Day Something - Cusco

We had our last day in Pisco on Saturday, we left around 10 on a bus to Ica, where we planned on taking a bus to cusco. When we got there we found out that cruz del sur was sold out of tickets until monday, and we were forced to take Cial, which operates out of a run down shady looking station far away from all the other bus terminals. Unlike cruz, it was only 90 soles, instead of 165. The bus food was terrible, but not nearly as bad as 17 hours on a bus. We were able to sleep most of the night. By the morning we were driving up into the Andes, which are rather snowless but very beautiful. A couple of passes reach 13,000 feet, which really just an unnecessary way to make passengers feel lightheaded, nauseous, and frustrated. The roads are all switchbacks which makes going to the bathroom impossible.

Eventually, 17 hours after we left, we made it. Our homestay mom Ana picked us up from the bus station. Her husband works in Juarez, I think, which is up in the north. She has a son, Carlos, and a daughter, Patricia, 20 and 19 respectively, I think. They do not speak any English either, as expected. A couple of Americans who had stayed with Ana just prior to our arrival came by and hung out with us, and then all of us plus Carlos went to the plaza de armas by bus and hiked up to the Cristo Blanco, a giant jesus statue overlooking cusco, which sits in a valley between mountains.

Put simply, Cusco is the most beautiful city in the world. We are staying in San Jeronimo, a barrio at the east end of the city, the plaza is 25 minutes west by bus. The outlying parts of the city are much better than what you would expect in South America, they are relatively clean, there are universities, bla bla bla. The plaza de armas is magnificent. The streets are all made of stone, many of them san francisco steep, and some just wide enough to fit a car. It is clean, there is lots to see and do, and it is very easy to understand why it is considered to be one of the most if not the most beautiful city in South America.

But when you breathe, you breathe nothing. All you get is a dry sensation in your mouth and nose. If you stick your hand out the window of a bus going 40, you don´t really feel that much wind, and frisbees do not function according to everyone here. At random times I will lay down on my bed breathe as if I had just run for 30 minutes. The altitude hasn´t really been a problem though, other than the lightheadedness on the first day here, which goes away after coca tea and a day of rest.

Spanish speaking is also difficult. Much easier in the morning when you´ve got energy, but more difficult later in the day. For the first 30 minutes of dinner I was having trouble keeping up with the conversation, but after that it flowed easily, and I managed to have an approximate 20 minute conversation with Carlos. Its weird, sometimes its easy, sometimes its impossible. There is an immediate switch from the feeling of knowing spanish to the feeling of being completely lost in the language. Our representative for our program came by, and she spoke relatively slowly and clearly, and I could understand 95% of it, but as soon as the pace and accent picks up, its much more difficult.

There are lots of gringos in the plaza de armas, which is comforting, but there are none in San Jeronimo. Its easy to feel very out of place initially amongst all the looks and stares, but after a day here it already feels pretty comfortable. The family we are staying with are all real cool, Carlos is in his last year of university to be a lawyer, they have a small dog named dodger who barks at almost all passing people and dogs, there are a couple cows that come by the house to graze in front of it, the sky is very very very clear, the constellations are different except for orion, its cold at night and perfect in the day. About 70 degrees. When the sun is on you you can feel it, its intense. Once you step into the shade or the sun goes behind a cloud, you are cold.

MJ, Billy Mays, Farah Fawcett, and Steve McNair (?) are all dead now. Many people listen to the radio station seta rocknpop, which plays about three things, the god damn apple bottom jeans song, anything and everything by the black eyed peas, and strangely enough the funkytown theme song.