Friday, April 5th -- Easton, Maryland

Hola. We are officially back in the U.S. for 5 days for Mer & Scott's wedding . . . upon arrival in Miami yesterday we immediately went to the nearest restaurant for an American burger and fries. Its amazing how much we took for granted some of the finer things that America affords us: the ability to flush toilet paper (not allowed in most places in S. America as the systems aren't set up for it), reliable electricity, operable ATMs, traffic laws are just a few of the luxuries we've gone without for so long.

We head to Central America next -- Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica -- and can't wait to get back on the road.

Tomorrow I'll return to write a few stories on the Peru and the Galapagos Islands . . .

Hope all is well with everyone.

M & N

Any way to get a hold of you in the next 24-48 hours before you leave? And if you guys get time, you should go to the Maruba Resort in Belize. It's about 45 minutes outside of Belize City and it's phenomenal.

Monday, March 27th -- Quito, Ecuador

Hola. Just a short message to let everyone know we´re now in Ecuador and leave tomorrow for a 7-night cruise around the Galapagos Islands on a small boat (20 people total). . . luckily, we were able to get a last-minute, "fill the boat" deal . . . very lucky. We actually bought our tickets within 15 hours of departure and saved a ton.

We won´t have access to internet for at least a week.

Let´s hope the hammerhead sharks aren´t hungry when we go night-snorkeling in the ocean . . .

By the way, we just returned from Lake Titicaca in Peru and have some crazy stories that include dinosaurs and dead bodies (yes, really) . . . no time to write now . . . Quito awaits.

Miss you all.

M & N

Hey Matt and Nat--I am so enjoying the photo journal of your amazing journey. As you know the baseball season has begun and I was thinking about you on opening day. I chickened out of going up to Dodger Stadium for the big KFWB party--it was raining in the OC that morning and I just couldn't deal with all the traffic!! And now with Gagne going in for elbow surgery, Colon with a sore back--OMG--a crazy start to the season! Hope you are both enjoying everything about your travels and staying well. Safe journey.

Hola ¿cómo la están pasando?,ahora estan en Ecuador? PASENLA BIEN los quiero un montón y quiero que vuelvan pronto a San Rafael. Daniela y yo no dejamos de pensar en ustedes, son muy buenas personas y los queremos mucho. suerte y pasenla bien chau edu y dani
San Rafael, Mza, Argentina 02/04/06

Hey Matt and Nat-
Great pictures! Look forward to hearing about the cruise and seeing more pic's. Things here are good but the poop deck and Mermaid have seen a decline in business since you two left.
The Matt/Nat breakfast special will make another appearance at Le Petite!

Michael

It's so great to see you guys having such an amazing time. I'm travelling vicariously through you. Opening Day is on Monday, Matt, and I'm wearing your lanyard for good luck! We all miss you!

chicos!! que buenas las fotos!! pasenla bien!! mejor dicho, sigan pasandola bien, conociendo, disfrutando de esta gran viaje!!
Que bueno fue conocerlos!! Les mando un beso grande!!!!!!!!!!! CE (de machu pichu no?)

hi, nat and matt. - it is in the order of nat and matt because that's how we do things in Elk. anyways. i have been trying to find this site for like 2 months now, then i just ask Andy for the name of it, and here i am. Well i was really hoping to catch up with you guys in Europe, but i need to know your plains well you are there to see if it is possible. well try and get back to me when finish your cruise.
and sorry about the last 2 messages, the shift and return buttons are really close.

Saturday, March 18th -- Cusco, Peru

"Patagonia Part 1"

Hola chicos! Sorry for the long break in updates . . . At the moment, we are writing from Cusco, Peru -- the former capital of the Incan empire -- in preparation for a 4-day trek along the Incan trail to Machu Pichu. Nat sends her belated St. Patricks Day greetings to all -- and not to worry, we found the largest Irish celebration in South America yesterday (at a 450 year-old hostel owned by 4 Irish backpackers) and starting drinking at 11:00AM. Given the 12-15 pints of stale Cusquenian grog, the altitude and my advanced age, I spent the night praying for mercy to the porcelain Incan beer gods . . . pobre Natalia!

Well, after 2 life-changing months in our South American home, we are officially on the road -- however, our last stop in amazing Argentina -- Peninsula Valdes, Patagonia -- demands one final entry.

Peninsula Valdes -- designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999 -- is as wild and breath-taking a place as any on the planet. With a vast and barren desert landscape, the 360,000 ha sanctuary is a haven for indiginous fauna found only in Patagonia: guanacos, mares, armadillos, choikus (emu) -- all of which darted in front of our rented VW Golf with the frequency of New York City pedestrians during rush-hour. Given the early hour (5:45AM), Natalie added to her already staggering legacy of sleeping through yet another "world wonder". The unforgettable blood-red sunrise, the guanocos and choikus bounding just beyond our front bumper, the sense of solitude (and gratitude) for having the entire peninsula as our own -- all lost to dreams of instant breakfast, ridiculous hats and solar arrays. . . pobre Natalia!

Despite its amazing fauna and vistas on land, Peninsula Valdes is reknown for its marine life -- elephant seals, sea lions and penguin colonies bask on the seemingly endless, wild beaches while the worlds largest mammals -- whales -- breed and frolic in the cold Atlantic waters just off-shore.

Few Patagonians can call the Peninsula home, and those that can are the descendants of the original immigrant families who bought vast estancias for Patagonias most-reknown trade -- sheep herding. In recent years, sheep herding has taken a back seat to ecotourism -- and a few rooms are now available for those who wish to witness marine life at its wild best. Our first stop, Estancia Rincon Chico, is located at the southern tip of the Peninsula. Upon arrival, we were immediately taken for our first beach excursion and within mere feet of 2-ton elephant seals basking under the early morning Patagonian sun. Up close and personal encounters with wildlife are rare these days, and for a few hours we sat -- watching, listening and appreciating the privilege of a few wild moments in remarkable Patagonia.

To this point, our Patagonian experience was without equal, however, I could not help but think ahead to days 2 and 3 on the Peninsula -- to the prospect of witnessing mother nature at her very best . . . Unfortunately, our website limits the number of words per entry so "Patagonia Part 2" will follow in the next entry.

Wish us luck on the Incan trail . . . M & N