Royal Blessings

The preparations for the expedition are marching smoothly. I have gathered $400 so far in my Indiegogo project, with almost 100 days to finish the fundraiser and 40 days to depart. Please consider a minute of your time to contribute; any amount (even $1!) is greatly appreciated and will empower this blog to be your window to the many experiences, landscapes and peoples South of the border... not to mention the cool perks (postcards, letters, pictures) that await as rewards!

Thank you!

Lately I have been working very hard to gather some funds. I am selling my possessions on eBay and working odd jobs in the measure that the US government allows me –I cannot be partially/full time employed in a specialty outside of film, geez– to save and gather some decent moneys towards the big expedition. Just yesterday I transported a Mercedes from Denver to Wichita, for 500 miles of heavenly driving, through golden flats and quiet farms, listening to the Goldberg Variations on the radio; peaceful, at ease with the World, overlooking the sunset in the rear-view mirror and the many streaks of orange, red and intense white that the clouds so exquisitely composed.

Today I woke up with messy hair and heavy eyes. I got out of the house in 100°F weather and shuffled to the mailbox, picked up the mail and got back home. Amongst all the letters and magazine subscriptions there was a plain, white enveloped sent from Spain, addressed to me. It had an official seal from the Royal Home (see it in blue, as well as the Government Seal next to it):

My eyes widened and I opened it in a heartbeat, to find the Royal Shield at the letterhead:

Unbelievable. Click to enlarge.

This is how the letter translates:

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My Sir:

I am glad to announce the receipt of the letter addressed recently to His Majesty, in which you have the kindness to inform him of your intentions to embark on an expedition from the North of the United States to the Southern tip of Argentina, scheduled for August 18th.

His Majesty is grateful for this information, and the kind words addressed to him and has ordered me that, in his name, I send you his warm regards, with the wish for this expedition to be rewarded with success.

While responding to His Majesty's order, I send you my attentive regards,

María Sáenz de Heredia

(Secretarial Dispatch Manager)

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I am absolutely amazed, not only by the speedy response by His Majesty D. Juan Carlos I, but the sole fact that the King of Spain had decided to write for the sole purpose of wishing me the best of luck. I have no words to express my gratitude and the excitement that it is to have him on my side.

Make noise = Make paper!

This letter is the first written response to a limited mailing that I did about a month ago, writing to a select group of personalities that I consider the most influential characters in my life, and major triggers for me to be where I am now. The identities of these personalities will be revealed as they answer my "thank you" letters, where I explain the basics of the expedition and its philosophy.

Drawing on the century-old tradition between noblemen and royalty during the Crusades or the Conquistas of the Americas, I can say now that I count with my King's blessings. What a historically charged moment in my life! I am honored that His Majesty found this cause worthy of addressing in written form, and bow to make this journey a most memorable one. Stay tuned for more!