viernes, agosto 22, 2003

Humahuaca...Paradise Found...

I've spent the last week or so in Humahuaca, a small desert pueblo in northern Argentina...without (sit down for this) ....internet....

-gasp-

I've loved every minute of it.

When I arrived in Argentina, after walking the border from Villazon in Bolivia to La Quica in Ar, I met a lovely journalist (I mean lovely in a masculine way of course) who insisted that I go to Iruya (pronounced Irusha) - he went on and on about the way of life in the canyons there, and how beautiful it was. To get there, I had to take a bus from Humahuaca. Hmmm. Convincing, but I had already purchased my ticket to Salta and, well, I've seen a lot of deserts and canyons in my life, and besides, I'm on a budget. Maybe next time.

When I arrived in Salta it was very late, and the only other people on the bus were David (from Suffolk, England) and Maurice (from Germany). The three of us shared a room and spent the next day in Salta together. They were charming, intelligent and generally lovely (again- in the masculine sense ;-P )

David insisted that I go to Huamahuaca. Wasn't that forceful about Iruya, but really went on and on (and on) about the beauty of the canyons and the desert there. Hmmm. I really have seen a lot of canyons and deserts- Mojave Desert, White Sands, NM, Canyon National park in Utah, the GRAND CANYON, the Rio Grande...and so on. However, since two completely unrelated strangers insisted that I go to this place, I have rules about signs from God and so forth...so I agreed to go. My bus left at either 5.30 or 6am the morning after I said goodbye to my new friends.

At 5am...I rolled over and went back to sleep for another 5 hours...with gusto.

At the bus station in the afternoon, I was very tempted to just go to my original destination of Cafayate (wine area) as the bus was sooner than the one to Humahuaca. The deciding factor is that I will see David in a few more weeks when I return to England and he's sure to ask....sigh. So, I went just to prevent awkward explanations later.

When I arrived to Humahuaca, it was late and a sweet-faced kid asked if I was looking for an hospedaje and I said yes. Others asked me after that, but I felt kind of loyal to the first kid, so when he was finished, off we went to the house of Carmen.

I arrived in a bit of a daze, bleary-eyed and confused. Carmen later said I looked half dead and she was sure that I would be asleep within minutes. There were quite a few people there that night and they were having a barbecue to which I was then invited.

In Argentina they eat everything about the cow. The jowls in particular are considered a real treat. Less appetising was the intestines, cleaned and braided. I tried everything, and then was invited to another barbecue in a different house, same night. This house was full of artisans (hippies for some of you) and there was much drinking of cheap wine from makeshift cups made of plastic soda bottles with the tops sawed off, and chewing of coca leaves. The artisans kept pouring wine on the ground and yelling "to *Pacha Mama!". This was also followed by throwing of coca leaves and sometimes food to the ground with the same exclamation. Hmm. Drunks. Strange. I returned home at roughly 4am.

The first morning I arose a little bleary-eyed, but anxious to go for a walk in the desert with Carolina (my Dutch roommate in the hospedaje). We were kind of slow at getting ready, and then we went for breakfast stuffs. Bread, cheese, juice and mate were the items of choice. Back at the hacienda, Sebastien (with a beard) and Carmen (house of Carmen) shared what we had, as we sat in the center courtyard of the house in the semi-shade of the blooming cherry tree. After breakfast we partook of **Mate- a ritual here. By 3pm or so we were ready for a walk.

On the way, we met Sebastian (beardless) who joined us. I walked mostly in silence, as I never understand very much my first couple of days in a country. Sebastian (beardless) walked next to me and chatted in a friendly manner. Later on, as we were on the white cliffs, Sebastien (bearded) and Caroline became a little more amiable and I thought it best to leave them in peace. Sebastian (beardless) was a level or two above the blossoming couple, and I joined him. We sat for hours -sometimes in long relaxed silences and sometimes in conversation. After a few hours he looked down and announced, "Se fue". (They left) Oh. OK. He then sat down again and we continued on for another couple of hours or so until the sun set, at which time we headed back to the pueblo.

**Mate? Mate is a tradition that has been handed down from the Gauchos. They were very poor of course, and tea is very expensive, so they made theirs up from a grand mixture of herbs in a cup made from (this part I'm not REALLY clear on- cause my explanations were all in spanish and the vocabulary was difficult)- the cups are made from a type of gourd, which is hollowed out, cured and maybe a design is put on it. You then fill the cup with the herb mixture until it's almost full, add a long silver tube with a filter on the end to keep out the tea. This is a kind of straw. Add hot water to the mixture and you take the first cup- this is because the first cup is really strong, and maybe a little foul tasting. The next cup is better and you serve another person. There is only one server. When that person finishes, you must listen for the sound of them finishing and be ready to serve the next person. The cup continues around the group in order, each person taking one cupful in their turn.

When a gaucho offered you mate, you did not refuse. the symbology is that they were offering you everything that they had. When you have had enough mate, you simply say, "Gracias". This signals the server to stop serving you.

- you can imagine the surprise of many when they say gracias the first time out of reflex, and then they never get any more!

The second day, Sebastian (beardless) and I took another walk in the desert, this time in a different direction. His neighbor's hairless Peruvian dog followed us the whole way (a couple of hours). As we walked, he told me about the different cactuses in the area, and the history of the region. When we reached our destination we sat for an hour or two and waited for the sunset. After the sunset we remained and waited for the stars, which we counted one by one until the magic moment when there are suddenly so many that you can't possibly count them. It was beautiful. The hard part was picking our way down the ground-cactus covered hill to the road. (I was wearing hiking SANDALS). He was a wonderful guide, holding my hand on the way back and lending support - I have very little night vision and could see nothing but the sky...which sparkled like a million diamonds.

As we got closer to Humahuaca, even he had a hard time seeing, cause the glaring of the lights from the Pueblo made it almost impossible. Just as we stopped to gather ourselves for a minute and rest our eyes from the glaring city lights, swearing at techonology....there was a blackout. Suddenly we were once again alone with the sky. We couldn't believe our luck!

The rest of the journey was much easier in the dark. On the edge of town he led me through a maze of obscured cobblestone stairs, and once we had cleared them and walked a ways, he turned me around and motioned upwards. Against the magical starry sky was the town monument- it took my breath away to see. A moment later, the streetlights lit up the street once more.

The third day.. we left early in the morning on a pilgramage to a sacred place in the desert dedicated to Pacha Mama.

*Who is Pacha Mama?

When the Spaniards came to this land and threatened death to anyone who didn't convert to Christianity, the people in this area said, "Ok, we're Christians" and then continued with their lives and what they believed. They had a goddess, "Pacha Mama", the mother earth which they worshipped. As Christians they might do anything without fear of eternal damnation- but they wouldn't DARE to cross Pacha Mama. Anything you have, you are supposed to share. Wine, food, cigarettes, everything. If you anger Pacha Mama, your life is in danger of terrible and torturous death or sickness. This continues to this day. My companion will often first light one cigarette, make a little pile of dirt and let the earth smoke it. For Pacha Mama. In some places are shrines of rocks piled deliberately and offerings left for her. You can also put a rock on one of these shrines, but you do it with two hands.

The shrine.. we journeyed to was about a 3 hour walk, climbing two or three different hills at about 500-800 meters high, at an altitude of 3800 meters. Sometimes we had to stop to breathe. The air is more than a little thin up there.

Along the way we encountered some ancient drawings from the pre-incan peoples that lived in the area. I took photos, which I later showed to the curator of the local archeology museum- she was overwhelmed with excitement, but very sad that it would be difficult if not impossible for her to collect them for preservation (she had two rocks with similar drawings) due to the length and difficulty of the walk to reach them.

The beautiful thing about walking with Sebastian is that he's like me- he stops and looks at everything and touches them, picking up rocks just to see what they're made of. For him, the journey is more important than the destination- as it is with me. It reminds me of my family. We're definitely kindred spirits in this. It would drive other people crazy the way we're always stopping to put our hands to the earth to feel the energy, or picking up rocks just to touch them and observe their size and shape and contemplate their existence...but for us it's very peaceful.

One summit before the final one, we stopped for lunch. He surprised me by pulling out a pan and cooking the most incredible pasta with baked chicken, grinding up some rock salt with a couple of stones that were handy, and hand squeezing orange juice for the both of us!! Needless, to say, lunch was fabulous.

At the shrine, we stayed two or three hours in the semi- shade of a thorn bush just watching the desert before making the long trek back past a total of 7 or so wild burros snorting their discontent at our presence.

The rest of my days.. have been spent in bliss. I walk in the desert everyday for hours and hours, usually with Sebastian. I've also passed many hours in the courtyard of Carmen just taking mate, playing guitar, sleeping in the semi-shade or just watching the blue sky through they boughs of the blooming cherry tree while listening to the buzzing of the bees. The people are welcoming, relaxed and the healing energy of the place just reverbates from the earth in such a way that I've never experienced - at least not so fully.

Nina (the dog from day two) has taken to following me about the town, generally causing trouble in her wake. She lets me know that she's there by jumping up and hitting my back with her nose and nipping at my scarf and jacket. She's twice the size of a chihuahua, with a hide the color and texture of an elephant and a small tuft of wiry black hair on the tip of her tail and the cap of her head. She's an ugly dog as dogs go, and that's the truth- however, I find myself attached to her despite myself. The other day she followed me for an hour through the markets and shops (oh...the trouble), running behind the counters, nipping at meats and fruits and receiving the occasional sharp kick from the shopkeepers. In one shop the keeper asked me if she was mine, and I hung my head in shame- "no, she just follows me, sometimes for hours..." Fortunately, he thought that was pretty funny and we were on our way.

The fruits and vegetables here are fresh, organic and full of flavor. The water is not only potable, but from beneath the mountains and delicious. The people are relaxed and friendly and the artisans are truly talented. I've spent the last couple of nights in the house of one such, and he made an anklet and necklace to fit me specially- they're made of alpaca (a metal- similar to silver) and the needles from cactuses. I hope they take with them, some of the energy of this desert that I've grown to love so much.

I have decided to spend the rest of my time in Argentina in Humahuaca, except for my last week in Buenos Aires. Special thanks to David. I wasn't as impressed with the canyons as you were, but the energy is truly special, and just what I needed after the difficult times I had in Peru. Thank you.

I'll tune back into the internet in a couple of weeks as I return to the world I've forgotten (the one with technology and cars). Peace be with all of you.




miércoles, agosto 13, 2003

I finally left Peru!
I left Peru on Saturday, the 9th of August after two long months (yes, some of those were long-suffering)

I had a fantastic last week and a half with many friends, old and new, dancing, a trip to Machu Pichu and more.

Machu Pichu
Thanks to the tip of a friend in Cusco, I was able to take the cheaper route to Machu Pichu, via Ollataytambo.

On the tuesday that I left, I ran some errands in town and made it back later than I had planned and so wasn't going to go...besides, I was coming down with something (flu-like, not stomach problems). Then I suddenly made up my mind, threw my stuff in a bag and left. No time like the present.

I hailed a cab outside my front gate and the driver was very amiable and asked about my plans. He tried to sell me on a day tour of all of the ruins- but I'd seen most of them and didn't have 90 soles besides. He finally said, "To hell with it, let's just go. I'll drive you to Ollataytambo" I laughed and wanted to know how much. He said not to worry about it. Just climb in the front seat and go. He'd had a bad day, understood that I didn't have the money and he just wanted to spend the afternoon with a pretty girl. OK. So off we went.

We had a lovely chat for the next 2 or 3 hours and in the end he just said goodbye, thanks and goodluck. I gave him 15 soles, which was much less than what he should get, but twice as much as I had budgeted for the trip, so I figured it averaged out.

The Sacred Valley is beautiful. It's lush and green even in the dry season. Of course the dry season rains there! Ollataytambo and Urumbuma (misspelled) are in the heart of the sacred valley of the incas. So beautiful. Incredible ruins as well.

I spent the day in Ollataytambo while I waited for the evening train to Aguas Calientes (the village of Machu Pichu), where I met Benny and Elizabeth. The three of us managed to find a room in Aguas Calientes for 50 soles for three, which was more than we really had budgeted to pay. Our french friends from the train couldn't find anything, but were allowed to sleep on the floor of the restaurant where they ate.

The next morning Benny set off up the mountain at 5am and Elizabeth and I roused ourselves for the trek at 6am. There's a bus that you can take for $9 return, but we chose to walk up the mountain in the rain. It was a gorgeous walk through a lush temperate rainforest (much like all of the ones I've hiked in New Zealand).

When we arrived at the top we were taken aback- you exit the forest into a tourist resort with a hotel and restaurant and outdoor cafe...a little anti-climactic after the remote trek. We bought our tickets- happily half price with our student ids (luckily they didn't look too closely at the dates) and sat down outside to munch before going in.

When we finally did make our way into the ruins, we walked up the road a ways, but didn't see anything except just one Inca hut. Hmm. Left or right? Everything was immersed in such a dense fog (cloud really) that we couldn't see where to go. We chose left, and when faced with another path, up or straight, chose up. We walked up, and up and up the mountain. It was actually a beautiful climb. There were all sorts of wild orchids- my favorites were the little tiny ones the size of my thumb nail. When we reached the top of the mountain suddenly as if by magic the clouds cleared and we could see the ruins...right next to the hut where we had been standing before!

We stayed for sometime sitting on the edge of the peak until scared by some Israelis that made the trek. They asked us to take pictures of the group. Elizabeth obliged and then tried to hand me the first camera. I reached over to grab it only to fall sideways onto a cactus! OUCH!!! On top of the world, on top of a cactus- help please??!!

We said goodbye and trekked back down the mountain to see the actual ruins. Luckily the cactus was just a mild one and just left some angry marks, no spines in my skin.

The city of Machu Pichu is incredible. It must have been the most beautiful and modern city. In the center is a small clearing with a tree. Very peaceful. There are a couple of temples and the houses all had some running water. The views are stunning, and yet are often hidden by the dense clouds shrouding the mountains. The city was mostly populated by women- or at least that's what the archeological studies found. There are all sorts of theories as to why this is- a popular one being that that was where the royal harem was kept. Who knows?

Elizabeth and I stayed almost the remainder of the day and then walked back down to the village in the rain. We were soaking wet, but sneaked back into the hotel and changed our clothes before taking off. We had decided that we didn't have the money to spend that much on a hotel again and besides our train was leaving at 5:45am, so we were just going to sleep in the plaza under the eaves of something or other. As luck would have it, the Frenchies had a room and offered to share their beds with us. Unfortunately, the Seńora saw us going in and threw a fit. In the end, she charged us an extra 7soles a person to share the beds that she had already rented out at 10 soles each (she tried to charge us 10 soles, but we wouldn't have it).

I shared a slightly damp and moldy bed with Elizabeth and woke up VERY sick with a cold the next day. Grandma, wherever you are, I believe you now that you CAN in fact catch your death of cold if you don't come out of the rain and change out of those wet clothes!

sábado, agosto 09, 2003

Stay tuned for upcoming stories...
Sacred Valley
Machu Pichu
My first football match in South America: Cusco vs Lima

problems... please pardon, blogger is not recognising any accents or spanish symbols that I use. I will sort this problem out later. In the mean time, I hope that you understand the words despite the computer!

DOS X de CAFE 3
Esto es mi lugar favorito en Cusco. Es un café peque?o encantador acerca de 3 cuadros de la Plaza de Armas. (Marquez 271- Cusco, correo electr?nico: teléfono de dosx3@hotmail.com: 232661)

Yo primero lo vi en mi manera de mi trabajo- es menos que un cuadro de Centro de Idiomas. Pienso estaba acerca de una semana antes yo paré finalmente en. Cu?ndo yo hice, fui recompensado con un refugio encantador y pac?fico de lo que ha sido un mundo bastante duro para m?.

Las paredes son un profundo rojo, con alg?n entibiar oro de Van Gogh atr?s el mostrador. Hay tres puestos y tres mesas simples. Las fotograf?as en la pared son blancas y negras, de buen gusto y arteramente hechas en un estilo bastante Meditteraneo pero de Cusco. Hay una conejera de vidrio con dibujos (muy similar a Herschfield) de escritores peruanos famosos. Atr?s el mostrador, el due?o es un caballero viejo con ojos amables y un lento pero entibiar la sonrisa. él me record? tanto de un profesor italiano yo supe que yo me pregunté si él era italiano- él no es. El es Cusque?o desde que el d?a que él nac?a.

Las ofertas son sencillas, frescas y encantadoras. Usted puede entrar para un sandwich, el café, el té...o helado. Aunque el resto del café mire muy italiano, las porciones de helado no son. ?El punto final que vende? El siempre juega el jazz. En Per? esto es una rareza. ..and tan muy agradable descubrir. Estoy agradecido por las tardes pac?ficas que he gastado en el Dos X del Café 3. Si usted planea a viajar en Per?- estoy seguro que usted ir? a Machu Pichu y por lo tanto permanecer? en Cusco. ..pare aqui, tiene un helado y me recuerda al due?o. ?Goce!

CAFE DOS X 3
This is my favorite place in Cusco. It's a charming little cafe about 3 blocks from Plaza de Armas. (Marquez 271- Cusco, email: dosx3@hotmail.com tel: 232661)

I first saw it on my way to school- it's less than a block from Centro de Idiomas. I think it was about a week before I finally stopped in. When I did, I was rewarded with a charming and peaceful haven from what has been a pretty hard world for me.

The walls are a deep red, with some warm Van Gogh gold behind the counter. There are three booths and three simple cafe tables. The photographs on the wall are black and white, tastefully and artfully done in a rather Med. style but of Cusco. There is a glass hutch with Herschfield-esque drawings of famous Peruvian writers. Behind the counter, the owner is an older gentleman with kind eyes and a slow but warm smile. he reminded me so much of an Italian professor I knew that I wondered if he was Italian- he's not. Cusqueńo since the day he was born.

The offerings are simple, fresh and lovely. You can come in for a sandwich, coffee, tea...or ice-cream. Although the rest of the cafe looks very Italian, the portions of ice-cream are not. The final selling point? He always plays jazz. In Peru this is a rarity...and so very nice to discover. I'm thankful for the peaceful afternoons I've spent in Cafe Dos X 3. If you are planning on traveling in Peru- I'm sure you will go to Machu Pichu and therefore will stay in Cusco...stop in, have an ice-cream sunday and remember me to the owner. Enjoy!

sábado, agosto 02, 2003

God let me know that everything is going to be all right...

Yesterday was perhaps the best day in Peru. I spent 3 hours of tediousness at the university calculating the grades of my 68 students and writing them 3 times each in three different ways...(this wasn't the good part, but finishing felt grand!) Afterwards, I rode in a minibus (very crowded van- it's the REALLY cheap way to get a ride into town) and met EJ at his place.

EJ is another professor at the university, but in England he had a piercing parlor. Now he pierces out of his room at home. He had quite a few piercings lined up for the day and couldn't hang. Luckily, his flatmate Larissa (from Oz) was there and we started talking. It was SOOOOoooooo fabulous to have an entertaining and animated conversation in English!! I never talk in English here except in class. Even if someone speaks better english than my spanish, I usually forget and speak to them in spanish (they don't mind) cause I just don't know many english speakers and I've been here for months. Later, Nadia (Irish) joined us. Talking with them was a real eye-opener.

There is a bit of a problem with a lot of males here- no respect for women. I've been very lucky to be under the protection of a tough guy here- no one would even consider doing anything to harm me (except maybe a rogue taxi driver- I'm careful with taxis). Quite a few rapes happen here, among other things.

Afterwards, I stopped by the studio and rough-housed a bit and danced with the guys before going home. At home, I had a wonderful conversation with Coco (housemate) and then a miracle happened....

I had a HOT, STEAMY, LENGTHY shower. It went on and on. It was amazing!!! I washed everything twice, just cause I could. Then I just stood there in the hot water. I finally CHOSE to end the shower after about half an hour!! I CHOSE to end it!!!!!!!!!

I went to bed feeling warm, relaxed and absolutely happy.

Today, I had clean clothes to wear (a surprise- a friend loaned me 10 soles to get me through to my paycheck, so I could get my clothes out of the laundry!), I got paid, I'm finished with school!

Finally, I went out to eat and had a fabulous meal for 10 soles including some rotgut wine (there's no other type here) and when I finished I went to the bathroom and there was both toilet paper AND SOAP!!!!

In my two months in Peru I have only seen toilet paper in a bathroom one time (including in homes) and soap on a seperate occasion (including homes).

-oh, also won two games of solitaire in a row. Different types of games. I knew that God was just telling me that I was going to be allright. The hard stuff is over!!

Peace to all of you.
besos!