Love & Light and everything bright...

FROM CUZCO, PERU

(click on images to enlarge)

Leaving the U.S., Arriving in Peru

CUZCO, Peru, June 28, 2008 - Finally, the much anticipated day of my departure for Peru had arrived (June 27).  I felt I was ready - medically, physically and mentally for the adventure to come.  I also felt the tailwind in my back of all your good wishes and prayers for me.  Thank you.

Before leaving Phoenix, however, I first had to endure some stares at the airport.  It is not often that one sees a man dressed in a Gortex snow jacket fit for a polar exploration and heavy boots when outside temperatures are around 110F (43C).  So I don't blame my fellow-Arizonans for staring (left).  Before we left Phoenix, however, I did a bit of staring myself.  I've never seen an airplane before that looked like a billboard.  Yet here was a Jet Blue jet ready to take off for New York's JFK airport that looked like a moving billboard (middle).  Both Yahoo and Blackberry seem to be renting advertising space on its exterior. 

I will fast-forward now through Miami and take you to Lima, Peru, where we arrived a little after 6AM this morning.  It was pitch black outside.  "Hm... interesting how quickly one can transcend from the summer to the winter solstice," I thought. (Peru is in the southern hemisphere, as you can see from the map). 

I was also surprised to learn that Peru is on Central time (we had set the watches back one hour from Miami). Again, if you look at the map, you will see that it is actually EAST of Florida.  So if anything, we should have been adding an hour.  "Must be some sort of a Peruvian daylight saving quirk," I thought.

The arrivals lounge at the Lima airport was very crowded, as you can see (left), as was the baggage claim area.  Alas, after waiting for over an hour, I discovered that I had nothing to claim.  Not even a missing bag claim.  The LAN Peru officials told me I needed to do that at Cuzco, my final destination.  They could not tell me where my bags were.  I thought of all those hours I had spent planning for this expedition, and then packing all the gear.  And now it all might be for naught.  Or at least not for a while.  Oh well, vagaries of air travel.  It has been quite a few years since an airline has lost my bags, so I figured I was still further ahead in the game of baggage crapshoot. So I shrugged and smiled.  Que sera, sera...

Cuzco: Initial Impressions

Let's first dispense with the correct spelling of the former Inka Empire capital's name, the Mecca of sun worshippers, ancient and modern, nestled in the High Andes at about an 11,000 elevation.  Even here in Cuzco, I see the city's name spelled both as Cuzco and Cusco.  So I will also use it interchangeably, as the mood strikes me, sometimes with a "z" and other times with an "s."

I have seen pictures and movies about Cuzco before, but I was not prepared for the crispness of the air in this Peruvian city (left).  The images were so sharp and the quality of light so stark that you could not help but blink to protect your eyes, even with sunglasses.  I remembered feeling the same way about the quality of light on some special days in Arizona's high country, such as in Sedona or Prescott.  We were welcomed in the baggage claim area by a lively band of the Inka musicians (middle left).  I held a faint hope that my bags might show up in Cusco, as they were checked to this airport.  But such expectations quickly dissipated.  So I filled out the baggage claim forms and left the airport accompanied by Ita, a local Inka representative of Jose Luis Herrera, a native Inka Shaman who is running the expedition I am about to join.  Along the way into the city, we passed this gigantic stone monument to the Inkas, which I filed using both my cell phone (middle right) and regular camera (right).

The street of old Cuzco were quite narrow, as you can see from the above shots.  They reminded me of the many Mediterranean towns which I have visited in my lifetime.  But there was also something Middle-eastern about its architecture.  And Hispanic, of course, as you can see from that dome in the middle right shot.  What I found very attractive, however, were the white facades and indigo accent colors of the balconies and window shades.  I figured that was the original Inka style.  And yet that reminded me of Greece.  And when I looked at the actual massive Inka designs, with slanted walls that reminded me of some Tibetan or Chinese dwellings I have seen, I realized that it is impossible to classify Cuzco.  Cusco is, well, Cuzco - an eclectic mixture of so many different styles from various parts of the world.  Walking Cusco streets is almost like being in a gallery of the architectural history of man over the millennia.

My hotel, San Augustin (all of the above shots), is quite charming in the old world sense.  It is obviously a recent renovation of an old Cusco building.  Just how old can be seen from the narrow corridors that lead to the rooms (right shot).  And the central sunlit lobby has interesting narrow balconies from which some guests can put on a show for others below in the lobby, as that British guy is doing horsing around in the top part of the left picture.

The hotel staff are friendly and their smiles make up for some of the systemic deficiencies.  The heater in my room wasn't working.  The rooms on the second floor do not have the internet connection.  So to do this travelogue, for example, and to download my e-mail, I have to take my laptop to the hotel lobby where wireless connection is available.  The hotel is evidently on one of city's thoroughfares as the traffic noise is quite loud and my room shakes occasionally when a heavy truck or a buss drives by.  But other than, it's great.  My cell phone works.  I've even sent some pictures from it 'live" as I took them.  Considering that I am in the midst of one of the oldest civilizations on the face of the earth, my attitude is that it is a miracle that so much of technological modernity has even penetrated this far and this high in the Andes that I can do all this web reporting - AND travel into the ancient past from which I am hoping to learn about the future on this trip.  So I feel blessed to have a chance to do it.

After I had settled down in my hotel, I took a walk around the city.  No sooner did I leave the front door, when I saw that Inka woman with a real live Llama (left).  On the other side of the hotel, there were some ancient ruins (middle left).  Across the street, however, I was surprised to see the Canadian Scotiabank in one of those ancient Inka buildings whose style reminds me a little of Tibet.  As I walked around Cuzco, I realized that Scotiabank must have a corner on this market.  Their branches are everywhere. 

Ever since I started planning this trip, some three months ago, my various shamanic friends and advisors have been telling me about coca leaves as being something I should chew on when I get here.  It is supposed to help with the altitude sickness that some people get.  Well, during my first walk, I have sampled coca leaves, coca tea, coca candy, coca tofu... It seemed I've tried "coca everything."  :-)  And I did it because I was curious not sick of high elevation.  Actually, I am not sick at all, just a little winded if I exert myself, like running up the stairs. 

I've also had some other local "granola" bars that also taste like hay or some grass derivative.  Since all of my trail mix bags are in the cases that are still somewhere enroute to Lima, I am having to improvise with local products.  Which is kind of fun.  These are all new tastes to me. 

But after eating all this grass and leaves in various forms, let me tell you... I feel like a horse.  Coca leaves taste like hay to me.  So since I've had my "hay" in the afternoon, all I will need for dinner is maybe some oats.  :-) Being a horse is not so bad.

As I usually do in circumstances like this (being in a strange city for the first time), I followed my nose, and it led me to the center of the city.  Cusco's big main square (two right shots) is quite impressive, both for its size and its architecture.  We will return to it before sunset today so you can see better what I mean.

I took the above pictures both to show you how colorful the local costumes are, as well as so you can see close up the high quality of masonry that the Inka used when constructing their buildings and streets.

Besides the main square, there is number of smaller squares all around Cusco (left).  I also came across an ancient map of the city done with colored tiles (middle left).  There was also this giant Inka statue who seems to be giving thanks to God for the bountiful crops.  And then, as I turned around an headed down a steep narrow street, a big bus decided to drive up it.  So for a while, we played a game of chicken.  I was filming him trying to run me over.  Eventually, the driver blinked and turned right (so that I could write this story for you). :-)

I've marveled earlier about the fact that so much modern technology has reached this far in the third world.  Here's another case in point.  On that same steep street where I had had my duel with the bus, I saw this wall plaque advertising a computer and web design business.  Presumably the company operates behind these walls.  Which is not a bad idea given how porous the security of Microsoft Windows is.  :-)

Not far from there, there was another gigantic Inka monument (two right shots).  Very beautiful, I thought.  See what I mean about an eclectic city.

Every story has its high point.  And the pinnacle of my today's report on Cusco was what happened when I saw this little girl and her Mom.  They were sitting in the doorway of that house and kissing.  Kissing for real, not the way they did again later on when they posed for me (left shot).  There was so much love passing between their lips and breaths that I had to stop and stare.  It was an amazing moment.  When the little girl noticed my camera, she immediately started to ham it up for me.  I caught a little bit of it as a video clip, by mistake, actually.  I had intended to take a picture.  It's only a few seconds, but I thought you'd like to see it (middle shot).  And now, take a close look at that fight frame, especially at the little girl's eyes.  It is as seductive a pose as any movie or theater diva might wish to acquire some day.  Yet this little one is probably not even five.  So as you can see, sensuousness and seduction are in the genes of Latino women. That's not something you can easily learn in some sort of a modeling school.

And now, as promised, I'll take you back to the main square.  Along the way, I noticed a unique Cusco art form - intricate wood carved second floor balconies that protrude from the buildings (left and middle left). As you can see the main square was basking in the low sun...

...which was casting long shadows even though it was only 4PM.  Take a look at the video clip I made from the same spot...

Cuzco Peru Main Square (June 28, 2008) (1:18 mins)

The reference to St. Vitus Day in the video is about one of the holy days in Serbian history.  It was on June 28, 1389 that the Serbs fought the famous Battle of Kosovo against the Turks.

And that's all she wrote from my first day at Cusco.

But wait, I didn't say the first night, too. :-) As I was writing this travelogue, I heard the sounds of music from the lobby.  So I ran downstairs and caught a little bit of a concert in the main dining room on video...

Cuzco Peru Concert (June 28, 2008) (18 secs)

And now, that IS all she wrote from my first day AND night in Cusco...  :-)

Love  Light 

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