Cusco, Peru: Arrived in Cusco today at 7am! Our plane left from Lima at 6am, which meant we had to be at the airport at 4...which meant I had to wake up at 3:15am. I´m tired! But glad to be in Cusco, because tomorrow we go to Machu Picchu!

Last time I left the blog I had arrived in Quito. Absolutely loved it there! I stayed at the Secret Garden hostel. Great hostel, I highly recommend it if your staying in Quito. Great view from the terrace. Also lots of great people there.

Met lots of locals in Quito, and they were extremely nice. Also met up with Uncle D´s and Aunt Yvonne family, who took us to church and showed us around town. Ricky and Gaby were great!

The city itself is beautiful. Went to Mitad del Mundo, which is allegedly the middle of the earth. It´s said that the equator is not actually on the spot that the museum indicates, but that the real line is a few yards away. I visited both spots. It was cool.

Also went to Otavalo, which is supposed to be the biggest market in Ecuador, maybe even South America. It was nice, and actually did some shopping there.

I was pressed for time in Ecuador because my brother was coming to Lima on October 8th. So we left Quito prematurely, and headed to Banos. Banos was beautiful, we took a 3 hour tour of the waterfalls, which was nice. We left Quito in the morning, and arrived in Banos at 10am...15 minutes later we boarded a tour bus to see the waterfalls. We were in Banos less than 24 hours.

From Banos, we headed to Guayaquill, a port town in Ecuador. We were told to see Las Penas, and the Malecon, which we did. Again, we were pressed for time, so we did everything in a rush. Though we did have time to go to the mall and catch a movie while we were there. We watched ¨Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.¨ Don´t judge me! lol.

From Guayaquill we took a 24 hour bus to Lima. Its amazing to me how I manage to get around. Hours before I had no idea how I would get to Lima, but somehow when faced with necessity, you figure it out. I also got help from a random stranger who decided to walk me two and a half blocks to the bus station to buy my tickets. He just offered, and asked nothing in return. This was crucial because the main bus terminal had no direct buses to Lima, and I needed to be there the next day. And the Ecuador and Peru border is supposed to be one of the worst, as far as people trying to rip you off. We had no problems at the border crossing, and made to Lima on time.

From the bus station in Lima, we headed straight to the airport to find my brother. There he was, with Sean Lambert, waiting for us. It was great to see both of them. What a break. For the first time in months I could relax! And Seans place was amazing! Beach front high rise condo! The place looked like Santa Monica. I´ll post pictures soon.

Lima was nothing like I imagined, but maybe we saw a different part. We stayed in Miraflores, where all the rich folk live. Though we did venture one day to the center of Lima, which of course was a bit more dodgey.

But Lima was great. I felt like I was on vacation!

From Lima we flew to Cusco. I had no intentions of taking a flight during my time in South America, except from Brasil, but because of time constraints we flew to Cusco. A 45 minute flight.

We arrived today, and are getting acclimated to the elevation. Tomorrow we got to Machu Picchu. Looking forward to it!

Look for pictures soon!

I love you mom,

I love you family and friends,

Michael

Quito, Ecuador: Just got to Quito, and must say it feels good. I don´t know why, but I feel like i´m safe here. Not that I plan to put my guard down, or that it is actually safer here than in Colombia, but feel like I can breathe a bit easier. Maybe it has to do with the fact that my uncle was here a few months ago. I feel like he scoped out the place for me! lol.

I also have some contacts here that I hope to connect with. It always make the trip easier. Thanks, aunt Yvonne!

But Colombia was great! After the whole incident, things calmed down. Enjoyed Bogota, and had a good time in Cali. Of course, all too short. I needed a few more days in each city, but i´m in a bit of a time crunch.

Stayed an extra day in Bogota, at the recommendation of a few friends. By the way, thanks for all the insight, Andrea and Jason!

Visited Zona Rosa, or Zona T, which was cool. Parque 93, and Alex Campos Church. He wasnt there. Bogota also had great museums, and a great cultural vibe. Saw someone getting beat with a stick just outside the hostel on the next to the last day, but turned out he was a thief. Crazy town, but just like any other capital city. It has it all.

While in Cali, we met up with a friend we met while in Pamama City. Joe let us stay at his place for a few nights! He´s from England, but teaches english in Cali. Thanks, Joe and Karla!

Its always great to be with someone who lives in town.

Cali is hot, so one day we went to a public pool. We stayed in the water for a grand total of 10 minutes, but it was worth the trip. Also visited a mall called Chipechape. Known as Sillicon Valley, because of all the plastic surgery the ladies who visit the mall get. It is pretty obvious.

Cali is known for Salsa, but I have a feeling we did not see the best of Cali, as far as Salsa goes. I only went out one night, so im sure the place I went to was not a good representation of Cali Salsa. But one girl did tell me I was a pretty good dancer. I´ll put that on my resume, girl from Cali said I was a good dancer! lol.

Took a night bus to Ecuador. 11 hours to the border, which was an experience. All border crossings are fun. Got to be on your toes the entire time. Everyones out to get a buck. I remember Panama crossing from Costa Rica. If youre not careful, you can really be taken to the cleaners.

Same at the Colombia-Ecuador border. Money changers everywhere! And others letting you know they can do the immigration procedure for you. What they really want is your passport so they can charge you to get it back. Yes, some people are dumb enough to give it to them. But, common sense tells you who and who not to trust. Just annoying that you have to be looking out for yourself so much.

But then there are the good folks who make the crossing pleasant. They´ll help you with directions, or suggest a cheaper form of transportion. The crossing was hectic, but fine.

From the border, there is another bus to Quito, 5 hours. Except ours took a little longer because some folks tried to block the roads. I´ve heard about this happening in Peru, but never here, but I guess its common in all of South America. Just folks trying to have their voices heard, so they create road blocks to stop traffic to draw attention to their cause. Usually has to do with elements of fairnes and justice. Didn´t get the whole story, but had something to do with access to water. Fortunately, or unfortunately, they were unsuccessful. They delayed our trip, but did not manage to block the road. I hope if its justice they seek, it´s justice they get. It was obviously a poorer area of the country we were driving by.

Arrived in Quito about 5pm, headed to a hostel, but not sure I will stay there long. Probably off to another tomorrow. Also plan to check out Middle of the World tomorrow.

Hope all is well at home.

Love you all!

Michael

Bogota, Colombia: Felt I should update this sooner rather than later, since last blog was a bit much. It was as crazy as I thought, and now the details are bit clearer.

Turns out there were 7-8 guys who jumped and robbed the guys I was with. One guy was stabbed repeatedly in the arm and robbed. He got stitches in his arm, and was lucky they didnt get a major vein on his wrist. He´s left town. Another robbed and beat up. He's out of here as well. Another got away after getting passed two guys. Two of the guys were over 6´2", the other just a bit bigger than me.

And still, incredibly, I was not touched. Tried to reason that maybe I looked Mexican, or at least Latino, so they decided to not bother me. But found out later that a cute little Colombia girl was stabbed and robbed just a few hours later. Obviously these thugs care not where your from. I would also like to think they took one good look at me and thought, ¨better not mess with this guy, it would a huge mistake!" lol.

Its becoming absolutely clear that God was protecting me. I didnt have to even fight these guys. They completely ignored me. Didn't lay a hand on me, and whisked right by. Nothing short of a miracle. I thank God for that.

And definitely have given Bogota another shot. Turns out its pretty cool here. Still have not gone out at night, but really have no desire to. The day brings plenty to do. Spent the day at two amazing museums today. One was the Botero Musuem, which is full of Fernando Botero art. Check out Facebook for photos. He exxagerates all his paintings. Very popular Colombian artist.

Also turns out that today was the last day of the Andy Warhol exhibit. It was amazing! Couple more museums tomorrow, then off to Cali, Colombia.

Definitely felt better about walking the streets today. The other night was humbling, and made me realize that you can't get too comfortable out here. I became accostumed to putting my wallet in my front pocket, instead of hiding it in my sock, like I did in Mexico City. Today it was shoved in my sock! But still walked around not fearful. As my brother reminded me, I have not been given a spirit of fear. Just need to be cautious. I will be.

The city has a great vibe. Definitely unsafe at night in parts of town, but overall a great place. Thanks for all the comforting comments that were left on here and Facebook. It was an unsettling experience when you're on your own, but good to know my family and friends are still with me.

And, Harvey and Uncle D, you're right, I was born in Inglewood, so I should be used to this stuff. This place is Disneyland compared to some spots in LA. I'll stay tough.

Miss you all, but loving every minute of this trip!

Love,

Michael
(Biggum Raider-SUN) That one's for Harvey...lol.

Bogota, Colombia: Arrived in Bogota last night after a 10 hour bus ride. Left Medellin, which I regret greatly at this point. More on that later. But first have to get the frustration off my chest!

Not so much frustration as shocked! We get to the bus terminal at 10pm. Late, but everything had been going so well, that I wasn't too worried. Every capital city can be rough, but after visiting Mexico City, San Salvador, Managua, Guatemala City, I figured this couldn't be too bad. I had no idea where we were going, but after being shut out of two hostels in Medellin, I did not want to risk not finding a place this late at night.

So I tell the taxi guy to take us to Hotel San Sebastian. Its a bit pricey according to the Lonely Planet travel guide, but I figured they would have rooms available. They did. But even more expensive than I expected. I was with Cindy, and we had all our stuff with us, so I knew walking downtown Bogota with all of our stuff was a bad idea. I told her to stay in the hotel lobby, and I would look for a better budget option. Walked about a block and a half and felt uneasy about continuing. Call it a 6th sense, common sense, or the Holy Spirit, but I didnt continue.

But at the same time i'm thinking, there is plenty of people out right now, it cant be so bad. I'm basically walking in circles when I run into three english speaking guys, and think, they must know where a hostel is near by.

I approach them, and ask where they're staying. Turns out their hostel has no beds available, but there is another just down the road. They're headed that way, so I follow. Its about 12:15am at this point.

We walk up a side street, no street lights, when out of nowhere we're ambushed by at least four guys. I'm walking behind the three guys I met, and see one of them getting punched in the head, and another "thug" running up. So i'm bracing myself for someone to attack me. I'm in defense mode waiting for something to happen. I cant tell who's who, I reach to see if my camera is still in my pocket..it is. I feel to check if my wallet is still in pocket; it is. I hear one of the guys yell, "run." I do. I look back to see if anyone is chasing us, but he yells again, keep running! So I do. He's way ahead of me, he has long legs, but im thinking, what about your friends? His friend was the one I saw get punched in the back of the head.

I take off back to the hotel where I left Cindy, huffing and puffing. Cindy freaks out, I forget all my spanish, so I tell Cindy to tell the receptionist to lock the front door. He does. Eventually I go back outside to see if the guys are still out there. Turns out one of the guys was stabbed and bleeding, and the other was just punched a few times.

Oddly enough, they came from behind and completely skipped me. I should have been the first person they attacked, but they didnt even touch me. But it still shook me up. I put the dresser in front of the door before I went to bed. Worst hotel ever, by the way. I finally used my own sheets that I brought in case I found myself in a roach motel. The day finally came when I had to use it.

So fairly or unfairly, I hate Bogota! I want to leave, today! But I know that I should probably calm down first. Maybe just leave this area. Although its supposed to be a touristy area. I guess no where is safe at night. Just feel kind of home sick after that.

Its tough when there is no one to look out for you. When you have to be on your toes 24/7. No breaks. You have to plan everything, and be your own bodyguard. And sometimes look out for others. Its all taking a toll.

Yesterday could have been bad. I had my wallet with my credit cards in them, and my camera. Apparently at least one of them had a knife. But I do know that there are plenty of people praying for me, and I do appreciate that. I can still stay, so far so good. No one has robbed me, yet.

Last night was almost surreal. Seeing three guys get jumped by four guys. No one daring to bother me. Why? I´ll never know. I just thank God nothing happened to me, and hope those guys are ok. But still don't like it here.

Even folks from Medellin and Cartagena say Bogota is not as nice as the rest of Colombia, and neither are the people. I think its unfair to overgeneralize, but so far that has been my experience. But of course were talking about 12 hours in the city.

Medellin on the other hand, was amazing. Downtown, though tough, brought us no problems. People are very friendly. When we finally left downtown for a nicer part of the city, near Parque Lleras, it was even nicer. I regret leaving, but we were scheduled to pick someone up from the airport today. We did.

Still a bit shaken up. But i'll live. Cant wait for my brother to get here, in about three weeks.

Please don't tell my grandma about this, she'll be worried! lol. Really though, don't tell her. And dont worry mom, its not as bad as it seems. Just shook me up, that's all.

Check out the pictures of Medellin on FB, i'll post more soon.

As always, thanks for the prayers.

I miss you all

Love,

Michael

Medellin, Colombia: Made it to Medellin after a 13 hour bus ride in an ice box! You'd think i'd learn by now, but got on the bus with shorts and a tank top, flip flops, and no jacket. It was very hot in Cartagena. But the bus must have been 20 degrees! I was freezing the whole way! But it was my fault for not being prepared.

Cartagena was great, though! Very hot, but bearable with light clothing. The cities architecture was amazing, at least in the old town, inside the fort. It was as they say, very romantic. It is a city for couples, but single folks can enjoy it just the same. I did.

The people are incredibly nice, and very helpful. One lady practically walked me to a restaurant when I asked for directions. Its safe, clean, everything you would want from a city. As always, check out pics on Facebook.

The city was a launching pad back to Europe for the old spanish settlers, and it was raided many times, hence the fort built around it. The old colonial buildings are very much kept up, and it makes for an amusement park-like setting. Walking the streets at night makes you feel like your walking down Main Street at Disneyland. Very surreal.

We stayed at a hotel, so did not get much of the backpacker crowd. I enjoyed that part. As I said earlier, I was sick of spending most of my time with Europeans and Israelis, no offense, they're nice enough people, but I wanted to experience Colombia with Colombians!

Same story here in Medellin. I am at a hotel, but may take the recommendation of a friend and try a hostel tomorrow night. Backpackers can be funny in that they come to a city, spend most of their time at the hostel, and leave only in huge groups, and think they actually experienced "traveling." Of course they're not all like that, but too many are. Hotels are cheap enough where I have been able to avoid hostels in South America. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

I'm loving Colombia, it has been amazing. Of course i've been to only once city, but still incredible. Medellin seems really nice. I hope to visit Pablo Escobar's old home. I saw a documentary, years ago, about Medellin, and the effect the Medellin Cartel had on the city. It was quite violent, but since the death of Pablo Escobar, has calmed down.

A few years ago people would avoid Colombia, sort of the way I am avoiding Venezuela now, but Colombia has really become quite safe for traveling. I'm looking forward to seeing Medellin. Look for pictures soon!

Love you mom,

Love you fam and friends,

Michael

Cartagena, Colombia: South America! And what a voyage to get here. It was horrible! But an experience I will never forget.

Let me start with Panama City, which is where I left off. The City was great. Stayed at Luna´s Castle and did a bit of touring of the city. There is a great contrast in the city, one part being high rise condos and buildings, very similar to Miami, and the other run down town with much to be desired. I visited both, but was escorted out of Casco Viejo by a lady who said we were about to get robbed. She cautioned that we should not walk around that part of town, so we left. 20 minutes later we were in the nice part of town, worried that we would get escorted out of one of the hotels, this time because we did not look rich enough. We looked like backpackers, which we were.

The Panama Canal was great. Truly amazing human feat. There are some pictures on facebook.

From Panama City I got on a sail boat to the San Blas Islands. The San Blas Islands were amazing. We were on sail from island to island for about 3 days.

The next three days we headed for Cartagena, Colombia. Worst three days of my life. The captain was inexperienced, and I was sea sick the whole time. Threw up six times, and basically wished the whole ordeal would end. It did. And here I am. I´ll post pictures soon.

This keyboard is very sticky, so i´ll write more later.

Panama City, Panama: Just arrived in Panama City today. Took the overnight bus from David, Panama, which left at 10:45 pm, local time, and arrived at the bus terminal at about 4:40am. I slept great on the bus! Window seat!

I got to Panama about a week ago, from Costa Rica. The last few weeks have been very exciting.

I think I last left off in Samara, Costa Rica. I remember saying it was one of the nicest beaches I had ever seen? Well, forget all that. I've seen about five nicer beaches since then!

From Samara I traveled to Monetzuma. (It would make more sense if you take a look at a map). But there is no direct way to travel to Montezuma from Samara. So I had to take a bus to Nicoya, which connected me to another bus heading to Naranjo, where I caught the ferry heading to Puntarenas, get off, and immediately catch another water ferry to Paquera. From Paquera I had to take a bus to Cobano, and finally a bus to Montezuma.

To give you an idea how detoured the trip was, imagine being in Dana Point, and wanting to go to Santa Monica. From Dana Point you drive to Newport to catch a ferry to Catalina Island Once you arrive in Catalina, you jump off the ferry and jump onto another heading Long Beach. From LB, you catch a bus headed to Santa Monica. No direct routes! And they say Costa Rica's infrastructure is the best in Central America!

But it was a fun adventure. I love taking the local buses in any country, and the ferry was fun. And the trip was worth it! Montezuma was beautiful. Went on a hike, met some girls from Canada, hung out with them for the next few days. Its the kind of place where people go, and never leave. More than once, and at least three time, I heard stories of girls intending to visit for two or three weeks, but never leaving. In fact, I met one guy who was in town for his daughters wedding. It turns out she came to vacation when she was 19, and never left. She met a local, and was getting married. He was from Topanga Canyon.

From Montezuma we headed to Santa Teresa, which was amazing. It's definitely not a huge tourist destination, as there are no hotels with more than a three star rating. But the beach is absolutely beautiful. The whole place has a laid back vibe.

From Santa Teresa, I headed to San Jose to grab my stuff. I left my big bag with some friends there. I was there for less than two hours before I caught the bus to Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica.

Puerto Viejo was very nice. Just to the south was Manzanillo, a very laid back beach. Pictures on facebook. And to the north was Cahuita, which as of right now gets my vote for most beautiful beach! Its a national park, so its protected, and when I went there was almost no one there. At some points, there was literally, no one there. Just me and a friend. That is one place I may have to return to some day.

From Puerto Viejo, I made the border crossing to Panama. Border crossing are always an adventure when done on foot. Everyone is trying to rip you off, even the immigration officials, for extra fees. My spanish is good enough at this point to not let them get away with it. And i'm darker than i've been since I went to Acapulco for a week when I was 8! So border crossing are fun.

We were even able to get a great rate on a taxi to our next destination, once we got past immigration. Bocas de Toros is a group of islands in Panama on the Caribbean side. It was beautiful, and I had a great time, but because I had been at the most beautiful beaches in the world for the last two weeks, it was hard to fully appreciate.

Such is traveling. You have to really purpose not to take it for grant it that you're visiting some of the coolest places on Earth, and you're fortunate tobe doing so. A few days later I retreated to the mountains to try to regain my focus.

The mountains were fun. I stayed at an Eco-hostel, called Lost and Found. The owners were cool. But the solitude was the best. I went on a four hour hike in rain, and thought and prayed and read, and tried to more or less savor the moment. I was at Lost and Found for four days. Yesterday was my last.

Today I am trying to find some friends that are in Panama City. One of them has a brother going home today, and I want to say bye before he leaves. I arrived very early, so they are surely sleeping. But later today I hope to find them and explore the city.

So far the trip has been amazing. Absolutely incredible! And as they say, you meet lots of people when traveling, but most of all, you're introduced to yourself. That I can say is true. I'm learning and growing, and loving it all the while!

Thanks for reading, and John T. and Carol, could you guys send me your email, please? I can be reached at mrivera87@yahoo.com.

Mom, I love you!

Family, I love you!

Love you all,

Michael