Category Archives: South America

From the Eruption Zone

Posted on January 1, 2008 by dowbrigade

Boy, have we ever gotten behind in our postings. But, thats what vacations are for, we guess. Currently in Baños, Ecuador, nested in the skirts of Mt. Tunguragua, an active vocano which is currently acting up; booming and smoking and … Continue reading →

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Sending Colombians to Afghanistan – Brilliant!

Posted on May 16, 2007 by dowbrigade

According to the New York Times, the US is trying to turn Afghanistan into another Colombia – that is, convert a warlord based, heavily armed narco-insurgency into a warlord-based, heavily armed narco-democracy. They have even imported Colombian troops and advisers … Continue reading →

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Charletans and Shamen

Posted on August 16, 2006 by glasscastle

LIMA, Peru (Reuters) – Peru’s government warned people to be wary of fake medicine men offering cure-all miracle herb potions on Tuesday, after a bogus brew killed a man hoping to shake off a spell of bad luck. Alternative medicine … Continue reading →

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Charletans and Shamen

Posted on August 16, 2006 by glasscastle

LIMA, Peru (Reuters) – Peru’s government warned people to be wary of fake medicine men offering cure-all miracle herb potions on Tuesday, after a bogus brew killed a man hoping to shake off a spell of bad luck. Alternative medicine … Continue reading →

Posted in South America | 3 Comments

The Outer Limits of Globalization

Posted on December 23, 2005 by glasscastle

Sitting in the Plaza de Armas of Carhuaz, a small town of some 3,000 inhabitants, almost all Native Americans, one is struck by the contrasts of cultures and world-views.  It is not quite a Clash of Civilizations, except as the … Continue reading →

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Planes, Toyotas and Moto-taxis

Posted on December 23, 2005 by glasscastle

One of the reasons that we love the city of Carhuaz, high in the Peruvian Andes, is that is has changed so little over the years. The people look, talk, dress and act just the same. The same stores sell … Continue reading →

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Breathless in the Andes

Posted on December 23, 2005 by glasscastle

A scary episode night before last. Up here at almost 10,000 feet, at the very edge of access to Western medicine, we suddenly found we couldn’t breath. It woke us up in the middle of the night, the feeling that … Continue reading →

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Dowbrigade, Newshound

Posted on December 23, 2005 by glasscastle

Although we are ostensibly on vacation, the mind never takes a vacation, or rather the mind takes its vacations when distracted by sex or powerful psychotropic substances, from whence it sends back no post cards. But up here at altitude, … Continue reading →

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