In Peru!!!

Well, I´ve trancended another border, earned another stamp, and arrived in Cusco, Peru.

Last I wrote, I was about to go off on a bike ride to a beach on Cococabana. Well, instead, Seb and I rented a motor bike and took a 3 hour ride to the end of the penincala and then to the beach. It was really neat to get into the countryside of a tiny town and see how the real people live and work. We passed dozens of people tending their farms and carrying babies, water, and supplies on their backs in brightly colored cloths. The women wear their traditional skirts, shalls, and hats even when working in the fields. We were going to go out to dinner with Leona and Jon, but Jon was really sick and it started pouring. So me, Seb, and Leona had another dinner in the hotel´s restaurant. No complaints.

The next morning, the four of us took a boat to the Island of the Moon and the Island of the Sun (According to the Incas, the Islands where the Moon and Sun were born). Our boat stopped for just an hour on the Island of the Moon. There were some cruddy ruins. Nothing special. But, the weather was beautiful and I enjoyed sitting atop a mountainous island, in complete silence, with the sun and a slight breeze.

Then, we proceeded to the Island of the Sun. The boat dropped us off on the South of the Island at the bottom of a set of stairs carved into the rock that is affectionately nicknamed, ¨The thoursand stairs.¨ Haha - very funny. I have never seen such a place. Granted, every town in Bolivia is chucked full of hills, but this literally was a tiny tiny island town carved into the side of a mountain. We weren´t in Kansas anymore. It had been a while since I´d seen a McDonalds anyways, but this place was hardcore - no nice accomodations, no means of transportation other than walking (over boulders carved into somewhat of a path), no warm water, no flushing toilets, no nice restaurants, no internet, no place to change money. It completely blew my theory that no matter where you go where there have been tourists before you can always grab a cab and check into the nicest hotel in town. But really, it was really unlike anything I´ve ever seen - very rural and seemingly traditional (just men, women, children, and donkeys carving out a living on a mountain cut off from the rest of the world by a huge lake.

Anyways, our hotel was cute enough with a beautiful garden out front. We had lunch - which consisted of three choices (omlette, chicken milanasa, or trout). Then, we took about an hour and a half hike to some ruins and back. The ruins, again, were not spectacular. But, the hike was nice, albeit tiring. After that, we headed up to the top of the other side of the island to see the sun set. It was fabulously picturesque and romantic. We grabbed a little table at the edge of a cliff, covered in a bright blue table cloth and had a beer as we watched the sun set. After the sun set, there was little to do on the island besides eat. And, what a challenge that became.

It seems that every restaurant served only the same thing - some combination of three of omlette, chicken milanasa, trout, spagetti, or pizza. After hiking around in the dark, looking for something appealing, we settled on a little place right next to our hotel. It ended up having a nice atmosphere. It was dark and they lit candles on each of the brightly clothed tables and played waify american island tunes. There were six people in the restaurant besides us four. It took them two hours to make our food. There were more people in the kitchen than in the restaurant. And, they were continually sending the kids out for more supplies. It was a really different experience waiting so long for such simple meals. But, we had a good time left to our own devices and a couple bottles of red. It´s not like there was anything else to do on the island anyways.

Since we were in bed so early, Seb and I decided to get up for the sunrise. It was really lovely and it was beautiful seeing the island waking up. Since we were up, we decided to hike up to the very very top of the island so that we could see the other side. We hiked for a couple of hours and then headed back to the hotel to get our things. We grabbed the 1030 boat back to Cococabana and arrived at 1230ish. It felt like returning to a big city after our night on the rock. Anyways, we checked into going to Cusco that night and it turned out there was a bus at 130. So, we grabbed the bus, transfered in Puno, and arrived in Cusco at around 11 p.m.

The city is lovely by moonlight and windowlight, however, I had been warned about how dangerous it was as far as petty crime. And, there did seem to be alot of shadey characters out. It made me really glad that Seb and I are still heading in the same direction. It´s all good to be an independent woman traveller during the day, but arriving in a strange city at night is a bit disconcerting. Anyways, after a couple trys, we found a decent hostel. Then, we headed out for some nightlife.

At first they wouldn´t let us into this bar-club. They said it was closed. Then, we figured out that they said that because the police were there. As the next day, today, are their national elections, bars were supposed to be closed. Anyways, a couple minutes later, they let us in. It was packed full of travellers as usual. I had a fab time dancing up a storm with tons of guys. And, as always, somewhere along the line, a guy thought I didn´t speak English because I was trying to speak with him in Spanish. I´m not trying to show off, but I kind of feel like you should at least start the pleasantries in the local language. And, to tell the truth, I thought he might be a local. Anyways, funny.

Into bed around 5. Up around 10. Using the internet in the hostal. I think I´m going to have a little bit of a chill day today. I´ve had quite a cold and it seems to be getting worse. Will probably venture out after a nice warm shower and some clean clothes.

All is well. Will keep updating. Don´t know what´s next. When I started this trip, I thought my dream goal would be to make it to Cusco, but now that I´m here I´m dreaming of Ecuador and Columbia. So, who knows.