1. A Hello to you, from Peru!

2. Hi Pac!
I just finished a great first stop in Peru, where I got to visit amazing places.
The first places I went to, or hiked to, was Machu Picchu, and ancient city
built by the Inca in the 15th century for the Inca emperor Pachacuti. I always
have wanted to see Machu Picchu because of it is such a beautiful and
mysterious place, and the hike was great to. The second place that I visited
was Chan Chan, which is a large pre Columbian city. It was built by the Chimor
people in 850 AD, but was eventually conquered by the Inca, and is now one
beat up, but very cool city. I wanted to visit it because it was a nice look into
past civilizations in the area and of how they lived their life. The last place I
visited was the Chauchilla Cemetery, which was where the Nazca people
buried their dead, but because of the dry environment there, they were
turned into mummies, and now mummified humans can be seen in their
tombs. I thought it would be cool to see it because I could look at the local
clothing and I could see the way the people looked. I have to catch my long
flight to Madagascar now, which is my second stop on this historical journey.
Hutch

3. Madagascar

4. Pac,
My trip to Madagascar was great and was incredibly interesting. The
first place I stopped at this time was The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga,
which is an important spiritual site for the Malagasy people since they
first occupied it in the fifteenth century. It was once the capitol city in
the 1700's. I wanted to see it because it provided a good look into
what a city of the ancient people of Madagascar looked liked, and it is
cool to look at all of the trees and things growing out of the buildings.
The next pace tat I went to was Nosy Boraha, which was a place that
used to have lots of pirate activity, and is now covered with pirate
graves. I wanted to go and see this place because I thought it would be
interesting to see the graves of the pirates and learn why they chose
Nosy Boraha to live. My last stop was Ifaty. Ifaty is a group of two
villages on the coast where settlers on Madagascar built homes and
practiced living off the sea. I thought it would be a good place to visit
because I could look into the life of a native person and see the
traditions practiced by people hundreds of years ago through them.
Now, I am on my way to Nepal, where it is going to be a whole lot
colder.
Hutch

5. Greetings from the Top of the World

6. Pac,
My third stop to Nepal is now over, and believe me, there is a lot more
to see here than just the Himalayas. The first place that I stopped at
was Patan, a city known for its ancient art and cultural heritage. I
wanted to see this place because I personally love art and thought it
would be nice to see the art that the people of Nepal did many years
ago, and sometimes do today. The second place that I went to was
Bhaktapur, an ancient city that was the capitol until the fifteenth
century. The city is full of ancient temples and landmarks, some dating
back to over five hundred years ago. I wanted to go there because it is
a great place to see the very old temple structures that are still in good
condition and it is a good place to get to know the religion of the
people there. My last stop was Lumbini, the place where the Buddha
was born and there is tons of cultural heritage. There are also many
stone building and structures there that are incredibly old. I thought
that it would be cool to see because I could look at the place where
the Buddha lived and learn lots about the religion of the ancient
people. Three stops down, one to go. New Zealand is my last stop, and
I am heading there right now.
Hutch

7. New Zealand

8. Pac,
This is my last postcard to you, and I have just finished my New Zealand Trip.
The first thing that I visited was the Whanganui River. The Whanganui River is
a sacred river to the Maori people in the region, and was an important
transportation route for them and early settlers. I wanted to see it because it
would give me an idea as to what the early settlers of NZ had to travel
through. The second place that I stopped at was a city called Christchurch.
Maori people started living in the area in 1200’s and the area was one of the
first places to be settled on the south island, and to date, it is the largest city
on the south island. I wanted to visit this place because it has such a rich
history full of so many different people. It also has many historical Maori
relics and history museums, so I could learn a lot about the people there. The
last place that I visited was a native Maori village. The Maori Are known as
the native people of New Zealand and first settled in the 1200’s. Their
traditions and ways of life have been passed down through many generations,
and today, there are still a few tribes that practice these ways of life. I wanted
to visit one because it is the only true way to experience what life would have
been like hundreds of years ago when it was just these people on the whole
of New Zealand. Well, my historical journey has come to a close, and now I
am on my way home.
See you soon,
Hutch

9. URLs
Peru URLs:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/80_‐_Machu_Picchu_‐_Juin_2009_‐_edit.2.jpg/614px‐80_‐_Machu_Picchu_‐_Juin_2009_‐
_edit.2.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e0/Chan_chan_view1.jpg/800px‐Chan_chan_view1.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Nazca‐chauchilla‐c07.jpg/800px‐Nazca‐chauchilla‐c07.jpg
Madagascar URLs:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Ambohimanga.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Pirates_Cemetery_Ile_Ste_Marie_Madagascar.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Antandroy_traditional_dancing.jpg/800px‐Antandroy_traditional_dancing.jpg
Nepal URLs:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Nepal_Patan_Mangal.jpg/800px‐Nepal_Patan_Mangal.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Lord_Shiva.jpg/320px‐Lord_Shiva.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Lumbini_4.jpg/418px‐Lumbini_4.jpg
New Zealand URLs:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Whanganui_River.jpg/800px‐Whanganui_River.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flickr_‐_Roger_T_Wong_‐_20100130‐07‐
Christchurch_Cathedral_Square_panorama.jpg/800px‐Flickr_‐_Roger_T_Wong_‐_20100130‐07‐Christchurch_Cathedral_Square_panorama.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/MaraePipitea1840.jpg