​​​​​​Because humor is funnier when you know it's true.

Biz trip: Peru (continued) 

We limped through the rest of our testing with the remaining crew and finished up by the weekend.  The healthier among us managed to get in limited sightseeing including a visit to a local outdoor market in the nearby valley that sold souvenirs and food.  Amongst the food options was meat hanging over vendors’ tables in the hot summer air, meat that was available for perusal by people and flies alike.  The meat was in the form of carcasses of nondescript skinned animals about the size of a dog or small goat.  I was hoping for the latter.

On the trip back up to the hotel, we traveled along the same narrow mountain road that got us there.  The road had no guardrails, and since our return trip was now on the outer periphery of that road, we had a view straight down the mountain to the valley below, a very scary view I might add.  To add to the terror, I noticed several roadside shrines in memory of those before us who had not made it.  I started envisioning a nice ‘Rick’ shrine,’ complete with red, white and blue bunting.

Our driver tried to stay slightly to the left of center to provide a safety margin from the precipitous drop to our right.  Suddenly, an oncoming truck came around the bend and our driver had to jerk the wheel sharply right to avoid a collision.  As we veered toward the road’s edge, one of the younger guys in the back seat screamed out like a little girl.  Thankfully the Grim Reaper gave us a pass that day.

By the end of our trip, it felt like we had been a foreign invasion team that had taken on casualties in the fight to save our product.  I’m happy to report that we were able to use that vast accumulated data to ultimately solve our little technical problem.  And in the process, we had experienced a very scenic and culturally fascinating country.  But it was also good to get home. 

–Rick M.