A Short Entry

Hi Folks:
This is mostly aimed at those that may be part of any search party that may be mounted to look for two old fogeys lost in South America. While this place is beautiful and the setting couldn´t be beat, it is a little more than we wish to pay for just about everything. It seems to be the #1 vacation destination for hoards of 20 somethings. I am not certain why, or what they are looking for, but we certainly don´t fit. So tomorrow we are off for Bolivia, which was our target in the first place. This time we had to cross the continent (writer´s licence) to get there, but we are sure that it will be worth it.
Last year, our first and last days in Bolivia were memorable, as some of you will remember. After we crossed the border into Bolivia last year we had to get off the bus and decorate it and ourselves, in the process, because of Carnivale. We found the welcome and the people extremely friendly. Our last day, was the day that Jim got invited to assist in the blessing of the cars in Copacobana. A kind and generous family at the end of the line with 3 vehicles got the strange looking tourist to run around their vehicles (at 4,000 meters in altitude), spraying them with beer. Anyway that was last year, and we are wondering what Bolivia has in store for us this year.
Today, Joy has been painting up a storm and has finished 3 1/4 sheet paintings so far. She also did sketches of the 2 cleaning staff and gave them to the women. They went home happy with their ¨Lakings¨. Joy is really happy when she is painting, but I fear that she will run out of paper. She has already done more paintings than last year. I have been wandering around and keeping out of trouble. I visited ¨Pucara¨which is a pre-Hispanic village on a prominent hill in the middle of the relatively narrow valley in which Tilcara rests. It is a naturally defensible position and there were adobe houses built there up to 1957. I have to admit that I was more impressedby the garden that they have just inside the entrance to Pucara. I will never tire of seeing flowering cactus and when I bring my pictures to your place, I am sure that you won´t either.
Anyway siesta is over and it will be dinner time soon.
Jim