Down By The River...

Good night to you all.

It's a cool and foggy night here at the jobsite. The salty sea breeze adding to the haziness. It's 00:30 right now. Put in a full day and got the call to drive piles at 21:30. I fell back asleep by accident and called in that I was running late. It worked out just fine as the contractor was still monkeying with the hammer by the time I arrived to the work deck. I debated whether or not to sleep or blog a bit as it will be another 2 or 3 hours before they drive the next pile. I figured that since I'm up, I'd shoot the breeze with you.

Was down and out most of last week with that blasted stomach debacle again. I lost count, but I think that was the fifth or sixth time I got hit with that bug. My stomach has been through hell this last year. Being sick coupled with the completely unpredictable work schedule has been hell on my running regimen too. I got to swing the kicks yesterday for the first time in over a week and I was buzzing! Wow! Though only 30 minutes long, it felt fantastic to run a little bit. I actually sneaked into the gym again tonight for another 30 minutes. All things considered, I'm feeling good as the start of May nears. That's when the official marathon training begins. My goal was to be able to do a 2 hr run and basically whistle dixie the entire time before May 1st. I should be real close.

The power went out at the apartment for about the 4th time this short month of April already. I'm not sure if it's the banditos steeling the copper wire or the goofball drivers crashing down the utility poles. In any event, I was treated to a spectacular view from my 4th floor window at the apartment. With the nearby earth surface dark, the heavens were as brilliant as I've ever seen before. I never knew there were that many stars in the sky. If I didn't have chicken burning on the stove, I could have stared towards that piece of creation above the abode all night long. Before the dinner bell rang, the lights came back on and drowned out the celestial radiance.

Looking at that crystal clear night sky made me think of something very deep and philosophical. Why is it that the weatherman says "Tomorrow will be mostly sunny with highs in the 70s" but you never hear "Tonight will be partly moony with a chance of showers, lows in the 40s" or "Mostly moony with a slight breeze out of the south"? What gives? That's the transcendentalist coming out of me...

Back to reality....Last Sunday, the project owner took all the employees out for a day of white water rafting and wine tasting. I'm not officially an owner's employee and I never officially received the invitation in writing, but after the big boss's secretary found out that I wasn't on the list, she got me in. My first time rafting...what a blast! I highly recommend it. We set up shop at a very nice hotel that greeted us with a large, lush green and well-groomed lawn. My spirits jumped up just to see some contrast in natural colors around here. Very nice and relaxing.

The rafts fit six people plus the guide. We were rafting down the Canete River, which according to the guide was running with Category 3 rapids that day...not too hard, but not too easy. There was no option of staying dry and several people from my boat just got it over with right away and jumped in the crisp, clear water. Everyone said the water was clean and I have to agree...I swallowed at least a liter of that stuff along the 7 km trek and haven't had any recent anarchy in the belly. I was in the front of the raft and had a great view of the rapids ahead. The sounds of the water running and my friends cheering...hot sunshine contrasted with the soothing chill of the water...body alert, tense and working hard to stay on course...Sensation overload the entire time! Awesome.

After rafting and eating a BBQ lunch full of red meat, we made our way to a local winery and Pisco distillery. I jumped on the party bus, i.e. the bus with no bosses on board. Beer bottles were rattling, people laughing and the good times rollin. The tour guide pulled out a microphone to give his schpeel on the sights on either side of the bus. Before he could put the mic down, I was swinging it in my hand and started pulling out classic tunes in my ruptured duck of a voice like Brown Eyed Girl, Take on Me, American Pie, Ice Ice Baby...I got some cheers but little background help with the vocals. The tour guide was not very amused and after a while I gave up on the solo effort. We commandeered the mic a few other times and pulled out a few more tunes along the way.

The winery and Pisco tour was pretty neat. According to the wine and Pisco master, everything they brew is "all natural, only the best in Peru". Apparently they make Pisco the way the natives made it centuries ago. The same guy put on a show and tell with Pisco bottles and wine glasses and tried to prove why his stash was the best in Peru. It looked more like hocus pocus to me, but the price was right and I snagged a few bottles of Pisco. When I get back home we can whip up a few Pisco sours.

After a long day of hootin-hollerin and having fun, I was completely spent...I forgot to mention that I had to work throughout that previous night...I was running the fumes from 3.5 hours of sleep that whole day. The first part of this week was rough as my body was sore to high hell from all that paddling. It was definitely worth it, though.

I uploaded some pictures from the fun trip. Click the "My Photos" link on the right-hand side of the blog to check them out. I hope you enjoy them.

It's pushing 2 am and I think I'm going to give it a go at catching some ZZZs. My shizzle is tired. Who knows when they'll start making noise again. That's all from Pampa Melchorita. Be sure to tune in next time.

Until then, take care, be safe and God bless.

Scotty