Ever since Machu Picchu, we have not been able to send out any EMail postcards because of a lack of good phone service.  Now the power supply to the computer has been fried, so we are on the last few minutes of our battery and this will be the EMail from us for a couple of weeks.

After Machu Picchu, we spent one more day back in Cuzco, then wen on to LaPaz, Bolivia.   LaPaz is a modern city with a mixture of very rich and very poor.  We met some well traveled locals, who showed us the sites and invited us to their palatial home.   They also taught us the latest local dance called the "Sacra Negra".    In LaPaz you still see a lot of people in their native "Metisto" garb, which is like 16th century Spanish colonial dress.

The next day (Mon, 8/18) we took a day trip about 60 miles north of LaPaz to Lake Titicaca on the border with Peru.  We rented a small outboard boat and went to a small island called "Sarice" where they still make reed boats.

The next day (Tues, 8/19) we headed for Puerto Montt., Chile.  We were suppose to have a layover of a few hours at Santiago airport, but into turned into about 12 hours.   Finally got to Puerto Montt at about 2:00am.  Puerto Montt is in an area called the "Lake District" and is the northern part of the Patagonia area.

Up the next morning (Wed, 8/20) at 5:30am for a bus and boat ride across beautiful mountain lakes to an island mountain lodge called Puella.  The views of the snow capped peaks are equal to those of Lake Tahoe and the Swiss Alps.

The next day (Thurs, 8/21) we took another series of bus and boat rides through mountain passes and beautiful lakes to a beautiful small town called Bariloche over looking a lake surrounded by high mountains.  Bariloche we love.  It reminds us of Lake Tahoe but with a Swiss
flavor.  They have dozens of chocolate stores here and some of them are as big as Safeway supermarkets.  If it wasn't for the language, we would think we were in Truckee or Tahoe City.  It's weird to be in ski season in August.  Unfortunately we did not plan on this much cold weather and have been wearing everything we packed.

As soon as we're up and running, thanks to our Incline tech support and DHL, we will get the website updated with our journals (some 200 handwritten pages combined).  We can't wait to share the details and pics.  It is fun to read each of our perspectives on each stop.

- Piper, Skyler, Sherry and Ken
(written by the whole family over a fondue diner)

              
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