Following the breathtaking scenery on the canyon approach you would imagine we were prepared for sights of the Cordillera Blanca. We were not. Maybe it is the fact that outside of Ecuador, our eyes haven't felt snow in 5 months, or perhaps it is the bleak contrast of unblemished snow meeting the dusty desert below. Either way the mountains defy explanation, words are but a dusty mirror held up to the grandeur of such terrain. Though Mt. Rainier holds a similar vertical relief

It was our first day in Peru, and one that neither of us expected or had hoped for. The scenery was lush green and vast on the outskirts of the Amazon rainforest and the temperature in the upper 70's. Having come into the country via dirt roads east of everything civilized it seemed, we skirted the edge of the jungle traveling along a simple dirt road that seemed to go on forever. The hilly corners were moderately tight, visibility limited, and traffic virtually nonexistent.

Though perhaps a bit painful no description of Peru would be complete without touching the shady areas of politics. In many ways this Incan nation has followed the predictable path of communist surges and far right backlashes. Pondering their history through the filter of American life it is difficult to comprehend the natives proclivity towards such political structures. That is, until their tumultuous background is brought forth into the light. Reaching back 500 years, just

Throughout many areas in Latin America economic development is the Achilles heal that relegates the countries to third world status. Surprisingly we've encountered relatively few organizations that are taking serious steps to alleviate this problem. Much of this relates to the formidable challenges presented by the foreign governments. The mind boggling bureaucracy plaguing such nations is described succinctly by a recent story from fellow travelers. Arriving at the Ecuadoria