Day 16
there was wind blowing
there were roosters crowing
there were dogs barking
and i wrestled myself back to sleep.
and Jim talking..
he misses Gene terribly..
so he has been telling me stories (over&over)
i lay in bed reading “the power of now” while he talked to me
occasionally listening
occasionally reading.
we had a late morning: didn’t need to go til 9:30
i remember
in my early-morning-throwes
seeing the moon in the sky
and smiling..
we’ll be back in the USA right around the time of the new moon
but damn, it does feel like Mercury retrograde is doing a number..
Sagittarius..
no wonder i signed the contract a few days ago to travel the rest of my life…
Mercury retrograde in Sagittarius while having my Saturn Return
today i’ve felt tired
kinda lifeless..
maybe kinda like when i first got into the high altitudes
… but even less
just no excitement
feeling like i want to hide.
what’s that about?
i
we got a local guide named Sulema
she lives here, knows the local language of Aymayra
she took us for a drive to a small town to buy presents for a family we were going to visit..
a plaza in the town..
cement town
quiet
empty
seemed so strange
graveyard
where are we?
bannanas. crackers. frosted-flakes-like puffed pasta coated with sugar. pop-corn… but local monster style.. with sugar. apples. coco leaves…
we got back in the bus..
oh
our new driver is Enrique
yeah, kinda stocky
yeah, i bet Gene would like him (it’s how Jim and i talk)
we drove to a small hillside with an arch on it..
all got out and played with the kids…
giving them the pasta and popcorn
they held up their skirts and shirts to make a basket for our offerings..
Jim and Jim and Metche stayed in the van
the rest of us walked up the hill
giving popcorn and pastas to all the kids we saw
with their parents
sheeps
cattle..
the men here have released the traditions
wearing second hand US clothing and baseball caps
the women wear all the traditionals
three skirt minimum!
a long colourful hat denoting their single status…
or
an English introduced Bowler hat
once they are married.
we walked down to the other side
and the van met us
the rest got out and joined us
… we walked in the sand through the fields of Fava Beans and Quinoa (the young plants look almost identical to Lamb’s Quarters.. and they do use the leaves as a spinach as well as the grain)
There was lots of complaining about the sand [fleas] and the walking
i began closing myself and distancing myself because of it, i guess..
took pictures of Lake Titicaca..
big.. small waves… the boats… the sand fleas..
here… they bury the dead where they liked to spend most of their time…
so in these farmer’s fields
we have seen a few graves
big cement blocks on top…
back in the van
we continued on
i felt hot
tired
we got off the cement onto dirt roads
constant conversations..
the dust… somehow coming in through the windows
i felt like i was choking
the van would stop various places while Sulema explained things
at a house-building party
a man walked up to the van while we were stopped
and the driver pulled away from him..
Judy and Elizabeth spoke up and said
” what did he want to tell us? ”
most everyone got out of the van to go visit the party… give some gifts..
i didn’t feel good about it
i was tired
and hungry
and feeling encased.
sat in the van with Jim and Jim
and they both complained about various things.
the rest got back in the van
we drove another couple hundred yards
and parked…
this is where Lunch would be.
we got out
and walked through the farm fields
red soil..
purple gravesite
zaging through the plots
up against the high rock wall dotted with altars…
E & J accosted me about why i didn’t get out of the car
.. commenting that anything would have been better than sitting there with those two
…
i felt tired.
we all went to out-houses
some complaining all around
we walked back out
and some sat down..
a woman was piling eucalyptus leaves into a small round oven..
Sulema explained that only the front “door” rocks were made of stone..
the rest were all clay..
the fragrant smoke filled the air
and another woman brought over a blanket wrapping up a bushel of potatoes
we all threw in a couple of handfuls
then the women closed the door
and banged in the top of the oven a bit
then poured in the rest of the potatoes through that hole
THEN
banged down the rest of the clay rocks on top of those
and smashed them up with sticks for a while
til all that hot clay was snuggled in tight around the little tatters..
then we saw weaving demonstrations..
how the women made the blankets they carried their babies in…
the belts that held their many skirts up
their fancy hats..
then we shopped..
much cheaper here than anywhere else we’ve seen..
the only danger was
Alpaca did not grow well in these parts
so the women used a lot of synthetics they bought from town
.. still
i found a few alpaca pieces that were cheap and wonderful
more presents for the folks back home..
we ate a few potatoes by hand only 20 minutes later
then lunch was served:
potatoes (burnt skin covered in dirt)
and a clay slip-like substance to garnish it with
(yes, folks, that is: Watery Clay on our potatoes)
(a greenish-grey clay.. probably would make a lovely facial mask as well)
a sheep’s cheese fresh… or fried
three types of bread
one wheat
the other two Quinoa
we sat and ate
some complained
… which made me sad
but i enjoyed it the food.
the little boys all pointed and laughed at me..
all the aymayra people piled up together in the middle and ate off a big blanket stacked with tatters and beans and bread.. maybe?
a pot of hot chili in the center…
then a quinoa (grain and leaf) soup came out
lovely..
washed down the sandy potatoes
then coco/mint tea
me and the ladies realized that this Was our ThanksGiving Feast!
so fitting: us foreign tourists being fed by the Indians…
soon after
we all gathered together for a question and answer session
– still feeling remote, i wanted to give them their privacy
i just watched…
but it wasn’t really us asking the questions:
it was them.
they wanted to know what we did, where we were from… what our names where.. how old we were (most wouldn’t tell their age)
then we piled in with them and got some pictures taken…
and it was time to go.
walking away from the high-cliffs behind the houses
we wondered if we could climb them…
but there was huffing and puffing and feet stamping
refusal…
so
just back to the van
where Enrique was working on the engine..
waiting… Sulema realized that she forgot to pay them..
a bit of panic ensued about money
we waited a bit longer while she run back to give them some.
(it was something insanely low… 90 soles? 90 dollars? i think soles. insane)
meanwhile
i tried to convince some goats in the road to let me pet them:
they’d have none of it
but the people walking by found it humerous
when it was finally time to go
we were all quite exhausted
i remember Jim telling a long story to Dietmar about his father’s (grand father’s?) Model-A Ford engine he’d rigged up to churn butter
— when he came back from the Service, his dad had sold it for incredibly cheap.
countryside on the way back
white lime stone
fields
fences
little houses
my day’s lethargy followed me home.
we had about an hour before dinner…
we were excited with Anticipation:
Walter had not come with us on today’s excursion
— we suspected he had stayed here to prepare a ThanksGiving Feast!
and we were right!
he couldn’t get turkeys
but roasted three chickens
with stuffing!
& mashed potatoes
sweet potatoes
excellent bread
gravy
Wine!
there was enough wine left over that i took some back to the room for later musings
we all felt very thankful
and certainly well fed
Judy and i walked over to the hotel across the street to use their land line
(the only land line in town)
to call friends..
i got Leo on the phone for a minute or two
just enough to say ‘ i love you ‘
— left a message for my parents…
listened to the waves
the wind
and walked back with our heavy bellies
(my poncho blowing in the wind)
ready get a nice long sleep…
Pictures
Tomorrow
Yesterday
when i woke up this morining
i didn’t want to..
it was about 5am..
why is it when i go to sleep later i wake up earlier?
i took a cab home after writing last night because it was raining
and i was TIRED.
so i lolled around in bed
streatched a bit
talked with Jim about yesterday
then went down for breakfast
and headed over here to the internet cafe to check my messages
… now i am determined to have sex with someone here in Cusco.
email tag.
So..
i finished up here
then ran back over to the hotel
just in time for everyone to be heading down stairs for a lecture
.. i ran up stairs and had my morning BM (as Jim would say)
then back down..
a National Police man giving us a slide show about Peru´s terrorists
the Shining Path and MRTA
… customary one sided Evol mindset
i began getting jittery.
bored.
Been Jittery all day.
expectant..
we left there for Saxawaman..
… leaving Pancho, accidentally, at the internet cafe..
back around
picked him up
and off to the ruins..
Funny
when we arrived in Cusco
a guy jumped around in front of us taking our pictures..
this morning at the hotel
a girl showed up with Cusco post cards… with those pictures on them!
one for each of us..
i was making a silly face
so i bought it..
for 5 soles.
the ruins were beautiful
big round lime stone
one level (HUGE) from pre-incan times
the second two levels from the Incas
mostly destroyed and turned into churches below..
and houses..
.. they just stopped that from happening in 1974..
though there are still the occasional looters that dig up here to sell stuff on the black market
(shakes head)
we bussed from there to the start of the Incan Trail from Qusqo to Machu Pichu
took some pictures
got back on the bus
and went to Q´neen (or something) lots of lime stone cavities..
most interesting were the tiny zig-zag canals dug for the lama blood to flow down from the Sun´s hitching post..
yeah..
then we went to a Shaman´s healing ceremony (Jim stayed on the bus through all of this…)
E made a comment of how no one believes in this crap..
jim compained about his body odor..
i was fearful of Shaman life-darts..
the whole thing was kinda silly
all these trinkets
spilled onto a paper
ritual of coco leaves
best wishes
body cleansing..
it just felt so strange with all the ceremony..
i prefer things to be sublime.
but it was an experience..
didn´t last long
we went to an Alpaca factory
and got to see the different grades of tourist sweaters..
hmm
but i didn´t buy anything from them
they felt a bit distainful… like they were expecting us and just wanted us to cut to the chase..
i went back to the bus
talked with Jim a while about how unhappy the people looked
(when you´re sick… everything is unhappy)
then went back outside and bought a big black poncho and two red/orange scarves
handmade by an indian who had walked several days to get here..
very cheap
and pretty nice..
then we headed off for Lunch..
they had Pisco Sours there
(have i mentioned this yet?
local drink make with a Grappe type liquor
sugar syrup
lime juice
egg whites
and a dash of bitters or nutmeg.)
lunch!
drank it down
then Jim´s too
then ate some… Guinea Pig.
.. Jim said it tasted like Squirrel.
ate my lamb… very gamey… yum..
then drank about four shots of Anis Liquor..
yum..
but damn
pretty burnt out.
another of those strange picture-postcards was taken of me today
and it was ready already!
i was making an even sillier face
so i bought it too..
came back to the hotel
left Jim to sleep
and came here
working through photos
writing in my journal
and… emailing
Pancho and Judy sat with me
.. they wanted to walk
but it was raining really hard
so we sat at the computers for hours…
eventually
it was time for dinner
at some very fancy place down town
we got in the bus and went
(Jim stayed home, not eating… giving his intenstines a rest)
the meal was nice
E and D shared their wine with us all..
the music and dance was fantastic!
telling stories
scary
playful
it was great
…
and when we were finished..
the night had cleared
Judy headed back to the hotel with Pancho
but this was our last night
they were gonna come back out and walk more
i was pretty fucking single minded about getting some play while i was here in town
so i hiked up to Plaza San Blais again
coz i KNOW i was being cruised by a cute bear yesterday
even though i doubted it now…
but when i got to the plaza
it was just standing around
waiting
wishing&hoping
some really hot chubby guy…
but with his kids
i bought some honey
for to get my cactus home
(grin)
and decided to call this guy i had met on SD
who was also a friend of a friend of mine…
… he came to meet me at the Plaza..
and though i wasn’t really attracted to him all that much
i was curious
so we took a cab back to his place
which was only a few blocks from the Hotel.
through alley
back yard
up small stairs
into the house
TV on
i turned it off
we stripped and began
broken english
there wasn’t really all that much of a connection
– he didn’t get what he wanted
and i didn’t either
what were we doing?
we were telling our story…
we was quite interested in my story
so we spent most of our time talking
… then he walked me back to the Hotel
beautiful sky
moon’s out there somewhere…
Pictures
Tomorrow
Yesterday
beautiful morning
awake at 6am..
this could get habit forming!
but will i get to sleep on time tonight?…
i got out of bed
stretched a bit
talked with jim..
he´s still feeling ill…
so i gave him a stack of electrolyte packets
and made him a bottle full of Marshmallow infusion..
then went out into the city to see if i could find an internet cafe..
all closed..
so
bought jim a big bottle of water (2.5 liters)
then ate a plate of papaya
and got him a glass of orange juice..
when i got back upstairs..
he was asleep.
i went back down
and out
across the street
the internet place was open
(wait, let me explain something…
for some reason
only our hotel
has a flock of people selling stuff outside of it
they all tell you their names
say
“don´t forget me, i am John (or Anthony or Mark…)”
“maybe later!?…”
ugh..
this morning i used my New York skills and just pushed past them with no eye contact and a mumbled
“no, gracias”)
i was the only one in the shop
and the boy gave me a computer with a broken USB port
so i grabbed the one next to it..
that had USB2
oh joy!
moved all my pics from the camera to the computer
and downloaded the FTP program again
and got them going..
all of Day 12 photos up
so… some of machu pichu..
then it started with day 8..
i went back to the hotel
stopping in the bus, saying hello to Guillermo (oh!) and leaving my stuff there
and sat with Judy and Walter and Pancho and… Christina and Regina
sat and ate omlete chunks
and Coxinha things
but they were just malformed little drum sticks..
then rushed off to pee
and get on the bus
we went to the former Temple of the Sun
now the “Convent of Saint Dominic of Cusco”
owned by the Vatican.
but Walter took us there as the Temple of the sun
and i got angrier and angrier as he explained what the spanish did
fucking Catholocism Christianity Power Monger Fuckers.
they had left some of the Incan walls..
stripped them of gold
and painted over them with their stupid tired stories of bullshit
blah blah blah, died for us, blah blah blah suffer
however
the Peruvians cleaned all that shit off a few years ago
and the incan walls seem so strange in there..
among the colonial walls, such less precision…
and among the modern (republic) structures..
Walter showed us how the walls were formed perfectly
and interlocked in the center to hold together..
in the huge earthquakes they´ve had since Spanish Dominiation (over 8 on the scale)
much of the colonial shit has fallen
and the Incan hasn´t.
…
Walter showed us the depiction of the Milky Way and the Southern Sky..
and explained to us
that Qusqo was built in the shape of a Puma
and this temple was the genitals
and if you looked at it from the sky
you would see.. it looked like the genitals
and it was meant to shoot the seamen of life up into the sky
Yeah!
love them Incas…
though they, in turn, destoyed and assimilated the cultures before them..
the way of the world…
we left there
and went to a local market
walter gave us all things to buy… in Quechua.
telling us nothing about them
the assignment was to go into there
find them
find out what they are and how they are used
and then bargin for them.
he assigned me Waka Chudo
and Cherimoya… which i haven´t eaten since i was living in Indiana..
the market was pretty fucking amazing
but i was pronouncing whatever it was Wrong.
i quess i was saying Chutu instead of Chudo..
i ended up getting a very large piece of bread.
then went looking for whatever else they had..
got an empañada for day of the dead kinda stuff..
found a lady that wanted to sell me powdered San Pedro Cactus for 3 soles
asked her where the Malva was
and it lead me down to another section
where i found walter
and he told me i had the wrong thing
but said: you´ll find it over there.
i bought the malva
then went where he pointed: the butcher section.
the smell of the tripe and hooves and slabs of flesh got to me really quick
and i walked up and down the aisle looking at things
eventually approaching a woman who looked quite bored, reading a paper
“tiene Waka Chudo?”
she looked around
lifted up a section of the news paper
and said “si”
… it was a mouth.
so i said i wanted it.
one sol was half the mouth, cut down the center.
upper and lower jaw bits, teeth, fur
tongue removed.
she asked me if i was going to eat it
i said..
yes..
she wanted to know if i wanted it shaved first..
no..that´s alright.
she put it in a bag
and i felt kinda dirty..
walked up the aisles
started taking some pictures..
then bought a buch of chocolate
some dark, some milk
some 100% incan chocolate
some 74% organic peruvian chocolate
yeah..
then went to the buss
…
we had our show and tell..
Ruda (for Metche and Jim) — a good luck charm.. and you can wash the floor or your hair with it.
Chutu (Elizbet and Deetmar) — bread. the fine grain. the larger loaf (the one i mistakenly got) was poorer grains.. mixted with spices and raisens to mask the flavor
Asnapa (for Judy and Pancho) — a blend of many fresh herbs for making a soup or something..
Twilig (for Bob) — ok, that wasn’t it’s name.. i don’t remember… but close!… it was the beans of the Lupine flower!… ground up and fried with cheese ..
i forgot the rest of them…
Judy and Christine got a bag of boiled corn..
we ended up giving most of it to Guillermo
and headed off to a Chapel of Mercey Christians?
i don’t know
i got so pissed off
infuriated
i tried to just let it go
Jim (d) and i stood outside while a man explained the church’s riches..
walter showed us a little hole of some crazy fucking preist who never came out except to carry a wooden cross around at midnight..
painted all the walls…
one room Heven.. the other Hell
blah blah blah
i was burnt out.
we walked around
i bought another Chakana (the incan cross)
and went to eat at a chicken restaurant..
then back to the Hotel.
i checked in on Jim..
sleeping..
he woke after a little while
and we talked about the day
then he went back to bed..
and i went out to explore the city.
Tobias Schneebaum, when convinced to come back here in the documentary made about him a few years ago, was walking through narrow streets with high walls..
Walter told me it’d be in the old city (the puma..) and pointed up hill
so i decided i would go there..
first, to delete some of the photos off the computer i put them on yesterday..
but that cafe was full.. so i couldn’t get there..
so i walked up high stairs..
and..
all of a sudden
was out of TouristVille..
into a small street
channeled streets
i was drawn
fascinated
i walked
up and up
on and on
narrower
ahh, here beside the Sun Temple!
these old walls..
the canals through the walls.. i sang into!
the old ruined foundations
glass doors protecting
look at that..
the little kids
everyone staring..
the kids at the tourists
the tourists at everything..
narrow streets..
an interenet place
i sat down to see if i could find anything about Gay Cusco..
blocked by a porn blocker..
my gmail too..
so i moved to another computer
and that worked..
i found lots of stuff for Lima..
only a few listings for bar/restaurants here
..i jotted down their names.
and got obsessed with silverdaddies..
eventually
the internet locked up..
not just in that store
but the entirety of Cusco..
Out.
cell phones too
(ok Mercury…)
so i paid the proprietor
and asked him if he knew where the Plazoleta Nazarenas was..
he explained in spanish
four blocks straight up
!
alright
so i walked
getting distracted by all the beautiful streets and people and doors..
got to the plaza
quite empty..
found the address: 221…
for Fallen Angel.
i rang the buzzer
and a gay boy answered the door
not speaking english
he got a girl.. not gay.. who did not speak very good english
then a Very Gay Guy game out from the back room and started talking with me..
telling me how ther Is No Gay Life here in Cusco..
which is funny
because the city’s flag is a rainbow flag.. but with one extra colour than ours…
a light blue between the blue and green..
he jotted down on my map where the cafe’s and restaurants were..
but not real discotects…
a sauna… but not REALLY gay.. but gay men go there..
Ok..
this bar was amazing..
like a coffee house i used to go to in Broadripple when i was 16…
colours everywhere
textures..
statues
art..
beautiful ambiance..
i took a few pictures
but it was very dark in there..
i walked out
and headed up to the older part of the city
on the hill
the streets got tighter
and more vertical
stairs
with cannals
blue doors
balconies
high incan walls
sod, sometimes..
i talked with some… Australian guy?
who told me Boliva was boring
but this town was beautiful..
…
i walked towards the plaza San Blas
on the upper level
saw a bunch of hippie kids selling their wares
beautiful chain work
.. i had to talk with them mostly in spanish..
but found out they made this all by hand
it was pretty cheep
so i bought a choker..
then a younger guy with long hair and i started talking
.. he´s peruvian
but from the desert..
had a bunch of fossilized shark teeth
i bought one
and asked him to do some knot work on it…
he said it would take him an hour…
and would i meet him back here?
then he was hesitant..
and invited me to his house..
so i followed him
up stairs..
, winding alleys…
to a door
opening into a compound
on a cliff
his house
up a spiral staircase
his room was all windows
and i could see the entire city..
i stood in mountain pose for a while
looking out..
took some pictures..
noticed a Rainbow in the south.. over the city of rainbows..
the Centre of the world..
Qusqo means “navel”
in the cross.. it is the hole in the center…
now?
after petting the cat
and massaging the dogs (the husky´s name was “killa” — “Moon” in Quechua … if i had a dog i´d want a Husky or a Mikita)
i told Carlos, this guy, that i wanted to wander around while there was still light
he said he´d be done in an hour
so i left..
beautiful colours…
i just photo graphed things..
the net was still down.
i ate at a little kabab house
a guy from Barcelona
kinda cute
lots of veggies and meat
too much to eat
i took it back up to Carlos´ place…
but he wasn´t done.
he undid all his work and started over..
so i left him again
and headed down to the Sauana..
i passed Elizabeth and Deetmar on the way
and scared them by saying hello
i was extatic..
talking to them made it clear
(chewing on coco leaves)
telling them to go see that area i had just come from
i was going across town
and the air got worse
things were newer… touristy..
i searched..
and could not find it
up and down the street..
was that it?
Caliente Duchas! 24 ahoras!
… no..
i walked in the building and it looked like someone´s house… with a market in the courtyard?
i walked out..
into another courtyard..
once again
someone´s house..
outhouse..
no..
i asked people
they pointed me the oppsite direction
i looked
.. i found it!
and there was an ad for one of the gay-owned restaurants on the wall
so..
i went in.
28 soles for the sauna/steam room
3 soles for a towel
1.5 soles for a bathings suit.
men and women
one guy obviously gay
all the rest
older, chunky men
with their girlfriends or wives..
in the steam room
a big chubby guy sat right next to me!
i was so excited
but he didn´t speak english
nor i spanish..
so..
from the steam room to the sauna
wanting..
it´s no good..
room filled with het couples
nice
talking..
this is the first time i´ve ever been in a heterosexual sauna..
but for Heartwood..
oh… and wales..
well
i mean
in a city!
strange
to hear them all talking away
trying to get into the flow of the language..
to understand them.
the big chubby guy´s name was Thabok
and he was entertaining the whole room
telling stories
rubbing his belly a lot
squeezing it
and wiping himself everywhere constaly with his washcloth..
a woman started using the salt scrub
so i did as well
in my yoga streatches
if felt so good
from there to a cold water shower: Spanish Duche
back to the steam room, back to the sauna
resting..
Thabok left…
another round
and me too…
back to meet carlos to get the necklace…
but
being the explorer that i am
i decided to take another route..
the narrow winding roads turned into dirt
quiet
no cars
i welcomed the clean air..
but i couldn´t find a road leading left..
i walked a long time
finally found some stairs..
so went up..
huffing and puffing..
more stairs
ok..
no
this road isn´t right..
more stairs
i was about to die
more stairs..
ok.. ENOUGH
i turned left and staggered down the street..
i was very high up now..
some security guys..
in spanish
asked me where i was going
i did my best to explain
they told me i was almost at the top of the mountain
and asked if i´d like to be escorted to where i needed to go
… so as not to get lost
i said yes..
we spoke our broken languages..
a very windy path
FAR back down..
Carlos wasn´t on the square
so i went back to his house
he had finished it
and was making dinner..
the house was filled with people
mostly germans, austrians and a swiss girl…
one peruvian guy besides Carlos
and one Brazilian from Bhiah…
telling me how much i needed to go there… in Portuguese..
i talked with them all a while
then left and went to an internet cafe
… the net was working again
so i wrote the first half of this
and wrote some guys from the www.perubears.com site
we´ll see…
then they were closing
and i had to go..
it was raining
so i caught a cab home..
oh no!
right after i got in bed
a train rumbled by
shaking everything..
but i guess it didn´t wake jim up..
i slept well
dreamt well
what was happening?
i don’t know
but i felt very rested when Jim got up and turned the light on
saying
“it’s nearly 9… what time were you supposed to leave”
the first group, which was supposed to include me, left at 6:15, the second at 7:15
OH NO!
what am i going to do now?
the whole day fuct..
and we’re leaving town at 1 today..
damn!
then, i looked at my watch
and realized it was actually 5:40…
so
breathed a sigh of relief
and told Jim..
see
i was banking on that, perhaps foolishly
but Jim ALWAYS wakes up really early
as he did today.
OK
jim was sick though
sniffling and sneezing and bowels
.. i was worried
so i gave him airborne (those effervescent tablet things) and E-mergen-C
that vitamin C stuff
and told him how to take them
then ran down stairs
stuffed eggs in my mouth
poured him a glass of orange juice
and grabbed two bottles of water for him
ran back up stairs..
he was sleeping again
i ran back down
time to go!
but 5 more minutes
ok..
more eggs!
three bananas in my pockets
and an orange (thing)
off we went
to the bus
up the mountain
(1,200 feet from the town)
so excited
though it did look like it would rain today
the clouds were just heavy.. not falling
we walked across the city
signing our names in a book at the check point
Deetmar, Elizabeth, Luis and i…
E led the way
as we wound through a forest
down from the chin to the nose
then up
up up up
windy narrow steps
sometimes just boulders layed together
past beautiful flowers..
then i saw wild strawberries everywhere!
still in the flowering state, but ! Wow !
how did they get up here?
and Plantain! (the leafy thing on the ground, not the bannana type thing)
which i have been looking for since we got to Peru and not found it.
HERE
how the hell did they get up here?
birds?
the ruins at the top were…
and they felt so!…
looking down
the water falls
the spectacular view of Machu Pichu
we took pictures of eachother
and looked and looked..
then E rushed us along
— we wanted to take the Inca Trail up to the Sun Gate as well
— we made it up here in about 38 minutes, faster than the Hour that was expected
and we still stopped to smell the flowers..
so down we went
down down
winding narrow steps about a foot wide and maybe 4 inches deep
having to walk with ballet feet…
then back to the trail
down, winding around
passed a 3 year old boy with his mother, damn..
then.. it started to rain.
glad we were almost down
things started to get slippery
by the time we were back to sign our names in the book (we’d been gone 1 and a half hours. first to sign back in… but our guide would Not take us to the great caves or the moon altar)
the rain was pretty heavy
and the tourists were packed in the little thatched houses avoiding the rain..
but i had the rain jacket on that my mother had given me in brazil last year… that dad had given her..
it kept me (and, more importantly, the camera) dry enough
so i didn’t understand why we were standing around…
Luis pointed out a big rock that was the same shape as the ridge of the mountain behind it
called a sacred rock
you could see where people placed their hands in prayer on it..
E suggested we try and clear the rain off the mountain… as a joke
but i thought it was a good idea
so i walked up to the rock and placed my palms on it
yeah, power as it was
i felt my energy merge with it
and raised mine to accelerate
taking myself into the mountain
the sky
the clouds..
— they would stay here, they said
but they appreciated me asking.
so i told them “let´s go”
and E and D decided they would go back to the Café and have some Coffee
yeah, whatever
i left them and wandered around
heading up: towards the Gaurd house..
thinking i would try and find the Incan Bridge
which i had been told was a very tretcherous trail along a sheer cliff face
Yeah!
when i saw the first sign for a bridge
i heard someone call my name
looking around the corner
i saw Judy and Pancho!
i said ” want to come with? ”
they said ” yeah, we were going that way anyway ”
a guide stopped us and asked where Luis was… and the others of our group
i explained
and he warned us about the bridge trail
..we set off..
J&P asked me where we were going..
they thought we were going to the sun gate
but i figured it would be too cloudy to enjoy it
so.. let´s have an adventure
— they came along.
a long a long a long
winding up the terraces
then back into the jungle
under trees and vines
the rain started subsiding
but there was a cloud tucked in the valley
grey wall over the cliff edge
i had been told it was a treaterous trail
narrow and sheer
but it wasn’t, really
not at all
it was a nice trail
fun to walk
higher and higher
but gentler than the one i’d just been on
when we got to the end of the trail
there was a gate over the trail
with a sign with skull and cross bones on it
— i took a picture
and tried to capture the bit of the trail i could see through the fog
kept moving into different positions
trying not to let the camera get wet…
— i could see where the trail had fallen into the valley, far down
large pieces of rebar sticking out of the rock face..
guess that technique didn’t work
i turned around to look at something else
and Judy suddenly exclaimed ” OH LOOK! ”
back around
i saw the bridge clearly: the fog had mysteriously lifted.
we could se everything
the trail along the mountain,
the bridge foundations
the long drop down
the river
the rock wall above
we took lots of pictures
and i climbed around the fence to get a better shot…
all this took a few minutes
then the clouds rolled back in and covered everything up
so we hiked back along the trail
telling that story
to give the other hikers faith:
maybe it will clear for you too.
back at the terraces
i left them
and went wandering around..
just checking out the rest of the city..
trying to walk in stride
feel the past catch up with me
fill it with presence
but it wasn’t there
i wasn’t there
i just walked around the buildings in a wet awe
crawling in houses
and caves
pulling out trash other tourists had left there
and asking tourits for trash bags
which they gave me..
i was tired
and wet
and getting cold
and didn’t want to get a cold
so i headed back..
and it was nearly time to go anyway..
i only waited about 5 minutes
and caught the bus down with Walter and the rest of the group that had come up..
american girls on the bus
talking in that “you know” kinda way
made me wish i didn’t understand english
so
back down in the town
i bought a few more things
clean pants: all i have is dirty
two more stone balls…
some hats and scarves..
then to lunch
ate a bit, mediocre
then set to writing..
but we had to leave before i was finished
so i left this note in my journal:
”
…
— gotta go
catch the train back to the sacred valley to meet up with Guillermo
to catch the bus back to Cusco..
i should be able to finish this tonight
”
everything seemed rushed
but it really wasn’t.
the train ride was nice
most everyone else was sleeping
i was staring at the mountains going by..
really hard to imagine that we just came this way yesterday..
all this stimulation makes the time so THICK
we switched from the train to the bus
ahhhh, Guillermo again.
winding up and up and up
and going from sleeping at 6,500ft up to 12,500 in just a few hours
really fucking spun my head
we went to a place that is sponsored by the tourist organization we are here with: Grand Circle / Over Sea Adventure Travel
a place that teaches the local indians the old ways of weaving..
drop spindaling their yarn
back-pack looms
astounding work
and though i had already bought my ponchos
i bought a vest from them
and am so proud to own it..
and a hat for my mom..
then
more bus
and into cusco.
Jim was really sick/tired
and went directly to bed
i came out to the city
looked for an internet cafe
and managed to upload almost 100 pics from today in the /peru folder
looks like the shut the computers down at 9pm, coz that’s when the last one got in.
then dinner
conversation
oh
i’m a bit tired
so am calling today’s entry quits
coz even this cafe is closing in about ten minutes
and i need to get some sleep.
three nights here in cusco
then a bus down to lake titicaca
hmmmmmm
ahhh
at least i slept well last night.
when i left the internet box up the street
the hotel’s gates were locked..
i walked up and down the block… wondering..
it was about 10:30
and the streets were mostly empty..
what do you do
late night
friday? what the hell day is it?
was it..
after realizing i misunderstood the orientation of the hotel
i turned around and went to check out the other direction…
knocking on the main gate again
a man appeared half way down the block
“Aqui!”
ah… si..
up stairs
and to bed
slept like a log
on my pillow body bolster
rooster still waking me in the middle of the night
but went right back into sleep
woke just before 6
some yoga
body not as sore
but just filling it with life
then brushing the hair
shower
oiling
jim was off at breakfast
i packed his chachka bag
then my own
then i headed down for breakfast
bannanas and papaya
and coco tea
and conversation with Christine about how some people just can not take care of themselves at all
as if paying attention to their lives would be way too much for them
they ask everyone else around them the questions
they are unwilling to look inside or anywhere for the answer for themselves
yeah..
well
then a bowl of kiwichi (amaranth… quinoa)
with yogurt
more tea
more papaya juice
more water
fine
out on the bus
to ride little motor cars around Urumbama
to see the old cemetary
where you have to pay rent every year
or they excavate the bones and burn them…
or you can buy a plot.. but that’s usually too expensive to do in one go for most…
people prefer to be buried above ground..
in stacks sometimes..
the lower classes: underneath
we jumped in the car and headed over to a church
suggested to buy candles and make prayers with them
i know how that works
so bought 8
and made my prayers for my friends and family and planet and self.
then back to the main square
to catch the bus
to the train..
the RailPeru!
owned by the Orient Express..
see
all this Inca Ruin stuff is generating a lot of income
i just fear that most of it isn’t staying in the country..
going to china or USA or germany or great britian..
i just don’t trust it
but the train was designed well
narrow gague track
with windows at the bend in the ceiling
… felt like a fancy subway car..
beautiful beautiful mountains, of course
decending from 9,500 ft to about 6,500 ft to the town of Aguas Calientes…
run through a large track of vendors..
beautiful town
huge cliffs surrounding them
hell bent on tourism
Hell Bent.
we checked into our hotel and Jim and i just lay on our backs and talked..
he told me about his dad building the garage on the wrong side of the house
coz he wanted to!
covering up two windows
and never cementing the floor
coz you don’t have to pay taxes on a room if it’s not finished..
he told me how much he is like his dad..
i explained that i was too..
my dad got me this watch/compass/thermometer/light/file/carabiner thing
it is SO him
and so me as well..
certain things fit
gotta love them
but jim is so fucking angry
i said
“Jim, you cuss a lot”
— i really love talking with him
he said
“yeah, my dad did too”
we were late for the group
less than ten minutes
but they all left
our new secondary/training guide was waiting for us
“Luis”
nice fella
not such good english
not as charasmatic as Walter..
but we got to our restaurant
and Jim was fucking tired of walking up steps and walking around everywhere
so complained the whole time
the food was pretty good
fresh fried potato chips, like you’d get in a bag,
much better
with garlic and … parsely?
walter and jim and i sat at the table together
walter and i had a good conversation
after Jim broke it to him much more directly…
our sexual status
so walter was interested
i told him how i lived
what my life was like from now til then..
he was very interested..
oddly
the Cusco district flag is a rainbow flag, slightly different than ours..
but he found the relation quite funny..
after lunch
i ran into that guy Jim, from MN
snapped a picture of him
and told him that we’ve ran into eachother twice
out of all the people in the world
so i´m bound to see him again
he seemed shy
.. i wanted to hug him
but what can we do?
we, the group, jumped on a bus
and headed up the hill
13 switchbacks
up and up and up
fantastic mountains and waves..
throngs of people
everywhere
and all so excited
walter gave us some info
then walked us along a small path
around a bend
down some steps..
i asked him if i could go down to the bottom (though we were cutting across the middle as a group, and he was waiting for the rest)
he smiled
and said yes
the llamas let me through
and i looked over the steep cliff edge to take pictures of the road we drove up
then turned around…
Machu Pichu
wow.
i can’t really spend time telling you what it was like
anyone who is interested has seen pictures and read bits about it
so you know..
and i have been seeing ruins here
and many other places
but something about it just..
struck me
.took my breath away.
whatever
i just stood and stared
mouth a gape
one of the women from above called down to me
telling me to catch up
so i walked up the steps
and began the tour
what was going on?
were they trying to hitch their culture to the sun?
trying to stop time?
trying to fly?
Here To GO?
so much knowledge and experience
wiped out in less than a year by 165 Spainards they mistook for the children of god…
the spainards hunted down the last incan and killed him in the central square of Cusco
and melted down all of their gold
obliterating the culture..
undoing the ties…
or?
did they escape to the last hidden city?
Vilcabamba?
dissapearing into the earth
or the sky?
like the mayans?
like any of our dreams..
it was the will of god
any god
their god
ours…
the will for the native cultures to be wiped out
the aboriginals
the mayans, the incas, the Native Americans all
as our culture is steadily destroying china and japan
who will, in turn, devour us
this place (earth) is so strange.
anyway
Machu Pichu
yeah
amazing views
amazing feeling
the workmanship fantastic
up and down stone steps
using up the battery on the camera
he showed us the temples
we all sang into the niches
which reverberated around us..
we’re here again tomorrow
(though Jim says he’s not comming: he’s taking a day of rest)
early in the morning
then leaving around 1:30 for Cusco
two days there
then down to Lake Titticaca
or
whatever
future
i just wanted to jabber a bit
i guess i’m pretty tired
but mostly feel displaced
and
as ever
existentially confounded.
now time for dinner
and then some sleep
———- after dinner ——-
jim slept through dinner,yeah
D and E were drinking wine by candle light
down by the river
roaring behind the glass
dinner started
and i got seated be Judy (CO) and regina,
no one else within ear shot because three peruvians arrived in full costume and loud amplification
playing crowd pleasers like Guantanamera
which made D&E dance
which made me happy that they were dancing
— she has flow
… he’s a bit self conscious
and i feel like i should like them..
i should like everyone, right
but..
the group kinda bugged me
i guess i was feeling grouchy
they tried to sell me their CD, of course
and i just took a look at all the hack on there and said NO
gave them one Sol
and walked out
to walk…
the hot springs close at 8:30.. and it was quarter past when i got there
so i just wandered down through the streets..
this town has been called “Aguas Calientes” for YEARS
probably over a hundred
and
that name
most likely
to attract some sort of tourism..
well
they have just changed their name to “Machu Pichu”
which just seems silly
and sad
there are 8 million restaurantes here
gift shops everywhere
most of everything empty
feels like they are all selling out as much as they can
but can you blame them?
not a fault, just the flow…
i refuse to buy things in Dollars
it really pisses me off and scares me that a country would convert all its currencey to another countries currencey..
but Ary told us that the most used currencey in Columbia was also the American Dollar..
sick
so i do my best to set my example of what i think is right
but it just is what it is
where do we go to find something More Wild?
i never would have come here if not for this tour, i´m sure
— it occurred to me today
i never do “tourist things” because they bug me so much
so
though its been fascinating seeing all this stuff
it’s turning my stomach..
yet
inspiring me to go further to wild interesting places
… maybe this place in Cambodia?
(21:48)
maybe i’ll get a chance to actually update my journal today?
i’s about 5pm right now
but the time on this computer is fuct, date too
and i can’t change it: locked.
where am i?
i´m in the sacred valley of the incas
i´m a block away from the Posada we are staying at
in a small anything shop
filled with candy and clearner and soda and meat… and two computers.
everything is in spanish..
which i suppose is good
coz i know that more than Quechua.
i woke this morning at 6am
and before that
around 4
and before that…
i didn’t get to sleep til past midnight
.. this fucking altitude…
i didn’t know it would do this
but i spent most of the night tossing and turning
and woke at 4 to two cocks crowing behind my window…
why?
i don’t know.. it wasn’t day..
but the moon had lit the sky so much there was an aura around the surrounding mountains before i went to sleep
so i can only imagine what the moon looked like then…
the roosters were confused
i forgive them
but it kinda scared me..
good though
coz i wasn’t really having a good dream.
my whole body hurt…
what was it from?
the lack of oxygen?
the massage i gave before heading to bed?
running up and down the inca terraces?
my chest felt like an asthma spasm
heavy, filled, very painful
it hurt to breath
and i wasn’t getting enough anyway
i pissed in a bottle
and placed my pillow under my body length wise
to enforce sivasana and open my chest
eventually i found sleep
woke again with the sun, sometime before 6
tried to deny it
but jim was up and clearing his throat and talking and doing things
so i got out of bed
walked into the shower
and poured the piss through my hair
scrubbing the coat of oil and chlorine and minerals and pollution out
then let the hot water pound down on me for…
a long time.
no soap
but a cold rinse
some streatching
and talking with jim in the morning.
i love him more and more each day.
(grin)
thanks mercury!
we headed down to breakfast at about 7:40
and i couldn’t bring myself to eat
so i made colt’s foot, yerba sante and tulsi tea
drinking it through my bombilla
— the waitress was confused.
eventually i added coco leaves to the tea
and had a bowl of cut bannanas and papaya
and two glasses of papaya juice and one of water (with emergency)
breathing…
laying on the bed..
off into the bus
into a small town
local market.. not for tourists
no
just people trying to feed themselves..
a woman with a burst out eye asked me to photograph her so she could get a Sol from me…
i denied.
i didn´t take any photos of people
but of the bull ring
of the buldings
of the mountains…
there were guiney pigs on sale for food
photos taken
i was feeling my tourist nausea
i kinda rushed through it
but here’s what it it was
bags of potatoes
beans, green and red
grains.. i couldn’t tell you what they were
stuffed into canvas bags
you know
like you’ve seen in those pictures with the indians?
yeah, these indians
and second hand USA clothes
from the 80s
or early 90s
or whatever
down here
for pretty cheap`
nice.
we met the raft captains
both stocky handsome guys
i took their picture
and got on the bus
headed to the river and dropped them off to prepare the rafts
then to the school to hang out with the kids
these were different than the amazon kids..
it was a school day
but the teacher was off at a meeting
so they kids were entertaining themselves..
better than going home to work in the farms
our guide acted as teacher
they sang us a song in quecheua
that i didn’t record coz i thought i was going to be the same peruvian anthem the other kids sang us..
this was quite beautiful
and we replied with me leading a three-round, three versed version of “row row row your boat”
merrily merrily merrily merrily…
i did some yoga for the kids out i the basketball courts..
the wheel
they were all very impressed
then i lifted a kid onto my back and supported him in front of the kids..
life
here..
the mountains surrounding every side..
i talked to the kids in english a lot
i know they couldn’t understand me..
but i had to tell them how good they had it
and i was sorry for other things
and the church…
well..
we left there for the rafting
and i forgot to bring my sandals
so went barefoot
so did deetmar
professional rafts..
though they said this section we were doing today only had a class 2 rapid on it
it was mostly just floating..
my stroke was so strong compared to everyone on my side
from my years of canoeing…
elizabeth was in front of me
and instead of watching to stay synched with deetmar
she kept making sure we were following her
which was kinda annoying
but deetmar did his best to watch and match her
nothing said..
our rafting guide tried to teach us some quechua
ima suma
pretty lady
ima wikiki
what’s your name?
ou(ch)
one
isyane
two
quinsay
three
(d)thowé
four
pisca
five
sa-yeah
stop!
we paddled around
playing in the water
got splashed a bit
seeing the beautiful mountains float by..
took plenty of pictures
the ride was about 1 hour and 20 minutes
we landed near ollantaytambo
and had a picnic lunch of cold chicken
beets, green beans, broccoli, yuca, sweet potato, mustard celery, gucamole (avacados here are called “palta”) and pico de gallo (“de condor” guillermo called it… who made it)
i took lots of pictures of guillermo.
we drank big beers
had our desert of cake and pineapple and banna
and headed to the town of Ollantaytambo
we walked around the town first
amazing
not really all that destroyed
and well re-furbished
lived in..
canals runing through it like friebourg
a little house with the happy fourtune man
guine pigs
kitten and puppy
i took pictures of all this for nayland
the old rock walls
the hillsides with the terraces and the ruins on them…
then we headed up the 200 something stairs to the … used to be temple
which was pretty amazing.
the huge huge huge blocks they used for the temple had been taken from the top of the mountain… across the valley.
a landslide marked the place
the blocks were taken by the spanish..
this site is special because it is the ONLY place that they defeated the spanish..
but eventually they came back and did their best to destroy it
taking the blocks from the temple on top of the mountain
to build their church in the central square below.
i walked up
noticing that my altitude adjustment must have clicked in
coz i didn’t feel all that winded.
deetmar and elizabeth were the only ones able to keep up with me
i went off the trail
above it all
to the top of the mountian
…
down again
because climbing over the ridge would have been lovely
but would have taken many hours
and.. i only had a half
(damnfuckingtour)
so i scuttered back down
(only after suffering some sharp cactus needles in my arms and hands)
and around to the other side of the mountain
little houses
opening to the energy..
a whole different world…
but you know
every civilization beyond a family
beyond a community
seems based on abuse: slavery, etc..
they could only acheive this greatness by enslaving thousands (or more)
but were those slaves happy to have made this?
happy to have been a part?
… did they think there might have been another option?
known any better?
i walked down the hill
getting back to the bus before judy and pancho
but then leaving again to change more money:
tomorrow we head to Machu Pichu…
we stopped by a bar on the way home
playing a game of Sopa! (frog)
throwing bronze coins into a board filled with holes
centred with a bronze frog…
if you make it into his mouth: 5000 points!
men against women
the men one
but only at the end..
then we had their local corn beer..
no one else really liked it
it reminded me a bit of the khumis from mongolia
that sour fermented taste
and now i have terrible gas.
(laughs)
they sprout the corn kernals first
then dry them
then grind them
then ferment them
only for a few days
filter (feed the solids to the guinea pigs)
and drink!
and drink and drink!
the flag of red and/blue plastic outside of a place says that they make it..
and it can be a bar
or a house
or anything..
anyone who makes it
can advertise others to come drink with them.
..
then we headed back here to the posada
and i came directly here
figuring out how to move my files into the public directory
so you can view SOME of the photos from the amazon trip at
but it’s just a directory structure and all the files are over a Meg
so only do it if you have a fast connection.
it’s slow here
so i’m not going to bother trying to upload anymore right now
back in cuzco?
back in USA?
we’ll see.
now i´m going to go back through and try and catch up on my back-dating my hand written entries
í’ve only got an hour..
then back to the hotel
then off to a private family’s house to eat dinner with them
—-(added after dinner)—-
i’m very tired
and i don’t know if it’s more that
or the altitude (did i mention i’m at 9,500 feet?)
or that i ate two servings of the guacamole today
but i wasn’t able to eat much.
i almost didn’t bring the camera
because i figured i had taken enough pictures today
a little burnt out on the tourist picture thing..
but jim asked me to bring it
so i did
and… got some.
dinner was nice
lamb and potato salad (there are over 300 types of potatoes down here, these were thick and stringy), rice with pasta, stuffed pepper, squash soup (with added spicey Pico De Condor made by Guillermo… imagine a cross between Shrek and Bob Hoskins and make it Peruvian…)
a purple corn drink
with lemon, clove and cinnimon
tasted almost like coca-cola…
a little bit of conversation
but i was really tired
didn’t finish all i ate
came back to the hotel
— didn’t go in
stayed out here to write a bit
had to walk around a while waiting for one of the computers to be open
got some time
i’ll see what all i can get typed in tonight…
tomorrow
we take a train at 9am for machu pichu for two days…
probably won’t be able to post from there
but these should be enough to read
if you have the time.
woke up around 5 this morning in Lima
tried to get some more journaling done, but it paled agsint the lust machine of bear411 and silverdaddies
however
i did get the rest of the day 5 photos uploaded
though i haven’t yet been able to figure out how to move them to the public html directory…
i wrote half of yesterday’s entry
and then had to go
– we left shortly after 7am
everyone is enjoying making a big deal out of my being late all the time…
crumby people…
to the Jorgé Chavez Internationale Aeropuerto again
got more money exchanged
small bills
rolls of soles (40 of ’em)
Flight 023 out of gate 3
we only waited a half hour
— i was obsessed with a daddy (with this family) who was probably mostly spanish
my god
he was beautiful
i took as many pictures as i could..
he reminded me strongly of Eddie Carreri
— he’d just be trouble anyway.
then took a bus, piled in, tight
about 100 feet
climbed our stairs
and i drifted a lot
listening to “it´s all gonna break” again, the last track from the new Broken Social Scene album…
“why are you always fucking girls?”
then listened to Compulsion again
looking out the window
astounded by the farmlands on nearly verticle slopes
the lakes
the glaciers
the deserts
what the fuck
this place is amazing..
people
live.
we landed in cusco
and because they put me in seat 2(L -window)
i was among the first off
walking into the empty baggage claim area
i was assulted from every side by
“SIR SIR SEÑOR!”
putting the make on a bit heavy
i felt sleep deprived and headed straight to the toilet with my blinkers on
came out
and noticed a band in “traditional” costumes getting ready to play..
so i just took picturs of the sexy fat and furry tourists
waiting for the rest of the group to show up…
got a shot of homer simpson too..
but he smiled and that kinda ruined the affect.
when we walked outside
a local man jumped infront of us excitedly pretending to take our picture
holding up his finger and exclaiming like he’d got a great shot
stopping all of us
and … taking our picture
it DID make me feel uncomfortable
he did a good job at reminding.. me at least.
there were about 8 million vendors behind the tour busses
and stray radicals floating around everything
trying to sell paintings and hats and belts
and coco leaves
we all bought some.
our bus driver is named… Guillermo!
a cute little troll he is: i adore him.
stocky little dark skinned fellow with a toothy open smile..
our guide, Walter..
he talks a lot.
has a lot of National (and Personal) Pride.
.. he tends to answer “yes” to lots of my questions
and i’ve realized he often has no idea what i’m talking about.
we drove up to 12,500 ft immediately
up to the top of Cusco…
the main city of the incas!
beautiful
pretty fucking amazing
people
live…
then we headed down towards the Sacred Valley of the Incas…
on the way
we visited a little tiny town
so Walter could show us a bit of how things worked..
people walk around
and if you ttake a picture of them
you owe them money
usually 1 Sol is fine (about $.33)
—
the first guy we got a picture of was 77
… and looked pretty good in his colourful pointy peruvian hat!
bulls on the roof for good luck
and/or a cross
to hold it up?
god´s handle?
dirt streets
adobe bricks… basically like Cob…
we bought tons of supplies for the school kids tomorrow from a little shop
the kid was shocked: no one ever buys an entire package…
we got back on the bus
and headed down into the valley
amazing
1000 year old terraces all over the place
some preserved
some left to the weather
some still farmed
though the current style of farming is like what you’d see everywhere..
blocks of land cut up… but on steep hillsides…
crazy.
walter explained that all of the ruins here had been invaded and destroyed by the Spanish
and that´s the special thing about Machu Pichu: they never found it… it is the only Incan ruin that was only destroyed by time.
we went above a small town called Pisaq
and i left most of the group
and ran
trying to get to the temple of the sun..
the incans always built sun temples very high in the mountains
calling them “sun-hitching-posts”
maybe that´s where you could get on and go for a ride?
their cross (google it and see if you can find it… pre-christian)
represents the three levels of the world they live in
above… this one.. and below..
of course, if you know how (or are priveledged) you can transverse them.
anyway
i tried to run to this sun temple
going on small trails
over tops
asounded by every view
listening to the drums of a festival banging up the hillsides
puffing and nearly falling over
running through a tunnel
over a mountain
to an opening
what was this building?
was that it?
that platform over there?
if i didn’t turn around right now i would be late getting back to the group
so i just opened up and felt the…. Time.
the present.
it charged me
and i said i would do my best to bring the good of it into this now…
i ran back
following a low path this time
a sign for the bus…
down through the old terraces
(a woman is yabbering in qechua behind me, nearly crying)
the path went down down..
back up, to the busses
i realized i was at the Peruvian bus stop
totally different tourist trap
interesting
but it was about time for me to get back
and i had to hike another 200ft or more back up
by the time i got there
i was totally fucking wrecked
breathing huge
trying to expand my chest as much as i could possibly take it in
connect
pranayam
fuck…
and there was a fuzzy version of yerba sante growing here..
i stuffed it in my mouth with more coco leaves hopening it would open my lungs and dialate my vessels..
i collapsed into the bus
and we headed back down into the valley
to a small town
market..
OH!
i found so many things i wanted
and spent over $100
about S/403
presents for friends
and two ponchos…
but when i got on the bus
they were all shocked at how much i spent
and walter said i got ripped off bad
i felt terrible about that..
i shoped around
and haggled..
how could i have been so mistaken?
when we got to our posada
i showed walter the ponchos
and he said corrected himself
i actually got a really good deal
i was chuffed
this posada is different than the brazilian pousadas.. which are subsidized by the government..
this one is privately owned
and very fancey looking
but not all that well thought out
and very fucking expensive.
of course.
falling into the room
i felt a huge desire to devour jim’s nipples, i had a taste last night and it created a hunger
but we were too tired
we just lay on the bed
then went down for dinner
a meeting first
then, almost to dinner
i got stopped by this American Bear fellow named… Jim.
from Minnessota
his energy was flying
i was almost certain he wanted sex
so i was pretty happy
but i HAD to eat first
he told me to meet him in the bar afterwards
i ate light
on account of the lack of oxygen i was feeling
still
had some nice vegetables
and ate some alpaca
a bit of desert
quinoa soup
walter asked about my life
was i going to cut my hair and shave my beard here in peru?
everyone was asking him about it…
why did i have long hair?
how did i know Jim?
so i told him.
i love telling people i´m gay with out saying “i´m gay”
my life story just makes it evident.
he stared
got up to get more food
i talked with judy about it a bit
and then took off to the bar.
Jim was buying jewlrey for his daughters
” how many do i have? . . . one, two, three… four. ”
and his… Wife.
i sat in the bar a while
the first sip of beer
not great beer
the local bear
Cuscosqueñas
.. i felt it burning through me
i tried not to sip much..
he came in
asked me who i was
all about my life
how could i survive looking like that?
with the long hair and beard and facial tatoos?
(laughs)
i told him stories
then he told me some..
he´s about 66 years old, april 2nd
constantly said he didn’t have much time left
had never traveled before
and is down here for a week coz he wants to see machu pichu..
then he’ll go to cambodia next year to see the “new” ruins that have been uncovered there..
his wife has no interest in this
she prefers europe
and he doesn’t travel with her much…
he’d worked as some kind of administrator at a college in MN so his kids could go there free of tuition
for 18 years
grew up a farmer.
left the college job to do a similar thing in the state-run zoo
though he didn’t like zoos.. and had never been to one before in his life.
worked there four years before being fired/quit
then started a general contracting company
specializing in building McDonald’s and Wendey’s buildings
so he’s hot
but EVIL!
(laughs)
i asked my self if i DID want to have sex with this guy..
what did i want from it?
what did i want to do?
nothing really
i didn’t feel it.
i haven’t been really horny here
it’s strange
i don’t know how to describe it
sex is floating around in my mind like it always does
but the act of it is not really appealing right now..
and i even tested the waters..
telling him i would go back to his room with him and give him a massage..
but he said No..
so i guess he didn’t want that.
just wanted to talk
and i’m glad i had the conversation
til late into the night
the moon was astounding.
i went back to our room
got my massage oil
and went to Regina’s room
and gave her some massage and reiki stuff
she was SO tight..
but i was glad to do it
then went down stairs again
outside
to watch the moon
and write it all down..
i woke up about 2 am
came down stairs a bit bleary eyed
and saw some british people checking into the hotel
the man stared at me and said
” do you know someone´s been drawing on your face? ”
ahh, kitty kitty.
i sat here at the computer for hours
trying to get an FTP client that worked
found one
while all the photos were moving from the camera..
over a gig on a USB 1 transfer…
finally got all that together and realized the pictures were going to a directory on my server that is not public..
hopefully i´ll get a chance to move it before i leave
just the files..
in a tree…
then i wrote about Yesterday
accessing the notes i had written in my book
but mostly just writing..
THEN
went through the last two days
copying many parts directly from the book
and sometimes just carrying off on some tangent
re-arranging, re-phrasing
my hand-written voice is different…
but i didn´t get done
and the photos did not all get transferred…
much slower than i thought..
Jim and E and D came down and said ” are you ready? it´s time to go ”
so i shuffled all my things together and ran upstairs to get ready
rather quick..
back to the van..
and we waited for our new group member: Jim… from orange county
an older man.. older than my Jim, Jim S
Jim D was a nice fellow, from oklahoma originally (april 13)
i felt kinda hung over/burnt out
tired, i guess
not even 6 am and going..
we got to the airport
checked in
and the flight might have been delayed?
paid our airport tax
and headed down to the gate..
but the weather was bad..
where?
here or there?
dunno
but we waited a long time..
another guy from another OAT trip was there
jim said..
“he reminds me of someone… some cartoon character… the father guy from the simpsons”
yeah.. he did…
it was over an hour wait..
but we
eventually
got on a bus and headed out to the… planes?
” in a Single Engine Cessna… You say we´ll never make it there… so all we do is Circle it…
til we find out where the edges are
and it bleeds into where you resist
and i know my only way
way out
is to go
so far in…
billowing out to somewhere…”
quote from tori amos circling through my head:
i´d never flown in a plane this small…
three in a row
i was in the front
crammed between two nice canadians from New Brunswick originally
now they live in calgary, alberta
very nice
they were surprised i could tell they were canadian..
how could anyone not?
the accent..
i slept once our plane got above the heavy clouds..
tips of the mountains sticking out..
woke just before we landed
all of a sudden
in the dessert.
a small town called Ica (EE-kah)
huge sand dunes
skeletons of buildings…
farms..
i could see the landing strip clearly
first time i´ve had that experience
of seeing what it looks like to land from the front…
it was nice and hot and dry
we walked around
and i remembered
that mercury went retrograde a few days ago (14th)
we were supposed to land
then take off again and fly over the Nazca lines…
then land, have lunch and go visit museums before flying back to Lima..
but everything was… something else.
we were late
so we went to the museum first
our guide was impossible to understand
and impossibly uninteresting
so we all kinda followed him around and vaguely paid attention
i snapped pictures of mummies and skulls..
then we went to a desert Oasis
there used to be 12
this is the only one left
and i wonder if they have put it together with flush toilets and farms?
jim was turned on to a sand boarder kid, i snapped his picture
and three fat men i had been watching laughed when i walked up to the “Burger Queen” van
and tried talkig with me..
so i took their picturs..
damn.. Ica is HOT.
i wish i had time to run around in the sand dunes…
but…
back on the bus
back to the airport
fucking more (mercury) problems
waiting
they said our plane had engine trouble and they had to fix it
great.
waiting
d & E drinking at the lounge thing
zoo behind
with a llama, alpaca… some ducks
and a condor.
a condor in a fucking cage
with a pile of rocks
i talked with him
he waddled up to me and stuck his beak out
and desperately tried to kill me.
he was VERY unhappy
and i sang him a little song of “sorry”
and tried to scope out the scene to see if i could break him out..
then D & E arrived with their camera
and a local guy opened the door to the cage
got in and grabbed the condor’s comb
and wrenched him up onto the pile of rocks
then jammed his comb back into his face
causing him to hold his wings out to full span.
how… beautiful…
D had E pose on the rocks in front of the bird..
i took pictures
horrified
and helpless.
amazing animal
poor guy.
waiting.
they bought lots of gold.
waiting.
i saw this incredibly hot guy
wide, thick
furry dark forarms
big thick fingers
wide face
HOT
i tried to snap a picture of him
and wished i could seduce him somehow..
i feel almost inpotent here…
jim fell asleep
and we went to watch a movie about the nazca lines..
it was a bit over a half hour..
the guy talking to us told us they were a calender, maybe
gemini is a tree!
and i found out that Deetmar is a Leo (and a cardiac surgeon)
and Elizabeth is a Picese (and executive)
— fits.
waiting more
we were all starving
and i had one more amaranth bar in my bag
and ate it
moments later
they said our plane was ready for the flight over the Nazca Plane…
it was also a single engine Cessna
but even smaller.
deetmar had to sit in the cockpit for us all to fit.
as soon as we took off
i started feeling a bit ill
and was worried that if E got sick
i´d get sick too..
the view was amazing..
amazing desert
the mountains
dead farm patches
wind swept up the dead desert mountains
jostling the plane
nausea started to rise and take over
i tried to turn the vent towards my face
and it broke and fell off onto the floor
as we got to the nazca plane (about a half hour)
i could not control it anymore
i had been trying reiki and qi-gung and grabbed for my lavendar oil
but it was too late
i grabbed the barf bag and hurled
…
i´d never thrown up in a plane before
so as we’re sliding back and forth
turning almost perpendicular to the earth
back and forth and back and forth to see the shapes in the desert
i am
over and over and over
vomiting into a bag
all the amaranth and chocolate and water…
until it was just dry heaves
coughing up mucous…
i couldn’t photograph while it was happening, of course
i had vomit on my pants and hands and beard
but jim kept trying to hand me the camera..
i refused the last time..
as we left the plane and headed back to Ica
i felt much better
and hoped i wouldn´t throw up again…
but i felt it comming
so tried to lose myself in a sexual fantasy about that guy i’d seen at the airport earlier today
it didn’t work.. i threw up a few more times.
landed
and flew out of the plane
washed the vomit off my shirt in the bathroom
and wished i could just lay down somewhere…
but no rest
had to go to lunch
some buffet somewhere
couldn’t take it…
they wouldn’t let me just sleep in the bus
so
i walked out to a court yard outside of where they were eating
and put an electrolyte packet in my water bottle
and slowly sipped it
there was a terribly loud construction noise coming from behind the fence
so i put on my new ear-plug headphones
listened to the new Broken Social Scene album
and decided to write down the sexual fantasy i had started on the plane
to read what i wrote, click here
…& locks on the doors.
The other lodges just had hook&eye latches… s´ok. No one Complained
but this place has air tight box rooms with door knobs (offensive!) & LOCKS!
so fucking annoying. inconvenient.
sad…
someone´s gotta hold the key. guess right now it´s mee.
…& Electricity, of course: the lights (power savers), the fans going constantly, the AC (headache)…
This morning they had a toaster…
how nice!
but not a little box & slice one, no –
an industrial conveyor huge machine… turning away & throwing off heat… & no one using it — ahhh… luxury means we can waste all we want!
i shoveled down some sweet yoghurt & puffed grain cereal… couldn´t even eat the omlet.
rushing to take a shit, then ran back up to catch the boat to monkey island.
i woke up early this morning…
but heavy curtains…
i thought it was too early, so went back to sleep…
without looking at my watch i keep getting screweed up on Time—-
FIE!
— —
i just ate cuchichuapé
kah-she-chew-ah-pé
cat fish broth, scallions — mashed plantaines.
—————————————————–
i wish i could have written “the power of now”
.. done it my way: whatever that is.
because i want to help & contribute to the whole of society… & i´d like to write a book or something…
i´ve had these ideas for Years!
… but not the awareness & skill to manifest a book.
… & i wouldn´t want to coast on this… & be a part of New Age Super Stardom…
being fully present to any situation back to front. both sides…
it´s fun, i guess – so it´s always pleasureable … engrossing… entertaining
… all i ask for is…
The whole thing to be conscious & not poisonous and violent
how?
… by being what i wish for i bring it into being.
… Let´s Play!
/
back to journaling.
i slept in Judy´s room last night. so tired i didn´t want any conversation
she´s a nice lady… tries a bit too hard with her New Agey stuff
i woke from some strong dreams
skinny boy blue gave my camera away to some homeless guy (how i lost it in the dream) then invited him back into the house (party?) and then let him get away again!
woke up angry and frustrated
had to piss… then went back to bed
woke to an empty room– then she came in and told me i had only a half hour befre we left & i better hurry–
which put me in a stressed & pissy mood
running on sleepy auto pilot, i rushed through breakfast..
which all tasted bad this morning–
then went to take a shit & get the camera and shoes…
everyone had left the lodge — so i ran to the boat..
& they were about to pull away — everyone gave me greif for being late;
i sulked.
but the monkey´s were great!
so fun to see them playing around
Though Ary said we weren´t allowed to let them climb on us… one tried & i ducked her… him… dunno.
there were 7 types here…
i only remember him calling one a “wooly monkey”
-curled tail… classic monkey. very personable.
Bianca… or Blanca? the one who got me…
Inglese was the red-faced beast … & there were a few smaller types like squirrels… and another large and shy one with a white face…
i fed a few soem strange black palm berries that one of the guys on the island gave to me
& then… walking away back to the clearing, Blanca held up her hand to me
and i held out mine
she grabbed my fingers and swung up onto my arm and climbed up my body onto my head
which tickled me, of course
and i would have liked nothing more…
but said ” off me girl, you´re gonna get me in trouble ”
— feeling insecure this morning.
Ary pointed out some blooming Datura
i guess they´re the same as ours..
but they had no scent right now.. too late in the day? (round 9am)
— i love explaining what these plants do to these people…
we all went into a monkey-proof building
where the rest of the group sat down to some guy telling them about the island and the monkey´s there
Ary whispered in my ear “follow me if you´d like to eat something”
so when he dissappeared
i dissappeard with him..
into the back
a kitchen.
he gave me some bannanas: chiquita and manza
had to wait for the water to boil
so i sat and watched the monkey, listened…
when the food was ready
a woman gave it to me:
a bowl full of broth… and a cat-fish.
with scallions!
and a plate of boiled plantains.
Ary came back in and grabbed the plantains and mashed them into the broth
and kept laughing while we ate:
that´s what they eat here
” all the tourist food is junk ”
and, indeed, this food filled me better… for the rest of the day.
simple real food.
back at the lodge
i went to see the giant ceiba tree again
huge. beautiful. gigantic ( a big big hug )
fold big enough to get lost in..
my one complaint with the jungle: i could never just sit and spend time with the trees: it´d get eaten to death by the skeeters.
so i walked on windy paths through the forest
trying to remember the turns i was taking so as not to get lost
up and down around
amazing tree and plant after another
but i couldn´t linger long on any of them
so i just walked
breathing deep
taking it in
being with it..
i realized, after a while
that, though it looks like the path was winding
it was actually pretty straight: i could just feel it
and following that feeling
i ended up at the back propety line:
a fence…
18 acres, Ary said…
so, heading back, i had very little worry about time or getting lost
just followed that feeling: straight back to the lodge
came out by judy´s room in a little over a quarter hour.
time enough for a shower, swim (the pool water left me feeling sticky)
skipped lunch, ate some more bananas
and it was time to go:
i was still the last one on the boat
one of the medium sized covered ones… back to Iquitos..
watching the jungle turn to town
but never really to city..
big buildings, yes… but still with thatched rooves… sometimes layered between the palms and tin…
we got in the wooden bus
and rode back out to the airport..
i wondered where Dan had lived here
had he stayed in the city the whole time?
why didn´t he live in the jungle?
the airport…
hustling through things
people always in a rush
for what?
more waiting.
while waiting
everyone started talking
through side comments under their breath
about tipping Ary…
what?
i dismissed the idea by saying ” i´ve already tipped him: i gave him a massage ”
coz i don´t really like the idea of tipping.
(that being said, anytime i buy anything in NYC, i give an extra dollar.. but food is different than personal service: like a massage… i rarely get tipped– i charge enough)
but he kept making comments about money
so i gave him another 20 soles…
coz jim said he´d given him 40…
it was only later that i realized jim had paid him in Dollars
and then i felt bad
20 soles is about 6 dollars…
but it was too late.
Ary had left
and we were getting on the plane
and flying to some small town elsewhere in the Amazon reigon…
some beautiful mountainous jungle place
we lifted off again
to see the moon rise: yes, full tonight.
sun gone
landed in Lima just an hour later…
then met Walter: our new guide.
came back to the hotel
and i tried to get to sleep as soon as possible so i could wake up early to come down and journal and FTP those pictures…
Ceiba Tops. listening to the amazon. 12:30 — just before lunch
Yeah, i´m hungry.
but i´m really impressed with the furniture…
wrought iron… Rebar
that they´ve welded into chair shape
wrapped in plastic cord
soft/firm
ah.
talk about HARSH MY MELLOW.
this morning i woke up before Jim & it took me only a second to know why:
i threw my clothes on and ran back to the botanic garden to grab a leaf of Yagé and Chacruna: two of the four in their local Ayahuasca mixture…
the other is the tall standing, down-facing Datura, called “Toé” here
i didn´t see her around… but i didn´t need any of her right now..
i ran back & shredded the leaves with my fingers into my Absinth bottle.
Jim was still asleep & my orange shirt smelled like cat piss — all that sweat in the heat & humidity…
so i grabbed my jacket, the camera & my watch to see what time it was:
still before seven: i had plenty of time before breakfast and leaving —
i ran back to the garden to photograph the plants & signs (with names and latin names)
… Plenty of time!
& many other plants too…
cashew..
& a turtle in the pond…
on the walk back to the lodge i passed Guillermo going to fetch more Huito to re-touch our tattoos…
so i packed & met him in the lodge so he could work on me
i then i offered him a massage
layed him on some tables and did the same session i´d given to Ary
— it surprised me how tense both of them were (for living in the jungle)
… though G was worse than Ary.. i hurt him a few times…
he probably just didn´t feel comfortable
& everyone was waiting, so i had to hurry—
the boat we took today was like the small boats we´d used, but with a fabric canopy and a bigger engine
back loaded down with all our luggage
when we sped out onto the Napo
the back went down so low into the water
the waves were well above the sidewall of the boat…
and then engine was loud
so i got my iPod shuffle and newheadphones back from Ary to mainly block out the noise — first time i´d listened to it in the jungle.
it helped.. i heard ” lover´s spit ” and ” intuition ” by Feist
but by the time Devendra started singing
we´d arrived at where we were going
a village called Mazan.
we got off the boat ( i got a picture of the boat driver i´d admired from the day before… his name was “mardey” maybe? )
everyone was gathered round
kids
— i started using Kwai´s tecnique of taking pictures of people and then showing them the picture on the back of the camera…
they were all fascinated
Deetmar got his own bike
Judy and Pancho rode on the back of bikes
the rest of us sat double in the MotoCars
— a model-T ford back attatched to a Motorcycle Front..
or… a Motorcycle-rickshaw..
get the idea?
we barrled along a road that was more like a sidewalk
section paved cement
barely wide enough for one of the motocars,
had to pull over into the grass to pass
the road went from the Napo to the Amazon on the thinnest area of land between the two..
it maybe took 15 minutes… probably shorter (everything seems longer here )
-(lunch and dinner break, lost my pen, had to borrow one from the bar)-
on the way, jim dropped his fan and some guy on a motorcycle rode back up and gave it to us..
we passed a boy carrying a dead cat, holding it up to us to show…
to take home to eat?
Deetmar had a little accident, crashed into a building, nearly
grazed it
just a swath of blood on his elbow
… we both agreed that good living leaves it´s marks
( always end up with scabs )
and Ary pulled out his bottle of syrup i´d noticed him carrying the whole time but had never used..
it was Sangre de Draco… Dragon´s Blood
a sap from a palm… or epiphyte?
he smeared it all over Deetmar´s wounds
and they scabbed instantly.
we walked down a little dirt path to the boat
piled in
and road 10 minutes to our next and last lodge:
Explorama INN at the Ceiba Tops
… a totall different beast than the two we´d been at before.
Electric lights. Air Conditioning. Cement. Big Chlorinated pool (With Water Slide!)
Elizabeth started cheering… i felt the dread creeping–
Ary immediately took us to see the last of the huge Ceiba Trees in the area…
similar in size and energy to the Redwoods..
but standing all by itself:
they have almost been logged into extinction
because they are EXCELLENT for making plywood…
WHAT!?
Elizabeth and Deetmar started talking about how that one tree must be worth $50,000
and i wanted to strangle them both.
when we got to our rooms — i shattered:
Fucking Freezing Cold AC. ugh.
i panicked and ran.
hating the cement.
hating tourists.
hating america.
i walked…
i´d been having SUCH a good time..
feeling so close to nature out in the jungle…
& this felt SO GROSS
fucking british emperialist BASTARDS everywhere
i found a little cement deck by the amazon and just collapsed in a chair…
and listened.
thought i would write out my anger…
but ran out of time for writing before i even got there.
it was funny, though
i´d been writing a few moments
and looked up: a worker had sat in a chair near by and was watching me
… i must have looked so funny…
i waved good bye to him
and headed back up to the lodge to get to lunch
— i wondered if i was so crabby from listening to the music
.. i did my best to release the tension
vented only a little bit when i got back to the group
´ Ary ´ , i said ´ This Place Is SO UnCivilized. ´
he laughed.
he took us out back after lunch to see a Tapir
— this thing was like a huge pig with a small elephant trunk & Capivara feet (like a three-pointed leaf)
eating lunch´s leftovers…
it DID NOT want me to pet him…
wouldn´t let me close to him
i took some pictures though…
they were offering to do laundry here
for $3.00 an item (yeah, US dollars)
so i washed my shirt and pants in the sink i the room
stood in the shower to rinse them
and wore them around to dry them
then took them back to the room and used the AC to suck the rest of the moisture out of them.
after lunch
i went back to that deck to write
but just lay and drifted
listening to the river flowing by
… killed a golden fly that was trying to bite my foot
when i swatted at him i knocked one of his wings off
and he just buzzed around in fast circles on the ground..
i figured it´d put him out of his misery
so crushed his heady with a leaf and threw him in the grass..
— then went walking.
the jungle smelled SO SWEET
the cocoa… the Chocolate Trees were blooming!
little white flowers growing from the trunk, a large pod hanging..
oooooohhhhh— it smelled SO GOOD!
… walked through a soccer field to get some sun… & musquitos…
i couldn´t stop to spend time with the trees or i´d get eaten..
so i just walked a while
and breathed the sweet air
forest cleaning me off..
when i got back to the lodge i felt much better
& it was time to go on our excursion..
i had an Inca Kola and waited…
then got my sadals
Ary pointed out the Datura on the walk to the dock
but it wasn´t blooming
he told us stories of a friend of his
huge guy who was really into … experimenting with the plants
wrapped and tapped the sap from a datura
and was gone for three days
constantly taking too many plant mixtures and flipping out:
lived with his parents
and scared the shit out of them.
we got in the boat and went back to the place we´d left only hours before
the dock at the amazon side of Mazan
got in the motocars
and headed back to the Napo side (where the actual village was) on the same MotorizedRickshaws
we ate a leaf-wrapped coxinha! rice ball with chicken inside…
a fish/yuca tamale kinda thing…
and fresh pineapple that Ary cut up for us…
we walked through a market
salted meats with parts of the hoof and fur still left so you could see what animal it was…
and all sorts of fish
didn´t smell too bad
but was hot as hell
Jim and i hurried through
while the rest (it was only us and Judy and Pancho and Deetmar that came on this trip ) stayed to buy fixins for Ary´s salsa
when everyone came out
we sauntered down the street
to the dock
saw pigs getting weighed for sale (squeeling their heads off)
trussed up by two tied feet
two men holding a pole with a suspended scale hook..
the pigs didn´t like it..
it looked like men were building a levee or something..
the rivers always flood, of course…
we walked down the broken street
bought some sweets (mmmm, flour)
and then stopped at a DVD store.
yeah… who in this town had TVs and DVD players?
the shop also had engines and tubing and hardware..
and pop culture t-shirts (Gorillaz)
Ary had been telling me about a peruvian movie called Holocausto Cannibal!
and they had it there (well, the sequel) so i bought it… for 5 soles (DVD-R)
i figured Nayland would get a kick out of the camp value at least…
and still, Jim and i walked away first
he was pretty sure one of the boys was putting the make on him..
but we had no idea how homosexuality works here.
we got back in our rickshawas
and headed over to the bigger town in the area:
INDIANA
it was a pretty amazing journey
the road had Maybe 5 inches to spare
and those guys never fell off…
they must have driven it a hundred times
but damn..
if we would have come off the edge of that cement it would not have been pretty..
and we did have to pass people sometimes..
just pull over into the grass..
i took pictures of the people and places we passed..
the bannanas and maize felds
houses
catholic school kids in uniform
jungle…
Indiana.
two lane big boulevard with flowers down the centre
.. the drove us near the main squre and dropped us off by some Turkeys who were strutting around. very blue heads..
i took a picture of a plaque that explained that the founder of this town had lived in Indianapolis and studied there.
came back here and started this town as a Model Village for the Amazons…
— never far from home
i tried to explain what “Hoosier” was
and then got really giddy
and tried talking to all the kids
telling them how i was from Indiana
..
the kids flocked around us
and Ary gave us more vender food:
a fried Knish type thing with carmelized onions and boiled egg…
and a tamale with nearly the same
SO GOOD!
we walked down another blvd lined with trees that had been sculped into shapes:
cones. toucans. triangles. spirals. U…?
sat at a bar with the millions of kids around us
and drank huge beers.
after the first sip, we started singing
“show me the way to go home”
and the kids loved being photographed and shown their pictures…
they started gathering flowers and giving them to Judy..
and the night was coming on.
so we headed down to the dock
and rode back to the resort with the sun setting in front of us..
beautiful colours…
i went to the lodge to write
but no luck…
it was all conversation with the ladies that didn´t go with us
then dinner
til now…
it´s late
i´m tired
and i want to go to bed…
—
judy (CO,IL) is july 12th
Judy (TX) is march 2nd
Christine (NY,VA) is may 31st
Regina (NY) is November 16th…
Judy said i could sleep in her room coz AC does the same thing to her as it does to me
so i´m off to her room now
still cold, but the AC turned off, just the fan going.
ahhh… ball point pens smell bad
but christopher O´Riley´s “Hold me to this” is nice
last song of tonight:
” the tourist “
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