Cusco was exactly what was hoped for. Snuggled in a valley with meandering streets that seem to go on forever, it´s a very sweet town. When we first arrived, we were greeted by blue skies and beautiful cummulus build-up beyond the mountains. Both nights so far have impressed us with EPIC lightning storms. Just after sunset, you can watch the southern sky grow black and flickers of lightning start moving towards the city. The first evening we were lucky to make the trek up the hill to our hostel just in time before the rain began to pour. Yesterday, knowing the look of the sky, we booked it as soon as the clouds began to darken. A good thing too! Hail the size of BB´s accompanied the rain and found all the cracks in the roof of our lodging´s 3rd floor sunroom. Even the old manager of the hostel was impressed. I helped him go around finding leaks in the ceiling and placing buckets underneath the worse spots. I think this is one of the few places where I´ll be thanked for being tall enough to reach the ceiling...
As a matter of fact, the size difference between the gringos and locals has really impressed me. I´ve caught myself many times making way for someone I believe to be a child, just to notice that it´s a middle-aged woman with a baby bound to her back. The local women are incredible athletes, for the record. Running up and down the hills and stairs, often with a 20 lbs child strapped on, while pulling along a grumpy alpaca. Yesterday, I started my day with a solo hike up the small hill next to town to check out some ruins. However, after reaching the top, the hilltop opposite the overcrowded tourist trap looked much more appealling. No gringos, no noise, and a great view overlooking the ruins and the small valley below to boot. Two local women came and sat with me for a bit, exchanging smiles and attempts at conversation. After they moved on, a friendly group of dogs came by and begged for attention I was more than happy to give. Exactly the kind of Zen I´ve been missing.
In terms of adjusting to the altitude, we´ve been ok thus far. Peter is definitely struggling with all the stairs, but he´s making a valid effort to explore despite empty lungs and a light head. The hike up the hill yesterday left me seeing stars at one point, but a quick rest and a slower pace set me right again. Hiking all summer definitely paid off; I´m thankful that my muscles haven´t cramped with all the walking and my lungs are staying clear.
One of my favorite parts of traveling is getting insight into other´s mindsets. During the storm last night, a group of us sat down for the show and discussed the end of humanity over beer and Pisco. The difference between two Americans, one Aussie, and a Peruvian opinion was really refreshing. Everything from complete pessimism to a hopeful future. Our host had a surprising comment last night: ´´Many of the mental diseases and problems that afflict your people haven´t come here yet. They´re starting to be more common, though.´´ It was very ironic (and true) to me that he associated wealth and a high standard of living with traits such as depression, social anxiety, and general social ineptitude. He said the way that people hide away in their homes up north is not at all common here in Peru. The idea that someone couldn´t do their own grocery shopping or hold a simple conversation is a completely foreign idea here, whereas I can think of many examples of people back in the States who deal with these issues everday. A common topic of conversation amongst us gringos has been ´´what does it take to make a person happy?´´ Seems like a logical train of thought considering many of us are taking these trips just to escape life back home or change lifestyles that just don´t seem to offer enough in terms of personal fulfillment. You can guess that the stereotypical idea of a house, kids, and nice car aren´t on the list for most of us...or we at least agree that you can´t judge your life based on whether or not you´ve acquired these things. And yes, I´m qualifying kids as ´´things´´ in this case. My apologies to my potential future offspring.
After this last week, I also think I´m ready to do a solo trip in the future. Everyday here inspires me to improve my Spanish; definitely think I´ll be taking some classes when I get back to the States. With a little more help with the dialect, I´m confident that traveling alone will be a welcome experience. After all, what is the point of traveling if not exploring the independence and true freedom of not being tied down to a person, place, or object? ´´Be here now.´´
In summary, one awesome week down. Looking forward to the next 2 and taking home the lessons I´m learning.
Until next time!
Forester note: lots of eucalyptus here...which was not expected. Not sure if they use them for pulp or just as windbreaks. Note to self: ask someone ´why all the Euc?´
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