Peruvian Adventure

we arrived today in the city of baños. i spent all of yesterday sleeping and watching subtitled american movies in our room. i haven´t been feeling all that great, but think i´m beginning to recover. i did, however, watch win a date with tad hamilton, die hard, mean machine, and object of my affection, which were all good! cass did a great job of taking care of me, bringing me treats and checking on my progress. we left early this morning, thinking we would catch a bus to baños. turns out, there are no buses. we had a choice between a six dollar ride in a pickup truck with a tarped canopy over the back, or a twenty dollar cab ride. we opted for the cab because sometimes adventure just isn´t appealing. i was holed up in the corner, clutching my manta (blanket) as we drove through bright green fields and adobe homes with worn down corners pasted with advertisements blue from age. as we drove along, the mountains begin to rise up, and the colors became richer and more tropical. our driver honked and waved to many friends as we drove along, and we picked up a little boy, who sat on the console between the driver and a young ecuadorian guy who was also riding with us. a pick up full of people was stopped with a flat on the side of the road, and all three guys jumped out to help. other cars also pulled over, and it became a fix a flat party. later, the road was under construction and we had to wait for a half hour for a tractor to move. as we drove along, we had to wait again for another mud issue. finally, through our driver´s expert maneuvering, we were on the way again, when the car in front of us got stuck in a mud gully. another flock of men came to help push the car out as it spun its tires fruitlessly. other people came to watch, and when the car was finally through the puddle, all the onlookers began filling the road with rocks, and we were able to cross safely. the road then branched into two. cass and i watched as a car went over a tiny little bridge that looked as though it had been constructed with popsicle sticks. cass said, i would not do that! and then our driver met a steep ravine through the path we had chosen. so he threw the car in reverse and headed toward the bridge; i had to cover my eyes. finally, we made it to the town of baños, which is beautiful and tropical and has a thousand little cafes we can´t wait to try. today, we ate lunch at cafe hood, where the food is always good. it´s a colorful place with beautiful murals and pictures plastered all over the walls. and the food was good, we each had a delicious hot sandwich of onions, tomatoes, avocados, and cheese. i think it made me feel better as it was the first thing i´d eaten in a while, besides crackers and mandarins. we hope to make it to the forest within the next couple of days. i realize this is not a thrilling entry, still i wanted to let everyone know where i was and that i love you all very much.

yesterday, we walked 8 km to visit the saunas and hot springs of cuenca. we had to hike through some winding towns, up a hill, by cows and sheep and dusty little shops. the hot springs pool was chaotic with ecuadorian families and many splashing, yelping children. however, out of the damp mountainside were white washed adobe projections labeled for men and women. inside the sauna, there was an exterior room of showers, lockers, and foggy mirrors, but by entering a sweating glass door you entered a cave with dripping stone walls, and hot steam so thick, it was hard to breath. there was a grill through which much of the steam escaped, fixed with a rusted metal basket piled high with fragrant elaves. everyone had large plastic buckets of icy water to dip into when the heat became to much. there were many saggy breasted ecuadorian women, a young boy with cerebal palsy (?) and cass and i. we soaked in the heat as torrents of water dripped off our bodies. after trying out another sauna room, where we were welcomed to ecuador by two diminutive women, whose bathing suits barely held their drooping bosoms. afterwards, we enjoyed some fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and some mandarins we´d bought on the road on the way up. then, it was onto bus 12 for the ride home. we ate a quiet dinner alongside the principal, or plaza de armas. cassidy braved another salad, and i ate chicken 4 rivers. i don´t why river was in the title, or four, because it was just chicken in mushroom sauce with mushrooms and olives. afterwards, we curled up in bed, where i finished my stupid tiger in the well book. then, cass encouraged me to go out. we went to a cuban restaurant, cafe eucalyptus, recommended by our hostel owner. it was a step back in time. large school maps of ecuador and cuba were drapped over the tall walls above a mural of black and white caricatures, below which a band was setting up. we were lead up a dark wood staircase to the smoky balcony, which framed the bar and dance floor. the waiter helped me off with my coat ( a fleece, que peña!) and we settled in to peruse the extensive sushi menu, varied entres, and catalogue of drinks. as we enjoyed our drinks, we were able to people watch, gazing around at the elaborately dressed ecuadorians, with their freshly styled and died hair, french manicures, and simple, elegant jewelry. the women allowed cigarettes to burn at the end of their elegantly cocked wrists and laughed throatily at the men´s jokes. as the music began, we hit the crowded dance floor, where i noticed a young guy in an electronic wheel chair with a look of pure joy as he moved to the music and watched the dancers shake to the band. we began to dance with him, and he introduced himself as freddy. freddy seemed to know everyone that passed by, and they each stopped to shake hands or exchange greetings. we felt very protected by him from the harmless, but lecherous, old men fringing the sides of the dance floor. cass ended up dancing with freddy´s friend, julian, who was a wonderful, nice, funny guy. freddy told me that his life had changed for the better since his accident, and it seemed evident that he was making the most of his altered life. i really enjoyed meeting him. this moring, we enjoyed another delicious breakfast at the hostel, which we shared this time with a brother and sister from holland, flor and jabe (?). we had planned to make riobamba tonight, but were coherced into taking a late bus as everything is shut down on sundays. we instead took an hour bus with flor and jabe to a neighboring town´s market. the market was not what we had expected, but ended up being beautiful. i had a glass of fruit juice and corn, more palatable than chicha, but still a corn drink. the market was set up in a central plaza and sheltered from the drizzing weather by many slick yellow and red umbrellas, below which, indigenous women had their fruits and vegetables layed out on blue tarps and blankets. piles of oranges, buckets of raspberries, tubs of strawberries, heaps of bound wildflowers and herbs, strange tubers and vivid pyramids of limes. the people themselves were eye catching as well, in their coarse, knee length skirts of rich primary colors. their tops were crimped around the buttons and embroidered with tiny flowers. i saw so many wizened old faces of rich brown skin and neat gray braids. many of the women wear white straw fedoras with black bands which they protected from the rain with neatly tucked plastic bugs. after strolling through the market, we marveled at a strange sculpture of a woman´s bust on top of a mountain of produce that sat proudly in the middle of a plazita. afterwards, we ducked in from the light drizzle to a chinese restaurant where i had tea, which was served with limes, a custom i love. then, the bus trip home, and hear i am. typing at a place with flat screens! much love to everyone, i´m very excited to be home, but simultaneously dread both the strategy of getting there and returning to routine. i wish i could be there for the dinner; dad, you are uncovering so much. still thinking about art! much love to everyone, d

ok, i feel dumb. cuenca is the actually name of the city.

we spent our last night in mancora playing cards at a restaurant named iguanas. it was a lively place with a big yellow lab sprawled in the center of the bar and wooden posts for bar stools. i had a delicious sandwhich and a mess of fries, which cass and i shared, later a friend from the beach came and taught us an israeli card game called jonny ?, after we had played several rounds of gin with just the two of us. afterwards, we were looking forward to finally sleeping as the night before had been so rough. instead, there was a party in the patio of our hotel and we were informed that the music would last until three. whereas we had laughed the night before, i felt near tears because it was like some elevated form of torture to have musica electronica shaking your inner membranes. again, earplugs and a face mask. we were very frustrated with the hotel management, and asked for a refund the next day…of course, the “boss” had gone to tumbes, and so on. so we suffered. we ate a breakfast of soda crackers and mandarins in the sun and contemplated our next move. our next move turned out to be waiting on the street for a combi, or vw bus, to take us across the border to ecuador. we settled into our seat, and trundled along as a man with an open button up shirt shouted, tumbes out the window while the driver honked with the strange variety of honks i described earlier somewhere. we were jammed with a variety of people throughout the ride, a teen with her baby, many laborers, heavy set women in tight skirts with gold teeth, etc. one pick up included a stop in front of a crumbling adobe home in the middle of the sandy nowhere to acquire a toothless old woman and her two goats, which had been tied at the legs and were slung on the roof like packages. they cried like tortured old men, and cass even recounted seeing their feeble shadow on the road, legs in the air, head twisting in pain. the driver did not drive like he had two goats on the roof, but instead pulled the turns like he had a race to win. finally we reached the border, and the crossing was smooth, more stamps for the passport and the opportunity to use our new assertiveness. we are very noncommital and strong about saying no until we get the deal we want. we took a moto-taxi to the border and crossed into another world. people filled the streets pushing carts of potatoes and oranges and the colors were so vivid it was almost asiatic. there was a large plastic banner stretched across the street welcoming us to ecuador, and as we searched for a bus station to take us the rest of the way into the interior, we were met by a sandaled old man with deep blue eyes who led us through the cars and people and dogs to a corner station with a bus to cuacas leaving in an hour. we were starving so we went around the corner to a restaurant with plastic tableclothes, a hot pink facade, and dusty faux flowers on every table. we orderd the menu of the day, and supped up a brown soup, rich with lentils, onions, globs of buttery cheese, and cilantro. i then ate a horn shaped piece of chicken with rice, big beans, and cucumbers, red onions, and tomatos; it was delicious and cost a dollar. after reading a bit, and enjoying some chocolate and water, it was onto the bus for a five hour drive. there was lots of space, so cassidy and i spread out and i snuggled up under my newly acquired manta with a book we found in cuzco, tiger in the well, a badly written, but very engaging adventure story. i was able to watch the scenery as it past, taking us through rich and heavy jungles with monstrous green peaks where the bright flowers were scattered like valentine hearts along the road. the people and the homes themselves were also colorful, with mismatched t-shirts, beach pants and laundry on the line. just as quickly, we passed into chalky canyons of cactus and dusty rock faces, and then to alpine planes where coniferous trees gathered like sentinels on the hills overlooking grazing jersey cows and church steeples. ecuador is beautiful. we passed through a few cities of supermarkets and billboards and clipped central gardens housing statues, where still i saw an old woman and a girl walking a cow and a calf down the sidewalk. finally, we arrived in cuacas, and were met by a man halking his hostel. we were appropriately sceptical until he showed us pictures of his family, other visitors, his dog, and was able to charm us with five dollars a night and breakfast included. we jumped in a taxi with him and were brough to a colonial street where the dog, muneca, immediately bounded out to greet us. she´s a medium sized poodled mut with crinkly hair and a human like intelligence. the house is huge and clustered around a central enclosed courtyard that rises for three stories. he immediately served us coffee and we sat down to learn about his family of three daughters and his wife. it was very relaxing and a nice transition that lead us right to dinner. we wandered the street and stumbled upon a mexican food place with a light up corona drawing us to the door. the walls were bright and covered in signatures that peeked out between the wood beams supporting the roof. there were posters of frida kahlo and poncho villa and the bright plastic flags on strings festooned the roof. we had strange frito like chips as an appetizer, and then i enjoyed some enchiladas de mole with a corona and lime. with bunuelos in orange syrup for dessert, we were stuffed and poor. still, it was a great celebratory introduction to ecuador. this morning, luis cooked us scrambled eggs and served us ovaltine, coffee, fresh made juice, wheat buns, marmelade, and butter. during breakfast, he dashed out to pay for milk and let me try the cream skimmed off the top of the bucket he brought up from the milk vendor. we have explored the center today, a beautiful bright place of colonial buildings, towering trees and oxidized statues, and are heading to the hot springs baths and saunas soon. we love ecuador! hope art is doing better soon, much love to each of you. d

we arrived in mancora at four in the morning and rode a tiny taxi, powered by motorcycle, to our destination, el pirata. the hostel was a sprawling place on top of a dunish hill, constructed entirely out of wood and bamboo, bearing pirate flags. the sand of the courtyard was dotted with jagged flagstones that led to the little cabins. though we had arrived so late, there were still some people sitting in the courtyard and drinking. our room had one full sized bed and a little arched bamboo cabinet. sarongs draped the back windows and a blanket with two tiger cubs covered the door. cass had not been feeling well, but we were still subject to the voices that penetrated the bamboo. i, of course, had my bright orange earplugs and butterfly sleepmask, so slept like a baby. cass had dreams of insects under her skin, a possible product of the ants that marched through our bed. when we woke, it was easier to see the charms of the place, with colorful hammocks swinging from posts throughout the courtyard and a bright open air kitchen-bar, and a circulation of surfers and beach goers heading out for the day. there was also a little puppy the size of my foot, but round as a log with chocolate curls like a poodle. he was insanely cute and i had a great time playing with him as he weighed less than a soda can and had the energy of hummingbird. still, we decided to make a switch in hotels, as cass did not feel well, and it was an expensive place to stay, given the time of year (Fiestas de patrias, etc.). we found a new place, closer to the beach, called arena blanca with a private bathroom, fan, tv, restaurant, market, and pool. after settling in, we ate breakfast under a canopy on the sand with the mancora beach playing out in front of us. we ate a standard menu breakfast of coffee, eggs,and bread, and then set off to shop in a craft lovers paradise. we were finally seeing things we hadn´t seen a thousand times over and fell in love every ten feet with some new piece. cass laughed as my arm filled up with bracelets. by the end of the craft walk, we were hungry again for lunch (i swear, there were a lot of crafts). i had a delicious menu of cebiche (raw white fish with enough limes, onions, and peppers to satisfy grandpa john) served with a purple sliver of a sweet potato like vegetable and a handful of toasted corn kernals. then, rice, fillet of fish, and french fries. incredible! we lazed around on the beach for a bit, watching as prancing horses dashed by in the sand and kids kicked around a soccer ball in the waning light. there was a lot of wind, so we headed back to the hotel, changed, and set out again to have a beer as we watched sunset. i love that here, you could buy two limes for less than 25 cents, and have the guy cut them for you too. we shared our beer and watched the sun dissapear into the fog that is a hallmark of the peruvian coast. strange to think all you beach people in california saw the same sun set a few hours later. afterwards, we set off to find a mexican food place we´d heard about that no longer exists. so we settled for a place that offered quesadillas, however, we´ve learned to ask questions before embarking on a so-called mexican dish. turns out, there are still more questions to ask, like, will the tortilla be made of pizza dough, will it come with basil and cayenne pepper, will the salsa taste like spicy spaghetti sauce? still, very good. afterwards, diet cokes and chocolate and watching the last samurai in subtitles from my bed. it seems as though all we do is eat, and it´s true. it´s very exciting. as the movie drew to it´s exciting close, the music from the fiesta del mar started up with a very repetitive mic check. dos dos, dos dos, uno uno. then, some 80´s music (let´s get physical)and an ear numbing volume. finally, enough bass to raise the dead. as we readied for sleep, i told cass, the good thing about this is i don´t have to go to the trouble of beating my own heart. she said, and with this bed, i don´t have to go to the trouble of cracking my own back. this morning, we enjoyed a break from routine when we eat fruit salad and pancakes, respectively. we´ll stay another night, and hopefully head to ecuador tomorrow…were you all aware that they use the american dollar? i´m simultaneously dreading and anticipating my return to civilization. i´m excited for michelle´s babies, and debbie´s house, and mexican food, and my car and t´s condo, and zack´s house, and my beach, dad´sgraveyard work, and of course, seeing all of you!

sunday night, we went out to dinner at a pizza place with nicole and her coworker flo from france. flo brought his friend vicente, and we´ve never met two funnier guys. they sang and joked their way through dinner and our hot chocolate that we had afterwards. it was a great night and a great way to say goodbye to nicole. yesterday morning, we took a taxi ride to nicole´s clinic, it was a bleak trip through a dusty scratchy neighborhood of crumbling adobe homes. however, her clinic was a bright oasis, with blue walls, a central garden and many children running around. we were able to see her pharmacy, examination rooms, reception area, and snack bar. as before, with leah´s school, it was definitely a place of love and hope. there are lamaze(spelling?) classes and lots of preventative medicine. there is a sweet man that works there who lost his hearing to a poorly administered tb treatment. tb is a rampant problem here as is teen pregnancy. still, the clinic is the heart of the neighborhood and serves nearly 9,000 patients in circulation. after visiting with nicole, she put is into a taxi for huanchaco. we were able to see the melting adobe ruins of chan chan, the largest adobe city, out the windows of the cab. we stayed at the casa suiza, which was also the casa suicio as the floors were gritty with dirt, but not a surprise in a beach town. it was thrilling to see the ocean again, even though it was very overcast. the hostel was several stories with incredible tiny gardens and a very homelike feeling. once we had settled our things in our surprisingly charming hostel, we headed out to see the town. i had a good time talking to a surfer and an old artist in the market that fringes town. it was strange how much surfers seem the same the world over. i guess all beach people are created equal. as we were walking, we met a tall surfer dude named jen paul who walked with us and allowed us to practice our spanish. his father is an oklahoman, thus the height. he took us to a restaurant by the boardwalk, where i tried his ceviche and ate a garlic fish dish of my own. cass was very excited to have some vegetables in a tortilla of sorts. we also tried the trujillo pilsen beer. afterwards, we settled into the sand and just enjoyed the views of the long pier and the reed caballitos, or little horses, used by the local fisherman. they ride out on them like surfboards that they straddle between their legs. the little boats have depressions in the back for fish or ?? and are the same style of boards used by incans thousands of years ago. after enjoying the sand, we ran into nicole´s friend leah again and were excited to see her. after relaxing, we went up to the house of carlos, a friend of both nicole´s and jean paul´s to do some more hanging out. we passed the night joking and talking with the guys, and were later joined by two other american girls and carlos´brother. they have similar musical tastes and we all danced a bit too. today, cass and i enjoyed a breakfast of bread, butter, pineapple jam, fresh, cold juice, tea, and scrambled eggs at the hotel, while a puma faced gray cat circled our legs. cass took a nap while i read in the sun, and then it was off to shop again. we found some pants we loved and had a great time talking to the young surfer who ran the shop. i also bought a purse and some other goodies. the purse store guy was very fun, and i taught him the word for purse in english and he gave me a little black leather bracelet. we then walked down the beach in the sun that was finally shining until we reached a towering restaurant called big ben. it was very upscale, but had an open patio that afforded a view of the sea, the beach, the pier, the reed boats, and the colorful expanse of coke signs, pastel buildings, and street vendors. we returned to the market as the pants guy had promised more colors in the afternoon. to try them on, the dude dropped a curtain that divided his tiny stall, and had to stand outside while we tried the pants. while there, we met his friend, abel, who recommended a place for us to stay when we reach mancora, and even called his friend to help us make the reservation. he reminded me exactly of shane horning, a friend from back home, except peruano. the vendor next to the pants guy admired some rings i had purchased in cuzco and examined them to discover they had been made by a friend. we are now back in trujillo awaiting our bus to mancora. talk to you all soon!

i apologize for not writing earlier. for awhile, when we were ¨stuck¨´so to speak in cuzco, there wasn´t much to write about. however, we did discover many great friends and wonderful hang out spots there. our favorite restaurant was hands down, los perros. all the walls were painted rich yellows and reds and cloth covered lanterns hung from the roof in bright indian fabrics. you sat in deep blue couches draped with andean textiles and at night, each table received a wrought iron candlestick and slim white candle to light your area. they played light jazzy music and the art on the walls were mixed media conglomerations of photos and splashy colors. the food was incredible. my favorite was their tomato soup which was thick and tangy and served in a large ceramic vase like bowl with buttery toast on the side. we ate there several times. we also spent a lot of time at a club called mythology, which was also a collection of comfortable couches, low tables, and candles. you were served roasted corn upon sitting down, giving you time to marvel at the sculptured pillars of devilish characters with morphed mythic bodies. they played a great mix of american dance music and salsa. we also visited a place called norton rat´s, off the plaza de armas that had a wood burning stove, darts, a pool table, and a very fun spanish bartender. it was a very american bar, but it had a relaxed atmosphere and we loved hearing about the bartender´s travel adventures while drinking our favorite beer, cusquena negra, or malta. we finally figured the best way out of cuzco was a flight to lima, rather than a full day of bus riding. so we woke early after staying out quite late to catch our plane from the cuzco airport. firstly, our plane was delayed for one hour, at which time they busted out the inca kola, cookies, and coffee to keep us happy. then, we borded the plane, sleepy and bedragled. we snoozed through the first half hour and i woke to hear the flight attendant explaining that although it was not dangerous, the technical problems that had delayed us were still affecting the plane. so, halfway to lima, we turned around. back in cuzco, many people were convinced they had landed in lima. it was a rough landing that had us jolting back to earth after a rapid descent. we then sat around waiting for news only to learn that the flight had been cancelled. in the bathroom, i learned that our pilot had been flying without any sensors, and had been navigating everything by sight. we then waited in a three hour line to get our new flight arranged and to receive a voucher for a hotel and our meals. we were put up in a very nice hotel, complete with towels, hot water, soap, shampoos, a heater, and a tv. we showered, rested, and headed into cuzco again. i left a note on my friend tom´s door and cass and i agreed to meet at mama africa´s for a movie. in cuzco, many of the clubs offer free movies if you also buy a drink. the movies are clearly pirated as they are often interrupted by someone´s shadow or include a very obvious laugh track. however, they are free! at mama africa´s you sit in couches facing a pull down screen and the tables in front of you are candlelit. we watched batman begins while drinking a beer. tom found me and promised to return after dinner. after the movie, we went over to norton rat´s and were able to chat and drink a few of our favorite beers. then, it was back to mama africa´s to meet some of tom´s friends, and then to pizza and goodbye. we left the next morning for lima, arrived, and took a very long taxi ride to the bus station. the taxi ride took us through the wealthiest sections of lima. it was amazing to see the vendors that weave between the cars selling books. the homes all had external walls with intercoms and all of the private cars around us were quite nice. when we arrived at the bus station, we found we had three hours before the bus would leave, so we headed by taxi to jockey plaza, a mall in downtown lima. it was incredible. everyone there was impeccably dressed and the plethora of storys overwhelmed us after peeing in holes in the ground and eating in smoky kitchens. we bought fleece blankets, the best investments of our trip, for the bus ride and we discovered a chilli´s. i never thought i´d be the sort of traveler who sought out remnants of home, however, it was an oasis of familiar and we were happy to wolf down the chips and salsa we had been craving for some time. it could have been in el cajon. then, it was back to the bus station for an eight hour bus ride that took us to trujillo to see nicole. when we got to the hostel, it was so full, we had to wait an hour for our room to be cleaned. during that time, i slept in the owner´s closet bedroom, i was so wiped out. the next day, we set off to see nicole. her friends told us she had gone to get her nails done, so we spent the next hour jumping in and out of salons trying to find her. finally, we came across her and it was a fantastic reunion. we sat with her as she got her pedicure, went for a quick snack, and came back as she was finishing her manicure. she works so hard down here, six days a week, and her study has expanded to include five clinics. we went out for dinner to a place called chelsea´s where we had delicious fettucini with mushrooms and white wine. it was the nicest restaurant we´d been to on this trip. the waiters wore suits and greeted us like celebrities at the door. the restaurant had crisp linen tablecloths and a sparse colonial decor, warmed by candles. our wine arrived chilled in a bucket, and nicole was even able to taste it before commiting. afterwards, we went to a club-bar called tributo. it was interesting as all of the patrons were light skinned peruvians. the walls were decorated with posters from american pop culture, madonna in the nude, marilyn monroe´s chanel number five add, the rolling stones, bob marley, etc. later in the night, a band played covers expertly. afterwards, we went to two other clubs, but were too exhausted to enjoy them fully. this morning, nicole marched in a parade for the patrias days, along with the staff of her clinic. we, of course, took pictures like proud parents, and then it was off to a carnival hosted by her friend leah´s school for students with special needs. it was incredible, we arrived and were greeted by many hugs and kisses. we strolled around, taking in the many food stalls, the brass band, and a booth of raffle items. we finally settled under a fancy white shade tent around a flounced runway bedecked with lines of flowers. the school is something of a vocational center, teaching the students baking, shoe making, jewelry making, and furniture construction. each student carried a representative piece down the runway and it was so incredible to see these beautiful kids carrying a shoe, or a pastry, or a coat rack down the runway and grinning and waving. there was a lot of love around that place. then, we were dragged onto the dance floor, where i apparently inspired a fight between two students over who would dance with me. i felt horrible, but it all turned out all right. the kids loved having their picture taken and were delighted to be dancing and hanging all over us. also, so many of the kids had these picturesque baby chicks that were so soft and cute. it was a great day. we plan to head north to mancora, a gorgeous beach from what we´ve heard, and then to ecuador, the equator and then i´ll be back to fly to lima from trujillo, or take the bus, or whatever seems easiest-cheapest. love to you all, and t, you lazy bum, i tried to be more concise. hope disneyland was a great adventure, familia. xooxox

we are now back in the city of cusco. for whatever reason, our alarm didn´t go off yesterday, and cassidy woke with a start at the time we were supposed to be at the meeting place to leave for macchupichu. we threw on clothes and tossed our stuff in our bags and ran to the meeting place in time to catch our bus. the bus snaked up through the tropical mountain ranges surrounding aguas calientes and finally arrived outside the gates of macchupichu. the vistas were incredible. the mountains seem to climb halfway up the sky and were surrounded by a gauzy morning mist that the sun was just beginning to break. macchupicchu lay before us at the seeming heart of all of these grandiose mountains in a sprawl of cut stone and green grass. it was slightly anticlimatic to have only taken a bus to the top, rather than to approach it as an explorer on foot. however, it was still very beautiful. it was very romantic to imagine it being pulled back into the depths of the jungle as it must have been at its discovery in 1911 (thought campesinos had discovered it ten years earlier) by Bingham. we snaked through the ruins with a boisterous group of spaniards. the family´s older women were very slow and many were smokers, which detracted from our experience some. still, it was a beautiful place, especially as the sun crested the mountain and broke into visible shafts that seemed to focus directly into the city´s center. i found two shards of pottery and felt as though i should be putting them somewhere special or miraculous, yet instead i just replaced them amongst the ruins. after the tour, cass and i ate a scant lunch of peanuts, raisins, and crackers, took swigs of water and then headed off to climb waynapichu. interestingly, the mountains that form the backdrop of macchupichu also create the profile of an incan face. on the face, waynapichu is the steep and prominent nose. the gate to the trail is a bamboo frame and shake with a gigantic sign in book. while waiting in line to begin the trail, i felt as though i was waiting to get on some sort of jungle simulation ride. and as we begin the trek, the feeling was continued as we walked over jutting stones through arms of green fronds that dripped over the path and cut the sunshine into a million pieces. the trail included some very steep ascents and descents. on the land bridge to the actual mountain, or nose, i took a long at the trail that zigzagged straight up the mountain´s face, and thought, dear god, that looks terrible. but we kept going. i know that there are many wonderful things i´ve experienced because of cass´s sense of adventure. the trail up the mountains was very rocky and often bordered by a rope or steel cord which you could grip for stability. the trail seemed to climb forever, affording us a sweeping view of the incredible mountains and the tiny green snake of the river urobamba (sp?). we finally saw the crumbling walls of the mountain temple and the path lead into a steep incline of steps so close together you had to walk up sideways with no railing, just terraces on one side and the muddy, fern laced bank on the other. the temple itself had three windows facing out upon the mountains and another steep staircase led to the mountain´s crest, from which you could see macchu picchu in miniature and a canyon carpeted by the canopy of the forest below. it was the kind of openess that made you wish for wings, and made me wonder if this view hadn´t inspired early incans to believe that when one died, his or her soul was carried into the mountains beyond by a condor. if this is true, i love that i saw two condors on our canyon trek, because maybe they were my grandpas that i miss so much. we climbed down waynapichu and i got a macchu pichu stamp in my passport which is so cute (go to the admin office if you are there and want one). we then climbed back on the bus back to aguas calientes, sweaty and worn out. out the window, while the bus idled, i was able to get a good look at the macchupichu lodge and restaurant. with its smooth white walls, sage green shutters, paneless windows, and the white clothed tables within, it was a complete anomaly in the mountain setting and reminded me of jurassic park in its contrived elegance. as the bus rumbled back and forth down the mountain, a little peruvian boy ran down the mountain to meet the bus at each new stretch of the road. he wore a little green head band and would shout the same indistinguishable word as we passed by. at the base of the mountain, he ran out to the road, and our driver opened the door to let him in. he was met by applause as he uttered a breathless, “bienvenidos a cusco.” he was given a tip by many of the passengers. we got back to our hostel only to discover that the shower water was decidedly icy (we had to move from our original, best shower in peru, place because of some complications with our tour agency and the busy nature of hostels in aguas calientes). so, cass and i made an executive decision to head up to the famed hot spring baths of aguas calientes for some hot water. we trekked up our street and as town dwindled out, we were again met by the jungle on each side of the canyon. the river ran along side of us, splashing over the rocks and settling into tranquil little pools. we paid our ten soles, and crossed a wooden planked bridge to the other side of the canyon. the pools were clinging to the canyon in several layers of patios that edged the river. on the walls that separated the hot springs from the river´s path, there were several brilliantly colorful murals depicting various incan legends and peruvian wildlife. topping the patios was a two story building housing the bathrooms, dressing rooms, and a terrace cafe. cass and i settled our things and waded into the most popular pool. the waters were filmy and murky, but deliciously hot. the bottom of the pool was paved with loose pebbles. we lounged for a bit, soaking our tired muscles, and then we pulled ourselves out of the water to shower. there were no indoor showers, so we instead washed our hair and soaped up a bit in plumes of water that were jetting out of the mouths of oxidized metal puma heads. the water was almost too hot, but it felt wonderful, and we laughed because it seemed as though we were doing a commercial for some exotic shampoo. after our desireably hot showers, we headed up to the cafe for a cerveza negra. feeling incredibly content, we sat for a bit, enjoying the flight of some green parrot like birds with scarlet breasts. after relaxing, we headed back to town, followed all the while by a tiny, friendly dog. after changing, we hit the streets to bargain with the restaurant touts for the very best dinner price. we finally talked one restaurant, big brother, into making all of their mexican menu dishes 15 soles, while also tossing in a free drink. 15 soles is roughly five bucks. we enjoyed our free drinks, while also making a new friend out of a college student named miguelangel who had been working at the restaurant during his winter break. when our food arrived, we were blown away by the colorful presentation. i had ordered a burrito de pollo, and it came fried and wrapped at the ends like a wanton, but topped with tomatoes, onions, and guacamole. there was also delicious rice, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a avocado, halved a restuffed with a delicous blend of lime, onions, and tomatoes. we were in heaven. our new friend accidently missed his train back to cuzco and we headed down to the plaza with him to enjoy the novelty of drinking beer in the streets (festival time) and watching all of the continuing festivities of the virgen del carmen fiesta. afterwards, we stopped into a dark, cold club to hang out more and dance some. finally, we were so tired, we had to get home. today, after arriving in cuzco, we explored some and found an unforgettable veg restaurant, el encuentro. the food was incredible. cass got soy meat, rice, french fries, a salad, and fried bananas while i enjoyed a tuna sandwhich, that was almost more like a tuna hamburger with lots of tomatos and red onions…delicious. later, while using the internet, we ran into our old german friend who may stay the night just to hang out with us! life is still wonderful! hope meemo´s party was a blast. love and miss you all.
darcy

we arrived in cusco after a long bus ride where we were entertained by pirates of the carribean, the movie, in spanish, when we would have wanted to be sleeping. however, we got in at four in the morning, and went straight to bed in a hostel outside of cusco. we woke late to speak with a guide about our machupicchu trip. we not only organized that trip, but we planned to take a horseback riding trek through some ruins the next day. that day, however, we meandered through cusco, and completely fell in love. we went to an art studio, and of course, went crazy with all the things we wanted to buy from the artist. we ate lunch on calle resbolosa, or the slippery street…and it was! however, we ate outside and people watched as we devoured a very delicious lunch. i had a sort of green pepper curried chicken with rice and vegetables and cass had a vegetable sandwhich. while we sat in the sun, our french and spanish friends from the canyon trek came by, and later some other people we knew from the lake trip. it´s amazing what a small country peru has become in terms of other travelers. anyhow, we went out that night with our guide, and after we wore her out, we ended up at this side street bar called ukuku´s. cass and i both love dancing the night away, and that´s exactly what we did. the next morning we woke early to have breakfast before horseback riding. we ate in our roof top sun room and watched a little orange cat napping in the sun. we ate our usual, bread, butter, jam, and coffee. our guide came and picked us up in a taxi and we drove to the outskirts of cusco to her uncle´s horse ranch. the boy there saddled up the only pink, curly haired horse i´ve every seen and a sleek black horse. the boy, raul, rode a white burro. we were accompanied by his cute dog, terrible. we rode to the first temple, and tipped a guide to tell us something about the place. the connections to what we had learned before were incredible. the temple was actually devoted to llama sacrifice and had zig zag channels which the blood would run through after the sacrifice. if the blood went to the right, the agricultural year would be fruitful. if the blood ran to the left, it would be a poor year. if it took both channels, it would be a mixed year. there were also thrones, mummy altars, and offering altars. it was incredible to see the sculptures of the three premiere incan animals, the serpent, the condor, and the puma. they were very subtle and it was exciting discovering them. there was also a monolith that looked like a frog, an animal favored because it was often the percursor to rain. at the temple of the moon, our guide came with us and showed us the platform within a cave that would be lit by moonlight on a full moon and served as a table for a llama sacrifice. there was also a depression in the rock nearby that was made for the llama´s head, which would be cut off after it died. the heart was buried in the earth as an offering to the father sun. there were offering sites for food for both father sun and mother moon. the stars were considered their children. cass and i also sat in thrones meant to reenergize one´s spirit and body. my horse, the sleek black one, was a born leader, and wanted to be in the front of the pack, which was just fine with me. after the temple of the moon, however, we were joined by two english girls with no horse experience. their horses kept scraping into my legs and ramming into us. however, my horse jetted ahead and put some distance between us. we visited several other sites, leading me to invent the saying, we came, we saw, we ruined, as we watched the temples being reconstructed by workers and the sacred sites turned into an alpaca woolies market. we came back, tired and sore, but not so tired that we didn´t want to eat and go out. we got a delicious meal of soup, pizza, garlic bread, and juice for less than five dollars each. later, we met up with a british friend of ours and got a hot drink. then, it was back to dancing for cass and i. we woke this morning to catch a bus to macchupichu. i slept most of the bus ride, but did wake to see a procession for the virgin del carmen pass by. we arrived, finally, in ollatumbo (not sure of the spelling). it was incredible. the mountains dissapeared into the mist and the river runs hard through the colorful town. the vegetation is much more tropical. there were women selling water, candies, crackers, cookies, and corn on the cob from huge vats. the perurail train took us along the surging river through deep grain trees and flowering plants. there were also bulls with huge horns, pigs, and burros along the tracks. we arrived in the city of aguas calientes to get caught up in yet another procession for the virgen del carmen. people were carrying placards dripping with golden fringe and epaulets. the dancers were decorated with glittering flowers and swirls and wore either woolen ski masks with sparse, mime-like features, or heavy black masks with sneering grins in red and white. there was a brass band and firecrackers. we walked through the colorful streets and up a hill to find our hostel. the river courses through the town under a series of suspension bridges and the whole town is enveloped in these immense, towering, green mountains. the whole place looks like a set from adventure land in disneyland. our hostel actually has scorching hot water. after showering, cass and i set out to explore. we are in love with this place. the whole town is very compact and colorful and jovial. the ceremony for the virgin del carmen continues as i write. each group took a turn at performing a very elaborate dance or musical skit in front of the tiny catholic church here. at the restaurant we chose for dinner, we were served a plate of popcorn as an appetizer. cass and i then ate a delicious dinner of cream of mushroom soup, then i had a chicken breast, rice, french fries, and vegetables, a honeyed pancake, juice, and a free pisco sour for the equivalent of three or four dollars. it was incredible and delicious and we sat like queens at a jousting tournament as our table faced directly into the plaza and was very long. now, we are resting up before finding something short and fun to do. love to you all, i´m thinking about you as meemo´s party draws near. love to everyone, wish i could be there. i´ll do macchupichu tomorrow and will be thinking about fairy gardens, my family, and great food as i explore. lots of love, darcy

cass and i just returned from an overnight stay on the island of amantani. first, though, we stopped at the floating islands of uros. the islands are entirely comprised of several levels of a lake plants roots and stalks. (once again, i cannot use an apostrophe). the islands literally floated and would quake when a boat went by and created some waves. their huts were entirely comprised of the stalk of the same plant, though many were equipped with solar panels. we saw their cook stoves and a typical lake fish. we also saw a school on one of the islands and played several singing games with a group of pre school aged children. the islanders also build elaborate reed boats with the heads of various animals at the bow of the ships. now, the boats are made with a lining of blue tarp and empty liter bottles, but were once made entirely of reeds. we road in a puma headed boat to the next island and relaxed as our boat driver told us about the construction of the vessel. then, it was a three hour boat trip to our home island, where we were met by family representatives and lead to the home. our home was a charming, simple brown adobe place with two stories built adjoined to an outdoor courtyard. our room was at the top, with pink walls, a ceiling lined with blue tarp and three wooden beds laden with hand woven blankets. our family served us lunch in their tiny, stuffy kitchen, where the air was thick with cook smoke. it was an awkward experience as the family brought out their crafts for us to admire and buy. after lunch, we hiked up to the soccer stadium where we purchased some chocolate. the stadium was truly incredible as the field was entirely dust and the back of the stadium seating was framed by the wide banner of blue that is lago titikaka. we then hiked to the top of the pache tate (not sure of the spelling, but father earth) ruins where we watched the sun set over the lake. i walked around the temple three times for the various sacred animals, but have received no positive energy as yet. afterwards, it was back down to our homes for dinner. i should mention that lunch was a soup of quinay ( a strange barley like cereal) and vegatables with potatoes, a hard boiled egg, and tomatoes on the side. dinner was a corn soup with a rice and potatoe dish to follow. afterwards was a town fiesta. ridicously, cass and i dressed in authentic costumes with the help of our host sisters, jenny and clara. we danced some at the festival, but the atmosphere was strangely contrived. we did enjoy the live andean band, but i had no coins for a propina (tip). afterwards, it was back to the house for sleep, and early rise, fried bread and tea in the morning and back on the boat to visit taquille. the strangest part of our homestay came when the girls brought in their niece and emphasized her long hair after we had admired her sufficiently (the baby did not really have long hair). then, the babys dad came in and asked if we would like to cut the babys hair. i replied that we did not know what we were doing, and cass responded with the same. he told us it was customary that someone outside the family should cut the babys hair and i began to feel honored. however, he told us something about the cutting and plata (the word for both money and silver, the metal). i was very confused, thinking we were to cut the babys hair with a piece of silver, however, we soon learned that he wanted 50 soles for us to cut the babys hair and have some of it for good luck or a memory or something. it was too weird and we were a bit relieved for the experience to be over. taquille was not quite as wonderful as i expected, still beautiful and quaint, but somewhat more of the same. the best part was strengthening our friendships with our group, which proved to be a lot of fun. one of them is moving to new york and i know you would love him, julee. i am going to send you his email. however, everyone we met was a lot of fun. i wish now that we would have spent more time in bolivia, but maybe next time. much love, darcy ps. we go to cuzco tonight!