On an unrelated note...

Jill and I went up to Deer Creek Reservoir today and "swam like cute little fishes" in the words of Jill. The lake was kinda stinky, so I couldn't stop thinking about bacteria trying to break into our bodies through whichever opening they could find. Other than that, though, there was a great view of some of the remnants of one of the snow fields on Mt. Timpanogos. Which reminds me, the other day I was shadowing Dr. Patton in the ER at Utah Valley and a kid got flown in on a life flight from Mt. Timpanogos because he had an arm injury. And not a serious one, as in he walked off of the Life Flight helicopter and into the ER.

Tonight we are going out with some friends to a Brazilian restaurant and a jazz club in SLC. The restaurant is having a grand opening so we're counting on cheap eats, plus it will get our South American juices flowing so we can hit the ground running. Anyway, we don't have much time today. Thanks to Mark, Colleen, and Emily, who have all posted comments so far. We hope you all keep coming back. Ciao.

Why the trip?

The short answer to that question is twofold, or perhaps three or many fold, like a paper airplane. Ooohh, I like that metaphor, "this trip is like a paper airplane, that, when folded carefully and in a certain way, will only ultimately crash into the ground." Hmmm...or maybe not. But anyway, here are those reasons as to answer why.

First off, we both love to travel. It works out well for me that Jill grew up traveling and feels the need to be somewhere else. Paraguay is a special place for us, though, because for two years I lived there as a missionary and as a result feel a deep connection to all things Paraguayan; I still dream on a regular basis about my Paraguayan friends. Jill went to Japan as a missionary, so she understands that weird concept of feeling at home in a strange place, and wants to explore that part of my life. (a future trip to Japan would only be proper...)

Second, I want to do service abroad. Let's face it folks...we live in a very unjust world. You know, the whole "a few have a lot and a lot have not." I don't expect to fix that problem through my efforts on this little trip or by lofty, unrealistic goals of living life completely for others, for that matter. There will always be injustices, in fact, but why should that stop any of us from sharing what we have?

Third, Jill and I made a list of things to do in life and see Machu Picchu was on there. Everybody's got a list like that, whether it's a real list in a notebook somewhere or if it's the digital version in your head. There will always be reasons not to go to Machu Picchu, but there are always plenty of reasons not to do anything. In the words of Tim Robbins in the Shawshank Redemption, you've got to either "get busy livin' or get busy dyin'."

So there are some of the "why's" of the trip. Man, we need to think of a cooler word for it than trip. Like odyssey, or journey, or epic adventure, or the bus bum breaker, or something like that.

One week to go...

Welcome to the "peruboliviaparaguay2007" page. If you haven't guessed, this site has something to do with South American countries that start with "p" and "b," and the year 2007. The page is intended for family, friends, and anyone else that may be interested in countries that start with "p" or "b," or the year 2007.

The idea for this blog is that you all can follow what is going on and I can document what we do as we travel and volunteer in health clinics in Paraguay for the next two months. Even though both Jill and I are going on the trip, I will write in first person singular because for a large portion of the trip I will be by myself. Jill will meet me for the last two and a half weeks of the trip.

Here is the itinerary:

July 4, 2007: arrive in Lima, Peru.
July 4-5, 2007: travel by bus to La Paz, Bolivia.
July 5, 2007: travel by bus to Sucre, Bolivia, where my friend Nate is doing research.
July 6, 2007: take a tour of the infamous silver mine Potosi, founded in 1546.
July 7, 2007: travel by bus to Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
July 8, 2007: travel by train to Corumba, Brazil.
July 9-12 2007: travel by passenger/cargo boat down the Paraguay river to Asuncion, Paraguay. I hope to sleep in a hammock on this portion of the trip.
July 12-August 10, 2007: volunteer at Clinica Mita'i, a cancer clinic for children, in Asuncion, Paraguay. Mita'i means child in Guarani, which is spoken in Paraguay.
August 10, 2007: pick up my wife Jill from the airport in Asuncion.
August 11-13, 2007: introduce Jill to friends in and around Asuncion.
August 14-15, 2007: travel by bus to the town Saltos del Guaira, Paraguay to visit friends there.
August 16-17, 2007: travel by bus to Corumba, Brazil.
August 18, 2007: travel by train to Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
August 19, 2007: rest in Santa Cruz.
August 20, 2007: travel by bus to La Paz, Bolivia.
August 21, 2007: travel by bus to Cuzco, Peru.
August 22-24, 2007: see Machu Picchu.
August 25,2007: travel by bus to Miraflores, Peru.
August 26-27, 2007: relax in Miraflores.
August 28, 2007: fly home to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Here is a map I made in Paint. It took longer and looks a lot more amateurish than I planned it to be when I started to make it. Red represents the trip I'll take from Lima to Asuncion and Blue represents the trip Jill and I will take. If you click on it you can see a bigger version.