This town’s like a small European town, but with mind-blowing ancient stone walls everywhere. So very sad that we know so little about a once magnificent and powerful people. Just to think about how they built such massive walls with no steel- just other rock hammers inginuity and a lot of time… and they had no slaves. All was done according to the tax system of labor exchange and the power of religious fanaticism. If I could travel back in time, I’d go to Cusco before the bloddy Spanish came and ruined everything. At least the language survived…

We’re stranded, though, due to yet another huelga (stike). Roads are closed, people are pissed, tourists are scared, and the town is filled with riot police… another day in South America, I guess. But the tourist leeches are out in force innundating our already slightly uncomfortable ambiance with, “hola amigo, massage? postcard? art? finger puppet? strange box thing? earings? good food? internet? shoe shine? hat? water? water holder? cigarretes? gum? some other useless craft?” Uhh… “no, gracias.” Please for the love of Christ almighty, leave me alone damnit!! I was thinking about getting a big sign or sticker that says, “No. Gracias.” and sticking it to my forehead. I’ve never wished to have dark skin so badly before.

But they got to eat too I suppose. I think the strike today is about the exceedingly low minimum wage in this country. It seems the only work that doesn’t suck around here is sucking the tourists dry. So you can’t help feeling sorry for these people… the only reason to by another useless piece of art here is to spread some of the wealth around some. However after dropping a ridiculous sum of money on a 5 day trek to Machu Picchu I’m feeling a bit poor myself.

On Saturday we start walking with 8 other extranjeros, a guide, a cook, and a couple porters through the mountains of the Andes. The Inca trail is booked months in advance, so we’re going an alterate route. It sounds pretty sweet, hard and painful, undoubtedly, but sweet. And the trip is rounded out with some 6 hours on Machu Picchu. Hopefully I’ll be over this cold by then. I got the dreaded cold… what a pain in the ass. I haven’t been able to party since we got here because of it. Lame.

Anyhow, Cusco is an awesome town. Aside from the tremendous surplus of tourists and tourist related business, I would recommend everyone to check this place out. And if you’ve got $$, even better. They’ve got plenty of 1st rate accomodations and services for those who like to travel in style. Just be prepared to feel like a giant tourist, with a big fat tourist arrow over your head saying, “bother me, I have money!!”

We just left a mountain paradise in the Andes of Peru. Nestled between the Cordillera Nerga and the Cordillera Blanca lies a small but busy town of Huaraz, which was completely destroyed by an earthquake then resulting flood in 1970. This quaint little town is the stop over point for the many mountain adventures that flock to explore the vast peaks and valleys that surround it. We weren’t planning on doing much trekking ourselves, but a few hours in a town surrounded by massive mountains made us yearn to go exploring.

Shortly after hearing about the The Way Inn mountain lodge that hugs the base of the Cordillera Blanca at 3700 meters, we decided to check it out. Lada, two Australian brothers, two British chicks, and I hopped in a hatch-back cab and made our way up the mountains. As the noise and clutter of Huaraz gradually died away and the vast serenity of the Cordillera Blanca embraced us, we knew we made a good decision. Arriving at the quaint little lodge was like taking a breath of fresh air after growing accustomed to life in Bombay- we remembered how beautiful planet earth could be.

An ex-Brit and his now estranged wife built this place from mere dreams, and with a lot of sweat, over the past 6 years. Now they enjoy the success that comes with owning one of the few mountain lodges in one of the most touristed areas of the Peruvian Andes. Luckily for us we arrived sooner than later, since they plan on expanding the operation to cater to the high-end market- offering large suites, jacuzzies, and other rich-man services- so someday this place might be much to pricey. But for now, the friendly young staff and their lack of much experience with guests gave the place a relaxed and even homey feel. We enjoyed sitting around by the wood heater, reading, eating, and chatting it up with other budget travelers.

Of course, you can´t go into the mountains and not go hiking… lest you feel like a lazy pile of poo. And the closest peak of Churupita did look like a nice challenge. So the day after our arrival we set out to climb 1000 meters for a view into the park on the other side. But my dumbass didn’t bring a rain jacket. Three and a half hours of straight up hiking and scraping landed us on the second highest peak at 4632 meters. For 10 minutes or so we basked in the landscape and took photos. Then the rain and hail began to turn the once brown mountain into a white capped one. Undesiring of hyperthermia, we decided to turn around and head back. Less than an hour later, with sore knees and completely wet, we made it back to the lodge. Soup and sleep never felt so good.

The next day was Halloween. And what better to do on Halloween than a San Pedro ceremony? Toby, from Lubick, Texas, was a traveling shaman of sorts. For a small fee he told us he would guide us through the spirit world of San Pedro, a psychadelic cactus. We were told the medicine (don’t call it a drug…) was mescaline based, and can induce profoundly spiritual and often unpleasant but necessary confrontations with your sub-conscience. Sweet, we thought. So by 10 o’clock that morning we were safely guarded from the evil spirits and waiting for the trip to grab us by the balls. Nine of us took it, 2 spewed shortly after, and most of us had quite a pleasant time. We were each instructed to ask San Pedro a question we wanted answered. Mine was, “will I reach enlightenment in this lifetime?” Unfortunately, and not to undersell the experience, the only answer I think I got was, “on San Pedro you sure won’t.” But I did have some enlightening thoughts and conversations with evolved souls that gave me that priceless feeling of complete gratitude for being alive. All in all, it was a worthwhile experience. Drugs can be a short cut to spiritual thought and experience. But they are ultimately very limited, and leave the user with not much more than one more assurance that there’s more to this experience than the mundane. That’s my disclaimer…

Oh, by the way, San Pedro is apparently available legally in the US. And it’s super easy to cook. So, for all you experimenters and seekers at home, pick yourselves up some cactus! In a few months time you could be having your own San Pedro ceremony! After all, San Pedro is the one who holds the keys to Heaven’s Gate…

Anyway, we’re in Lima now, trying to decide what to do tomorrow. If anyone wants to call me and doesn’t mind footing the long distance bill, my number is: 44 911 4704. But first you must dial the country code of Peru… which I don’t have infront of me.

Tata for now!

Lazy days of summer… well, almost summer. I can’t really tell by the weather down here. Except for the wind, of course… there’s this awful wind that starts at around 10 and gives up around 6, or pretty much the entire time the sun is blasting. The kite surfers love it, the surfers hate it, and I’m definately leaning towards the latter. I’ve been surfing the past two days on nice rolling breaks between a meter and 2 meters tall. Great for beginners like me. I’ve gotten over the steep learning curve of being able to catch the waves and stand up pretty consistently- now I’m working on riding the smooth face up and down as it breaks to the left. It’s terribly fun, and at around 10 dollars a day for a nice board and wet suit, it doesn’t require spending too much time justifying the expense.

We had our first ceviche on the beach yesterday. Ohhh… it was tasty. Raw rish, squid, calamari, and shrimp mixed together in the staple lemon sauce, garnished with a strange type of potato and chile peppers, made a delicious treat. Aside from the fact that my intestines are not in the best shape today, it was well worth the four dollars we paid for it. For five they might leave out the parasites.

But I did find the cure to travelers’ raw-anus condition that can result from a couple days of diarreha. It’s usually made worse by sitting down for long periods (busses), and maybe swimming in the ocean. You’ll know you’ve got in when wiping your butt feels like you’re using sandpaper, even with the softest of tissue. So here’s the trick: alcohol wipes and Gold Bond baby powder. Walla! Keep it clean and dry and you’re well on your way to anal relief. If you plan on traveling, don’t forget to bring these essentials! Note: it does help to have someone willing to apply the baby powder- it takes a steady aim at a hard to see spot.

We’ve really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere around here- just the kind you’d expect from a beach community. We are itching to move on, though. There’s too much else to see in this massive continent. Besides, we’re getting very tired of having money in bills too large for anyone to accept. I think it’s a conspiracy, or a scam to get more out of the waves of tourists that made this place what it is. You take money out of the ATM, and you get 50s and 100s (3 Soles = 1 dollar), but store owners, hostals, restaurants, and everyone else complains when you pay with anything bigger than 10! Ridiculous. We end up spending less because we don’t want to go through the hassle of finding someone with cambio. So much for their evil plan.

I’ve got get go, though. It’s feed the Poo time, and I’d like to maybe ride some waves this afternoon for a bit. Tomorrow we’re headed to Puerto Chacama, which supposedly has the longest left break in the world- under perfect conditions one could ride a single 2m wave for 2km!! Sweeeet.