Chile Bus Tragedy
The trip that ended in tragedy for these folks was one of the most impressive tourist experiences I ever had: Chile Bus Crash Kills 12 American Tourists.
Parque Nacional Lauca must be one of the most beautiful corners of God's Creation. At 13,000 ft. above sea level, our guide gave us the opportunity to buy coca leaves from a Bolivian Indian woman. He reassured the reluctant among us (I was not one of them) by saying that the Pope himself had chewed on them while visiting Bolivia. [If it's good enough for the Vicar of Christ...] An elderly Bristish man who would have nothing of that, I do say, vomited from altitude sickness. As a long-time fan of the Andean Camelids (cf. Camelidæ), I was quite happy to see plenty of llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos. There were also pink flamingos and snow-capped volcanoes. It was utterly otherworldly.
The nearby city of Arica has to be one of the pleasantest small cities I've ever visited. I believe it has only rained there once in the past century. The city's Cathedral San Marcos, designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, is, if I'm not mistaken, the only church in the world made entirely of steel. And, as the picture in the link proves, it's not a monstrosity as one might expect! I took refuge in this church from some Gypsy (Romany) women who were trying to place a curse on me for refusing to buy an amulet.
The trip that ended in tragedy for these folks was one of the most impressive tourist experiences I ever had: Chile Bus Crash Kills 12 American Tourists.
Parque Nacional Lauca must be one of the most beautiful corners of God's Creation. At 13,000 ft. above sea level, our guide gave us the opportunity to buy coca leaves from a Bolivian Indian woman. He reassured the reluctant among us (I was not one of them) by saying that the Pope himself had chewed on them while visiting Bolivia. [If it's good enough for the Vicar of Christ...] An elderly Bristish man who would have nothing of that, I do say, vomited from altitude sickness. As a long-time fan of the Andean Camelids (cf. Camelidæ), I was quite happy to see plenty of llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, and guanacos. There were also pink flamingos and snow-capped volcanoes. It was utterly otherworldly.
The nearby city of Arica has to be one of the pleasantest small cities I've ever visited. I believe it has only rained there once in the past century. The city's Cathedral San Marcos, designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, is, if I'm not mistaken, the only church in the world made entirely of steel. And, as the picture in the link proves, it's not a monstrosity as one might expect! I took refuge in this church from some Gypsy (Romany) women who were trying to place a curse on me for refusing to buy an amulet.
Redeemed by Our Savior, I work out my salvation with fear and trembling in Pohang, South Korea, where I live with my wife, daughter, and son and teach English at a science and technology university. Baptized a Methodist and raised a Missouri Synod Lutheran in Buffalo, NY, I spent six years as a guest of the Anglican Communion before being received by the Grace of God into the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church on the Feast of Saint Andrew, my patron, anno domini 2002.
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