"It's always best to start at the beginning - and all you do is follow the yellow brick road." -Glinda, the Good Witch of the North

Getting to Paraguay is no easy task. Especially via Mexico. Even more so when you're not yet even in Mexico, and are, in fact, a shivering, homeless, unemployed vagabond in Northern Michigan. With no job prospects and no permanent address, the task is a greased pig at best. Some might call it a chimera, but I refuse to accept that accusation; people have achieved greater things with fewer resources in the past, so who's to say I can't travel 10,500 km* for 9ish months on a shoestring?


* That's about 6,500 miles for those of you still clinging to the crazy-system.

Every since I returned from my Peace Corps post in "El Corazón de Sudamérica" several weeks ago, I've been dreaming and scheming a way to go back there. I have people to visit, projects to follow up on, and things that I never got a chance to see while I was busy teaching. Besides, this will be my last great adventure before grad school, always looming on the horizon. (Student loans are like cement shoes for long-term traveling.) But right now the time, the conditions, are perfect.


I concede that the hurtle is set rather high. But I am prepared to rise to the challenge, armed with only a pen, a notebook, my ability to eat strange things and sleep in odd places, and my unflappable belief that I will not come crashing down in a burning pile of fail and end up broke and stranded somewhere in rural Nicaragua. It won't be easy, but struggle is the mother of strength, and I'm not afraid.

This blog will chronicle my progress on this adventure. Fall or fly, this shall be a testament to one crazy, optimistic guy's journey into the world. Stay tuned!