Saints and Parade

6/3/15

   

  

  

  

  

  

   

     

  

  

  

  

  

  

   

             

  

  

   

   

  

    
   I used to be in an orchestra for 6 years (well, Chinese orchestra to be exact.) I used to play this guitar like instrument, and sit directly in front of a trumpet like instrument. While I know it is bad to flinch, and I always know the deafening noise will be coming, I just could not help it. It is like having a blast of noise that come directly next to your ear. I seriously think my hearing is bad now because of that. (Well, my love of headphones while running probably does not help either..)

I have to catch the bus to Arequipa today, so I was going to take things easy. As I was walking out the door, the hostel owner told me there is a huge festival today- Corpus Christi. Apparently, it used to be an Inva tradition, celebrating harvest, the Sun god and their bounty (heh, bounty). When the Spaniards moved in, they incorporated it, by parading 15 corpses of their saints and virgins around the city. Hence, the festival is now an interesting mix of culture and religion.

I walked down to Plaza San Fransico and immediately found that I am in love with the festival- they were serving dishes with: guinea pig, chicken, bread, corn and rice, for 25 soles. I was all about to indulge when I realized the ladies were using bare hands to collect money, cut food, and grab food. Remembering my long bus ride, I finally decided not to partake (I assure you it was with great regret. I could have been the only foreigner eating there…)

I walked up to the San Blas neighborhood, and found a Saint about to start the journey. Apparently, the statues have to pass all the main churches, finally end up in the main cathedral. These stairs are huge, decorated with fresh flowers, and carried by the local church members. It was quite a sight to follow the statue around the city. Each statue were uniquely decorated, with a band following it, and usually with dancers in front of it. All in all, it was like 15 processions that eventually merged in Plaza de Armas. Since the distances are so long (and with slopes!), they also have a stand to rest the statues while the carriers rested. It was a lot of team work, but it seemed to be an honor to carry the statues. The dancers were all dressed in different costumes or native wears. 

I spent most of the day taking photos, watching the parade, getting pushed and shoved (which really reminded me of Chinese New Year in Asian…). I had a lot of fun, and it was only when the sun started to set when I realized it was almost 5pm. I rushed back to the hostel and am now writing all these up before my overnight bus trip.

Why did I mention being in an orchestra? Well, it takes a lot of team work to be in an orchestra. While we ever marched (err…that would have been quite a sight..), we do have to coordinate with many other bands for concerts. But most importantly: while I was walking along with the statue, the drummers seemed to love me and I always ended up next to them. The deafening drum beat was enough to bring back all those great memories of being on an orchestra. 

(By the way, if you ever talked to me on a bar and I have this confused look on my face, it is not because I was drunk. It’s really because I have a hard time hearing conversations in a noisy environment- thanks Chinese orchestra. Or my headphones. But I think blaming the orchestra is easier…)

Complaint and Rest

6/2/15

   
            I have worked as an engineer for a while now, and am always surprised at how much customer services we have to do. I think I spent more time talking to clients, making sure they are feeling good, and ensuring they trust me than actual calculation. If you add that onto resource management, planning and budgeting, it is amazing we are not call managers (haha..).

My current plan is to leave Cuzco and head to Arequipa tomorrow night, hike the Colca Canyon, move into Huacachina, Paracaz and then Lima. Originally, I wanted to spend a week or more on Arequipa, but An old friend from Singapore (Huangjie) contacted me and said he will be in Lima on 6/11. It is too bad he is coming only now, since he will also be going to Machu Picchu, Salar de Uyuni, and many other places I have already passed through. It would have been really fun to travel with a friend I have not met for so long! (Or we will really hate each other…)

Being a good business student and an engineering manager, I decided to lodge a formal complaint against the tour agency. While I know and understand there were a lot of things they could not control (tour guides being late, hostel forgot a pick up, etc.), there was one thing they should never have done: gave me a hostel name that has been changed. In the end, the tour agency explained that they have a stamp with the new hostel name that was supposed to go onto the map, but the staffs sometime forget. Apparently they were also supposed to call the hostel to ensure pick up occur, but again, they tend to forget. In the end, they were nice enough to refund me US $50 (in U.S. currency too!!). It was a lot better than I had expected.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on talking to the Peru Hop bus to get my arrivals and departures dates set (well, as set as it can be for an independent traveler with a few months left) and also bought 2 pairs of socks (I actually brought hiking socks, but seldom use them. I have lived with runnin socks for the past month). (Boring entry, right? It will be even more boring tomorrow since I will just be packing and getting ready the night bus! A far cry from Machu Picchu…)

As I sat eating dinner, I realized how much working in the United States has changed me. I have actually picked up the habit of asking for things, and expect a certain level of service in return. I am not as afraid to sit back and just take things as it is. It is an interesting change from my upbringing, where I usually just let things be. I am not sure if it is a god or bad change, but at least for now, I gained back my $50.

(The Chinese has a lot of sayings of just letting things be. They tend to think that people who are bad will receive retribution, and they will be punished at the right time. Of corse, with more money in their pockets now, I think it is only a matter of time before they start demanding more and more things…)

Machu and Picchu

6/1/15

   
                     I like to give contrary opinions. Part of that is because I am a big fan of discussing issues (well, with close friends), the other part may have to do with me being the attention seeking middle child. At the same time, I have a fairly solid (or so I think) moral compass. I know there are something’s I will never do (if you know me well enough, you will know that taking a life is not one of them. Also, you may want to re-read the previous statement.)

I think I surprised many when I mentioned that Machu Picchu was not on my priority list when visiting Peru. For me, the idea of visiting Machu Picchu is through the Inca trail, hike through the forest and discover the lost city just like Indiana Jones (which is based on the Yale professor Bingham who “found” Machu Picchu). Since I am short on budget, trekking was never in my plan. In retrospect, I really should have listen less to critics and just book a tour when I get to Cuzco. Everyone told me how restrictive the permits for hiking are, and how expensive they are. I really wanted to bypass Machu Picchu, until everyone I met told me to just take the train and do a short hike. I decided to get a tour agency to get my bus and train tickets in order, bought my one day permit to Machu Picchu online, and do a 2 days dash including a visit to Sacred Valley. 

If you read the blog from yesterday, you already knew what happened: the hostel forgot to pick me up, there was a delay in meeting the guide, and there was no hot shower in the hostel. I slept at 10pm, waking up at 4:30am for the hike up to Machu Picchu. It was pitch black, and thankfully I had my flashlight with me. I ran into another lone hiker (from England- again), and we found the first check point at the bridge. After checking out entry permit, the guards allowed us to pass and we went into the steep climb to the top. The climb was a little tough, not because it is all steps, but because it was dark with a lot of hikers on the path. My new found hiking partner turned out to be a fitness instructor, and hikes at a pretty steady pace. We reached the entrance gate at 5:50am, 10 minutes to the actual opening. 

Everyone had the same idea: run into the site before it was overwhelmed with tourists, and are the sun rise. I think I met the first objective relatively ok, but since it was cloudy, there was no visible sun rise (of course the sun rose. I just did not see it rising, or orbiting…). I found out what all tourists said is true: the place is enormous. It looks small in the photographs, but that’s because the aerial view does not show vertical slopes. The site was built on steep slopes, making it extend both up and downhill. Walking the site took a lot of climbing, and I was suitably impressed. I was quite glad I made the trip after all.

As a package, I also paid for a guided tour that started at 8am. As expected, out guide was 40 minutes late. I fuss because several tours were of smaller size, the combined the tour groups, and our guide drew the short straw. He was a decent guide, explaining that the city of Machu Picchu was “abandoned” and hence no one knew why it was built. The city was not self-sufficient, hence food and supplies must be brought in. The walls are actually retaining walls that extend quite a ways below the surface. At the same time, there is visible drainage system, and the main courtyard was backfilled with gravel. The stones used a convex-concave joining system to ensure they were fitted together. It truly is an amazing achievement in architecture and engineering. 

Coming back down to the town, I went to the local hot spring to soak up some minerals (and more importantly: had a great shower). It was another wonder: I was staring at the famous mountains when soaking in a hot spring wearing borrowed swim suits. For a while, I was the only foreigner (well, they charge 10 soles for foreigner and 3 for locals…). I think the locals are used to tourists here, but I got a few looks when I jumped from pool to pool looking for the hottest water. Evetually, I showered with a spigot shaped like a lion head (!) and went back.

I am now sitting at the train station waiting for my train, and hopin the tour agency will remember to pick me up this time. As I reflect on Machu Picchu, I am really glad I visited the site even though I did not visit it the way I imagined. Regardless of how anyone entered the site (you know they have bus the takes you all the way to the entrance? Saves a lot of hiking!!), it is definitely a place that everyone should visit. We may not all find a lost city, but we can all be witness to an ancient civilization. And as for me, I know I might have said a lot about Machu Picchu. But seeing it firsthand made me realize how grand the world really is. 

(Ask me again in 3 months, I am sure I will have a discerning opinion and argue endlessly. I like the attention after all…)

(If you are thinking of going to Machu Picchu, here are what I have learned. Go to Cuzco and pick a trek/train you like. They are available almost everyday. The most luxurious train takes you from Cuzco to Aquas Caliente. There is a bus that takes you from the town center to Machu Pocchu entrance. If you want to do a trek, there are a few with different durations. Just pick one you like and go for it, it really is not that expensive and takes approximately 4-7 days. Nowadays, there is even an adventure trek that includes mountain biking, zip lining, hot spring and a visit to hydro dam. Also, sadly, you should visit Machu Picchu soon. The amount of tourist everyday is causing a lot of erosion and damage to structures.)

Tour and Lost

5/31/15

  
    
     

  

        

(Short entry: I am climbing Machu Picchu tomorrow at 5am.)

I guess the past two posts have been quite heavy on religion, civilization and preservation. I guess I am more a fan of ancient civilization than I thought. Not that I think they should have survive, far from it. I think everyone and thing has a time and place. However, I think it is important we learn from the past mistakes. 

This thoughts came to me when I was doing a day tour of the sacred valley. The tour started off with Cuzco, (or actually Kosco, at 3350 meters above sea, means center of center. It was the center of the inca empire, after the Inca tribe conquered 6 other cultures. The Puma is the Inca symbol for those living on earth. (Condor as the heaven and snake as the underworld, or so I was like…) Sacred valley contained the sacred river that was the most important from Pisa to Machu Picchu. The tour guide also said that with the Spaniards brought their culture with them, and hence the houses are now decorated with a bull outside and an Statue of a native inside the house. I guess when you can’t beat outside influence, you hide them inside. 

Pisaca controlled the production of produce in the inca empire, and the incas used the terraces to experiment on plants. Concave and convex terraces were for farming, stop erosion, testing of plants

At the same time, The Incas mummify the remains, symbolizing back to womb of Mother Earth. They believe the souls will fly to heaven with the condors.

Ollyantaytumbunwas the location for studying the sun. The Incas were building a temple when they were eventually conquered.

As the tour guide talked to us, it is interesting to know that she used “the Spaniards destroyed…” quite a lot. In fact, the books and records had been burned and destroyed (repeat after me: destroyed). Ironically, it is the Spaniards who kept a record of some of the sites in their historical texts. There are also a lot of work done by archeologists, to visualize and re-learn the old construction methods.

I then took a train ride to Agua Caliente, where my hostel forgot to pick me up. I tried to find the hostel, but was utterly lost as no one had heard of it. Eventually, another guide took pity on me and called the tour agency : Loki travels. Turned out, the hostel has changed its name (!) and they forgot I was coming in. They finally came pick me up, recommended me a place for dinner (which was pricy beyond belief, though with good food), and I am now in my hostel room. There is no hot water, and the room smell of mildew. I guess while I have been saying the importance of learning from past mistakes, I myself never do. I should really have done my homework and check, instead if relying on word of mouth. 

(Guess I should have just sucked it up and hike after all. I means at least hiking get me some bragging rights!!)

Temple and Church

5/30/15

   
                     (I am heading to Machu Picchu tomorrow, and will be ascending that famous hill on Monday. Posts may come a little late, or I may end up combining the days.)

I know I am a spoiled human being. I have been living in “developed” country for most of my life, and experience all the comfort and luxury of the modern world. The closest I come to ancient civilization was through museums and lectures (I mean, Hong Kong and Singapore are not really known for their old history). As far as I can remember, most of the museums and sites I visit are dedicated solely to one subject: natural history, a particular religion, a particular period, etc. It is great to be transported back in time and space, and learn something new about the past.

Since I had my own room for the night (a luxury that the hostel owner bestowed onto me), I slept in a little longer than I should. Part of the train is that this hostel has an interesting policy on late night entrance- hit or miss. Last night, some poor soul banged on the door for 30mins before giving up and left. Running into Tom, he told me he needed a new pair of hiking shoes for his trek. The hostel owner suggested the “smuggler market”, which is rumored to sell anything stolen, surplus and everything in between. With Tom’s friends who just arrived from La Paz, we all took a taxi to the market. It was quite a sight- there were every imaginable items (well, in a market. I did not find dragons or phoenix) everywhere in different stands. It was a messy but interesting market. There were also relatively few tourists around, and a local even asked me to switch my backpack to the front for safety reasons.

Leaving the trio to watch the English Premier League (I am not that much a fan of Arsenal…), I headed to Qurikancha- the sun temple. On Inca times, it was the most important temple in the empire, worshipping the sun god Inti. History has it that the temple was once covered in gold, with golden statues, golden objects everywhere. It was rumored to be one of the largest deposit of gold in a temple on earth. The Spainards later demolished part of the site and built the church of Santo Domingo. 

The temple was fascinating, but there were not a lot of artifacts. I am guessing most of the items are either in Spain, or lost through time. There was also a rumor that the gold from the temple was used as a bail for a leader captured by the Spainards. It is still a magnificent architecture site, as you can see the level of advancement needed in tools and engineering to fit large stones together. There is not mortar between the stones, so Gravity and friction are the sole forces holding the building up. 

As I was wandering the temple, I heard choir singing- and thought it was some performance organized by the museum. Walking over, I then realized that the church of Santo Domingo is still in operation, and there was a church service going on. It was a weird juxtaposition of cultures: the winner imposed its religion onto the loser at the loser’s most sacred site. And the museum for a sun temple is also a fully functioning church. I must admit, I am not sure how I feel about the whole situation. Should the experience for visiting an Inca temple be solely about Inca? Or should we all face history and see that the conquerer is the ultimate champion over older civilization and culture? Or should we be happy that we are all now one big happy family (that makes me want to either sing “it is a small world” or get a happy meal…hmm)?

I am now sitting in the hostel courtyard getting ready for the trip to Machu Picchu. Tom, Barry and Finn will do the same in a few days. I am hoping that the visit to the lost city will allow me to experience the Inca empire without the reminder of Spaniards ( no offense to Spainards!) and their conquest. I guess I am a soft hearted person: I want to remember an empire in its glory, not being reminded that it had faded a long time ago.

(Yes I know the Incas went into human sacrifices and other troubled practices. But as I said, I like to remember the good, not the bad. I am not a big fan of human sacrifices, but I do like my chicken heart, pig heart, duck heart on skewers. They age delicious!!)

Religion and Museums

5/29/15 

  
   
                     I am not always a fan of organized religion (err..what is a disorganized religion?!), mostly because of the amount of zealots and fanatics that use religion as a shield and weapon. While majority of the believers are calm and peaceful people working towards a greater good, a minority brandish their religion trying to wreck havoc and pain on non-believers of their religion (or even their own). I can say a lot about Muslim, Christians, Jews (but with surprisingly little complaints to Buddists, since the worst they do is self-immolation), and it will probably start a blog war (well, if that many people actually read my blog…). 

Sometimes, I write the blog earlier in the day when I have free time. This means I may skip what happens for dinner and after (trust me, I usually eat at a cheap place and then go to bed). Last night, I met up with the three Americans (Stephanie, Emily and Marco from Pennsylvania) for the tantalizing taste of Cuy, aka guinea pig. I have met the trio in La Paz, and they are on a whirlwind 3 weeks tour of South America. Unfortunately, Emily felt too full, and so it was just me, Marco and Stepahnie that went. We had to wait an hour for them to roast the guinea pig (for a creature that small, you’d think the cooking is much faster…), but the result was well worth it. It tasted a lot like a duck, and I can see why it is a delicacy: it is quite fatty with crispy skin. One more check against weird food I have tried! 

In the morning, I went to the Musejm of Inca and Museum of Precolumbian time. They are both extremely well ran and definitely places to visit (well, if you like museums, that is). The Inca museum is bigger, and contains a lot of history and artifacts from the Inca Empire. I learned that Machu Picchu is a lot bigger than I expected, and the Incas had great channels and canals for irrigation. It is also interesting to see how the culture was morphed with the coming of the Spainards, and the eventually collapse of the empire. I was also fascinated by how the religions blended together, creating a new hybrid (or just hybrid).

The Precolumbia museum collected artifacts from cultures before Inca period. At least I think that was what it was, since I was too dazzled by the gold, silver and other metals. The museum was very professionally done, with black background and bright spot lights. I am constantly amazed by the craftsmanship and intracacies of the pieces. (Although the labels sometimes feel a little over the top..) the exhibits ends with Inca conquering all the cultures, forming the eventual empire. 

On my way back to the hostel (after failing to find a blue sweater- I decided to get one as souvenir), I chanced upon a procession: men carrying a statue that looked a little like Jack Sparrow. As I was watching, an older woman came up and pinned a ribbon into my tshirt. She said it was for the procession (in Spanish), and then in perfect English, asked for a donation. Torn between tearing the pin off or keeping peace, I did the Asian thing and gave her one soles. 

I walked back a little unhappy about being forced to donate money for something I know nothing about, but kept telling myself it was a small amount. I guess I am more upset about the ethics , which religions are supposed to embodied. As time passes, religions morph to suit their purpose. The arena with lions, the incas conquering the others, the inclusion of Christanity into Inca religion, the inquisition, the crusade, the jihad…it goes on and on. Considering that Judaism, Christanity, Catholicism, and Islam all seemed to started in the same place with about the same players, is it also a case of religion reinventing itself to different people?

(Well, at least no one outlawed the consumption of Cuy. I can’t wait to introduce that dish to my friends back in U.S.! BBQ guinea pigs?)

And talking about dinner: I better include this in today’s blog. I had dinner with 2 new friends from Scotland: David ( a layer who does international law concerning engineers!) and Sarah (marketing and business woman). We met on the Bolivia hop bus, and got to know each other since we all stayed in the same hostel in Puno (where their laundry came back dirtier than before). We had a great time at Los Perros eating the biggest burgers and the spiciest Indian food. It was great to know so many people along this portion of the trip! They are heading to Columbia before I do, and hopefully will tell me all the tips and tricks when they are done. (Hmm. Maybe I should thanks a higher deity for my recent luck with meeting good people? I should really compose a prayer to offset my current blog post….)

Religion and Museums

5/29/15 

I am not the greatest fan of organized religion (err..what is a disorganized religion?!), mostly because of the amount of zealots and fanatics that uses religion as a shield and weapon. While majority of the believers are calm and peaceful people working towards a greater good, a minority brandish their religion and try to wreck havoc and pain on non-believers of their religion. I can say a lot about Muslim, Christians, Jews (but with surprisingly little complaints to Buddists, since the worst they do is self-immolation), and it will probably start a blog war (well, if that many people actually read my blog…). 

Sometimes, I write the blog earlier in the day when I have free time. This means I may skip what happens for dinner and after (trust me, I usually eat at a cheap place and then go to bed). Last night, I met up with the three Americans (Stephanie, Emily and Marco from Pennsylvania) for the tantalizing taste of Cuy, aka guinea pig. I have met the trio in La Paz, and they are on a whirlwind 3 weeks tour of South America. Unfortunately, Emily felt too full, and so it was just me, Marco and Stepahnie that went. We had to wait an hour for them to roast the guinea pig (for a creature that small, you’d think the cooking is much faster…), but the result was well worth it. It tasted a lot like a duck, and I can see why it is a delicacy: it is quite fatty with crispy skin. One more check against weird food I have tried! 

In the morning, I went to the Musejm of Inca and Museum of precolimbian time. They are both extremely well ran and definitely places to visit (well, if you like museums, that is). The Inca museum is bigger, and contains a lot of history and artifacts from the Inca Empire. I learned that Machu Picchu is a lot bigger than I expected, and the Incas had great channels and canals for irrigation. It is also interesting to see how the culture was morphed with the coming of the Spainards, and the eventually collapse of the empire. I was also fascinated by how the religions blended together, creating a new hybrid.

The Precolumbia museum collected artifacts from cultures before Inca period. At least I think that was what it was, since I was too dazzled by the gold, silver and other metals. The museum was very professionally done, with black background and bright spot lights. I am constantly amazed by the craftsmanship and intracacies of the pieces. (Although the labels sometimes feel a little over the top..) the exhibits ends with Inca conquering all the cultures, forming the eventual empire. 

On my way back to the hostel (after failing to find a blue sweater- I decided to get one as souvenir), I chanced upon a procession: men carrying a statue that looked a little like Jack Sparrow. As I was watching, an older woman came up and pinned a ribbon into my tshirt. She said it was for the procession (in Spanish), and then in perfect English, asked for a donation. Torn between tearing the pin off or keeping peace, I did the Asian thing and gave her one soles. 

I walked back a little unhappy about being forced to donate money for something I know nothing about, but kept telling myself it was a small amount. I guess I am more upset about the ethics , which religions are supposed to embodied. As time passes, religions morph to suit their purpose. The arena with lions, the incas conquering the others, the inclusion of Christanity into Inca religion, the inquisition, the crusade, the jihad…it goes on and on. Considering that Judaism, Christanity, Catholicism, and Islam all seemed to started in the same place with about the same players, is it also a case of religion reinventing itself to different people?

(Well, at least no one outlawed the consumption of Cuy. I can’t wait to introduce that dish to my friends back in U.S.! BBQ guinea pigs?)

Construction and Preservation

5/28/15

   
             If you are a consistent reader of this little blog, you may have realized my views are not quite consistent. I sometimes wish for modern construction, but feel nostalgic for ancient civilizations’ architecture preservation. I am all for peace, but think that sometime it is necessary to go to war for your rights and believes. It is a complicated world, and things can be ever changing. (Or I just like making excuses. I do quite like my excuses though. They sound so thoughtful and thought provoking…)

I woke up but stayed in bed because I wanted to wait for everyone to leave the room before I changed my clothes. I also realized that the ladies can be a messy group. There were long hairs everywhere and clothes all over the floor. I had a quick breakfast, chatted with Tom and a new girl from Texas who is on her summer break (how do people get money to travel so young?!). After that, I went to meet Youva (whom I met in Salar de Uyuni), and went for a city tour. 

We walked around the city and went up to various squares and churches. It seems that the Spainards simply took stones from Inca temples and houses to build churches, or build on top of existing inca houses. This resulted in stone foundation houses with European second stories. It was a little reminder that the losers of wars tend to lose their cultures and heritages, no matter how great the empires had been.

We also went up to the White Christ (hey, not being racist here. It is call Christo Blanco!) statues, the ruins of Saqsayhuaman (where the stones were removed for European houses in the city after the fall on Inca). While I am sad that such a historical and impressive architecture site had been demolished, I can’t say I am a big fan of the Inca system- where the Inca emperor was the direct link to God and everyone was to serve him so as to gain favor from God. (Wait that sounds familiar. I think the Chinese, Egyptian, India indians, English, etc all had the same system. Never mind…) the tour continued to a few museums (coca and herbs), and we were all given a tasting of pisco sour. All in all, it was a great walking tour. (They also took tons of photos and posted all of them in Facebook. The wonder of technology!)

The rest of the day was spent on finding a way to Machu Picchu. I finally decided to go with an agency to make my life simpler. There are various ways to DIY, but I also want a memorable experience – well, pleasant memory anyway. After that, I went back to the hostel and ran into Tom. We decided to go to a cafe to write- me on my blog and him on his notebook. And hence, you are not reading what I wrote in this little cafe up on a hill in Cuzco. As a city, Cuzco is extremely touristy. But it also has cobble stone streets, church bells, red tiled roofs – well, very European. It is a nice city, and I was told a lot of celebrities had stayed here in the five stars hotels. 

As I sat in the cafe eating my lemon pie and drinking latte, I am torn between the decision of preservation, construction and everything in between. As an engineer (and a civil one), I think everything has its time and place, and it maybe necessary to demolish structures for a new one. However, the more civil minded side of me would like to preserve the history, the ancient architectures and believes so we can know where we came from. Yet, if we preserve all the ancient sites, we will end up paving the world and losing natural habitats. So is losing history where we can Learn from our mistakes more important, or is catering to the current human race’s need more pressing? The contrast between new and old: is it worth keeping?  I know, we have to balance everything, and decide what is the common good. So who makes that decision? And will we live to regret it?

(Probably not. By the time all the trees are gone like that on Easter Island, I should have died on one of my weird adventures. Now I am going to enjoy my pie, read some news on the Internet, and pretend to think philosophically.)

New City and Old Friend

5/27/15

   
    
       The one thing constant in life: change. This is especially true when traveling. Not only are you dependent on bus routes, plane times, and geography; there is the added risk elements of natural disasters, strikes and protests, outages, and anything in-between. It forces you to adapt, to make sudden plan change, and to be okay with uncertainties. As a well-trained engineer, uncertainties is something I am not used to. 

The bus dropped us all off at Cuzco at 4:15am in the morning. It was a total chaotic moment where we were all grabbing our bags, trying to find a taxi that would take us to our hostels. This was when I was disappointed with Peru Hop bus. The guide did absolutely nothing during the 8 hours bus ride, and then tries to cram everyone into taxis while yelling out destinations. Added to the mess was a traveler who was very sick, coughing throughout the bus trip. Feeling frustrated, I took a taxi with a couple from Ireland and went to our respective hostels.

After a few more hours of nap, I woke up at 8:30am. Having breakfast, I met Tom (from Dublin) who was on the bus a day before. We caught up (well, for what happened in a day I guess), and chatted about Machu Picchu. I was too scared there won’t be an entrance ticket for me, and bought one just in case. But turns out you can just walk into any agency here and get a tour. So much for daily tourist limitations.

After breakfast, I walked down to San Franscio square to meet another travel buddy: Simon (from Wales) whom I took the Salar de Uyuni tour with. I was never supposed to catch up with him, since he has a shorter travel schedule than I do. But with the strike/protest today and tomorrow, I had to travel to Cuzco asap, and so just caught up with him on his last day here. It was fun catching up on our separate travels for the lasts month. It also felt great to actually meet a friend in a new city. We caught up over coffee in a restaurant overlooking Plaza de Armas, and coincidentally meeting 3 groups of UK tourists. (So many UK tourists in South America!) We walked around various landmarks and central markets, ate at an excellent restaurant, and had a great time. Simon is attempting to get onto a bus even though there is an ongoing strike. The very definition of a determined tourist trying to see as much as possible regardless of challenging situations. (Well, or he is just stubborn. Who knows…)

I came back to the hostel only to find 2 more girls in my dorm room. That makes 4 girls and 1 guy in a dorm. I know most would be excited, but j am actually quite embarrassed. I feel like I can’t take my shirt off without going to be bathroom, pass gas, dig my nose, snore, etc. It is actually somewhat stressful. I tried asking for another room, but the place is packed until tomorrow. Hopefully I can get into another room tomorrow.

As I sit in the courtyard, I am amaze how many things have changed already during this trip. My itinerary has been morphed into something u recognizable, I am planning to go more places than plan, take different routes, try new things. One thing that has not changed: I still like to see new things, talk and make new friends (and hope to keep them), and experience new experiences. It is interesting that traveling has kept me more organized (I have to carry everything! Literally), budget better, and be more aware of my surroundings. If you ever wonder if traveling alone is for you: it definitely is. 

(Now how do I not accidentally expose myself when I sleep?!)