Return from the brink....

Well then another week, another lapse in memory.

As it turns out, I left Cusco on Sunday to go to Lima, visit with friends and wait for my parents to arrive so we could spend some time together there as well as in Cusco.

Hung out the first day, didn't do too much, went to dinner at a nice place on the coast with the remainder of David's GAP group and then started to feel not so good. Chalked it up to severe weather differences between Cusco and Lima. Oh no. Long story short, I spent about three days in bed, severely ill and unable to eat a thing. Not the healthiest way to lose weight I would say. I won't go into other unpleasantries beyond that.

So, after my illness was relatively cleared up I get a call from Den saying they are at the hotel and Mom is seriously sick with a migraine and may need to see a doctor. Well, I manage to pull myself together and D and I run to the hotel where he proceeds to meet mom and then give her a shot in the butt. Hysterical. So utterly classic of my family.

After a miraculous recovery we had a nice dinner with the rents that night and then on Thursday tooled around old Lima before mom, den and I rushed to the airport. I am realizing more and more how much better my spanish is getting (or maybe it just feels like that when you hang out with non-spanish speakers?) After an uneventful flight I was more than happy to be back in Cusco and away from Lima. (its an interesting place for a day or two, beyond that I can't really take it)

Mom and Den are in some serious plush digs, the Hotel Monastario, which is run by the Oriental Express and is seriously the nicest place I have ever seen. Not to mention that it is actually listed as one of the 500 best hotels in the world. Now, I love my little house on the hill but I have been taking FULL advantage of the BATH TUB and always hot shower. Its like a spa day every day. I LOVE IT! Now, I just can't get too used to being spoiled while they are here because its back to reality quite soon (along with paying for meals out, ha)

The past two days have pretty much been tourist days with me as the guide which I have to admit can get quite tiring. Mom and Den are great and seem to be enjoying themselves, but I forget what an alien environment this is for them. Money, language, customs (for the 5 billionth time it is NOT ok to flush toilet paper, pretty much ANYWHERE in south america) etc etc. Den is also shockingly wimping out on all the walking which I thought they wouldn't mind but oh well...cabs are cheap. They also I think were a bit taken aback by my house. Now it is not the fanciest place in the world but it is cute, has lots of personality and a great view. It also feels like home, which is very important in my book. I think it was referred to as both "rustic" and "primitive" rustic may apply a bit more, but remember we are in PERU, in a region that is practically treeless, thus the walls of my house are adobe and I have exposed cross beams. :sigh: I guess it is just a different world for them but I feel so comfortable here. Yea, I complain about the showers and all that but really, I don't mind. I'm happy here and they see that so of course they are happy for me but there was certainly an extended awkward silence the first time they saw the place and just really didn't know what to say. Maybe its surprising that I can be happy somewhere so different and so much more basic than where and how I grew up.

(Note to Dana and Joanna, they are placing bets on who moves to a hostel first!!) No, it is not a mud hut, it has windows and wood floors and all that, things just aren't particularly....polished here, including my house. But, we shall see ladies!!

Well, thats more than enough for now, I am going to go home and get a jacket because it is FREEZING here at night and then its back to Mom and Den for dinner. Tomorrow we leave for the Sacred Valley (Pisac and Ollantaytambo) and then take the night train to Machu Picchu and visit all day on Monday. Back to Cusco Monday night and then the folks leave Wednesday EARLY in the morning. Wow, its going fast!

Back in touch probably next week after the padres leave and work begins (the day after, yikes!!)

Have I mentioned the highs and the lows?

Well, the day started well enough, got some things done around town and then went to SAE to meet my new coworkers and discuss schedues. Everything for work seems great, I am really excited but at the moment am just pissed because I got scammed with identity fraud online trying to fill out my Sallie Mae Student loan application. Now, I am usually a very tech savvy person and can spot a fraudulent e-mail but this all looked spot on and routed through the Sallie Mae site via a mirror fraudulent site. Of course I didn´t realize all of this until after I had entered my SS number and the confirmation page came up funny. UGH: Not only am I mad at myself for not realizing it, now I´m pissed because I have to change all my passwords, spent all this money calling equifax in the states and the FTC not to mention Sallie Mae. Pretty much a HUGE pain in the ass from a foreign country. And my parents need to deal with the Equifax reports being sent home and all that. MOST annoying for all involved. I have no patience for liars and crooks and I just don´t know how people live with themselves.

::pause for phone call::

Just when you feel most alone in the world, or in Cusco as the case may be, the phone rings. My travel buddy Jay rom MIA in January is back in Cusco and after a week of internet tag we are going to have a much needed drink. Thank god!

This sudden change in the course of things is making me feel much better...now off to change every password under the sun.

As for the job, the office is gorgeous, its really a club house for their members. Lunch every day, and I get to work on the volunteer database project which is what I had wanted from the beginning and will allow me to travel more around Peru, see the jungle, Puno etc. all while actually contributing something and trying to make volunteer positions more accessibloe in the area. I am really excited to start, now so long as no one tries to steal my broke ass identity!!

PS

Oh yea, I got a cell so drop me a line if you want the number! Cheap to text and call from the US :)

How time flies....

Wow, time certainly acts strangely here...one minute I feel like Ive (sorry for bad punctuation no apostrophes on this comp) been here for a year the next its only a day or two. Rarely does the time feel accurate. I just realized last night how late into May it already is-- where does the time go? Here is a very belated photo of la casa.

Ive been AWOL a few days touring the Sacred Valley (Pisac- photo and Ollantytambo) with friends and going to Machu Picchu. Stayed at Rupa Wasi again and got to catch up with some friends from before on comings and goings etc. Its a great crew that runs Rupa and I always love to see them. This time around I got up super early (as in 4am still nighttime) and took the first bus to Machu Picchu and got to the sun dial in time to see the sun rise over the mountains and hit the dial, which 500 years later is as accurate as any compass in terms of determining the direction. It was freezing cold but AMAZING and then I got to relax, took a nap on a terrace, went to see the Inca Bridge and generally have a more relaxing time avoiding the swarms of tourists!

From there it was back to Rupa for an amazing lunch made by Alvaro, Larque, Lisetta, her mom and a swarm of others. Some of the best trout ceviche I have had yet. Then back to the train and long bus ride to Cusco where I promptly collapsed asleep after a VERY cold shower (glad I brought my blow dryer its my only heat source right now!)

So, friends in town from Rupa today and looking forward to some down time the next couple days before Mom and Den get into Lima! I will fly to Lima on Sunday, kick aruond with friends, go see the Nasca lines (yes, I will get on another bus in order to see them! thank god its only 3 hours from Lima then a plane ride) and then Mom and Den come Wednesday, we go to Cusco Thursday and Saturday back to the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. I am becoming an unofficial tour guide it seems! But thats ok, its only all the travelling that gets exhausting,

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the view from my house? Just in case you werent already jealous!

What a difference....

...a day and a hot shower can make!

Feeling far more chipper today than yesterday. Late last night I stopped in a cafe that had a lamp I was looking for and they told me to head to El Molino, a massive market where you kind find just about anything. They were right.

I got up bright and early to enjoy my first truly hot shower in cusco, it was def. worth the early alarm clock! I spent several hours wandering around El Molino which is truly gigantic, and was relatively quiet early on- met a girl from Holland named Louisa who will be here the whole winter as well and we shopped around the endless stalls together. Every single item is sold seperately- I found the lamp I wanted but it didn´t have a cord so then I went to the electrical stall, where the kind man assembled the exact cord I wanted for me for a mere $2.50. Incredible. I guess all in all I didn´t get that much but it takes so long when everything is spread out and in a maze of clothes, shoes, electrical stuff, not to mention that food section. I finally ran out of hands to hold bags with after I got some AMAZING flowers and headed back home (via cab this time, El Molino is nowhere close to my house but only $1 each way). So that was today! The house is coming together nicely and I just keep thinking about how excited I am to be here!

I have yet another random friend/acquantince coming into town tomorrow, this time its Jay, my eternal layover friend from Miami International Airport on the first trip in January. He has been kayaking all over SA with friends since then and is headed back to Cusco...funny how things work out huh?

More pics to post tomorrow, this net cafe has old comps without accessible USB´s.

Besitos!

No energy for a header...

(my view!)

Ok, so I promised a longer post this time but it still may not happen. I tried to get up and be productive today but after an endless and fruitless search for a real grocery store (couldn´t find any listed on my map) I succumbed to a hideous altitude headache that had me in tears. At this point I was a long walk from the house and at the bottom of a very long hill.

Now, at this point one might ask ¨why a real grocery store lisa?¨or even ¨why not take a cab to the top of the hill and lay down?¨ Well, because I only had a $100 sol note, which is only about $35 USD but IMPOSSIBLE to break unless buying a lot of goods. Hence, the grocery store. There are markets everywhere, and individual stores for say, cleaning supplies, dry gods, produce etc. Even plumbing supplies are sold seperately. Hence, I could not break the bill anywhere and couldn´t take a cab. yesterday I tried to pay a cab ($5 sol cab far) with a $20 sol note and was refused. Get the idea? Now, why don´t the ATMs dispense smaller notes? I HAVE NO IDEA and it continually drives me insane. So, I ended up walking through tears to Blueberry Lounge and gulpling down water, coke and Coca Tea, a panadol and a sandwich in an attempt to feel better. It worked. But then when I went to pay my $20 sol and change bill with a $50 sol note (the smallest I had at this point after going to an atm in hopes of getting a smaller bill) they too had no change and had to go get some. I´m telling you it makes no sense.

Ok, so now I got that off my chest. At least I have about 30 sols in smallish bills to last me until I have to deal with this yet again. Tomorrow I will get up and be productive and go to the market, get flowers and pretty up the house. And I guess I have to since the hot water only lasts until 8am! (the woes of living at the top of a hill, more complicated than I care to elaborate on at this point- not to mention the inevitable walk back to the top!)

Otherwise, all is well, and I´m glad I´m a heavy sleeper as the walls are thin and the downstairs neighbors appear to have a crying baby and watch loud TV. Just means I get to be loud too.

Anyway I don´t want to seem like its all bad...the house is amazing, the view kicks ass, and the light I get in the morning is incredible. Waking up in Cusco today, looking out the windows blew my mind and makes up for all the other small inconveniences. I am so lucky to be here and even though the walk ended badly (well in pain) it was gorgeous nonetheless and its nice to know I don´t have to rush around doing everything as I have all the time in the world to be here (well, at least for now...)

Cusco

Well, I´ve made it to Cusco, despite a PAINFULLY long and cold 24 hour bus ride from Lima...uneventful other than the extra hours and lack of heat. Glad I was prepared with extra sweaters although I sleeping bag wouldn´t have hurt either.

Suffering from altitude related headache so just a quick post today and more tomorrow, I´m off to relieve my pain with Coca Tea! The house is perfect, amazing view to be posted in photo form tomorrow. I can´t believe I´m finally here!



(Sunset view from the house)

An addendum....

I guess to finish off the Argentina post I should say that the overwhelming, tear induced feeling I had leaving Argentina wasn´t just because I had friends there, or good times there but that in my own small way had started to feel the beginnings of a life there. Not to say a forever life, but an existance in a place previously unknown or even loved to me. I suppose that everywhere we go we find things to love, to hate, to FEEL some way about and Argentina was an unexpected surprise for me, especially Buenos Aires. It´s also disarming to feel as though I have a life separate, or even congruent in some way here in South America with my life in the US and that I am soon to have a life of my own, short term or not, in Cusco.

An interesting surprise to today is also that a dear friend from England, Adz is in town (yes in Lima) for two days before jaunting off to the Amazon on a Greenpeace research mission. DIdn´t get to catch up with him tonight due to cell phone hell (On a 20 sol phone card I can call the US for 2 hours or a cell phone for 8 minutes- oh the horror) but I am hoping to catch up with him tomorrow before I leave on my lovely bus ride. Cross your fingers!

Don´t cry for me Argentina...

I never expected to be so sad to leave Buenos Aires; the experience I had there the last four days were so wonderful I actually had tears in my eyes headed to the airport last night. I don´t really know how to explain what made it so different and special this time, it was just perfect and I suppose I should be glad to end on such a high note as I head off on a entirely new adventure. It sounds silly to say that the weather made a difference, but the city seemed so much more RELAXED, it wasn´t ever gorgeous and sunny but it also wasn´t sweltering hot either. I also realized that I had made a lot of really good friends in the city and it was so exciting and yet sad to see them again, realize the depth of friendship that had been formed and then leave so suddenly.

We never did make it to the Babasonicos concert on Friday as it was sold out. Instead went to Osaka for a final night of excellent drinks and sushi and visiting with friends, trying to convince them to visit in Cusco. On Saturday I had a lovely touristy day visiting Teatro Colon where we took an extended tour of the entire opera house and even the costume shops which are located underneath an excavated area of Avenida de Mayo- one of the largest boulevards in the world. As luck would have it, I never managed to see a show at Colon and on Saturday they were in final dress rehearsals for an opening of a new opera. So, several from the tour group snuck off the tour (myself included) as it reached the end and we went into a gorgeous box in the theater and watched the dress rehearsal it was amazing, the accoustics and sound were just perfect and the decor is mindblowing. Truly a unique experience.

After Teatro Colon we headed to La Boca for a tour of the infamous Boca Juniors soccer stadium where I got that much closer to understanding the insanity of soccer in South America. Watching grown adults marvel over the locker room and toilets once used by Diego Maradonna was one of the most hysterical things I have ever seen. And these aren´t exactly the posh luxury locker rooms of the US, we are talking one open room, one open shower room and thats about it. Hysterical.

After Boca it was time for a nap and then headed out to SouthFest- me with 8 Peruvians, how funny is that in the middle of Buenos Aires? The festival was fantastic, great music and Deep Dish brought the house down (all 50,000 people!) when they opened with Blue Monday by New Order. It was just fantastic and ended far too early. Among the motley crew of friends (some visiting from Lima) was Rafael a dead on David Bowie look-alike who kept getting stopped because apparently he is the equivalent of the Naked Chef in South America and girls kept freaking out that it was really him--Ën serio?? It was pretty damn funny.

Leaving the party we walked about a million blocks and I headed back to the hotel at the lovely hour of 8:30 am because no one could find a cab and it was truly a wonderful way to say goodbye to BUenos Aires...as the sun was coming up, walking through the Plaza de Mayo, passing the Pink Palace and the Evita balcony, seeing it in all its dirt, pollution and glory. It truly is a beautiful city, charming in its grand old style, late hours and mishmash of old and new. I will miss it and only hope to make it back someday. And part of that longing to go back is of course to see friends, new and old again (and of course, Tiesto, the cutest puppy ever!)

Today I am in Lima and tomorrow head off on my 20 hour bus ride to Cusco, ready to set up house- I´m a little anxious but can´t wait, I just want to be there already!!

Live and learn

Cloudy and cool in Buenos Aires today- enjoyed a nice morning of sleeping in after a long Porteno (what people from Buenos Aires are called) night out last night and walking around the city until 3am with friends. Sounds funny but I went to a movie last night around 10- V for Vendetta, if you haven't seen it, you must! Simply awesomke flick, Natalie Portman and the most convincing masked man in movie history it would seem. Absolutely spectactular. After that a nice walk around Recoleta Village which wraps about the Recoleta Cemetary, a virtual city of the dead. It's a funny thing about cemetaries, people either think they are creepy or cool. Personally, I have always tried to find the beauty and peace in them, although I would much prefer to be cremated and scattered to the wind. Personal preference I suppose. I just don't feel like spending eternity in a marble mausoleum like so many Porteno's choose to!

After walking about for awhile, ended up at Piola's, a great funky pizza joint (well it is either pizza or cow parts in Argentina, lets be honest and I am just about sick to death of steak!) and hung out for a bit before returning to the hotel for much needed sleep. Oddly at Piola's I saw a classic plastic surgery case of a portena woman giving me the hairy eyeball and it wasn't until I left and saw her python shoes and thick brown tights that I realzed I had seen her earlier in the day....how odd in a city of 11 million. Still can't place where I saw her though...

As for today, I am going to a Babasonico's concert with friends tonight, they are Argentinian and ridiculously popular all over South America- should be a fun time although I am definiately lacking in the lyrics knowledge department. Today I also got to enjoy a lovely $35 USD Shiatsu massage by Ana Marta who I met the last time around. She is one of those timeless women who seem to have all the answers to the world's problems at her fingertips and could be anywhere between 50 and 70. Seriously, she can do heavy massage and serious osteopathic bone alignment similar (and seemingly more effective) to chiropractic work and she makes me look like an Amazon she is so tiny. Hell the woman said she went to Machu Picchu for the first time 40 years ago!! I aspire to be like that someday.

So, after a serious work out with Ana Marta I am feeling much better and more balanced than before although still feeling a little out of whack with the whole readjustment and reentry process. Also, still trying to find a balance between my life and goals here and how to stay in touch with everything at home without letting it overwhelm me. Its not life and death or anything like that but I tend to get paranoid when i'm gone about things I'm missing out on at home even if it is just usually more of the same. Also, the past few weeks have given me a lot of perspective in terms of how fast things can happen that can change your life.

Long story short there is no doubt that this trip will be even more of a challenge than the last one. Although I have friends and family visiting when I am in Cusco I am committed to a real job (ok so its volunteer but its still full time and serious) and this time I don't just get to up and leave when I feel like going somewhere else. I know Cusco will be great and my Spanish will be so much better and it will be an experience I will never forget but its strange to be in the same places all over again but with such greater personal challenges. Even packing my bags was harder this time simply b/c I had more room! Then again I will be living in a fantastic house with an amazing view of the whole city and living out a different dream than before.

As for leaving Buenos Aires again on Sunday, I'm more sad than I thought I would be- it really is an amazing city. Definiately too big, too polluted, too fashion concious and too many other things but it has its charms, many of which I have gotten to enjoy in the past two days, so I am at least leaving on a high note. Tomorrow night all the friends are going out to a huge party on the water called South Fest (Deep Dish from DC of all DJ's is headlining, as well as Satoshi Tommie, Ladytron and Plump DJ's) and it should be absolutely ridiculous. A busy couple of days huh?

Well, thats all for now, off to walk the puppy and then Babasonicos...

Safe and Sound....

Well, I am back in Buenos Aires and after an extended nap in my hotel (despite serious construction and what sounded like demolition on the rooms on either side of me) I am feeling slightly more refreshed than when I dragged my butt through immigration this morning.; Fortunately customs didn't ask about all the electronics in my suitcase (stuff for me, stuff for friends) and it was an otherwise uneventful fligh. Didn't watch the movie and am very glad to have brought my own pillow with me - I've never been a pillow traveller before as its a pain to lug through airports but very nice on planes and since i'll be living in one place for a few months I rationalized it.

Buenos Aires is feeling somewhat more relaxed than I remember it, maybe its because its not longer middle of the summer heatwave or I'm just feeling sedate- or the contrast between the pace of things at home and here is all the much different. Either way, its fall and funny to come from fully blown spring in DC/VA to autumn, sweaters and lots of brown tones!

I'm off for a walk now as my back is killing me from flying and plan on taking it easy for the next couple days before leaving for Lima on Sunday night (although I do think a concert and a party will be fit in during that "down time") ha....it never stops!

Hope everyone is doing well, enjoy the warmth and stay in touch!!

Lots of love....

And I'm off!

Well its time to head off to the airport after picking up final paychecks at the Herm, it still doesn't seem like I'm leaving again, although the packing has been a little more hectic this time around!

I will be in Buenos Aires for a few days as of tomorrow morning then connecting to Lima, a few days there and then in Cusco I would say within a week and a half give or take (can't wait for my 20 hour bus ride from Lima!)

Lots of love and hugs to you all, thanks for all the words of support and encouragement, I really appreciate it :)

Ciao!

(And yes, I will still be checking my personal e-mail accounts, MySpace etc)

Counting Down

Well, its certainly been a whirlwind 5 weeks with its fair share of unanticipated crises, upsets, family drama and then the standard rush of doing things for family, self and friends. Seems as though I have barely seen everyone before I'm gone again and I realize that some people don't even know I'm leaving again! But, this is an opportunity not to be missed, once grad school starts its going to be at least three long years before I can do anything like this again and I just can't stand missing out on the experience. I know I'll remember this for the rest of my life and although I will miss a summer of pool parties and general nonesense, this certainly beats getting a real albeit temporary job in NOVA. So, my apologies to those I didn't get to see before I leave again but I promise one hell of a pool party upon my return and then its back to reality. Also, all the pics from my last jaunt to South America will be posted in the coming days before I leave...now its off to start the lovely process of packing (weather in Cusco this time of year ranges in the 70's during the day to 30's at night) its gonna be a challenge to fit everything in as this time I'm going to be stationary and not just living out of a backpack. And of course I have to feel at home in my new home on the top of San Blas!

So today, packing, dinner with Janet (yay Janet!) and general organizing. Right now I guess I'm at the stalemate of not needing to be rushing to pack yet but not have much else to concentrate on; I am certainly more at loose ends than I have been the past few weeks and its a disorienting feeling-- must stay busy!! It's funny, when I'm abroad with nothing to do or at least not the rush of doing things I'm a lot more comfortable with the peace and quiet of such moments as opposed to when I'm at home and I always just feel like I'm forgetting something I'm supposed to do instead. Either way I'm sure I'll be rushing to pack by Wednesday morning; I suppose it would help if I knew when my flight was- should probably go figure that out....