It was love at first sight

I have no idea what I wrote the other day, I was so rushed just trying to get it out before catching the bus and moving on to new impressions. I have to keep lists of notes so I don't forget anything important between posts, because every day is memorable in some way. And thanks to you - those of you who have admitted to reading my journal, & those red dots on the map that keep growing - after more than a year of writing I have a constant voice in my head narrating almost every single thing that happens (yeah thanks a lot), sometimes over and over again till I know how I want it to sound. Lucky for you you only get one version, not the other thousand that I get! But sometimes I still forget stuff. I forgot to mention the dog in San Pedro who came up and kept trying to give me hugs, arms outstretched & all (a shepherd mix no less), which I resisted at first because she was a stray and fairly filthy... but I finally gave in and moved my stuff to the other side of the bench where I was sitting, and she immediately got up onto the bench next to me, buried her head in my lap and took a nap. I don't think it's an interesting travel story, but puppy hugs are worth remembering in my opinion. I also forgot to mention, for the sake only of Arlo as this will make sense to nobody else, that somehow when I got out into the middle-of-nowhere desert this song came out of the blue... pchkwa, pchkwa, fptky... Haven't thought of that in a long time, but it's still in there somewhere! (BTW, miss you guys!) Last but not least I forgot to mention how after a long desert day the fading evening sun first turned the hillsides tangerine orange, then as the shadows grew the distant triangular volcanoes took on a bright pink glow. Perhaps they were blushing at being mooned by that full & bright being leaning over them to the right.

 

On to the present... Ha, present indeed. I won't get all over-dramatic and say that my first views of Cuzco nearly brought tears to my eyes (even though they nearly did) or that as I walked around town I was literally gasping as I turned new corners (even though I was). I heard that Cuzco was a beautiful city, but that's the understatement of the century. It's absolutely friggin spectacular! It's the kind of place that makes me excited to be travelling, despite arriving after 30 hours on 3 buses and very little sleep, despite the shooting pains in my knees as I stepped down out of the final bus after sitting for so long. Fantastic old architecture, crisp green mountains on every side draped with red-roofed houses, which I assume must be gigantic as the town itself is supposed to be at about 3500 meters elevation. On one of my buses they mistakenly played the director's notes over a movie instead of english subtitles - it was actually more interesting than I thought the normal movie would have been - but they said at one point that to show a neighboring house outside of a fake kitchen window, instead of using a gigantic photo or something they painted a fake scene using wide brush strokes that didn't make any sense up close but showed up perfectly clear from the distance of the camera. I was wondering if Cuzco's surrounds were painted with wide brush strokes too. Even in the mist of morning things that are obviously distant seem touchably close.

 

After one day of wandering around like a zombie probably with my jaw dropped open, I spent a second day getting my train ticket to Machu Picchu and then unintentionally wandering for hours upon hours through market stalls looking at crafts and produce, stopping into a bakery for some bread (what a wonderful life!). Peruvians really take the cake when it comes to craftsmanship. I stopped into this center for traditional textiles where they had all kinds of local weaving and a little exhibit to explain it, and my goodness it was absolutely amazing.

 

This morning I got on the backpacker train (funny they actually call it that, but good for me since they charge less than the fancier tourist classes) for Aguas Calientes. My guidebook says it's the ugliest little town in Peru. I don't know about ugly, and from what I've seen of the country so far it may be the contrast that stands out most, but for sure it is a tourist ghetto. At first I thought the name Aguas Calientes referred to the nearby hotsprings, but now I suspect it's because it's an instant town - just add hot water. It seems to have sprung up wherever the moment took it, businesses lining the river and a train track down the middle of the main street. The surroundings are amazing though - amazing!! People seem to have such a blase attitude toward the train from Cuzco, I had no idea the mountain views were going to be worth the price in themselves. Wow.... There must be hundreds of types of plants growing all together in the mountains, from arid cacti and aloes to tropical flowers. And this little town is surrounded by high pointy peaks, jam-packed with their own green. The sun went 'down' at a quarter to three in the main square because everything is so steep and compact. I definitely don't regret booking two nights here. Machu Picchu tomorrow (hopefully I can start really early) and some spare time to try and hit the hotsprings!

 

Well I thought it would be appropriate to end this entry by wishing everyone a happy belated Earth Day. It's April 21st, and everybody knows today is Earth Day, Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday to whoever's being born... Does anyone remember that song? Did it used to be on the 21st or did he get the date wrong, or did April 22nd just not have the same ring? Also happy Administrative Professionals Day, which I believe is today. I hope you're all having a nice day off to celebrate, BBQ, fireworks, the whole shebang. It's a biggie alright. Admin Pro Day. Did it used to be called Secretaries Day??