Hi kids, I'm really enjoying all the pictures. Because it's school holidays Chiyoko isn;t picking up the school mail, so I don't have a regular supply of Macleans and Sports Illustrated to read. Instead I come into the computer lab on my lunch break and laugh myself silly at all your pics and aacompanying titles. Great therapy after cleaning graffitti and crusted fluids from elementary desks. Thankyou both.

those bloody teachers, come to think of it , I haven't seen Henning around for a while. I wouldn't mind betting he's down there stirring up trouble.

I'm really learning some geography from your travels. You know I had no idea there were sand dune deserts in Peru. Actually I'm quite confused, I thought It was supposed to be Winter in the Southern hemisphere and yet there you were at 12 or 14 thousand feet at Machu Pichu and there was no snow and then further along in your travells when your bus had a flat there were deciduous trees along the riverbank that looked like they were flushing with Spring greenery. Weird!

Hey Michael, If you are really into cooking up a rodent feast for Hil and Erika when they get back,I'll save you some squirrels. I've already trapped two of the little beggers and taken them half way to Three forks, to release them back into the wild. I'd have to freeze them and send them downwith idont know who as they'd get pretty smelly in the mail.

Continue to rock and roll, kids; and stay safe. love Richard.

Hey you two, good to see the photos esp. of the two of you.You both look fantastic! Hil, so glad that your spanish lessons came to be so useful. You just never never know when you're going to need the phrase "el diablo" and it's always best to be prepared.I have to say that I felt fairly ignorant after seeing your photos of sandboarding.I had no idea that Peru had areas that could rival the Sahara.And seeing as how it's pretty darn safe to say I'll never go there, it's always nice to be able to live vicariously through your children!It's been insanely hot here and was 108 on the veranda-okay Richard said that i didn't lean down enough and it was only 106.......but hey, either way it's just too hot!I've been hiding ouy inside the house with the blinds closed, the curtains pulled, fans on and I think I'm getting cabin fever!We were talking to Gran this morning and she said to give you her love and to tell you that she was quite envious of your trip.Hey , what were in those big lumpy bags at teh winery? Love the photos of the dunes, you 2 look like naturals.Okay this is getting more and more disjointed the hotter I get so I'm going to say goodbye for now.Love you 2,enjoy the ride and stay safe,Love mom/Barbara

Hi you two

Thanks so much for sending the fried guinea pig pics. Not only were they fun to look at, and fueled so much of the blog commentary, they also were great conversational tidbits at the water cooler. Next I get to make my squeamish, critter-loving workmates look at the pictures and then listen to them squeal!!! Bonus.

Hil, if you see a simple chunky turquoise necklace with 5-9 stones, please grab it for me. But it's gotta be cheap. Have you thought about buying some of that stuff and reselling once you get home?

I love this site - it's great to see & hear about your adventures so soon after the fact. If Erika gets too mouthy about your height, bite her on the ankle.

miss you - j

Hmmm, I am not sure exactly what we said about the stairs but whatever it was we weren´t joking...and I thought the Incas were shorter than us. They were hard to walk up even with my legs. I actually said to hil today thank god it has been a few days since climbing them or I would have been in pain walking the dunes.

Also one of my favourite moments of that bus trip was when hilary yelled ël diablo at that kid. It was sweet. Plus I personally found Olga to be hilarious...her vidoes involved lots of guys in crazy garb doing interpretive dance and I laughed my ass off while hilary tried to block it and me out.

Hi Erika & Hilary,

You must be joking about the stairs. Anyway nothing uneventful about the trip so far. I should have been there to deal with the devil child. Hilary, you looked quite nervous about entering that cave. I am realling enjoying the slide shows. After this trip, you two should consider writing a travel book on the areas you visited.

We have been having hot, hot, hot weather. It is supposed to get up to 40 degrees on Friday 13th. It will probably be scorching for the music fest. Yes, I'm going. The river trip on Sunday was awesome as well and we will be doing another one in a couple of weeks.

What's up with the math questions? Are they just for me.

Thanks for keeping us informed.

Vanessa

Hi Hilary & Erika:

I did a web search earlier today on the teachers' strike in Abancay. A bus near Cusco crashed, with some dead and some injured, possibly after hitting a pile of rock left on the road by strikers, and a girl was killed near Abancay by a rock being thrown at police.

So, if it is safe in the bus station, even if it is completely boring, stay put until it's safe to go.

Keep in touch,

Dad/Michael

the poor guinea pigs .....how did they taste ?

spectacular sight ...... looks like somewhere i want to go!

have safe travels .

miran

Hi Hil & Er:

The pictures of Machu Picchu are wonderful! How high is it there? Is it high enough that it's hard to exert yourselves, climbing through caves to the top of the mountain?

Hil, I hope the Rodent's Revenge upset in your belly has passed. I've been trapping a variety of small animals (mostly rodents), and freezing them so that we can put on a post-birthday feast for you when you return in late August.

We'll have only about a week to see you when you return at the end of August. We're flying to Ottawa on the 5th of september, and will return somewhere around the 28th or 30th.

Is there good beer in Peru? When do you leave Cusco, and is the sandboarding oasis your next stop?

I'd rather be in Peru than at my desk calculating journal entries....

Have fun,

Dad/Michael

Yeah I was proud of Hil too even though she kept yelling at me to get away from the edge. And no we were conveniently too full to eat the head of that little guy...

WOW!!! You guys, Fun stories, great pictures. Where do I start. great shots of your selves. Seeing the shot of ababies s***ty bum being wiped reinforced my belief that I'm done with diapering babies myself. Good luck with all the bum wiping you have to look forward to with those three bambinos you are going to have, Erica.

who am I kidding with my attempts at stone masonry, when I see those Inca cut- stone walls. So when we see all the small field stone work infilling between the cut stone work are we to assume that is all modernday done work in order to preserve the original. I'd be out of controll with my camera if I was there too.

Heres hoping you manage to shake off what ever bug is troubling you, Hil. Your mom and I with youin all your travells. We've even been enjoying corn on the cobb daily in your honour. Isn't it south America where corn originated? Actually I'm sure your Mom didn't buy it for that reason, but we did comment on its appropiateness while we were enjoying it.

Stay safe kids. Richard.

All I can say is"Wow"! what an amazing experience and what gorgeous photos.Hilary, I'm so proud of you for climbing all that way with a dropoff like that beside you! I know I couldn't have done it, as Richard will confirm! Hil,Ihope you're feeling much, much better now-something you ate(G.P.?) or the altitude?Was just watching the Machu Picchu slide show again and i'd love to know how you got all those shots with nobody in them. It's as if you two were the only ones there.Nice! Erika, I'm so glad that you found your hot water! N.D. is the same as always.nothing ever seems to really change.the weather has been on again, off again bloody hot!It was40 on the veranda one day and we have 7 days of sun coming at us. Oh, sad,Colleen McCrory died off a brain tumor on Canada Day.It all happened very suddenly and everyone was in shock about it. Canada and the environment lost a true hero.

Well you two,it's way too hot in this comp. lab.Bye for now,Enjoy the ride and stay safe.Love mom/Barbara

Love the critter for dinner pic!