On the way to Machu Picchu

Peru has been a lot different than the other countries that we have
been to. We've heard a lot about the dangers in various parts of the
country and that's what actually led us to Pisco. It may be chaotic,
but it's a slower speed chaos. As opposed to the taxis and buses we
have been taking all over, Pisco is filled with tootoots. They are
enclosed vehicles where the driver sits in the front with a motorcycle
handlebar and 2 (or in our case 3) people cram in the back. There's
one wheel up front and 2 in the back.

Driving here is utter madness. There really aren't any rules. On a
road that we would consider as being one lane in each direction, they
easily drive 4 and 5 wide. One minute you're driving on the left, the
next you're on the right. There is constant honking and squeezing in
amazingly tight places. It's not really dangerous because you're
almost never above 15 mph, but it's still crazy. That's actually
another thing--since we arrived in Guatemala, we have been shocked
that we have never made body contact with another vehicle. That's
pretty incredible considering that there have been at least 10 times
we came within an inch. In fact, the only car accident we saw on the
trip was 2 days ago. The 4 of us had just driven in 2 tootoots. About
15 seconds after we got out of them they both slammed into each other
pretty good.

During our extreme makeover project I kept wishing that we could build
something bigger, but when we finished the build I realized that we
had done exactly what we were supposed to do. I feel that it was
definitely a hand up and not a hand out. A lot of people in Pisco sit
around and wait for people to give them something. This family was out
there working and just needed some help to get over the hump. Plus,
the girls who are ages 6, 8, and 10 were definitely old enough to get
their own room and old enough to appreciate it.

Oh and speaking of the Good Deeds Fund, when I started it I took a lot
of grief from individuals who didn't "get it.". I understand that
there is a lot of need in the US, but the GDF has added so much to
this trip. I wasn't sure if people would actually give to it in the
beginning, but you gave and gave and gave. I don't have the computer
in front of me, but you gave around $2,600 and we still have around
$900 to spend. There's more good stuff to come.

As I write this I am on a double decker bus. Jordan and I have the
worst two seats on the bus -- top level (second class) in the back
row. I've felt a little queasy (and I don't normally get motion
sickness), but as we've been weaving through the Peruvian Andes I'm
feeling a little sick. The girl in front of me was about to puke, but
I gave her a Dramamine and I think it kicked in just in time. That
wasn't a 100% selfless act. Someone threw up during our epic 36 hour
bus trip in a totally different compartment and it managed to run
under the door into my section. I'll pass out Dramamine to the whole
bus. Plus it knocked her out, so she's not reclining into our knees.