All is fright.
Just to be clear: rafting does not cause people to lose their faces - I smudged them for privacy. I'm old fashioned like that.
Now that kayaking and rafting are ticked off my list of things to do, I've just been recruited for a one-time dragonboat event, Paddle for Kids. This is not me or anyone I know:
It's a fundraiser for the BC Children's Hospital and a great way for me to try something I've wanted to try for a long time in a fun, non-competitive environment. It's also a good way to support the BC Children's Hospital, of course. If you feel like supporting the cause - though I have no expectations, don't worry, no guilt trip or pressure here - I'm trying to raise $100 for them by Sept. 9 and you can contribute here.
If you're feeling philanthropic but that doesn't do it for you, how about considering a donation to help the earthquake victims in Peru? Over 500 people died, but there are tens of thousands of affected survivors. The Red Cross is there and accepting donations - in Canada, click here, in the US, click here. Elsewhere ... Google is your friend.
I wasn't in the area most affected by the earthquake, but my trip to Peru back in 2000 was one of the highlights of my life. But these people had so little before, and now many in the earthquake zone don't even have the means to support life.
From my travel diary at the time:
(Cusco:) We passed houses made of earth with bits of grass on them, and plaster houses, all very old and in disrepair. Dirty children darted in and out of the bus to sell pop, or popcorn, or ice cream bars to the captive passengers. The ubiquitous vendors and beggars leave the distinct impression of a people trying to eke out just one more sol (the unit of money) to make ends meet. ...
(Lake Titicaca:) We just visited the floating islands of the Uros, manmade from reeds. It's hard to believe people actually live there and that it's not just a tourist destination. The houses are tiny and also made of totora reed. They live very self-sufficiently away from everyone, but have to come to the mainland for some supplies, and are losing their teenagers to the mainland. Like so many other lives here, it seems like such a precarious existence.
So those are my current causes, but share your own in the comments if you like.
