a wonderful chance to get to know one another. Kat and I have fully learned that we are about the most determined (or you could say stubborn) people. Now we travel with a $33 hiking backpack, a Jansport, and 2 buckets with stickers from Portland to remind us of home.

It is a strong lesson to part with something that is very dear to you- it´s a reminder that Kat and I have each other, and things are just things. Kat is the most amazing person to be with- I am learning about this every day. Her attitude is always positive, and even in the cold rain, she puts on a smile. She could have blamed me for coming up with this idea and convincing her that it would be fun, but yet she gives me grace.

Biking was one of the best ways to see the small towns, and admit to locals that we needed help. We met countless people because of our need for directions, help, and even the occasional 35 cent ice cream cone. While biking won´t continue, we will continue to be bold in our asking questions in attempts to be close to the actual people and culture. We have in fact, ridden on the back of 4 pick up trucks already, and don´t plan to stop.

the ups, the downs, the highs, the lows

so we admit, bringing our bicycles along on this trip might not have been the best idea we´ve ever had, but thank goodness for what some might refer to as our stubbornness. we prefer to think of it as persistence. yesterday, we decided to hit the road after spending enough time in the busy, capital city of quito. our bikes, loaded up with all that we brought along on this trip (suddenly weighing a LOT more), as our main mode of transportation. following the vague, squiggly lines that looked like roads on our tourist map of quito would be our method of navigation.

it took forever to finally escape the city and the road we found after that didn´t seem much better. it was a six lane highway (thank GOD it had a shoulder) that might have very well been the panamerican highway. at home, honking is a rare gesture used when someone does you wrong on the road. here, a honk can mean anything from ¨hey look at those gringos!¨ to ¨if you don´t get over now, i WILL run you over¨ to ¨keep up the good work¨ or at least that´s what we took all those honks to mean. after a ton of uphill riding (Oregon coast is nothing compared to this), we decided we better ask for directions.

asking an older gentleman on the side of the street how we get to papallacta, he replied, always take your right turn. when you get to a pavement road, then and only then, take a left... sounds easy enough, right? however, not even a block down the road, we came to a Y intersection. asking the lady sitting right (just for confirmation), she assured us that we should take a LEFT. so, we did. and we ended up in a small little town called La Merced. a town that probably doesn´t see many visitors. after enjoying our 35 cent ice cream cones, we decided we better figure out our plan of attack. asking some street vendors, they assured us the only way for us to get to papallacta was to take a truck taxi. we consented as we were exhausted and tired of following directions that were surely leading us in a circle. they called up one of their friends and we were told to wait 15 minutes.

the truck finally arrives and who should be the driver, but our old man friend we had originally asked for directions. he just laughed at us and told his vendor friends about how we obviously didn´t listen to his directions. silvio and his grandson graciously drove us up, up and up even more to the small town (not even really a town) of papallacta. the big attraction here is the thermal hot springs. there are mountains on all sides of us, lush, green ones that are dotted with cows and other grazing livestock. it is one of the most magestic things i´ve ever seen. and to enjoy the view from a hot soaking pool, there are no words. lets just say that all the frustration and exhaustion of yesterday melted away as the moon and stars appeared in this rugged, mountainous place. we are in paradise.


the thermal hot spring pools at the resort.


what we found when we finally made it to the mountain town of papallacta at 10,800ft.

sidenote: every sunday in quito, several main streets are closed off and open only to bicycles and foot traffic. hoards of people take to the streets to enjoy the day, get outside, and be with friends and family. since our bikes were just recently put together, we decided to do as the locals do. we found all sorts of bikes and just as many different kinds of riders. we cruised through quito´s parks and stopped to listen to music, watch people doing aerobics in the parks, skateboard and art demonstrations... probably the most entertaining way we could have spent a sunday morning. for all you portlanders: just think sunday parkways.


ciclopaseo in quito: basically the equivalent of sunday parkways in portland


luke riding the streets of quito for ciclopaseo.

ya llegamos a ecuador!!

luke and i made it last night to quito, ecuador after a whirlwind of a day in chicago with hannah (it was wonderful to see her in her element and to see the place that she calls home) and too many hours in the miami airport. we arrived to a warm evening, lots of fast buses and taxis everywhere, honking, spewing exhaust, and hardly staying in their lanes. after making it to the hostel, we crashed into bed, our bike box and other luggage almost trapping us in the room. this morning, we were met with an amazing view from the 5th floor terrace of the hostel. the city of quito lies in a valley and is surrounded by mountains on all sides. the homes and buildings extend as far as the eye can see.


our crowded hostel room at the secret garden.

what better way to see a city than to just walk out the front door and go? that´s exactly what we did. on our wanderings, we found an incredible basilica with the most intricate stained glass windows, all depicting various moments in the life of jesus. we found the plaza grande, lots of stairs to climb, a park atop a hill with 360 degree views. when hunger found us, we enjoyed tasty pan dulce (sweet bread), empanadas de queso, papas fritas, fresh fruit, and un almuerzo. the prices are right here in ecuador. the country is using the US dollar and has been for the last 11 years. a lunch plate cost us $1.50 each (and left us stuffed to the brim with fresh fruit juice, potato soup, chicken, rice, and vegetables). the fruit was a mere 60 cents for two bananas, mandarins and grapes.


the basilica we found that sits atop a hill in quito.

the fact that both luke and i speak spanish is proving to be most helpful and has allowed us to enter into social situations that other tourists obviously steer clear of. tomorrow morning, we meet up with our two dear friends rueben and luis, who are visiting from portland. then, in the afternoon, we hope to swing by the mennonite church here in quito to meet some of the missionaries there. then, on monday, we hope to take off in search off some hot springs up north called papallacta.

now, the task at hand is to re assemble our bikes and pray that they work just as well here as they did in the states. and so begins our adventure...


our first breakfast in quito. pan dulce, terere, and a great view!

we're wed and now we're off!

It's 10:30pm and somehow we are supposed to be awake at 3:30AM so that we can make it to the PDX airport to catch our flight out of the country (with a pitstop in Chicago with Hannah and from there, on to Florida). Our minds are racing a mile a minute and last minute to do lists keep appearing. After a crazy week, our panniers are packed, our four shirts are picked out for the next 6 months, and our two bikes are squished together into ONE bike box. Now, the reality of what we are about to do is setting in!

The wedding was this weekend and what a special event it was. Many thanks to all the friends and family who traveled from near and far to spend the day and weekend with us! It meant to see so many old, familiar faces, and meet those who mean so much to our loved one (me meeting Luke's Kansas friends and him meeting all my out of town family and friends). A huge thank you to our parents, families, and friends who worked their tails off to make the wedding go off without a hitch. We felt so well loved and supported throughout the whole process.

Perhaps we will finally have time to soak in all that has happened as we spend our 10 hours on an airplane or as we relax at the hostel we've booked in Quito, Ecuador through the weekend. Goodbyes are tough, but we are excited not only for our own adventure, but also to see all that happens in the lives of all who we are leaving.

Adios!

Post Wedding Plans...

As many of you know, Luke and I are getting married! The big day is only 2 short months away on September 5. We are excited to share our special day with many of our family and friends in God's great outdoors. After that, we are anxiously looking forward to beginning our life together, kicking it off with a big adventure. Where to? you might ask. Well, read on to find out!





Our journey will begin days after our wedding with a flight to Quito, Ecuador on September 8. Accompanied with our bicycles, we are excited to finally land in South America, a dream that has been stirring in both of our hearts for years. You may be thinking, wait a minute, did she just say BICYCLES? I did indeed! Through our lives in Portland, Oregon, Luke and I have both become quite the bike aficionados and lovers of bike touring, mostly in Oregon and Washington. Therefore, it only seemed logical to pack our bikes up and take them with us while going to explore some new places.



How long will we be gone and where will we go? We are both finishing up Americorps jobs this summer, putting our lives in Portland on hold and leaving to learn more about each other and Latin American culture. Hopefully, that will bring us back to Portland in spring of 2011. The route is flexible, but as you can see in the map above, we hope to visit Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. On the map above, the red route is the part that we hope to bike. Somewhere around Christmastime, we hope to trade our buckets and bungees for backpacks, following the blue route by bus. Paraguay will be our end destination, as Luke spent 4 of his growing up years there with his family, while his parents were missionaries.



We hope to find God's kingdom breaking through the people, the nature, and the experiences we encounter along the way. We plan on being flexible and joining in where we find opportunities. We encourage you to research a place, project, or story in any of the countries we may be passing through, and SHARE IT WITH US or encourage us to visit it (you can vicariously live through our adventure!). Also, if you happen to know of an available couch, let us know.