Same cover, different book

First I want to thank you all for following my blog. It made me nervous to start this blog but maintaining it became a nice way to share my insights and release frustrations. As you have likely noticed, I have lagged a bit on posting this last entry. Here it is.

Macchu Pichu did prove to be a great last adventure (prior to the endless last bit of travel). I woke up at 3:30 am and set out with two Mexicans, one Dane, two Dutch women and an Israeli couple. We picked up a solo American on the way to the Inca steps and were on our way. It was HARD!!! We had to leave early in order to get to Macchu Pichu in time for sunrise and to have the opportunity to climb Huayna Pichu (the other mountain you'll see in most Macchu Pichu pics. Stair after stair afters stair, the air got thinner and our need for it grew greater. Our group split up into smaller groups as paces set us apart and I was at the front with the Mexicans, the Dane and my fellow American (he didn't represent well by only bringing a bottle of Coca Cola to drink).

Every time we stopped for a breather with screaming lungs, we would catch our breath quickly, only to lose it again a few steps into the next ascent. In an hour, we had cranked through the hike for which we'd be told to allow ninety minutes. We kept joking with each other that we were killing ourselves at this pace and at such an early time only to earn the right to hike up another mountain!!

The effort was worth it all around. The sunrise took my remaining breath away. I was cold and exhausted but loved every moment I was there. We were allowed into Macchu Pichu at 6am and were greeted my Llamas as they fed on the manicured law terraces. We were given an official tour (my hiking buddies were in the Spanish tour, I in the English) and after getting some history, I was ushered to Huayna Pichu with my two Dutch hiking buddies. Huayna Pichu was shorter but much steeper, soaking me with sweat again and making my lungs scream for the even thinner air. An hour or so of relaxing at 7,000 feet allowed for only a bit of time to explore Macchu Pichu before having to join a bus back to Aguas Calientes and another 7 hours back to Cuzco.

I left Cuzco the following day on a 22 hours bus to Lima where I sat 6 hours in the airport before a 5 hour flight, another 4 hour layover before a 4 hour flight, a 3 hour wait and an 8 hour drive from LA to SF. About 48 hours of travel later, I was home!!!

Now that I am home, I can't help but notice what has stayed with me. I still love every hot shower, every cold drink and every comfortable night in my own bed. I have seen a pair of women making out at a Giants game, a man screaming/preaching about his 57,000,000,000 sons named Revenge until the police took him off the bus. I have had many burritos and watched many baseball games. I am poor in dollars but rich in experience, two truths that are not always evident from the outside. Dipping into my closet of dress shirts and slacks has me wearing clean clothes every day. I blend in on public transportation like I did before I left. I can't help but think how many other people I pass on the street or sit next to on the bus may have similar life altering experiences hidden away.

The observations and insights that I love to share on this blog have not made me any more talkative in person. The experience is inside, in pictures and in my blog entries but when asked "What was it like?" or "What was your favorite part?" I tend to draw a blank. There is SO much that I can't call upon on a whim that will have to come up throughout the upcoming years. I look forward to trolling over these blog entries for the first time as a way to remind me of what I've done. I have done my best to stay in the moment, enjoying each day and leaving the next day open.

One great way to work my way back into American culture has been working at Sunset Cooperative Nursery School. Whether they are slung across their mother's back or transfered from expensive crib to carseat to stroller, 2, 3 and 4 year old kids are fun and brutally honest around the world. I also got to share in my Mom's 60th birthday celebration, enjoying an experience that rivaled any from my trip.

I may write another entry or two as I get used to being back home. I am still not used to being in American culture but I am really enjoying it. I will definitely add many pictures. I am having a hard time with them at the moment.

Love to all!