Welcome

I guess you are here because you have discovered one of my books and enjoyed it enough to find out more about the author, me. Either that or you’re a potential employer who is investigating me to see if I would be a good fit for your organization. In which case, surprise, I write books as well as teach. Some might look at that as a bad thing, and if so, please explain to me how.

For whoever finds my site, I want to welcome you, and also allow you the opportunity to follow me on a regular basis. Anybody is welcome as long as you keep your posts appropriate, and respect the other followers to this site. As long as everybody follows those two simple rules, I won’t have to kick anybody off. Let the friendly banter begin.

I am hoping to create an interactive site that everybody can enjoy. Of course, I will keep you up to date on the latest writings coming out of my head, and I will also let you know when and where I will be in the world, so someday you might be able to meet me in person. Most people regret that decision, but who knows, maybe you’ll be in the minority.

I will also tell you about my world-wide travels as this is something I do on a regular basis. I’ll show you pictures from places I have been (this one is from Dubrovnik, better known to fans of The Song of Ice and Fire as King’s Landing), and tell you the exciting stories that happen to me along the way. You are also welcome to ask me any questions you may have about the place I have been, and I will try to answer them in a timely manner.

I know it all sounds amazing, and I can see you wondering why you haven’t been a part of this fantastic experience so far, but let me tell you about the most exciting part of following this site – the interactive part.  You were probably wondering when I would get to that part I had promised you earlier. Well, I plan to create a list every month, and I want you to participate in its formation. I do love countdowns, but I am always disappointed in them. So I have decided to take matters into my own hands. You will be able to post your top ten of each monthly list and at the end of each month, I will comprise the total list to give you the countdown for that subject. Look for each new subject on the first day of each month, and the final list of the previous month by the fifteenth.

Otherwise, it is very nice to have you a part of this experience, and I look forward to all of our future posts together.

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Above the Canopy

There is an all-inclusive resort close called Inkaterra to Porto Maldonado, Peru in the Amazon rain forest where they have many different activities to keep the guests busy. Each day is supplied with various hikes, boat rides or excursions that will take you to various parts of the rain forest to explore. My favorite excursion so far has been the canopy hike. It allows for a view of the forest that is hard to come by. You are allowed to raise yourself above the lower levels and get to look at it the same way that the monkeys and birds that wander through the forest get to see it. 

It does take a little bit of a voyage to get to the towers that will take you above the canopy of the forest. The resort will load everybody on a boat and take them down the river to a short trail that will take you to the first tower. They will take you out there during the planned time whether it is sunny, rainy, or just murky out, so go out there making sure you are wearing the right clothes you will need to stay dry. I took the boat rise during a torrential downpour and was stuck in the front of the boat. Though I was wearing my best protective gear, I was still soaked to the bone by the time I arrived.

Still, being wet did not take away from the experience. I climbed up a tower built out of rust wood, a strong wood from the forest that looks like it is rotting away, but is actually super strong. The tower took us up forty meters to look down at the first canopy of the forest with six suspension bridges in-between the two towers that were connected to the bigger trees in the forest. The goal was to walk over the six bridges to get to the other side while looking down on the forest and hopefully catching sight of some of the birds and animals that live in this altitude of the trees. 

Because of the rain, we were not able to find any animals, but it had cleared off enough for us to enjoy the view. They would only let one person walk across the bridge at a time which was probably a good thing because even with one person, it was rather bouncy. It also caused us to take a good amount of time for the whole group to get from one side to the other, but once things got started on the bridges, it did not feel like the wait took too long between the bridges.

I would not claim that those who are afraid of heights would have a problem with this excursion, but I did go with a couple of people that are not big fans of heights, and they never felt as if their lives were in danger. The bridges are a little bouncy, but you feel secure as you cross over them, and there are places to hold on to allowing you to feel as if nothing really bad could happen as you cross over. When all was said and done, it was a lot of fun, and if the place allowed for it to happen, I would easily go out there to experience it again. Maybe the next time I would be dry and get to be able to see the animals come out of their hiding. Until then, I will just have to enjoy the next experience that life has planned for me.

Making Chocolate

My favorite part of traveling around the world is falling into those unexpected experiences that treat me to a new way of looking at something that we take as commonplace. It is not uncommon for me to stand in a checkout line at the grocery store when I get a quick hankering for chocolate, so I scan the offering right in front of me, and quickly grab one of my favorites to throw on the pile. I don’t think about the process it took to get to this place in the grocery store; I just think about how I can get into my stomach. But I recently got to experience the process that it took to make chocolate in the first place, and not from the perspective of a huge corporation making the treat, but from the way it was prepared for centuries beforehand.

In a hut in the middle of the Amazon rain forest, I stood before a bowl of cocoa beans that had been roasted in the sun. These beans come from a podlike fruit that can be found on trees in this part of the world. The pod is a distinct yellow when it is ready to harvest, and when the pod is opened up, the beans are white in a milky substance. It is the roasting process that turns them into the darker color that we know chocolate to eventually be. 

The first process is taking off the husk from each of the beans. It is easier than I thought it would be, and there was only a couple of times when the bean turned into a powdery substance that would be used in making cocoa. It also left the tips of my fingers with a fine powdery substance that when licked made me feel like I was eating the cereal Cocoa Puffs.

When all of the beans’ shells had been removed, we moved what was left over to a large flat stone, and used a larger rounded stone to grind the beans into a nice powder. It was a good start for what needed to happen, but the stone did not get the cocoa into a fine enough powder, so this is when we moved over to the next step.

We moved all the powder to a more powerful grinder. This one was harder to use as some the bigger chunks left over from the stone would get stuck in the grinder. Still, with a little bit of leverage, we were able to run all the powder through and turn it into a very fine substance. Still was not ready for consumption.

This is when you start adding the sugar and condensed milk to prepare it to the way you like it. I always wondered how certain chocolates had a spiciness or unique flavor and I am sure that this is the same time that other ingredients were added to achieve that desired effect. With the extra ingredients added, it went back to the fine grinder to get it back to that consistency needed for the final step.

This is when the aluminum foil was brought out, and the ground cocoa was spread out into it, and then nicely folded over to be brought to the refrigerator. After about fifteen minutes in the chilled environment, it becomes the type of chocolate that you might in a grocery store, granted not the convenient one that you could find in a checkout aisle, but the more refined kind that can be found in the baking aisle of the store. The whole process helped me appreciate this worldwide delight even more, and I will never look at chocolate the same way again.

Until next time, look for those experiences that will help you see in the world in a new way.

Can You Spot the Animals?

The Amazon is teaming with life. In order to know that this is true, all you have to do is stand still and listen to the noises of the forest. You will hear various birds calling, frogs barking, and monkeys howling, but as soon as you try to look for them, they become elusive. Still, with a good eye, you can find them hidden amongst the fauna of the forest. 

We went out into the wild on many occasions, and if it was not for our guide, I do not believe that we would have found all of the animals that we found. I was amazed at the way he was able to find not only the monkeys in the trees, but as the tiniest of bugs hiding on the branches, or the caiman lurking in the roots of a tree in the river. It gave me a new appreciation of what it meant to live in this part of the world. Here are some pictures I took of some of the animals that we found in our travels. See if you can find the animals in the pictures.

There is an otter staring at the camera while enjoying a breakfast of piranha.

What our guide often referred to as the stinky bird with a spiky haircut, but I don’t think that is its technical name.

A small bird that is related to the owl.

A caiman, a smaller relative of the alligator, looking at us from the water as we passed by in a long canoe.

A row of bats getting their beauty sleep during the day so they could hunt at night.

A white heron trying not to look to conspicuous on a branch down a tributary.

A capuchin monkey looking down at us wondering why we are not taking the palm trees that make the rain forest highway.

A red howler monkey catching up with the rest of its crew.

Some of the animals were more obvious to see, but with help, I was able to find many more. Despite this, I am also sure that there were many more that were out that observing us that I never got to see. It just made going back out into the forest an adventure every time because I never knew what it was I was going to find.

Until next time, keep searching for those hidden gems that you know are out there waiting to be found.

A Day and a Deck of Cards

All I really need is a deck of cards,
And a group of friends around a table.
We will slowly let down all of our guards
Where we no longer live by our label.
We lose ourselves to the power of the game
Underneath the sky of a sunny day,
And the only thing we hold that’s the same
Is the thought of our next brilliant play.
We will see the afternoon disappear
As we collect them for one last shuffle,
And maybe another round of cold beer
Through the tone of “it’s not the last” muffle.
Why does it need to be complicated
When this cheap deck keeps us satiated.

Hunting the Hunter

The vineyards stretch out for kilometers,
Hiding much more than bunches of wine grapes.
During the dusk of the day, a hunt occurs,
Filled with harrowing chases and escapes.
I participate with my camera,
Hoping to capture a single picture
Of my my prey which my whistles try to draw
Out from their hiding from this adventure.
When I se one perched on top of the crop,
I creep forward trying not to scare it,
But its head will turn around with a pop,
And on the night breeze, away it will flit.
I must forget about my recent scowl
If I wish to capture the evening owl.

A Relaxing Long Weekend

Vacation is not always vacation. Sometimes it feels as if it is a little bit of a chore that you go off in order to gain more experiences in this thing called life. Because of this, you can run off to exotic locations around the world to try to see what there is to see there, and enjoy all the things that the place has to offer only to find out that when you return from it, you are more tired than when you left for vacation. It is not a bad thing because those memories are what we hold on to while we work our way through employment. But every once in a while, it is nice to go off to some place with no other plan than to sit by a pool, have a couple of drinks, and let those tight muscles unwind as you let go of the worries of the world you left behind.

Of course, Thanksgiving weekend is the perfect time to do exactly just this, especially if you live far enough away from the United States where you cannot enjoy the American traditions. I am lucky enough to work for an American company in Peru, so I still got the holiday off, and it makes it even better when the rest of the country does not. This allowed me to run off to a relaxing weekend without the holiday crowds that might be attracted there by those who also have the time off. I took off down south from Lima to a resort that was situated on the grounds of a winery, and enjoyed myself by sitting back and finding out what this out-of-the-way place had to offer.

This was to be a different kind of vacation, one where I did not go hunting for the great touristy thing to do; instead, I just looked at what the place around me had to offer and enjoyed that. There was no reason for me to leave the resort because there were a lot of fun things to do, and it was always accompanied by a glass of wine straight from the vineyard.

What fun and games that the place did not have available were accompanied by a couple boardgames that I brought with me, as well as the other games that the people I went out there with as well. If I am being honest, the weekend turned into me playing board games, and reading books by the pool. I know that does not sound very exciting, but as a teacher approaching the end of the semester, this was the type of vacation that I needed.

And if I ever felt like I was going to be bored, I could always take a stroll out in the fields. The weather was perfect for this, and at dusk, it was fun to wander through the vines, looking at the grapes, and trying to find what creatures were out there waiting for their chance to dine. I did find many birds flying about, but it was better at dusk because this was when the surprises would start to wander around.

We went out into the fields for the main purpose of finding owls that we could take pictures of. We had heard that they were out there, and it did not take us long to find a few of them. Getting a good picture of them was a little more difficult because when I got to close to them, they would screech at me and fly away. Still, I was not to be deterred, and I was able to finally get a picture that I am happy to share with you now.

There were a lot of other surprises that could be found on the grounds of the resort. Not just the views, but the old relics that they collected to add a little character to the place. There were the women placed on the front of ships to guide the sailors through their long ocean voyages, old carts that were used to carry the wine into town, and old clay pots that used to be buried under the ground used to let the wine ferment.

I was also fortunate enough to be able to make this trip with a great group of friends. It made this holiday weekend away from the United States feel like I had found a family that I could celebrate with. There was plenty of downtime, but there was also a person there ready to pick me up when I felt like having something to do. It made this little getaway resort feel like a bigger vacation than it actually was, and will be part of the reason that it will stick with me for years to come.

It is the reason that many people reserve the place for large gatherings. They create a destination event where a lot of friends can gather together to enjoy their time together. The place will organize the food, the wine, and the entertainment with you, and then after the event, all you have to do is stumble your way to your room and crash for the evening. There are also enough places on the ground where various parties can go on at the same time without having to disturb another one some place else.

It was a great way to spend the long weekend, and I look forward to finding other little places like this one in Peru where I can get away from the big city and recharge again. It will make my time out here even more enjoyable.

What I Should Know

Should I turn my back to the setting sun,
Knowing that it will rise again tomorrow?
Should I raise my glass to what has begun,
Knowing that the decay has let it grow?
Should I take the grape vine under my feet,
Knowing that the crushing will make a wine?
Should I indulge in the well-prepared meat,
Knowing that it once came from a bovine?
Should I turn the record to the B-side,
Knowing that the other is over-played?
Should I listen as my father has cried,
Knowing that the love has started to fade?
Should I care that the earth keeps turning,
Knowing it is just another burning?

Intipalka Winery Tour

I had a long weekend, so I took a four-hour drive down the coast from Lima through the small town of Ica, and arrived at the grounds of Intipalka Winery where they have places to stay among their vineyards. They provide you with everything you need to enjoy yourself during your stay, but one of the things that they schedule you for is a tour of the winery where they produce not only fine reds, and whites, but also the drink of Peru, pisco. It is not required for you to go on this tour, but considering that it comes with a wine-tasting, a sunset viewing, and a stroll through the vines, it is worth considering.

Like most things in Peru, the tour was delivered in Spanish, and since I am still in the process of picking up the language, there were a lot of the details that went over my head during the tour. I did get that the pisco is the main drink that they produce on the grounds, and there are three different types of pisco. I also learned that pisco is a strong drink sitting at about 42 percent alcohol, though the sweet taste does not make it seem like you are drinking something that strong.

I also learned that the grounds of the vineyards extended much further than it looks like from inside the compound. All of the vines are regularly maintained and the water is supplied from the runoff from the Andes Mountains that loom over the grounds. The grapes do produce nice red and white wines which you can buy at cost in the restaurants, but I would stay away from the rose that they make. It was really sweet, even more so than the pisco, but the other wines are great, and would rival anything that you could find over the border in Chili. And of course, if you do not wish to have a bottle of wine to share, there are always pisco sours or chilcanos.

They do load up cars at the end of the tour and take everybody up to a lookout that looks over the expanse of land they use to create their wine, piscos, and brute champagne. It is here that they allow you to try the sparkling wine while watching the sun set over the fields. The day I went was a little hazy, but I know that this is not always the case. We had much better sunsets the first night we stayed here, and I am looking forward to seeing what the other nights have to offer. Still, it was a pretty location, and the wine added nicely to the atmosphere.

Out of the many things that the place has to offer, it is the one must do thing that you should do. It really highlights the beauty of the region and gives you the insight of what it means to run a winery. Even if your Spanish is not great, you can still get a lot out of the experience.

A Thanksgiving Weekend Getaway

I have been really grateful about the move we have made to Peru. I really have loved living in Lima, and the drastic change in cultural experiences. I have loved the food that I have been able to enjoy since I have moved here. I have loved the dog-friendly environment that has allowed my dog to transition into this new lifestyle. I have not loved the long schedules in-between breaks that have pushed me and my students to really struggle towards the end of the long stretches. I have not loved the few opportunities to go out and see more of the country. So when I have an opportunity to get out there and see more of it, I have taken that chance.

It has only been my second trip out of Lima out of the five months I have lived here, and this time, it was only for the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. No, Peru does not celebrate this very American holiday, but when you work at an American school, they observe this holiday. The nice thing about this is that many of the places out there do not have that many guests staying at it because it is right before the big tourist season, and most of the people who live in the country have to work on Thursday and Friday. This means that we get to have a relatively quiet getaway in what would be an otherwise crowded location of Peru.

We hired a driver to take us south of Lima to the city of Ica where the desert of the country meets the more fertile land of the Andes mountains. It is the perfect climate to grow grapes, so it is here where the wine country of Peru resides, and there is a winery where you can rent a room on their grounds. They do have a big hotel with many things to do to keep me occupied during this long weekend, but the main thing I am going to do is relax and enjoy the holiday.

It will not be like a traditional Thanksgiving that I would find back in the States, but I think it will do. As of right now, there are not many plans of leaving the grounds until I have to head back to Lima on Sunday, but I will still explore all the little nooks and crannies of this location to get you a lowdown on what this place as to offer while I am here. Please join me in the next couple of days while I explain what this little paradise on the foot of the Andes has to offer.

Colonialism

You have traveled halfway around the globe
To remove us from living in our homes.
You sit on your horses in purple robes,
And talk of your proud cities filled with domes,
Claiming that you’re the superior race
Because you have mastered a curved ceiling.
You remind us that we should know our place,
And give to support your profiteering.
You point your greedy hands to our mountains,
Expecting to find lost cities of gold.
We have told you we’ve never seen such wins,
And you reply that our lies are so bold.
It’s better to point you to this fiction
To leave alone our old habitation.