In My End is My Beginning

Well, I am nearing the finale of this adventure. I am afraid it is all over but the cryin´. I left the boys on the beach in Chile, basking in the sun, frolicing in waves, and drinking pisco sour. I am back in Ecuador now, and it appears that I have come full circle on this trip. Just 90 days ago, Jansa and I arrived in Quito, and everything was so new, foreign, exciting. What a ride it has been! I have just started to reflect upon this journey, and I am sure that I will still be soaking it in months from now. For this blog, I am not going to even try to write any conclusive notes of self-righteous enlightenment. You will have to ask me later about attaining travel Nirvana. Or, tune into QVC and buy my book ¨A D-Bag´s Guide to Travel: Not All Those Who Wander are Lost¨ at a one time low price of $7.99.

Whoo....Okay! Jansa, Foley, and myself spent last week on the coast of Chile, just north of Santiago. In the elegant seaport city of Valparaiso, we took an interesting boat tour with a local sailor that lived up to the vulgar stereotype. We watched tango in the streets and played Russian roulette with the seafood menu every opportunity we could. We visited the small beach town of Quintay with its rocky beaches and beautiful coast line.

Upon Jansa´s request, we spent the last two days together in a small hippie fishing village called Horcòn. We sought out a local slum lord and rented out a closet sized room that made the dorms in De Smet look like airplane hangers. We did have a bathroom until Foley decided to make it into his personal sandbox. Anyway, we played in the ocean, ate empanadas, and I won my third consecutive World Body Surfing Championship. Each night, we would devote ourselves to the sacred and age-old Gonzaga tradition, to drink a fair amount of cerveza and bullshit about everything from the existence of God to fart jokes and hermit crabs.

Funnyness aside, this time spent with my amigos has been something special. What a pleasure to travel and share these wonderful experiences with two of my lifelong friends. I could not be more grateful for the loyal companionship of Jansa and Foley.

This is ¨The Ramblin´ Corkademus¨ signing off. Until the next adventure.