Peru's Second (and only slightly less well-known) National Anthem

I forgot! When Ellen and I returned from our trip, Meg and Joel sang us their version of the Peru National Anthem. Interestingly enough, it's to the tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner"....

Oh Peru is the grea-
test country in the world.
All the other countries
are run by little girls.

Oh Peru's the best place
to do every extreme sport.
And it's allll-so not bad
if you're missing your passport.

Oh Peru we love you
and your Machu Picchu!
To your flag we'll be true
Peru! Peru! Peru!

Oh say does Peru count
as a third world country (or more like a second?)
And is it really summer there?
'Cause it's sort of hard to picture.

On The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

I woke up to Green Day this morning, and they carried me through work and the run after.
I ran about 30 minutes (yes, I realize eventually I'm going to have to multiply that by about 10).
And here's why it was a good run:
1. I was dressed appropriately for the weather, and I wasn't too cold.
2. The winds seemed to be coming from the west, so I tried not to go that way. (Not as easy as it sounds!)
3. The roads were more cleared off than yesterday - think it the sun was out for most of today.
4. The sun is setting a little later, so I could relax a bit after work before heading out.
5. I passed a couple of walkers along the way, and the guy yelled out "You're inspiring!" I thought that was so nice.

South America!

Ellen and I went to Peru for 12 days, and had the trip of a lifetime. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It began, essentially, with Ellen having her passport stolen in Cuzco. This led us to see the insides of police stations and embassies we otherwise would never have seen. Lucky us!
We were not deterred, however, and we continued to whitewater raft, mountain bike, and hike in the Andes Mountains. All sports extreme, with a capital X. This is us after whitewater rafting down the Urubamba River (Class IV Rapids).

This is us on a muddy biking trail, on our way to see some ruins.....

MachuPicchu was stunning, and a great payoff after a 4 day trek up and down ginormous mountains. The altitude was a problem for me, especially with a couple of broken ribs. The highest point was 3850 meters, or 12,628 feet. The air was so thin, and breathing was noticeably harder than the 700 foot elevation of St. Paul!

And here's the spectacular MachuPicchu!

(We could hardly contain our excitement.)

I did go running today, the first time since being in S. America. I was expecting it to be easy, compared to what my body had been going through the last 2 weeks, but it was not. First of all, it's COLD here. Secondly, not only are the roads not plowed, but neither are the few sidewalks we have. So frustrating. Anyway, I guess I'll have to deal with it because I don't see spring arriving anytime soon.