Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Guide to South America, by Mark Sanford

Dear Congressman,

As a Republican lawmaker, I thought you might be interested in hearing from one of your fellow party members on where to go in the southern hemisphere....


Lima, Peru - This city is glorious and you need to understand that. You do not need a therapist to help you figure out Lima's place in the world. It is special and unique and fabulous in a whole host of ways that are worth a much longer conversation.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - To me, and I suspect no one else on earth, there is something wonderful about listening to country music playing in the cab to Ipenema, air conditioner running, the hum of a huge diesel engine in the background, the tranquilitiy that comes with being in a virtual wilderness of trees and marsh of the Floresta da Tijuca, the day breaking and vibrant pink coming alive in the morning clouds over Christ the Redeemer - and it probably fits with my weakness in doing rather than being - though Rio opened up a new chapter last week wherein I was happy and content just being.

Santigo, Chile - Do you really comprehend how beautiful your city is? Have you been told lately how warm your citizens are and how they softly glow with the special nature of their soul. You have a particular grace and calm that I adore. You have a level of sophistication that is so fitting to your beauty. I could digress and say that Santigo's people have the ability to give magnificently gentle kisses, or that I love their unemployment lines or the curve of it's streets, the exotic beauty of it (or two magnificent parts of it) in the faded glow of night's light - but hey, that would be going into too much detail....

Buenos Aires, Argentina - On advice of my attorney, I am not going to talk about this city.

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