Back in Cuzco (Cuzco)

So, two days ago, I started thinking about the rest of my trip and decided it was time to leave Arequipa, and more importantly, if I didn´t leave Arequipa then I´d probably stay there for at least a month more. I got real comfortable, hanging out with Rebecca and her friends, taking guitar and spanish classes, having a hostel room that felt like home. But I felt the urge to move on, and so like that, I bought a $10 bus ticket to Cuzco, and hopped on the 10 hour overnight bus back to where I had started all this Peruvian business. I almost didn´t make my bus, showing up 10 minutes late, but thanks to ´Peruvian Time´, I had at least another 30 minutes before we left the station.

I sprang for the ´cama´ bed-seat hybrids but found that they had been built for, well, Peruvians, and not 6foot something tall, leggy, californians. I didn´t sleep much that night, crammed with me knees up in my face in what was ironically more uncomfortable than a normal seat. On that note, I think one of my biggest dangers I´ve faced so far in my 1 month of traveling is just low cielings, I feel like I´m walking in some wierd movieset where everything is built to 80% scale, big enough to look normal so that I smack my head into the cieling. On the plus side, the people have been very friendly at pointing this out, "Cuidate con la cabeza, (watch your head!)". The bus was also limited in terms of circulation and the windows soon turned into near waterfalls of collected sweat. Mmm, delicious.

Anyways, I stumbled out of the bus no worse for wear and I even met some musicians on the bus and we played a little guitar as we arived into Cuzco.

Ahhh... Cuzco.

Strange thing about Cuzco, it seems different from the last time I´ve been here. After two weeks in Arequipa, it seems strangely tourist centered, lacking in people going about their business, and expensive. Food etc seem to cost around 30% more here, and even hostal loki, which I used to think was cheap is actually close to twice as much as my hostal "La Reyna" in Arequipa.

But I´m here with one thought in mind. The Jungle! Upon the recommendation of Gabriel, one of Ilan´s gracious friends who have shared their experiences with me, I´m here to take a Jungle tour, 5 or 6 days, to Parque Manu in the amazon. I´ll be going with ´Bonanza tours´which is a small company comprised of 2 brothers and their friend, all of which have grown up in the park. What sets this tour apart is that they opt to teach you how they survive in the jungle, eating bugs, drinking from plants, climbing giant trees, catching alligators with your bare hands, using plants for medicine, etc. over just seeing animals. Its more than a bit out of my element, but thats the point I think. Subir los miedos!

One catch, I need at least 4 people for the tour. Thats where the 160 people in Loki come in. I´ve been actively recruiting people for the adventure and have managed to find 1 yes and 2 maybes. The other catch being that they´d like to go, but can´t go till saturday. So... the search continues, and if worse comes to worse, I have a few days to burn in Cuzco. The weather has taken a sudden turn wet since I arrived, and it even rained an hour ago. I´ve also started to look forward to Christmas, thinking it would be nice to spend it with my friends in Santiago, but that means that I¨m gonna have to speed up a bit through bolivia, and basically shoot south after the jungle tour. Sure I could get there 3 days in bus, but I think I´d like to still give Lake Titicaca and Salar de Uyuni their due so it might come in close. Plus I don´t like all those deadlines and what. Speaking of which, I still need to change my flight.... (Sorry Bay Area folks!)..... need.... more.... time....

Lots of love from the land of the Inca
Jesse