Hi Everyone,
   It´s Frank (Francesco, Francisco, Pancho, Panchito, Pacho, Pachito, Paco,
Pacito).
   
   I am sitting in an internet cafe in LaPaz, Bolivia with salmonella in my
tummy only two days before my 40th birthday.  If 18 months ago someone told me
that I would be spending my 40th in Bolivia, I would have told them
that they were crazy.  Now look where I am.  380% meters above sea level on the
eastern edge of the Andes Mountains recovering from a bout of Giardia and 
a couple of other amoebas.
   
   Even though there have been some tough times, this trip is definitely 
an experience of a lifetime.  And each day that passes is an adventure 
that cannot be taken away.  I have been spit on during a healing ceremony 
by a Shamon near Santo Domingo, Ecuador, was asked to preach the word 
of God by the jungle people in Kayamentze, Ecuador, straddled the equator 
during the autumnal equinox, drank chicha (made from the chewed yukka spit 
of jungle females), slashed jungle underbrush for the next harvest of corn, 
played harmonica on the streets of Ambato, helped Quechua hoe their potato 
field, got four punctures in my tire at one time in the northern dessert 
of Peru, crossed a dessert drier than the Sahara, visited the mysterious 
Nasca Lines, strolled in the Pacific Ocean south of the equator, slept 
on the shoulder of the highway, saw the bones of the catacombes in the Church 
of San Francisco in Lima, Peru, stood on Chimborazo - known as the mountain 
whos peak is the furthest from the centre of the earth, climbed over 3100 
vertical meters on my bike in one day, biked over at 4470 metre pass in Peru, 
was asked to father a child, visited many fithly toilets, jammed with 
Ecuadorian musician, chewed the contraversial coca leaf, learned words 
of the Tsafiki, Shuar and Quechua, survived giardia, drank trago at celebrations, 
was hosted by many, many wonderful families, witnessed horrible poverty,
was pushed to the side by a car, slept overnight in a narrow dried out 
stream bed, was humbled by the awesome beauty of the western peaks 
of the Andies, watched and heard over half of our boat of tourists get 
sick during very rough seas on Lake Titicaca - the highest lake in the 
world, skiied Chacaltaya - the highest ski hill in the world, have 
become semifluent in Spanish, survived three bouts of altitude sickness,
and I am only one third done my journey.

   Even though a lot might sound exciting, I still love Thunder Bay 
and all my family and friends at home.  I knew that I would always 
love Thunder Bay, and this trip just confirms it more.
Sometimes I wish I was home, however your encouraging words 
often put me straight back on the path, and so does the idea 
that we are connecting so many children worldwide. I am planning 
to be back in North America in August, 2001.  I would like
to land somewhere other than Thunder Bay and ride part or all 
of the way home. I might also visit my relatives in Sicily, but 
I first have to see if I can afford the trip. Otherwise I will ride
to roughly India or Vietnam before returning home.

   I want to especially thank Tad (Mateo) Beckwith who gave me 
the opportunity to embark on a journey such as this.  He gladly 
accepted the extra responsibility of helping me
where my eyes would have difficultly.  Louise Trudel who has 
been so supportive back home in Thunder Bay.  And, my brother 
Angelo Pollari who is ensuring that my home and finances
are kept in order.

   Our journey will soon take us to northern Argentina, then 
to Paraguay, Brazil then back into Argentina where we will 
take a plane from Buenos Aires. From there it will be New Zealand, 
Australia, Japan then Asia. There is a small possiblitiy 
that I will briefly return home in mid February, but that 
is still not a certainty.

   If you ever have a dream that you really want, work 
on attaining it as soon as you can because our lives are 
so unpredictable and if we wait for the ¨right time¨, 
something will always get in the way.
I wish everyone a fulfilling new year of 2001.  Please 
support our mission and follow us at www.peacebike.org.
Remember that we take donations and they can be funnelled 
via our website.

Ciao
Con Mucho Amor
Francesco Pollari