Blog of Trip to Peru and Brazil

Hey Everyone!
I made this blog because I will be traveling to Latin America this summer in order to do thesis research on the history of indigenous/traditional medicine and its political power. I have been preparing for this trip for almost a year now and I am extremely excited that, very soon, I will be finally embarking on this small odyssey of mine. I suspect many little adventures will come up which I will surely write on this blog. Plus, this is a good way for me to get in contact with everyone I know back home and where I can post all my pictures.

The trip will take place from July 1-August 21th. First I will be traveling to Lima, Peru where I will stay for a month. Then I will travel around all of Peru for two weeks. Finally, I will go visit Brazil for one week before finally returning to my humid home in Miami :-)

Those of you who know me may be surprised that I am going to Lima and that I did not mention Bolivia. Originally, my plan had been to go visit Bolivia and do my thesis research there. Unfortunately, the situation in Bolivia has become extremely volatile. La Paz, the city I was planning to stay in, is almost completely blockaded from the rest of the world causing mass-panic, vandalisms, and shortage in food and gasoline! After a lot of worrying, a lot of deliberation and discussion with parents and professors, I have decided that the best option was for me to change my plans and go to Lima, where I have a lot of friends and support. I will keep you posted on what I am doing about this sudden change. I am confident that things will fall into place as long as I work hard. If anyone has any suggestions of things I should do while in Peru, please reply to this blog or e-mail me.

- Francisco Eduardo Fantes