Week Two: Lauren gets burned.

Not only are my entire face, neck and ears peeling (post-blisters) from the worst sunburn of my life, but I also managed to get carsick, food poisoning, left behind and nearly molested. But aside from all that it´s actually been a phenomenol week.

I arrived at Machu Picchu two days ago, but not before completing a three day trek through the Lares valley. Don´t let the valley part fool you though; the highest peak on our trek was 4,500 meters up. There were many points where the incline was so steep that we were only able to hike about five minutes before stopping to catch our breath. A detailed description of the hike can be found at http://www.sastravelperu.com/english/alternativetreks.html.

The Andes were very impressive, and no picture can really capture what it feels like to be in the middle of these massive mountains. It did remind me of Denali National Park, perhaps because it gave me that same sense of insignificance. It´s easy to forget that humans aren´t everything when you´re in a city surrounded by human-sized things, but it´s all put into perspective when you´re just a dot on this vista of magnificent proportions. One of many dots really, the others consisting of llamas, alpacas, bulls, cows, chickens, boars, horses, sheep and dogs (of which there are breeds of all kinds roaming freely through Cusco).

I was blown away by the people living in these mountains, villagers who are extremely poor and live off of the land. We´d go for miles without seeing anyone and then in the middle of nowhere we´d run into these beautiful grubby children or women in traditional dress who were set up on a blanket with things to sell us. We brought gifts for the kids and I gave away my bottle of painkillers to a family who had lost a child since the last time the guide had visited them. They were all so happy to recieve anything, even something as simple as a yellow balloon, a leftover bowl of soup or a dollar. The whole experience was possibly more overwhelming than Machu Picchu itself. I won´t bore you with all the little details, but suffice to say Machu Picchu is everything it´s cracked up to be and the Inca legacy is fascinating.

Unfortunately, I wasn´t feeling that great while touring the ruins because of the previous day, so I didn´t hike Wayna Picchu, the neighboring mountain. First I had to stay an extra night away from Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu town) because my train ticket hadn´t been purchased ahead of time, then when I did arrive I became violently ill from something I ate. Worst of all was when a random Peruvian dude who worked at the hostel came into my room at 2:30 in the morning to ask if I wanted company. It was super creepy and I had to spend five minutes convincing him to leave while he was touching my arm and I was retreating under the covers. Needless to say, I reported him the next morning and will be locking my door from now on. I will also never again forget to put on sunscreen, or to remove my card from the ATM machine - two lessons I´ve learned the hard way.

So what are you doing in South America? Well, uh, you see...

The morning after writing my last blog entry I woke up thinking, ¨What the hell have I gotten myself into?¨ It´s only my first week but I´ve already realized how many hours are in a day, how many days are in a month and how six months is actually quite a long time. While in the central plaza surrounded by traveling couples and groups and locals constantly asking me to buy things, I found myself feeling lonely and lost. I really have no idea what I´m doing with this trip but I´ve decided to be ok with that - especially since I made some friends to distract me.

At a salsa class last night I met a lovely German couple named Siggi (that´s right, they both have the same nickname) and today we went on a horseback ride to some ruins. While I was embarrassed to find myself yelling when we broke into a gallop (it definitely felt like I was about to fly off) the trip itself was great. Sunshine, the biggest clouds I´ve ever seen and the Temple of the Moon - a sort of cave constructed by the Incas where at exactly two o´clock either the moon or the sun shines through a hole in the roof, illuminating a vast shelf where they used to sacrifice alpacas.

Speaking of alpacas, here´s some Peruvian visuals for you. Women and children on the cobblestone road playing jacks while baby alpacas cuddle in their laps. A group of about twenty teenagers practicing some sort of native dance to a flute. Signs in the bathrooms reminding you not to put even toilet paper in the toilets because Peruvian plumbing is so bad (they provide little trashcans instead). Miniature taxis honking at you to get out of the way while they barrel through the narrow streets and ignore medians. Dark brown older women with long black braids wearing a traditional sort of top hat, long skirts and colorful cardigans.

But there are many sides to this city. Last night the Siggies and I had a long talk with the owner of their hostel. He spoke of how difficult it was make enough money to support his family. 50% of his profits go to the government, 5% to electricity and 5% to water. He blamed the president for certain things, and the mentatility of the people who don´t want to work for others, which I found it to be an interesting juxtapostion. We also talked about the justice system in Peru, and he mentioned that while women are often beaten and the men aren´t punished, child molesters have been burned alive by the villagers or raped by the police. Es ojo por ojo. Pretty heavy stuff, but poverty and lack of justice are clearly a reality here, especially in rural areas.

I have much to see and much to learn. Tomorrow I will start my trek to Machu Picchu, passing through several indiginious villages that hadn´t been in contact with the ¨modern world¨ until sometime during the last hundred years. I am quickly realizing how much I have and how much I could cast off and be totally fine without, both in my backpack and in my life. Ah, having the free time to philosophize - I hardly know where to begin, let alone where I might end up.

"Good morning cherry pie..."

Quite possibly the best pickup line I´ve ever received. I almost forgot what it´s like to be in a country where machismo is the norm, but I was quickly reminded as I strolled around Lima on Tuesday in shorts and a tank top. I was definitely the whitest person around, and felt like I was on display for every guy that walked by, be they fourteen or seventy years old. But it was probably 80 degrees and very humid, the kind of weather where you never really feel clean or cool. I was worried that for the rest of the trip I would smell like sweat and sunblock, but now that I´m in Cusco it´s not so bad. It´s much less sticky here, although apparently we´re at the time of year where it might rain some - but only for hours at time, as opposed to days. Coming from the Juneau summer of hell, I´ll take it.

I only had a full day in Lima (although I´ll be back on the 8th), which I used to walk to the beach and read books. I was thrilled to find that dinner - which included a sandwich, salad, smoothie, and gelato - only cost me $5. I flew to Cusco really early this morning and slept till one in the afternoon in an attempt to preempt any altitude sickness I might get from suddenly being 11,600 ft. above sea level. I guess I left Lima at a good time because there´s an international conference going on this week and things will be shut down for security reasons. There were hundreds of guards milling about and it sounds like Bush and his gang have commandeered the entire Marriot hotel.

In Cusco I´m doing a homestay for $90 a week, meals included. I´ve already had my first cup of cocoa tea, which instantly relieved the stuffy nose I´d gotten from the humidity and mold in Lima. I might have to send some home along with a box of all the beautiful handicrafts they have for sale. It´s a veritable bazaar of jewelry, sweaters and artwork, but I´ve forced myself not to buy anything yet since I´m backpacking.

I haven´t really taken any pictures yet, but have no fear, they´re coming. I wanted to take my camera out in the cab this afternoon, where my driver had little postcards decorated in glitter that depicted Jesus lashing himself along with some sort of religious quote. They were hanging from the inside of his windshield via those little suction cups. He also had a plastic handle with a dove in it in place of where the stick shift knob normally is. It is also important to note that driving here is not for the faint at heart. As far as I can tell you just go wherever you damn well please and honk your horn at whoever happens to be in your way. Never mind the white lines on the road or right of way.

So that´s enough observations for now, I don´t want to bore you before anything´s really happened! Next item on the agenda: a four-day hike to Machu Picchu beginning on Saturday.

Novels and Sunshine

I've been in Arizona this last week, trying to relax a little before I hit the road. My stepfather has a house in Bisbee, a tiny little town that used to be a big mining town but is now more of haven for artists and old hippies. They sell bumper stickers that declare Bisbee "a liberal oasis in a desert of conservatism." I like it.

The first day I arrived here (Monday) was probably one of the best days I've had since leaving Juneau. There isn't television or an internet connection at the house, which leaves music and books and the outdoors as my only company. Given that the places where I was staying in San Diego and Portland both had cable television, one with HBO on demand, this is quite refreshing. I've decided to never live anywhere with cable because I absolutely cannot turn it off, perhaps because I didn't have access to it growing up. Now before you know it I've watched six hours in a row of a show about vampires living in the modern day.

No, from now on it's the simple life for me. My first night here I sat in the garden for a half an hour and just studied the leaves and the bugs. Then I listened to all of the CDs that we have lying around, which are all throwbacks to earlier generations: Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, The Eagles, Billie Holiday, etc. I've been reading nonstop since I arrived and have easily fallen back into my childhood habit of walking around with a book in my hand, completely absorbed while skillfully avoiding running into things or people.

Today I bought a copy of Tuesdays with Morrie and read the whole thing in a few hours while sitting outside in the sun. It was the perfect book to read before I leave, what with its reflections on what is truly important in life versus what our culture emphasizes. My most recent fears about my trip, like that I would bring the wrong kind of shoes or that my new water bottle would still taste like plastic, were quickly erased as I realized none of that really mattered. I'm making this journey and everything will fall into place regardless of what I do or do not plan for.

That being said, I'm finally feeling like I've got everything ready. I've packed well - my bag is 50L and weighs about 25lbs. when fully loaded. I bought enough dramamine to knock out a bull and finally settled on an anti-malaria pill that doesn't cost $1,000 or induce psychosis as a side effect. I've brought along a harmonica and a journal and just picked up a copy of one of my favorite books, In the House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende. I know where I'm staying Monday night and have a ticket to Cusco on Wednesday, from which I'll book a hiking trip up Machu Picchu. I've been fretting about the little details for the last few days now, but after reading in the sun for a few hours I've let it all go.

There is the fact that I'm not feeling very confident about my Spanish which I, well, majored in, but I suppose one of the points of this trip is to get it back. I found an awesome book in the used bookstore from 1960 called A Practical Spanish Grammar, which pretty much contains all the notes I ever took about verb tenses. The funny thing is that it's adapted from A Practical Spanish Grammar for Border Patrol Officers. But in this day and age I can't imagine minutemen studying to improve their Spanish in the hopes that they might better communicate with Mexican immigrants. I guess we've advanced in some ways and regressed in others.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Sorry for such a long post; I've had a lot on my mind. Thanks for taking the time to read this - I hope to post at least once a week. Oh man, wrapping this up it's really starting to hit me - by Monday night, I will be in Lima. No job, no cell phone and no return ticket.

But you know what? I can't wait.

Election Day at Willamette University

Yes, that's right - I'm visiting my alma mater before heading off to Peru (on November 17th). I'm currently sitting in front of the television in Delta Gamma watching election coverage. Four years ago I was following the presidential election from the University of Oviedo in Spain. After the New York Times had confirmed Bush's reelection, I glumly walked out of the computer lab with my head bowed, my spirit crushed. Someone stopped me and asked if I was an American, and when I said yes they nodded at me knowingly and said "Lo siento" (I'm sorry).

Now it's four years later, two weeks before I'm to be in another Spanish speaking country, and I am witnessing history in the making. It's still early and they're not calling it yet, but it's looking less and less like McCain has any chance of winning. I am relieved, and eager to see what the USA will look like under the leadership of a man like Barack Obama. My generation is looking for someone to unite us, looking for a sense of purpose. Lately, all we've been faced with are grim prospects - a floundering economy, lack of jobs, high gas prices, etc. We've gone from having too many choices to not enough.

One thing I've realized while visiting Willamette is that my future life choices must include getting a higher education (a Master's or a PhD). Unfortunately for me, a liberal arts degree is slowly becoming the equivalent of a high school degree in regards to the jobs it gets you. And to be honest, I really miss school. The reason I left Juneau to go on this trip is that I needed something different. I needed the kind of intellectual stimulation that I just wasn't getting working as a waitress in the town I grew up in.

I still don't know what I'm going to do after this trip, or to be honest, even during. But I'm hoping that it will help lead me in the right direction.