Newsletter 1 (4 june 2002)

Hi there all you incatrailers and other english speaking people,

Like i promised when we met in would inform you about my trip and here comes a short update about what i have done so far: After having studied for 4 weeks in Cusco i went on the 4 day incatrail what was really a great experience. Most of you already knew this, so i keep this subject short. The last few days in Cusco in spent with Harrie (dutch friend of mine i met in Cusco), mainly drinking beer and going out. After that i flew to Quito, spend there just 1 night and travelled on to Bahia, more in the North of Ecuador. From there to this ecological (i hope that is good english) farm, where i worked for 3 weeks. Had a good time and did all kind of jobs. I even toured tourists around because (they tought that) my english is so good (big haha). After these weeks i spend a week in Canoa, where i enjoyed the sea, the sun, a lot of beer, and i met some very interesting people (like the greatgrandson of Friedrich Engels, as you probably know: one of the founders of communism. He has been a war fotographer for 25 years, so knows a lot about history and politics and so i spend a lot of time with this guy, discussing all kinds of political and historical subjects). Now i am back in Quito, where i spend the last few days with 2 german girls (woman i should say actually). Here i made a few arrangments (picked up some dutch tobacco, that was send me from the Netherlands, changed a flight, so i am goingto see Chili as well (which was not originally planned) and so on). You will hear more about me when i am in Fiji, or New Zealand.

Hope you all have a fine summer (weather is shit here actually) and hope to hear from you, Greetings,
Jan.