“Let us keep the dance of rain our fathers kept and tread our dreams beneath the jungle sky.” (Arna Bontemps)

It’s been raining non- stop in South Florida for several days. So I’ve been awakened in such soggy “downtime” to compose this timely poem. For those who are interested, a major inspiration for this blog came directly from various  novel insights learned in “The Celestine Prophecy” written by James Redfield.

A Steady Smack of Psychic Wet

Can Ease My Mind Of Futile Fret

For In Drop By Drop I Stay With Now

As Ego Filled Mask Takes No Bow

Amid such sudden deluge new energy must flow

For there’s fertile grounds now for bold intuitions to grow

So today I choose to give stormy silence a chance 

To open myself to more song, laugh or dance

So enjoy each raindrop that softly splatters 

While pondering how life coincidence truly matters

“ It is greater than the stars – that moving procession of human energy; greater than the palpitating earth and the things growing thereon.” (Kate Chopin)

I’m happy to announce that Ruth and I will soon depart on our latest U.S. road trip from Fort Lauderdale to the “Far West” regions of the country. Beginning with a Southwest Airlines “hop” to Omaha, Nebraska for a short visit with friends followed by a longer flight to begin our drive in Anaheim California, we thus anticipate more efficient use of our time on this latest fly/car vacation. For we can then prioritize spending longer time out west at several of our most nostalgic destinations. The general scope of this clockwise itinerary can be examined in the title photo of this blog above.

For this entry, I thus let my fictional imagination flow freely as I envision below in “light hearted” fashion, some unusual welcomes that might happen at each of these revisited places.

Omaha, Nebraska

We inhale the pungent smell of dung as a herd of black cows encircle a giant float composed of ripened stalks of corn outside the main terminal at Omaha’s International Airport . From a seated throne on the float, Miss Nebraska, the state’s 2023 Beauty Queen friendlily tosses us fresh cobs to greet our arrival.

Anaheim, California

Upon being greeted by a friendly Mickey Mouse in full costume character at Orange County’s Disneyland, he joins arms with us and informs us that he knows how to beat Florida governor Ron DeSantis at his own power game to control the affairs of Orlando’s Disney World.

Los Angeles, California

Our rental car booked at LAX Airport is preprogrammed to stream only old Beach Boys surfer hits at voice command for a nominal fee.

Morro Bay, California.

A procession of older guys in late 1960s Ford, Pontiac, and Chevy roadsters circle around massive Morro Rock to scurry away thousands of hungry sea gulls who fly frantically above our heads to welcome us back to town.

Santa Cruz,California

Opportunistic beggars assume we are ex hippies and panhandle us for spare change as we’re invited to bond with them at a free concert at the beach on the day of our arrival.

San Rafael,California

No motel rooms are available in this very liberal municipality for the weekend. But a prison supervisor at a local climate change protest offers us a free stay for three nights at San Quentin if we’re willing to volunteer weed clearing in the prisoner garden.

Portland, Oregon

We are given for free some heavy duty rain gear and umbrellas at the State Border Visitor Center in anticipation that it will be pouring in the Portland vicinity at all times of our upcoming visit. We’re also advised then that if we venture to the more conservative inland areas of Oregon, it might be more practical to carry a gun.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

For photographing at least five wildlife sightings during our next hike at nearby Grand Teton National Park on this visit, we’re offered a free paint set and easel from the Jackson Chamber of Commerce to demonstrate our naturalistic art talents.Yet while we are flattered by the opportunity to create and possibly sell each of these animal self depictions on canvas at the famed main square of town, we soon realize frigid temperature this time of year will consequently render our outdoor experience intolerably miserable that day.

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

It’s mud season in Steamboat on the popular ski slopes and walking trails. But there’s no problem taking care of those filthy shirt, boots and trousers. For we can just ask for the deluxe treatment at an automatic car wash facility in town where we can stand alongside our vehicle after our hike as it’s being washed, rinsed, and waxed during its five minute cycle.

Panguitch Utah ( Bruce National Park)

It’s important we take advantage of the free trail map reading and flare usage sessions at the local library. For our I phone or other practical guidance devices will be basically useless for finding our way in those tortuous canyons, blind alleys and other geographically confusing natural areas in this region of the state.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Opportunity knocks along the Vegas “time share” scene as I’m cajoled by slick promoters an offer to indulge with my wife in a memorable evening on the famed “strip” involving extravagant dining and entertainment “on the house.” Yet I painfully realize later that I’ve actually agreed to purchase two weeks vacation time each upcoming year in the deathly desolate environs of the Mojave Desert.

Williams, Arizona

Nostalgic remembrances of youth call forth as we consider joining a friendly group of rebellious motorcycle riders who invite us to cruise Route 66 for possibly the last time in our lives. As a suitable followup activity nearby, we might extend our drive with similar courage by taking a long look at our spiritual fate in the afterlife as we gaze wondrously over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

“ Every inch a person’s body travels on the road of separation seems like miles to the heart.” (Naguib Mahfouz)

Ordinarily on most of our vacations, I envision distant miles of land that I must traverse to reach a certain destination. Such long term planning, however, often distorts my awareness of those smaller units involving lower speed of movement that come into play when facing such obstacles as elevation change, weather anomalies and the slow crawl of city traffic. So in the case of our recent Ecuador vacation, I noted with interest the obvious effect on my mind and body of slower paced travel through treacherous terrain by bus for up for eight to twelve hours each day.

Consider for instance the uncertainty I felt crawling along those rock strewn roads sometimes unpaved from the lowland coastal environs of Guayaquil at sea level into the foggy cloud forests of the high Andes ranges at over 13,000 feet and then abruptly descending down to vista obscuring tree cover of the vast equatorial jungle. For at such uncertain distance measurement, time seemed to pass slowly for me then resulting in more moment to moment awareness of my immediate  surroundings along the way. So during our steady crawl upward into to this foggy unknown, I might have taken notice of a protruding cliffside tree strand, an indigenous family hovel, or a stranded passenger vehicle along the road, passing by my bus window inch by inch so to speak.

Another notable example in Ecuador of my shrunken perception of distance on this vacation happened during our last stop in Quito, Ecuador. For as we first arrived in Quito, I quickly observed a distinct compressed feel of physical space amidst this densely populated capitol city surrounded on all sides by its steep volcanic bowl setting. How unfortunate it seemed then to me that there existed such lack of usable flat land to develop in the central business district. For such  challenging growth restraints downtown necessitated a haphazard pattern of inaccessible housing units in surrounding suburbs tenuously clinging to the sides of cliffs making commuter traffic flow to and from the city a slow moving chore.

Fortunately, however, I discovered an excellent way for adapting well to the “snail pace” manner of movement during our tour group’s morning walking tour of Quito’s old colonial quarter. Stepping gingerly foot by foot along cobblestone streets, I could take more detailed notice of unusual images on street murals, ornate designs inside and outside of Catholic Cathedrals , traditional Spanish courtyard furnishings and of course the complex array of human activity present that day.

Undoubtedly the most vivid example of my enhanced awareness of small distance on our Ecuador journey took place during a fascinating side trip to the Middle of the World Monument a few miles south of Quito. For with detailed precision in mind, imagine our tour operator guiding us to find zero degrees latitude and furthermore us to step on the very line marking the exact point of hemispheric equator division on earth between north and south. With my prior geographic knowledge in mind, I could then conduct a long sought scientific test of the  “Coriolis Effect”  to prove that taking a few steps north of the line meant counterclockwise rotation while conversely trodding to the south of the line induced clockwise revolution.

So I say goodbye to Ecuador where time resembles more the tortoise than the hare. For I now realize that during the many arduous miles I have traveled in these conditions, I’ve gained more patience to slow down a bit and thus show more capability to hone in inch by inch to study more meticulously my immediate surroundings. Incidentally, my next travel blog series begins at the end of this month as Ruth and I pursue our latest U.S. road trip to California and other favorite spots in the western states Enjoy my latest photos.

“ The rainforests hold answers to questions we have yet to ask.”
(Mark Plotkin)

I suppose it’s easy to generalize that the earth’s rainforests exist as an inaccessible jungle experience of interest only to Jane Goodall type, wild animal experts or thrill seeking adventurers. But after spending a good portion of our time in these river swollen wilds on our Ecuador trip, I realize that the great mysteries of life’s sustainment there benefit in so many ways all of animal and humankind.

Certainly we observed on many occasions in Ecuador the obvious interdependence of tropical plant and animal species in this equatorial zone experience. Witness for instance emerging butterflies massing together on a banana leaf in drunken like pleasure. Or picture those tiny hummingbirds fluttering around in frantic fashion to find plentiful nectar from a blossoming tree branch.

But looking beyond the obvious biological force of the rainforest, I now realize that the rainforest presence mimics a desired transition humans might consider now to go about their lives each day. Consider then what happened to me when I took time to sit on the open veranda of our room at “La Casa del Suizo” each morning watching raindrops gently fall on the Napo River amid otherwise desolate tropical silence. For such powerful sensory observations seemed to be telling me the futility of dwelling about past and future and instead just observe each present moment fully each day. Enjoy the new set of photos.

To close this blog , I would like to interest my readers in some vital questions that arise in my mind as a result of this Ecuador Rainforest travel experience.

1.How can we utilize rainforests to better maintain human health?
2.How can use rainforests more to help clean our water and air?
3. How do we better preserve wildlife threatened by rainforest destruction?
4.How can we give back to those indigenous people who survive in the rainforest?
5. What secrets of human history are most important to know in the rainforest?
6. What spiritual signals does the rainforest suggest to fulfill unity of humankind?

Llaqtakunaq atipayninwan, teqrimuyuta kuyuchisunchis – “When the villages work together, we will turn this world around.” (Quechuan Proverb)

During our current travel adventure, I’ve relished the privilege of observing some authentic cultural patterns manifested by the indigenous peoples of Ecuador. Representing over one quarter of the entire population of Ecuador today, many of these native inhabitants proudly trace their origin back to the days when the Inca Indian civilization thrived in the land that later came to be called Ecuador many centuries ago.

So you might ask what particularly intrigues me about one particular group, Ecuador’s Quechuan tribe, who are considered the country’s largest indigenous group out of fourteen native ancestral peoples in Ecuador. Perhaps it’s the humble aura I strongly felt during my personal encounters with those hard working Quichuan merchants as they patiently sold their wares at local shopping stands around the city of Cuenca. Or such praiseworthy observations might have been triggered by an innocent smile radiating from a Quechuan child when I said “hola” to them directly during our recent visit to the sacred Inca ruins at Pilaloma. During such face to face encounters with them, I also developed a high level of interest in the Quechuan dialect as many of these Inca descendants I listened to, chose to use their native spoken language in spite of Spanish and English predominance in Ecuador society today.

I also felt fortunate to obtain a healthy sample of the present day indigenous experience during our scheduled stop at the Quechuan Community Interpretative Center on our Ecuador tour. On one occasion, I captively watched a young indigenous woman mash sweet potato and yucca roots inside a homemade gourd that ferments over a short time into a potent alcoholic brew. I also took considerable interest in watching her tediously string narrow slices of tropical leaves into fine cords used for practical Quechuan tasks like fishing and weaving .

On a sadder note, the Quechuan people are now seriously embroiled in a long-standing feud with the Ecuadorean government for equal access to education, health care and improved road access to their community homelands. Thus, giving due consideration to the strong desire of Quechuans to keep their cultural traditions alive amidst such governmental turmoil, I challenge those who read my blog to contribute to the indigenous cause in Ecuador in any way you can.

Two excellent outlets to do that would be to contact Wichana Foundation: Ecuador Charity and choose a topic of interest at (www.wichana.org) or inquire about volunteer projects to more directly serve the indigenous population of Ecuador at (www.volunteermatch.org). For by showing our gratitude for all people- near or far – humanity moves one step closer to unity’s attainment in our divided world today. Enjoy the photos.

“The best journeys in life are those that answer questions you never thought to ask.” ( Rich Ridgeway )

But in the beautiful city of Cuenca on our tour, a new question popped in my mind about how Ecuador might help me to practice my Spanish skills in real life situations. I might add that in Cuerca, there’s been a significant U.S.expatriate migration there in recent years making me more confident that I could find some “locals”willing to engage in such informal Spanish conversation. One interesting example of this effort that sticks in my mind took place yesterday when I complimented a middle age man of obvious Hispanic descent in Spanish about his shiny white shoes (zapatos ) . But instead of speaking Spanish back to me he kindly reported in perfect English that he was a long time resident of Minnesota who had moved to Cuerca a few years ago.

So I can thank our gracious tour guide for escorting our tour group to plenty of people friendly locations on this busy day. This gave me the opportunity to practice my Spanish at a local textile factory, an orchid planting facility, a hat store, and the city market. I can also report that when I lost a pair of air buds, I calmly entered an electronics store to purchased a new set speaking simple lines in Spanish with no problem. Enjoy the pictures from our Cuenca visit.

“Over every mountain, there’s a path although it may not be seen from the valley.” (Theodore Roethke)

But such beautiful tropical fruits and dense trees strands that I would expect on the equator vanished somehow into a perpetual cloud mist as our tour bus now conquered the Central Andes range of Ecuador on our arduous ride to Cuenca. With elevations exceeding more than  13,000 feet and temperatures dropping significantly in this cloud rain forest environs.”, I imagined myself more appropriately in the Alps of Switzerland or Austria during their cool summer seasonal time. When the cloud cover finally diminished at Tres Cruces, the highest point of our ascent, another kind of fog seemed to occupy my mind. For I now felt noticeably disoriented and needed to feel a blast of cold air at this stunningly beautiful tour bus stop to regain my bearings.

So as I consider myself fortunate to have overcome my fear of extreme mountain heights , I look forward to getting back on track for some exciting equator views as we begin our descent into Cuenca. For at least I can see again where we are going. Enjoy the photos.

“I hope before long to press you in my arms and shall shower on you a million burning kisses as under the equator.” ( Napoleon Bonaparte )

The closest statement to reality that I can think of on our first day in Guayaquil, Ecuador would be diving into a hot sweaty bowl filled with strange equatorial images that I deeply desire to sense more deeply. For there are several lessons to be learned as I reflect quietly by the muddy river that flows slowly through the city.

Strange tropical trees, colorfully exploding flowers and indigenous people statues seem to pop out of nowhere to break up the craziness of this traffic snarled city surrounding them. A large iguana stands its ground when I approach along a quiet pedestrian square. A statued man looking stately beyond from his inviting park bench seat reminds me to slow down and ponder this “tropical soup” more deeply.

Then there’s the river itself that flows continuously from the Andes to mark the commercial importance of Guayaquil as an industrial center of Ecuador today. But I am most curious to know its origin up river to the Andes from where it has flowed from. For we head into these mysterious highlands of Ecuador’s interior tomorrow. Enjoy the photos

By the way, I loved hearing my wife scream with joy when she finally received her suitcase in our hotel over 24 hours after our arrival

” Lost luggage is an opportunity to stay afloat.”(Chris Evans)

You know it’s not a good sign when you arrive in early morning at the airport to check in your luggage and observe huge piles of suitcases stacked incoherently in layers behind an American Airlines reception desk. In our case, the cause of this calamity at Miami International Airport as we were told came from a total computer shutdown at the airport overnight.

So it seemed imminent that one or both of our two boarded suitcases on our flight to Guayaquil, Ecuador would not arrive at our final destination when we landed. As expected, my blue suitcase came through quickly upon arrival in the airport baggage tunnel ok but my wife’s red  luggage bag did not.

Know then our tragic saga would now escalate when we found out soon after by email that my wife’s baggage would arrive on a  flight later that evening. But that flight from Miami would also be late, leaving the possibility that her luggage would not arrive by the time our Ecuador tour began the next day. So in the meantime I resorted to comically sharing my men’s clothing with her as well as some toiletries with hope that the situation would resolve itself soon.

But let’s take a more positive look at this most irritating travel predicament. In the absence of your travel suitcase, one might evolve into a person acting much differently than their previous ways. For it seems to be a matter of how one chooses to respond to such airport related crisis.

He or she for example might consider such loss of their material possessions as a “wake up” call to focus more on what really matters. With less stuff to carry, you can try to make life simpler for yourself where needs not wants become your primary focus. Or one might also consider the loss of their baggage as fresh start  to act humbler and more caring toward others who wish to  share with you in such trying times. Don’t waste these opportunities. Make them count!

” Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic.” (Paul O’Brien)

There’s never a perfect time for Ruth and me to travel these days but the opportunity cost of foregoing our next adventure must be seriously weighed with the personal value of actually going. In the case of next week’s planned adventure to Ecuador, I can therefore make a good case for conducting this upcoming journey from either a rational or intuitive perspective. So I’d like to proceed forward with this entry by showing such a balance minded mindset of both obvious logic and more deep seated emotions below to clear the air of any lingering travel apprehensions. As a side note, I just found out in the last day that a strong earthquake of 6.8 on the Richter Scale hit Ecuador yesterday near the Pacific coast, with the epicenter fifty miles away from our landing city there at Guayaquil.Of course I’m staying tuned in for current developments about this natural disaster, but with great relief I’ve been told by “Gate One” our travel company, that the trip will definitely go on.

ECUADOR FROM A RATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

I just celebrated my birthday yesterday so what better gift can I envision than embarking on an appealing travel experience abroad. Certainly with lingering personal matters going on with both sides of our respective families, those ten days of exploring Ecuador will also give my wife and me a nice mental health break from this impending crisis at home. Having completed several trips with “Gate One” before, we also have full confidence that their experienced tour guide choices for this adventure will serve us efficiently. With twelve pounds of weight loss in the last month as well, I look forward to being in better physical shape for hiking on this occasion. But if my cranky knees act up along the way, I’ll bring two walking sticks to maintain better balance as needed.

ECUADOR FROM AN INTUITIVE PERSPECTIVE

Ecuador in my mind appears to be taken straight out of the plot of one of my favorite novels – The Celestine Prophecy. For as several of the insights in this fictional account of a lone adventurer stick strongly in my mind, I realize there are hidden lessons to be learned from Ecuador’s unplanned chance encounters. So I dare to spontaneously experience Ecuador culture during our ten day tour that covers (1) densely populated cities, (2) mountainous Andes regions and (3) wild equatorial terrains. In fact those coincidences have already started as I’ve informally conversed with several South American born individuals in my yoga classes who’ve whetted my curiosity for exploring such homelands I’ve never seen. It relevant to me that I’ve also noticed my increasing interest in listening quietly to classical or New Age music most notably combined with light yoga sessions. For during those occasions, I am insightfully realizing that any negative thoughts about traveling through Ecuador do pass through my mind temporarily but eventually will be gone. In further exploring my intuition, I’ve arisen on several mornings, sensing a need to explore a new physical appearance, unshaven with a long sought intention to regrow my beard. Thus as I take a break from South Florida madness to hopefully enjoy Ecuador, this might be the ideal time to begin that experiment.

Most likely then, I’m in for a strong test of my physical stamina and emotional status during this arduous ten day journey upcoming to Ecuador next week. But I choose to overcome any lingering doubts, fears, or other unspoken apprehensions. Let the test of will begin. For I’m most certainly “up” for the challenge.