República del Perú (गणराज्य पेरु) – is where I will be going next. Among other things, I am most excited about hiking on Inca trails in the Andes and getting a feel of being ‘completely lost’ in a country where nobody speaks English (umm.. or Marathi or Hindi 
). I’m looking forward to all the trouble 
Peru and its South American neighbours
Peru, as you might know, is a South American country surrounded by Pacific ocean to its west and Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile from north to south in that order. It was a Spanish colony until 1821 and had a turbulent democratic history. The coastal areas in Peru look geographically much like India’s coastal strip from Konkan to Kerala, because just like India’s Western Ghats (Sahyadris) along the Arabian Sea, Peru has the Andes along the Pacific Ocean. The Andes rise much taller than Sahyadris though, often having snow covered peaks.
I’ve initiated contacts with people in Peru, although 2 weeks is not a time long enough to network. In case you (readers) have any contacts, I’d be glad to get in touch. I still have to research, reserve, get visa, insurance etc.
And this also prompts me to expedite my Israel Travelogs (Scrolls from the Holy Land) which, I admit, have not kept up well lately.
I got off from my bus today evening and was walking along the pond to my way home. Its a virtually dead place during winter but today I was in for a surprise! I saw new inhabitants near the freshly melted water! I jumped with joy:
“Yay! the Geese are back!”
Canadian Geese swimming in water. On the top is a pair of ducks. Photo: April 28, 2007
It’s not that I love the Canada Goose a lot. They make the whole place crappy after a while and can be quite aggressive when in large groups, making it quite annoying (and sometimes risky) to walk on the grass.
But I was happy, because the arrival of the Geese signaled the arrival of…. wait for it… here it comes… Spring!
During winter, these birds migrate to warmer regions towards the south (i.e. USA). Only a couple of weeks back I was in New York and it looked like the Geese had taken over the city.
Canadian Geese in New York. Photo: March 24, 2008
There are still large chunks of steadily melting snow on the open areas. It’s about 0°C today and I hope it gets warmer soon. Nevertheless I suddenly feel that Toronto is alive again… Welcome Spring
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