My last day in South America

Well, it really has been a wild ride, one that I will never forget. Saturday night when I left on the bus I cried for about two hours thinking about all the things I would miss about living here. Number one, Aidan. He became my best friend after I jumped into his bed naked and he refused me. Most people would say, "why the heck would you ever talk to him again?!" but if you knew him you would know why. That little part of my heart I left in Cusco...that was him. For some reason we didn't get together in the way a backpacker might have a fling. We grew something special together and I know that we will meet again.

Number two but a really close second, Christie, my Aussie. Heck, if it wasn't for her I would probably still be sleeping in my room at The Point wasting my time away. Those hostels are great but sometimes you just get stuck there because they offer all the luxuries home would and you never get to really see the city you stay in. Plus I have all these great memories with her like screaming at Peter from the TV room to bring us CHOCOLATE!!! Plus there was the time that she and I were depressed about Moose leaving but then we found some chocolate marshmellows on a street stand and became instantly happy. :) And if it were not for Christie then I never would have met Damian, her latin lover and my great friend as well. He really helped me practice my Spanish because he barely spoke any English at all! I will really miss her friendship up close but I'm trying to talk her into coming to NYC!!!

Third will be all my other Peruvian friends like Karina, Vanessa and Julia. They are the one's that make Cusco bright and if they ever leave then that will be a cloudy day in history for that city. I'm really going to miss walking down into the Plaza and seeing people that I came to know. That's when you know you really live in a place, when business owners, residents and tourists alike recognize you and seek you out on the busy street to say hello. I'll also really miss all of my day to day habits. I'll miss Christie or Aidan waking my lazy ass up to go get s/1.50 egg and cheese sandwiches from Epi that were made even better by the fact that she let up keep our own mayo and salsa golf at her stand because we were such regulars. I'll miss fresh juice that costs less than a dollar from Rena and fighting with my friends just before which juice lady we would go to. I'll miss making up silly songs about the market and thinking up ways to make the best music video for "My jugo brings all the boys to the yard"!

And I can never forget those day trips to little pueblos like Pisac where I found my most favorite piece of jewelry I will ever own. It's a medium sized silver ring that has a leave on one side and what looks like a hibiscus flower on the other encircling a beautiful oval mother of pearl stone. It's also where I took my favorite picture in all of SA when I went with Christie. Where else will you see an old indigenous couple pushing each other around in an old sales cart! Calca is a tranquil pueblo just outside of Pisac where Aidan and I discovered a pair of scissor stuck in a giant cactus fruit plant that grew to tall for it's surrounding wall. I would reccomend anyone who needs a day away from the hustle and bustle of Cusco to take that trip. Then there's Ollyatatombo where Moose and I first went through to get to Machu Picchu. We had amazing food at the cutest restaurant...I can still smell that delicious burrito!! And the last time I went with Aidan and saw a baby money being carried around on a small black dogs back...or finally saw the giant Inca face on the side of a cliff which I never would have seen had he not shown me. Those collectivos that we took to these places were so damn cheap, less than a dollar, and they took us to places that seemed worlds away from Cusco. But I was always glad to go back home...

So, as I mentally plan to leave this wonderous and glorious place I've called home for the last four months I'd like to say a toast that will start with my first memory and I'm sure will end in tears.

Here's to blessings I found in Toronto and passing through customs.
Here's to Casa Ana II Hostel and 22 hour bus rides with Cruz del Sur.
Here's to internet cafes and meeting up with a great friend. (Love you Moose)
Here's to finding The Point and getting a job!
Here's to hott Argentinian men...even though they are just to quick in the sack.
Here's to my favorite Aussie and CHOCOLATE.
Here's to Paddy's and friday nights at the hostel where I lived for three months.
Here's to happy hours and Moose-a-looses. :)
Here's to Pervi, Bogus, Kemical and Calamity.
Here's to having to say goodbye and not wanting to let go.
Here's to Sid, you cunt, and baby English.
Here's to the Irish and fuckin llamas. LOL
Here's to potential cuddle buddies and always good friends.
Here's to being too drunk and seeing him again...what was I thinking?!
Here's to Karina, Vanessa and Julia...I LOVE YOU GIRLS!!
Here's to Epi and Rena in the morning.
Here's to pseudo boyfriends and Loki in my last week.
Here's to thank God I never got any parasites and never drinking the tap water.
Here's to love, the way we find it and putting my money on fate.
Here's to being broke and having to depend on friends.
Here's to missing family at home and family you know you gained in SA.
Here's to Cusco, my home and hopefully your plans in the future!

Although I haven't explored even more than 2% of Peru I know it's the best city in all of South America...but then again, maybe I'm just partial. :)

Amor

I think I might have fallen in love, not just with Cusco but an Irishman. Too bad he also happens to be my best South American friend. Here´s to fate, eh?!

Home in a week and a half. Back to reality, work and responsibility. Atleast I´ll be spending some quality time with my nephew.

It´s Cusco day today. There have been festivals all week and tonight there will be fireworks in Plaza de Armas!!!!

I have only s/45 left to my name...let´s hope that Epi will last me for the next few days.

In the home stretch

So, I have only two more weeks left and you can bet I´m going to be living it up until then. Once I moved out of The Point I got a little place of my own on Calle Atatud close to Plaza de Armas. Although not perfect it does suite me well. My room is right on the courtyard but doesn´t get much sunlight. It has two twin beds, nightstands and a quaint little chair. My favorite parts are the Klimt prints on the wall and my leopard print bedspread! LOL It does have a kitchen but the water doesn´t run all day. The only times I can take a hot shower are between 7-9 in the evening...if then. I tried to jump in there tonight but a fuse kept blowing in the building and turning the water freezing cold instantly. Boo. I can´t complain though. It is a place of my own and I don´t have to worry about sharing with four other people. I do miss the people I worked with at The Point but that´s probably it. Guess I´m getting to old to live in a dorm. :)

I´ve been to Pisac twice since I moved out and to the market here in Cusco everyday. I´m also almost done gift shopping which I can tell because my wallet keeps getting smaller. I still have to go and extend my visa for Peru and have no idea if I´ll be fined for going over. Oops. I´ve been much to busy with my new boy to even worry about that too much though. After a couple one night stands it´s nice to have someone to stick around for a bit, even if it´s only for a week and a half. His name is Phil and he´s super sweet...too sweet I keep telling him. Tall, handsom, smart and sweet, what more can a girl ask for in a Peruvian fling?!

One more thing to be extra excited about...my two friends Parvi and Sidney are coming to visit this weekend!!! I cannot wait until they get here. It will be so nice to have very familiar faces around. And it won´t hurt that we´ll get the best room in my hostel for sunlight!

When times get tough...HAVE A YARD SALE!!!

So, a lot has changed since I last blogged. I stopped being so homesick and started looking for a new job. Why, you ask? Once I got back from Machu Picchu I was on top of the world for a while. I was buying gifts for my fam, taking myself out to nice places to eat and generally being irresponsible with my funds. Then doom struck...I lost my job at Paddy's. Gary, the owner, claimed that immigration had been in earlier that day and asked too many questions. There were only two of us gringos working and Aidan happened to be the other. Gary claimed that he could cover Aidan by saying he was a realative because he has an Irish passport. BULLSHIT of course but what the hell could I say, it's his business. So I promptly went across the plaza to a new place that my friend Juan was opening, The Lek. I was there for about a week when I realized that it just was not going to work out. They paid me half as much as Paddy's and half the time I had to fight to even get my full wage. I never knew how good I actually had it at Paddy's.

So here I am, broke and with bills to pay at my hostel. But those who know me best know what I do under finacial stress...YARD SALE!!! I'm selling my laptop to the first buyer to pay for the rest of my stay. I remember soundly saying back home that I was fully prepared for this moment and frankly, I am. :)

In the meantime I'm having fun not having to work outside of the hostel. I get to actually go crazy a bit and party more, which my mother really doesn't like but I am enjoying immensly! This past friday's Pirate party was a success and debauchery reins! Yay!!

Homesickness

Ever had those days on vacation when you woke up and thought "I really miss home today"? I'm having one of those days. For some reason I woke up in a bad attitude and all I really would like to be doing is sitting at home with my family watching a movie or two. Hopefully tomorrow will be better...

MACHU PICCHU!

Finally, after months of working and waiting for the right time Moose and I made it to Machu Picchu! We began our journey on Monday, May 4th at a local bus stop here in Cusco around 9 a.m. We took a decent sized bus to a small town called Urubamba for s/3.50 where we hoped on an even smaller local bus called a comvi to Ollantaytambo for only s/1.20! We didn't even have a proper seat on that bus, just a piece of a seat on the side of the bus with tons of local and indigenous people! Still, we arrived alive to Ollantaytambo and starving. I had the best burrito I've had so far in South America. After, of course, Moose and I bought our train tickets to Aguas Calientes for 7 that night. He had been there before and knew a woman who owned a hostel nearby. So for 4 hours he and I napped and watched movies there until it was time to get on board the train. It's kinda hard to sleep on a backpackers train considering the small seats but somehow I napped a bit. Once we got to Aguas Calientes we found a reccomended hostel called Hostel El Mirador for s/15.00 each. It was pretty nice but smelled kinda like mold in our room. Moose and I couldn't sleep and for about 2 hours stayed up reading and talking until we decided it was time we tryed to get some rest before we had to be up in 4 hours.

The alarm rang waaaay to early for my liking but nonetheless we got up and got ready to head out to Machu Picchu. It was pitch black and both of us were exhausted but we continued onward. After walking outside the town and asking a couple of people if this was the way I asked Moose what time it was...turns out his phone was an hour behind!!! We had gotten up an hour early and were now going to hike 2 hours in the dark with only Moose's cellphone light!!! I wanted to actually see where I was going so I convinced Moose to have a seat at the bus depot until the sun came up but luckily some other hikers with flashlights came along and we joined the trek once again with two frenchies and one Canadian. It wasn't long before we realized what exactly we had gotten ourselves into. After crossing a bridge over the river that flowed through Aguas Calientes and into the jungle it was only up from there...and by up I mean UP UP UP UP UP. The road to Machu Picchu winds up to the top and the trek to Machu Picchu passes every twist and turn except it was steps we had to climp, not the road. After two hours of constant hiking, stopping and resting, losing and gaining trekking partners we finally made it to the top of the mountain at 6 a.m.!!!

The night before I had packed on bottle of water, one apple and a granola bar. We drank half the bottle before we got to the top and after reaching the top I had a breakfast of an apple while Moose munched on half the granola bar...we saved the rest for later assuming that we'd be able to purchase more water and food in a bit. But we didn't stop to rest for long because we went straight to the line to hike Waynapicchu which was supossed to have the absolute best view of Machu Picchu for below. So lucky numbers 36 and 37 waited for 30 minutes until Waynapicchu opened at 7 a.m. to begin our real jouney!

Let me start this paragraph by saying, and I quote..."WE WERE NOT PREPARED"! Hiking up to the top of Waynapicchu must have taken us an hour and a half atleast. And again, by up I mean UP UP UP. The Incans must have been the fittest race that ever lived. I tryed to imagine having to walk that trek everyday and it absolutely amazed me! As well as just the shear height of what we were climbing was the fact that the only thing beside us was a straight drop down the side of Waynapicchu. Scary, to say the least. After reaching the top and getting some amazing photos (which you can see on myspace and facebook) we debated on whether to hike back down at the moment or continue on to the Grand Cavern. I thought we should just go back down because I didn't think I'd have enough money for the train back and thought we should walk to tracks, which would take about 6 hours. Moose wanted to continue on and after convincing me we started treking again. It took us about two hours hiking downward to reach the Grand Cavern and Temple of the Moon. Who knew it would be just as exhausting walking down steps as it would be walking up?! On the way down we had to climb down ladders made of wood and hang on for dear life while suspended over the side with only a rope to keep us company. The Cavern and Temple were really still being worked on so they were not worth the trek in our opinion. Perhaps in a couple of months they will be fully prepared to view in all their glory. Anyways, after viewing those ruins we found out that it was another hour or so upward to get to the intersection where we would begin back to Machu Picchu...UPWARD, AGAIN?! AHHHHHH

We were totally out of water and food so we were thirsty and starving to death. Luckily we met a nice couple who gave us some spare gatorade and water but that too soon ran out way before we even reached the intersection. At one point we finally got to walk downward but my pace was tortise style because I really couldn't feel my legs. I was so weak. There were amazing views and wonderous hikes tho. Who else can say they hike up Incan trails under slabs of mountain on stairs made of stone? And making it to the intersection was a glorious moment even though we still had an hour more to make it back to Machu Picchu. When we got to the entrance of Waynapicchu I was more than exhausted...that mountain had thoroughly kicked my ass. After 5 hours of hiking up and down all I wanted to do was lay down in the grass and rest a bit. And so we did! lol

We didn't really go through Machu Picchu...only what was close to the EXIT! :) Architect doesn't even begin to describe what the Incans were. Their water systems still worked! And their houses had windows and doors, proper windows and doors. It was beautiful and had I not been so tired I would have been able to appreciate it even more than I already do. Another cool thing was that there were llamas everywhere! I got some pretty awesome pics so definitely check them out. At the end Moose and I sat down to a 8 soles ice cream cone because the only other options for real food were 30 dollar buffets or 25 soles hamburgers...not happening on our budget. We took the bus down as we were not going to be able to make it by foot and had a big meal in Aguas Calientes. After that we bought our tickets for 6 that evening on the backpackers train and had a nice nap in the grass outside the train station. We attemped to sleep on the train but I kept getting a neck cramp and Moose never sleeps anyways. When we got off the train we caught another small bus to Cusco for about s/7.00 and on which I was not able to sleep on for the thought of a hot shower and good sleep. All in all it was a well worth jouney and one I will never forget. I really enjoyed my time with Moose especailly since he might be leaving soon. I highly reccommend visiting this wonder of the world!!

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

So my stay here in Cusco has been a blast so far. Originally I was planning to move north pretty soon but I think my plans have changed. I really enjoy this city and just don't want to leave. I have many friends here, Peruvian and foreign, who I would just miss too terribly. First there's Karina, my sista from another mista. She is awesome to work with (at Paddy's) and even more fun to party with. She took me to this outside market today...the real black market...where I found to decent long sleeve shirts, one wallet, two Citizen watches and some handmade wooden spoons for me ma all for s/37.oo (or $12.00)!! Amazing and well worth the 6 a.m. trip. Then there's Aiden. The Irishman who I have a crush on. Not the hottest lightbulb but funny as hell. His family owns a sheep farm in the North of Ireland and I've made him promise that he'll let me work there one day. If you're a close friend you know that I've definitely expressed an interest in owning a sheep farm in Ireland eventually...weird I know but one of my dreams. Aiden, Moose and I often walk Harriet (Aiden's boss' dog) around the city. Not on purpose of course but we just happen to see him in the Plaza sometimes. Then there's the nights out. Fun nights at IncaTeam, my favorite club, where I know the owner. Coco's always good for a kiss on the cheek and a free cube libre! Finally, but not lastly, there is my extended family at Point. Ma, who's the chef and the sweetest woman in Cusco, always knows how I like my Triple Peruvian Sandwiches. Maria, Ben's wife and dominant female, makes sure we're taken care of always. Boris, who is always partying hard and Ben who trys to control him. And the tons of little lady's like Melly, Carmen and Sayda who make the bar run smoothly. Then there is mi corazon, Victor, who helps me around the city when I need someone who speaks better Spanish than me.

Speaking of Spanish, I'm learning quite well. My two little Moleskines I brought with me are filling up quickly with Spanish frases and words. My friend's at Paddy's, Vanessa, Pamela, Julia, Judith and Karina only speak to me in Spanish most of the time so I can practice more. My wish is to come back fluent but I don't know if that can happen in only two more weeks. We'll see.

I'm also getting more culture in here. Monday Moose and I are trekking to Machu Picchu. So excited!!! Don't know how we're gonna get there but we'll make it. We're gonna spend the night and come back on Tuesday just in case we can't get in on Monday. Then it's back to work as usual. I think one of us is going to take the bar managerial job here if they'll pay us enough. If that happens Moose and I will find an apartment to rent. Living at The Point is fun but dorms suck after a while!! Besides the markets, like the real black market and Pisac, the silver market, we've been horseback riding. That was interesting. We got up really early and took a taxi up to the Cristo Blanco where they have serveral corals and picked out some horses. We had a guide that took us up to Temple de Luna and back. Moose's horse kept pooping and farting the whole way! lol Then he tryed to bite the other two horses on the trek...bad little bastard. :) My horse was pretty gentle but I made the mistake of asking the guide to make him go a little faster. He took off for about ten minutes on a rampage across a feild. Luckily I stayed on! That was the most fun I'd had in a while and I'm planning to go back on Saturday afternoon with some different friends. I also wanna go white water rafting but it's kinda expensive. Might be able to get a discount through the hostel. Hopefully some friends of mine from the U.S. are coming in June and we can go together!!