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I´m sitting in Santiago, Chile. In a hostel on the fifth story of a building with celing decorations that look like hairy fingernails and sharpied names on the walls. But I like it. I love the hostel life. Sleeping next to someone who might live across the world from you. I tried all three computers here, one of which didn´t have a mouse. You would think I would know how to use the ¨at¨ symbol on a Spanish keyboard by now... Thank you Wikipedia for your History of At Symbols article to copy and paste from. I also don´t have spell check. And every time I try to do an apostrophe, I somehow type this symbol {. So here we go.

Santiago, Chile

Machu Picchu, Peru. We walked to the city square at five in the morning to find that the rest of the group had hired porters. I felt like quite the man hiking Dead Woman´s Pass with my life on my back. I only brought one other pair of clothes. Although it saved my back some weight, it also meant that I was in a continual state of dampness as I quickly found that my Scotchguarded windbreaker did not act as a raincoat. But there were llamas and waterfalls and ruins to discover. There was Spanish to say and fruit to try. And we made it. With strong legs and dirty hair. It was like opening a pop-up story book to see my history book come alive like that. That would be a nice job. Designing pop up books. I also think creating the names of paint colors would be nice. Who in the world decides what is olive green verses sage green?

Maccu Picchu, Peru

I spent Christmas in Cusco, Peru. What a sweet town. It reminded me of a mountain ski town. With the cold clouds and cobblestone streets. People had goats in their arms and trinkets to sell. I came across an all natural sandwich and smoothie shop that had smoothies that mixed papaya and plantains and beer and things. The blinking Christmas llamas placed on the sides of the roads added to the feel too. I got myself a dark ice blue North Face water proof jacket for the equivalent of thirty American dollars. My Christmas dinner was an omlette in the upstairs of a building with a dog looking at me from the opposite side of the glass door. Sara and Alex had falafel there after their feast of guinea pig and alpaca for lunch.

Cusco, Peru

We flew into Lima, Peru the next day. Our city tour was interesting. Our guide showed us where to get forged documents and where the best Piscos and police stations and cathedrals were. He let me take a picture on a metal llama in a public park and we hopped the fence as he yelled to sprint so as not to be hit while we jaywalked. More like jayran. Lima reminded me a lot of Spain. With beautiful arcitecture and metal statues of men on horses. He pointed out on one statue the ¨Llama of Liberty¨that was sitting on a woman´s head. We roomed with Aussies in our hostel and woke up at five to hop the border to Santiago, Chile. Before I fell asleep to party music and soft breathing I read this, and then wrote it down with my borrowed black ink pen in my water stained red mole skin notebook:

Lima, Peru

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, beause only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord{s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:12-18)

So here I am. Realizing that I could do all the travelling in the world but if I have a veil over my heart none of this will be revealed in completion. It´s like mining gold from the river with my fingers. I´d get the experiences, but so much would missed. People think freedom is being released from a grasp, but I believe freedom is choosing to be held by God. He can´t lift a veil if you´re running away. I´m far from perfect. I run away much to often for way too long. I make mistakes with a hole-y heart. But I´ve found that however far I think I´ve run, God is waiting one step behind me. I don´t deserve any of this. But it´s here. And I want that freedom.