They're alive!

Martin the German is a six-foot-five elementary teacher... who was my roomie in the hostel for most of my extra five days.

We watched World Cup and yelled at the sleeping German team that one game... and it wasn't until the last day when fate finally made him go to Machu Picchu by way of no-planes-out that I learned he illustrated and wrote a kid's book... about the dream I most wanted as a kid.

Stuffed animals come alive and go on an adventure...

Love love love it.

The world is full of little surprises and lovely ideas and interesting people. You get to meet a lot of them in hostels.