Happy New Year - 2024

 

May this New Year that is upon us find you planning wonderful and exciting escapes to places you have never been before. This round ball of a planet has so much to offer and you have so much to offer it in return.

Happy New Year from the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada

                                 Get out and and travel in 2024!!!!

                            Traveling freely along the Amazon River in Peru - Make it yours

Blythe Intaglios

 On a recent adventure, I stopped at a gas station and started filling the tank. A gentleman at a nearby pump smiled over at me.

Actually, I believe he was smiling, since the corner of his eyes crinkled. With nearly a year of wearing masks outside, it’s now easier than ever to know a person’s expression. 

Eyes crinkle – there’s a smile. I crinkled back while nodding my head.

“Do you enjoy Italian ice cream?” he asked, from beneath his green plaid face covering.

Not sure how to react, I just nodded, and crinkled my own eyes.

He pulled the bottom of his mask out a bit. “Sorry, stupid mask. I asked if you have had a chance to enjoy the Blythe Intaglios. Since you’re in Blythe and all.”

The truck filled, I shook my head. “Nope, I gotta go,” I mumbled through my own mask, a sharp looking black one, with Route 66 stenciled on it. I had no idea what he was talking about, and for once, I wasn’t curious. 

“What were you discussing with that guy by the pump?” Laureen asked. She’s always curious.

“I don’t know. Something about an Italian dessert, I think.”

“What?”

“Yeah, weird,” I responded. “Something to the effect, if I enjoyed Blythe Intaglios. I didn’t even know Blythe had an Italian restaurant, let alone one serving ice cream.”

Silence for a moment, and then Laureen stated. “He was possibly talking about geoglyphs. Like the Nazca Lines in Peru.”

I started the truck. “Please, ask Mr. Google that, and let’s see if it’s ground art or Italian ice cream.”

Turns out, that the Blythe Intaglios are actually a group of figures etched into the desert floor. I mean, some pretty large figures of humans, animals, and swirling markings on the ground.

Intaglios is not a dessert - but this looks yummy

Never knew they were there. In fact, there are over two hundred of these geoglyphs in the Colorado Desert.

Okay, what is a geoglyph? 

According to the website, geographyrealm.com, a geoglyph is ‘a work of art which is created by arranging or moving objects within a landscape.’

I move stuff in my yard a lot, so I must have created geoglyphs without even knowing about it. Laureen should be proud.

“Honey, I moved that pile of leaves, leaving some pretty interesting rake marks.”

“You are nothing but a brilliant artist, creating a geoglyph such as that.”

The praise would never stop.

Actually, geographyrealm.com, wouldn’t agree with my depiction of the art work created by moving a bag of leaves from my yard.

‘For an art form to be regarded as a geoglyph it must generally be more than 4 meters in length. It must also be stated at this point that this art form is difficult to see or even be identified on the ground but are easily appreciated when seen from the sky.’

Then what is this Italian ice cream, the guy at the gas station was talking about? Oh, sorry, the Intaglios.

Sounds rather snooty to me.

Where would I find the definition for such a word? Of course, I used the website, myintaglios.com – where else would anyone think to look?

Intaglios, is an Italian word that means engrave. According to the experts, they must be with such a website, the term is even deeper.

‘An intaglio is an object that has had some shape of figure engraved or incised into its surface.’

Why couldn’t the Blythe thingies be referred to as the Blythe Geoglyphs? Why make the carvings on the ground sound like a dessert?

“Do you have room for a nice Italian Intaglio?”

“Ah, no, I am stuffed with the two helpings of Cacio e pepe. Thanks, though.”

Anyone, who has traveled to the boating meccas along the Colorado River, probably have passed the location many times. Yep, heading north along U.S. Highway 95 from Interstate 10, out of Blythe – you can't miss the place.

Pulling the boats, the jet skis, the trailers, the desert toys along that ribbon of black asphalt, you’ve passed the place. 

Going to Parker – you’ve passed the place.

You get my point – you’ve passed the place.

But did you stop?

A stop is needed to view this intriguing historical site. It’s an easy, well-marked dirt road and the stop is worth it - even pulling boats or toys,

According to the Bureau of Land Management, the drawings in the Blythe area, were created by the natives living there about 450 to 2,000 years ago. But, other research indicated the drawings are only between 900 to 1200 years old.

Drone shot - shows the entire drawing

Since there is no written record from that time period, it is only best guess work when these involved pieces of ground art work were actually scraped.

So, again, what exactly is a geoglyph? Think of the Nazca Lines in Southern Peru – those most folks are familiar with. They scraped out desert drawings of birds, people, animals, and other objects were made about 1500 to 2000 years ago. These drawings are huge, one measuring well over 1,200 feet long.

Giant spider in Nazca, Peru 

Laureen and I almost saw these drawings, when we visited Peru with our children years ago. We were headed to Cuzco, to visit Machu Picchu, with a planned stop at Nazca to take in the ancient land carvings.

Of course, we took the supposed twenty-one hour bus trip from Lima to Cuzco aboard First Class Bus Service.  Nothing is too good for my family.

Took us nearly thirty-two hours. A muffler flew off two hours out of Lima, leaving our ears ringing for weeks, as if we had been working with jack hammers every day. When we reached Nazca at two in the morning, the bus suddenly needed a fuel pump.

The driver was very apologetic though. “I am so sorry, we won’t be able to see the lines in the ground. It’s too dark and we are way behind schedule.”

“What?” I asked, his mouth was moving, but all I could hear were bass drums pounding in my ears.

Not quite this bad - but pretty bad

The flight from Lima to Cuzco is only a bit over an hour. Note to self, don’t be so cheap in my next life.

In the Blythe Intaglios area, there are six figures in three locations. There are three human figures – though Laureen swears one of them is an alien, two four footed animals, and a spiral – could be a snake or some other slithering reptile – I’m not sure. But what I am positive of is, that they are all worth taking a look at.

Desert animal and squiggly lined thing

It is believed, per the BLM and others that they were created either by the Mohave or Quechan tribes, but as far as my research showed, no Native American tribe has taken credit for the drawings.

An interesting point is, that most of the 200 such geoglyphs located in the desert are near the Colorado River. Makes sense, since many of the tribes believe that this mighty river was the sustainer of life for the desert dwellers. Water means life, so, perhaps in respect, these giant ground drawings represent gratitude for having the life sustaining river so close by. 

We may never know why they were drawn or by whom, and according to geographyrealm.com,

‘As of today, we can say only one thing – the geoglyphs were built by ancient people. By whom and for what purpose, remains a mystery.’

Since the Blythe Intaglios are so huge, for example, there is one depicting a male is 171 feet long, it is best to view them from the air.

The big guy - scientific for - The big guy

I tried hoisting Laureen onto my shoulders so she could get a better look, but that ended in a complete disaster.

Hard to see from ground level - but see, you can

So, the use of a helicopter or drone is the best way to view these marvelous art works. I settled on a drone.

Of course, the figures can easily be seen by looking at them from ground level, and that is what counts. To look, and appreciate the ingenuity of a culture who carved a belief into the ground, possibly without realizing people hundreds or thousands of years later would also appreciate their single dedication with such artwork.

We certainly did.

Iquitos, The Past Will Kill

For any novelist, the toughest part or writing a novel, is sometimes finishing the work in the first place. The telling of the setting, characters and all of which make up the fictional piece seems easy at first since there is a story which needs to be told. But when is it time to leave the keyboard? 

The story is written. 

The work is finished. 

Let it be, as the Beatles once sang. 

After a year of writing a story involving two former cops from Riverside, it was time to put the book to bed. The adventures had been told. There were corpses littering the ground from Southern California to the hinterlands of northern Peru. Enough terror and sorrow for one book, but it did have a happy ending. Well, perhaps that is up to the reader and not the wordsmith to decide. But was it done?

These were some of the 'hinterlands' to reside while doing research

The best thing when a novelist thinks it may be ready for readers is to send it off to the editor. Then, wait to hear back. Finally, when the writer receives something like the following from their publisher after a submission: 'John, I do want it. I have sent the attorney a memo to get you a contract.' it makes all the hours alone behind the keyboard worthwhile. Of course, it took many years to receive a contract for John's first novel, 'Hunted', but it has paid off since this is his fourth with Black Opal Books. He's hoping for a long relationship with this growing publishing house in the state of Oregon.

And here it is!

John R. Beyer's fourth novel with BOB

The work will be released this Saturday, the 17th of November.

As any fictional writer realizes, there has to be a lot of truth to a piece or it will sound like fiction. That actually does make sense since it is the job of that very same fictional writer to make the story believable. Fiction, even science fiction, isn't fun if isn't at least plausible. The relationships must ring true. The science must work. And in any work of fiction, the times and places must have a feeling of reality. John knows to make a story feel real, there must be sound research and exploration, and that is reason our intrepid trio took three separate journeys to Peru, including a month-long trip deep into the Amazon jungle. Iquitos to be exact -- where much of the novel takes place. John wanted to research, explore, and live that life...and drag his loving wife and best friend along with him. So the author and his daring team, Laureen, and Paul Bakas suffered mosquito bites, heat stroke, suffocating humidity, and generally had a great time gathering the information John needed in order to put pen to paper and bring life to the story rattling around in his cranium.

Along the way, we met some characters, some of whom appear, in one form or other, in the novel. We played with rescued sloths and monkeys, fed orphaned manatees, swam with pink river dolphins, fished for piranha and generally had the most wonderful experience my wife said she'd never want to have again. And, in the silence of the jungle night, we heard the unmatched cacophony of life end so swiftly with a deafeningly silence that inspired a scene in the novel (spoiler alert).

Some of the following photographs may look familiar to regular followers of our blog, but a trip down memory lane is sometimes good for the soul.

Cooling off with a breeze in a covered dug out on the Amazon

Nothing better than a couple of  lukewarm beers in the jungle

John and Paul with Ademir - our guide for a couple of days

The author with his number one Editor in Lima

The work is done, edited, printed, and soon on the bookshelves for readers to enjoy, but the memories of the research and exploration will never be forgotten or completed. There is always the next book to write. Perhaps one or two have already been started.

To purchase 'Iquitos, The Past Will Kill'

https://blackopalbooks.com/
https://www.amazon.com/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/

And at other book sellers around the globe...

Huaca Pucllana

I'll be your tour guide!

 One of the greatest things about traveling is to see what many have not seen. Duh! That makes sense doesn't it? But we have met and discussed traveling with a multitude of people who have spent ample time in an area and never seen what was under their nose or at least eye level.

Even Captains make bad decisions.

J had a friend who had been in the army and stationed in Germany for two years back in the nineties. The gentleman never ventured more than five miles from the base during those 730 days. To this day he regrets his decision not to explore the country and countries near him. The history he missed could never be gained from reading books. The lost chance of talking with locals will never be his to endeavor because unfortunately at this point in his life he can't afford international travel.

What a waste of a moment.

Sometimes travel is not in the finances for some but when the opportunity becomes reality then exploring you must go.

J and L have been to Lima three times and loved each trip. Exploring and researching before and after the trip always pulled up something we had missed and this last trip surely amplified that certainity.

In the heart of the largest city in Peru lays a wonderfully well preserved and restoration project that is a must for anyone venturing into South America.

This is just the beginning to unveil what is beneath.

 In the Miraflores district of central Lima there is a staggering arrangement of acres upon acres of adobe and clay structures including pyramids dating to the 3rd to the 8th centuries. This once proud center of ceremonial and administrative area for an ancient civilization - which we know through various records and accounts from conquering entities - lasted nearly 700 years. But it actually continued somewhat secretly after the Huari took over the area in the 8th century with the local people still going to the site and worshiping as they wished knowing that their discovery may cause their own imminent death. It got to the point that the top levels of the worshiping pyramids were scraped or broken down by the believers so the invading 'armies' wouldn't know they were there worshiping.

Model of a worker at the time period.

 Religious freedom was an unknown topic at this point in history but those with the desire to worship will always find a way. Destroy a temple or pyramid and pray within its rubble.

Rather clever really.

During the oncoming ages, places of worship were abandoned, areas of sacrifice forgotten , rites were mere myths, and the exact location of this or that were built over or ignored.

But the Peruvians are proud of their history - good or bad - and this large area in Miraflores has been under constant archeological preservation for decades. The history of these almost forgotten Peruvians are at the utmost of the reestablishment of this central area of knowledge.

J is very happy with this discovery.

Uncovering history.

As years go by more and more will be learned about not only the priests and the people who actually lived within the walls of  Huaca Pucllana but those of its citizens living nearby supplying the everyday needs of this large religious facility.

And isn't that the name of the game - if you believe, no matter what century you will support those you believe in?

No politics here - just a thought.

A beer and a wine can make a day so much nicer at the end just ask L and Paul.

The Only Way to Get Around

When the intrepid trio landed in Iquitos this past summer, along with our great friend Carlos, we were met with two choices on how to get into the center of town where our hotel was located: take a regular taxi or the three wheeled wonder of the motocarro.

The only way to travel

 The concept is very simple - take a Honda, Suzuki, or off brand named motorcycle usually with a 125 to 200 cc motor (most of what we saw were in the 125 cc range for fuel efficiency) and retrofit a two wheel contraption on the rear with a bench seat for passengers along with room for suitcases, food, ice chests, or anything else of value needing to be moved here to there. A little research reveals the majority of these vehicles are manufactured in Mexico and shipped up the Amazon to sell in Iquitos and other river towns. Of course, other places build these unusual but very fun modes of transportation and a quick Google search will take the inquisitive mind where it needs to go if the desire to impress or confuse your neighbors strikes home.

Many years ago Disneyland in Anaheim California had ticket booklets instead of all day passes for visitors to the Magic Kingdom. The most cherished of these tickets were the 'E' tickets. These hot numbers were for the rides where fear and loss of breath were at the highest premium. No, these were not for the Dumbo Elephant rides for little kids but for the toboggan race down the steep incline of the Matterhorn. Hanging on by your hands (unless you raised them for a better thrill while heading straight down the narrow gauge tracks) onto the safety bar in front of you gave the rider such a pulsating adrenalin rush that only an 'E' ticket could provide.

Paul snapping with his I pad and Carlos ignoring him

 That's the same sensation while touring around Iquitos in a motocarro. Hold on but do remember to keep your arms, hands, legs, and head within the confines of the rear seat while your driver takes you on the Mr. Magoo's wild ride about the village on the Amazon.

"Excuse me," another passenger on a motocarro only millimeters away says.

"Yes," you respond while wondering how truly close the other vehicle is from yours.

"You seem to have something between your two front teeth."

"I brushed this morning before jumping into the rear of this motocarro," you respond.

"Yes, I can smell the fresh mint flavor - but you still have something between your teeth," the other passenger states and then waves as his driver bounds over the sidewalk trying to run over pedestrians as though this were a daily video game of blood lust.

Need a tow?

 Oops, this is Iquitos and not Lima where drivers are actually courteous to one another though they drive quickly, closely, and erratically bounding from passenger to passenger. Lima is the opposite of Iquitos - and that's not just geographically speaking.

It is the only true way to get around this crowded city on the mighty river efficiently. Narrow streets, high gas prices and the lack of auto dealerships makes motocarros the best mode of transportation available for taxis and businesses. Of course, there are cars, trucks, motorcycles and scooters but the predominant method of getting around is the inexpensive three wheeled vehicles that are literally everywhere.

No worries - on her way to work

 The decibels in the city are higher than anywhere else with these contraptions but after a day or two the tourist no longer hears the sounds - it's much like listening to a bothersome co-worker - just tune out the irritating noise.

No accident - just repairs

We were advised, by more than one driver, that there are a lot of accidents with these motocarros and even tourist magazines/books warn of this but after eight days in Iquitos and riding around numerous times daily we never witnessed one accident. Some close calls maybe but no physical contact between these vehicles and others including pedestrians.

 A true 'E' ticket adventurer for the explorer. 

By the way, it was a mosquito caught between J's teeth and thank goodness for malaria pills.

Don't Go Out at Night Alone!

Amazon big

The mighty Amazon River drives eastward through Peru, then through Brazil and out to the Atlantic Ocean four thousand miles in the distance. It is the longest river in the Western Hemisphere, and second only to the Nile in length in the entire world. But length is not the only measure of the vastness of this river. It is a river so large that to fathom the amount of water flowing those long miles is nearly incomprehensible. Every hour of every day water flows and flows to the tune of 7,381,000 cubic feet per second. One fifth of the world's total fresh water flows in the Amazon. The river is so wide, average between 1 and 6 miles in width in the dry season, it broadens to nearly 30 miles for long stretches during the wet season.

 The facts tend to boggle the noggin.

Monkey see...

The Amazon is a combination of many different tributaries and researchers are still arguing to this day whether the actual beginning might actually be near Cuzco to the south-east of Lima. Of course, one scientist arguing his theory versus another is the way of science throughout time. One theory generally trumps another until no one agrees with anyone. Meanwhile, there is no denying this a big place. With twenty percent of the planet's fresh water and (think of the plants in the rainforest here a minute) twenty percent of the world's oxygen being produced. This is the heart and lungs of the world.

A....turtle?

And here sits the relatively unassuming jungle village turned big city of Iquitos. This incredible location, recently mentioned in a prior blogpost, sits directly on the Amazon, Nanay, Rio Negro, Ucayal, and Itaya rivers and just a few miles west where they all become the Amazon together. The jungle village of nearly a half a million people is at the confluence of one of the mightiest rivers in the world and certainly the one with the most water flow.

Now, in this river environment are more species of swimming, climbing, flying, crawling, and creeping 'thingies' then anywhere else on the planet. Hold on to your scientific shorts with these figures (and don't forget new species are being found all the time): 30 million species of insects (one tree had 700 different species of beetles), 2200 species of fish, 700 species of mammals, 750 species of reptiles, 1830 species of birds, 55,000 species of plants and in reality nearly 2/3 of the entire planet's species reside in or along the Amazon.

By the time our fellow adventurers read this blog, these numbers will have surely increased!

Now, this makes the Amazon also a very dangerous place to reside, or dare we say, to travel.

Enough of the background.

Rustic and Charming

The traveling trio of Beyer, Bakas and Beyer decided to stay off the beaten path, well into the jungle itself while visiting Iquitos and chose a place a hour and a half up river - over fifty miles away from civilization. The Amazon King Lodge was a pleasant grouping of buildings on the river's edge but very rustic. Water ran some of the time in our mosquito screened room around the hammocks and electricity was on for perhaps two hours a day provided by a small but efficient generator. The lodge was built to hold about 60 tourists but on this outing it was only us, our guide, Sergio, and a skeleton crew to hold down the fort/lodge.

They had the essentials on hand, to be sure.

Breakfast was served, lunch was served, and dinner was served with the local products the jungle provides: fish, rice, fruit and other delights.

Actually, the lodge was rather charming and reminiscent of Hollywood films playing out in the hinterlands of the rainforest: rustic, primitive, hot, humid, and isolated.

Dr. Moreau and Mini-me?

It was rumored Dr. Moreau was to be said doing experiments in the jungle just next door. We didn't visit though.

We were advised over and over to make sure Sergio our guide went with us when we traveled on the river or in the jungle. This became apparent when our buddy Paul decided to venture out in the darkening evening to photograph some interesting things he had seen but no sooner had Paul's foot left the first step of the landing (all buildings are about four feet off the ground due to the flood season) and onto the stairs when Sergio stopped him with a firm grip and said:

Night in the Amazon

"Don't go out at night without me! It is very dangerous."

It should be noted that Sergio had a flashlight, rubber knee high boots and a machete at this time. He had grown up in the jungle and told us many anecdotal stories of why growing up one must be extremely cautious while walking the jungle at night. Even the daytime is dangerous.

"I have witnessed people getting bit by a snake without ever seeing the creature and be dead within minutes. Very dangerous."

Paul, a misguided guide

Paul nodded and retraced his steps back to the relative comfort of the mosquito nets.

A few hours later while sweating in our hammocks, we understood what Sergio had meant. The cacophony of the jungle came alive with ear banging fullness. Swinging less than a few feet from each other in the open large sleeping room it was hard to hear each other speaking without raising our voices.

ROUS - Rodent of Unusual Size

Things were moving, flying, crawling and being eaten not many yards from where we wanted to find some slumber. The slumber was hard as 'things' would occasionally drop onto the pitched thatched roof and roll off onto the jungle floor with a thud.

It was then that we knew - only a thin little mosquito net was between us and the rest of what ever was happening in the rainforest. It was frightening to think of what was happening out there as the noises continued. Strange sounds we couldn't completely identify. A sound like barking came from a capybara, an extremely large rodent which can grow to a length of four and half feet and weigh well over a hundred pounds. But the scariest sound of all in the jungle was silence. When the barking, and the shrieking, and even the chirping of insects seemed suspended -- and you knew a predator was near.

This is daytime - imagine it at night.
 Flashlight and machete anyone?

Night in the true jungle is an exhilarating and terrifying experience which we would highly recommend to any explorer or researcher.

Remember one thing though - don't go out alone in the jungle at night without a guide. You may be eaten.

Are we there yet?

 

Golf Clubs and a Machete?

Playing golf is not a passion for J or L but more of a way to spend some time enjoying the outdoors while having a few laughs and chuckles as we rid ourselves of any personal frustrations by whacking away at an innocent small white ball which generally has a mind of its own. Correct your stance for a nasty hook and the ball will mock you with a slice. Overall though it is a time to enjoy those you are playing golf with while getting exercise.

Thus the reason John and Paul Bakas (our videographer and companion to Peru this summer) decided to play nine holes at the Amazon Golf Course in Iquitos one afternoon during our eight day visit to the rain forest. Laureen was much smarter by staying back at the small but nicely laid out club house sipping on Pepsi and talking with the manager and his family.

Ninety-five degrees and ninety- five percent humidity at noon quickly pointed out that the boys would much rather have taken Laureen's lead and enjoyed a few cold ones beneath the palapa instead of walking over 2500 yards in the sweltering heat. But being the adventurous types, the reason for this blog really, Paul and John headed out to the 1st tee.

The golf club was created in 2004 out of 24 acres of second growth rain forest just a quick 30 minute drive in a motocarro from downtown Iquitos.Our driver for the day, three can sit comfortably in these motorcycle modes of transportation, was Ademir Guerra Shapiama. J and L don't normally go with guides but Ademir was so well known that not only did he take us to the course but spent the day with us. A very personable and enjoyable guy.

Ademir Guerra Shapiama - our guide

Anyway, the golf course was built out of the jungle and the minute a golfer arrives at the lush landscape, they realize the game is going to be very interesting to say the least. With the jungle lashing back at intruders day and night it is a struggle to keep anything resembling a golf course for the managers. Every day the team of groundskeepers are mowing,clipping,chopping,and clearing away with mowers, trimmers and machetes. 

Yes, machetes!

The Amazon Golf Course is probably the only course in the world that when clubs are rented they come with a machete and a warning that a lost ball in the jungle may be worth a stroke instead of a limb. Human - not tree.

Caimans (smaller alligators but with a similar bite) sunning themselves in the sand traps, Piranha in the water hazards (according to an employee at the course a golfer actually lost a portion of their index finger while trying to extricate a lost ball from the water), and snakes in the jungle on either side of many of the holes.

We saw no such things (could be we weren't there first in the morning) but did hear some strange sounds while looking for a lost ball or two in the jungle when the ball decided to head for vegetation cover. At one point Paul and John decided that a lost ball was not worth the trouble looking when a large group of leaves decided to slither away on their own.

Dead leaves don't have legs do they?

The nine holes went along as well as possible in the humidity and rough conditions of the course. It is not PGA since the rains are nearly every day and trying to formulate a perfect condition for golf in such an environment would be impossible. The tee boxes were fine, the fairways narrow and tough but it was the greens which seemed to be the biggest bugaboo for the adventurous golfing duo.

No such thing as a straight line putt. It was more like a hop, skip, bounce, and perhaps get near the cup eventually. Actually, after the second hole it seemed though the boys got the putting down to a near genius method. Punch the putt hard enough that it would literally fly in a straight line and try to keep it off the green itself. Sounds ludicrous but worked as there were a few pars during the nine holes.

The game was fun and a must for anyone who visits Iquitos but remember the heat and humidity. You are playing just a few miles where the Amazon River actually begins and lots of drinking water is needed to finish the course - there are no electric/gas golf carts or pull carts. It's nothing but the golfer, a bag on their shoulder and a machete in their hand.

But the great news is that there are very cold beers waiting at the club house for a very reasonable price. A well deserved award for those brave enough or dumb enough to venture out into the jungle for an afternoon of fun loving golf.

Multi Lingual Tourist Guide
Ademir Guerra Shapiama
963-523-328
Ademir84@hotmail.com

Amazon Golf Course
185 Malecon Maldonado
Iquitos, Peru
amazongolfcourse.com

Peru - 3rd Time the Charm

The idea of traveling to Peru is always in our thoughts. Not only is it a chance to travel out of country which is something thoroughly enjoyable but we also have a close friend in Lima. We'll refer to him as Carlos since he is retired military and want to keep his last name out of print. Carlos had a particularly interesting and precise occupation in the not so far past.

His job, and thus the requirement for anonymity, was to hunt down terrorists who belonged to the Sendero Luminioso (Shining Path). The Shining Path was a group of murderers and thugs led by Professor Abimael Guzman who went into the hinterlands of Peru terrorizing the farmers. Guzman espoused a Maoist form of Communism and wanted the government of Peru to have a total regime makeover. The military government of Peru allowed for the first time a free election in 1980 but instead of getting involved Guzman and his followers decided to start a guerrilla war against the government which left countless dead in the next twelve years until his capture in 1992. According to a report from 2012 there is supposed to be nearly 4,000 current members of this terrorist group who still raises its pathetic but dangerous head to murder innocents.

Then again, what terrorist group doesn't kill innocent men, women, and children? Remember Beslan in 2004? If not read my novel 'Soft Target'.

Unlike many countries who want to treat terrorists as common criminals, Peru had a different approach. Elimination versus long stretched-out court appearances which tend to make terrorists into celebrities. No, Peru's idea was efficient, quick and permanent. As a Russian spy once told Carlos - "In Russia we will build monuments for any civilians who die as we wipe out these terrorist thugs. It's how we do business and our business is short and lethal to those who want to vent their nonsense by taking hostages." Barbaric? I'm just a writer and not in the first hand field of ridding the world of those who make it their goal to terrorize.

Enough of the philosophical typing.

My lovely spouse, Lauren, and I first met Carlos while on our honeymoon in Peru. Typical tourists we took in everything we could see in that first short trip in Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu.

What you looking at?

 It had been such a marvelous trip that we decided to return to Peru with our three daughters, Erica, Jessica, and Kelly. This time we stayed for a month and they loved it just as we had, but despite the occasional complaint since "Dad's" idea of an easy day while vacationing is leisurely twelve mile hikes around cities and sites.

"Rub your feet tonight but let's get some miles in. Never know if you'll be back here again in your lifetime."
The three girls grinned and stepped up. 

It seems only a few short years, later we found ourselves back on a Lan Peru airliner heading to South America to see Carlos. This time there were three of us, John, Laureen and our great friend Paul Bakas who would be the videographer and confidant.

We have action

The purpose of this journey was six-fold: visit with Carlos and family, research for John's new novel, obtain material for our blog, film a trailer in the Amazon, do some twenty-two minute video segments on traveling, and to have fun.

The fun, there was no doubt, would be had.

When we land back at LAX we will be hitting the keyboard with tales from Peru and especially from Iquitos - the largest city in the world, with a population of over 400,000, which can only be arrived at by boat on the Amazon or by air. There aren't any roads in or out.

And the golf course issues machetes with each bag of clubs.

If my ball is eaten by a Caiman - is it a one stroke penalty?