To whom it may concern:

Dear friends, relatives, and those who meant to visit the official U.S. Hot Air Balloon team,

Yes, this is my first stab at this. And yes, I know I'm not in Darfur anymore, without the supposedly golden material to blog. As I sit here in Lima, though, guiltily enjoying what's likely to be my last stretch of free time for the next, oh, 35 years, I thought the time was right to start subjecting you to my thoughts.

For those who asked me all the time to start up one of these in Sudan- I hope there will be enough Darfur musings to satisfy or more likely depress you. As for the hot air balloon - this is my fourth continent and eighth country visited in the past year, but really in this case, the hot air is more relevant than the arrogant Phileas Fogg reference.

If you've read this far, many thanks. More to come.