29 October 2005 - cusco

what an incredible two days.

yesterday was very busy after arriving in cusco. i failed to take the guides suggestion to rest before taking the city tour. Rest, who needs that? so after an hour of walking in very thin air I was worn out. just in time for the tour!

we visited la catedral and of course i was overwhelmed. i have a difficult time controlling tears, so i was welling up at every altar. was breathtaking there. from there we visited two other sites in the city then it was off to sacsaywaman. this was where i really regretted not resting. the ruins are incredible. they are also on top of a very steep hill. of course the best view is from the very top. as much as my body was protesting i climbed up and it was well worth the agony. managed to stash a few rocks in my pocket too. dont tell.

from there we visited pukapukara and

tambomachay. tambo is a natural spring that runs out from the base of a ruin. legend is that only the most important people were allowed here and it was used for bathing. the legend (or maybe just our tour guide) claimed it to be the fountain of youth. the water is not treated of course and you should not drink it. I would love to see how the rugged football coach from California is fairing today after showing off and slurping a handful. I took a quick wash on my face...... i figure i may never get another change to be in this lovely country, i shouldnt pass up the opportunity.

finally it was back to cusco for a dinner (some type of egg dish and chez maggy) and after goofing off on the internet for a while i FINALLY slept.

Felt like i had been sleeping for days when i woke up this morning. the hotel has a lovely roof made of terra cotta (maybe) and the way it is shaped the rain sounds like music as it hits. when i finally woke up it was only 8am.

after a quick breakfast at the hotel i went down to the main square where there was an incredible festival going. I believe that it was a celebration of the church, or perhaps the eucharist. there were several hundred children from all of the different schools in the area either dressed in traditional dress or their school uniforms. each group came up to the stage and sang a song. i have no idea what they were singing, but it was beautiful. after several hours there was a parade around the square and at one turn there were several very young girls all dressed as angels who took communion in the street. i´m assuming it was their first communion.

shopped for a bit then rested this afternoon.

tomorrow is election day in cusco and afterwards we are headed to pisac and ollantaytambo for the day.

life is good.