Recent Times/ or Nursing Burns and Hittin' the road

Well, the time has come to pack up and head for a new neck of the woods, and honestly I don't think I could feel more ready.

Arequipa is a beautiful city with its grandiose white volcanic rock architecture and green sweeping plazas, but it seems everyday the the streets get a little narrower, the taxis more congested, and the rain ever more predictable. Smiling is more a voluntary action than a state of being and so I'm taking it all as a sign that it's time to get a move on and get on out already.

It has been an overall pleasant experience here, and the Flying Dog hostel where I am staying has been cheap and awesome. (appox. 7.00 a night with breakfast incluyido) so yeah, really not complaining there. The room is dorm style with 8 beds, but it is sort of the low season now and some nights were only me and one other amiga. Privacy at times definitely feels like a godsend. Or, ya know, however that saying goes.

Despite the inexpenisve nature of things here, I sometimes catch myself getting a little bit uptight or hesitant about money (yeah okay, a little like a cheap ass) but then I realize what I'm actually paying in US and I can breathe a little easier once again. For example,in the bus station last night as I was buying my ticket for today I was momentarily taken aback, "80 soles! To go where!?" and then remembered the time I spent $40 US just to get from Minneapolis to Fergus (less than 3 hours) and that this ticket was $35 for a 12 hour overnight with food, "bedlike" seating, and movies. So yeah...money, just gota breathe easy and let that money thing go... Ill probably find more tomorrow anyways, right? or however that saying goes...

Oh boy, even as I write this it is still raining. The computer is in the courtyard, so even though I am inside I am actually practically outside. I have no choice but to listen to it, and I think amidst its dropping and drizzling it is trying to say something to me. Whispering a sort of motherly nudge out the door... get going girl, theres no more here for you..no more

It hasnt been complete rain...well kind of, but I met a girl the other day who was equally disturbed by the rain and agreed that for health of the body and mind, it was necessary to make the trek..well, take the bus, to find the sun in Mollendo, the local (3 hr) beach. There was not much space to move, but boy did we find some sun.. I've now got a fresh red belly burn, (primer coat for more beach ventures) a new bottle of spf 75 sunscreen (para ninos con piel sensitivo), and sure fire belief that the sun does still exist and is still real hot and that I'll see it again soon.

So yes, byebye Arequipa. Its been real, and wet, and I'll be sure come back when you decide to dry out. For now its onward bound to new places where new summer means summer and new adventures await. As some of you may know, my plan at one time was to travel south into Chile with a couple of native skaters I had met in Cusco, crashing at their friends' places along the way. I was looking forward to getting some beach in, and doing lots of skateboading, but things fell through for them in a big way and they had to get back home early.
So aha! An opportunity for a new plan..new twists and encounters...I'm feeling sure that this change is for the best, and I've decided to do the next obvious thing and head in the completely opposite direction.

Yes, north it is..keeping it legit in Peru, traveling up the coast until I almost hit smack into Ecuador. And if/when I'm beached out I may have time to head east and hit up the selva after all. Doesn't look too far on the map, but then again, nowhere does...till you're on the bus.

I'd ideally love to find a little beach town off the tourist trail (is it possible, I've no idea) with cheap housing a 15 minutes stroll from the beach. With bikes for rent! yes, bikes and hammocks, and fresh brewed coffee every morning *sigh. I do so enjoy traveling place to place and seeing as much as I can, but all I feel like doing now is making a bit of a quest and then nestling in for a good while ito a new temporary home to meditate, write, and climb some trees. Maybe even root around until I find a winery or a horse or two...

All this tranquility talk sounds like a lovely lullaby, but now it is time to move. Next stop Huaachina Oasis to see what all the hype is about desert dunes and sandboarding, and then the Islas Ballestas or " the poor mans gallopogas" beacuse why not?

Itll be a minute or two till I'm able to post again, but once again thanks for reading, I am sure if you're taking the time you are in some way very near and dear to my heart

Con mucho amor
Kait

Fin de semana viaje a Machupicchu y Valle Sagrado

Having a real difficult time uploading and organzing photos the way that I want to. Thanks for bearing with me, seems the learning process always has something to say...especially when it comes to computers.






Waynapicchu, which Ill admit I definitely thought was Machpicchu at the time... oh well. As many a guide will point out, the series of peaks looks like the profile of a face, with Waynapicchu as a gigantic shnoz. (ooo coool, take a picture!)




LOOK AT ALL THE PEOPLE!!!!!


Aguas Calientes is a crazy little town located right at the base of Machupicchu, shipping at least 2,000 folks a day up to gaze, gawk, and explore the majesty of MP.


llama attack! Once it was realized our bag was full of banana peels and avacado shells, there was no stopping these animals. Had a few, awh theyre harmless, but holy crap theyre close and coming right at me! moments, which led to me sort of half shreiking and dropping the bag, appearing to scatter litter all over this international wonder. Many tut tuts from middle age ladies as I tried to remain unflustered and pick up my mess (admist the heard of chowing ya-mas)




Terrace gardening also at M.P. I was floored by the incredible use of space and resources, and the amount of foreplanning that went into every detail.




Back track to Ollyantambo, a town nestled in the Sacred Valley. Very traditional way of life here with great respect for the {old ways}. About an hour and a half from Cusco, and directly on the way to Aguas Calientes and Machupicchu




Proud Inca face carved into the mountainside




All smiles in el carcel de los Incas, or Inca jail. The three main Inca laws that if broken could lead to incarceration were 1. Dont be lazy 2. Dont lie and 3. Dont steal
...seems easy enough, though I wonder how the majority of present day Americans would do with these. Bah! just kidding..........



Carcel otro vez

All the computer can handle for now.

Thanks for reading
xo
Kait

Cusco a Puno via bus (Catch up)

Wow, Febrary 4th today already hey? Time sure is flyin. Ive definitely been on the move since last I wrote, (would be pretty hard not to be...) and have finally found some time now, alone with internet and reliable computer to get this baby updated and, fingers crossed, upload some photos as well.

Cusco was a trip...and definitely a good way to start things off, but man, compared to some of the more recent places I"ve been it seems a bit loco. So many tourists daily, and people that rely on tourists to make a living. Where being approached for a weekend to buy jewelry, ponchos, champas, massages, tours, food, sunglasses, paintings and other handknit handicrafts doesn"t seem like a big deal, maybe even a little, dare I say it...charming? after living there for 3 weeks it starts to wear a bit on the nerves. Same with the constant bumping nightlife and raised touristic prices.

Saying goodbye was a little bittersweet, as it often seems to be, but I truly feel Ive put down a sturdy root or two in Cusco and returning would feel a bit like going home. My time there was enough to give me a chance to both see the sights and relax, and although I"ve by no means experienced all the city has to offer, I was able to get a general idea of what my life there might be like. Ive made friends with some locals, got a favorite lounge, outside hangout, restaurant, homecooked meal, and a bar or two found off the beaten path ( no mom, not traveled to alone).

Some retaurants are definitely cheaper the further away you get from the central "Plaza de Armas, " and if you"re willing to shop at the open market for lunch you can sustain yourself pretty cheaply, although it is a little bit of a gamble with things like meat and cheese..and some "isles" are not for the faint of stomach... holding your breath is at times a necessity as you walk past the naked cow heads-- their fat pink toungue hanging out to the side, and the stacks of pimply fresh plucked chickens claws and all. The fruits here are pretty amazing at this time of year, and although I haven"t stumbled upon too many "exotic" types, the Peruvian take on classics blows old standards out of the water.

As I"ve mentioned, I feel truly blesssed to have been part of the Gonzalez family with Rossio and Martin. They are genuinely lovely people, as well as a lot of fun. We went out for supper the night before I left town and had some awesome laughs and bigger hugs. Martin is moving to Lima soon, and has offered me a place to stay before return there for my flight back to the USA, which I"m finding more and more to be such a comfort to have a point in the right direction or a "practically for sure" thing whenever I can get it.

I spent a weekend traveling through the Sacred Valley and into Macchupicchu, with a local amgio acting as my tour guide. Pretty tremendous place, and pretty darn difficult to believe in its existance sometimes. So much work, effort and intelligence went into the creation of that place..its mind blowing. At first it was extremely hard for me to concentrate and enjoy myself because of the piles and piles of tourists filtering through...all I wanted was to sit still and think, but was distracting by people watching instead. After an hour or two we found a shady spot on some rocks a little off the trail with a perfect view of Waynapicchu and there we were able to just sit, relax, and breathe for a while. That helped me so much, and I was able to continue with new energy and interest in my surroundings. Ill try to attach some photos from the trip.

My spirits are still pretty good for the most part, a little homesick for family and friends and bittersweet at times to say goodbye to new ones, but all in all everyday is exciting (even the sit on the computer and catch up for hours kind) and I am constantly reminded of the heaps of incredible potential inside of everything at any given second. Life can indeed be overwhelming at times but I am thankful to keep living inside that feel good flow. One day and a time, with great optimism for the furture, I embrace the world and graciously let it embrace me back.

Next stop: Puno, and the Islas of Lake Titkaka.

More photos/media to come, a little mas dificil than I thought...