Here and there

Sometimes you just have to do a selfie.

Okay new fresh page: I mean by that that as I was writing in immediate past I lost myself Trying to elaborate on gringo population of Cusco: How I fit in there, speak of the others speak of yourself. Bret lott said a very interesting: “some people do not want to write, they want to be able to say they have written” I get the feeling with some of us traveling in Cusco. Scared with bags “always in front of you”, they have done a good job at their homework, scared scared, but they are here so they can say they have been here. My am I bitter, I guess I only miss the deep profound interactions I am so lucky and grateful to have found in many of the great friends I have met and that are currently away from me.

Modest pond found between named sites

            I miss the deep end of death, religion, art and meaning of life, of course it is natural to speak of jobs and travels when we meet but it doesn’t void the desire I have to speak of such things. Often I get “speaking about this, early in the morning?” or “this is very philosophical” as if we should not care much about these things or as if it is an activity to be practiced very seldom alike visiting grandma.

Reality and history having a chat

            HA ha, you can’t escape yourself. I am trying since 3 hours to write a simply travel blog on my two last weeks in Cusco but keep going back to Everywhere. Ironically I would appear as unstable if I start wrinting about my past two weeks. So Here goes.

Essentials

Yesterday I went rafting, was lots of fun! I really loved it. I am actually discovering new activities I had never or seldom practiced. Salsa is really fun too. We rafted a force 1-2 river segment in the Urubamba River. Our guide was lots of fun and had the secret feeling we were in the best boat. Jumping around and doing figures. At one point he got all the ladies (3/7 persons in the boat) in the front and we were three guy rowing for these damsels, with Noel (our guide) telling us to raft hard. Yeah manly-men doing physical work for the pleasure of those ladies! At one point he told us we could jump in the water and I was pleased to oblige, we were all gone in a jiffy and he found himself alone to man the boat, I guess he might have been a bit surprised. I managed to climb back in the boat on my own (like a big boy!) and then practiced the “rescue” maneuver on friends and strangers; we recuperated a miss from another boat too. I had a blast!

Water felt great and the scenery was magnificent.

A part of Pisac during a people less second

           

            Visited ruins, Tìpon favored, we were few and others were teenage Peruvians joking around. The air was fresh and grass luxurious. Place was calm and open wide. I will be wandering around in the countryside at one point. Truth be told I kind want to “break in” a ruin at night and spend eternity watching the stars, stealing that space to myself. I’ll be taking random trains at one point. Tour guides types are very variable and spent a hard Sunday feeling shoved around running in overpopulated ruins not residential anymore.

I kind of like that I do not remember where it is already

            During the past two weeks I spent 48 hours alone with my teacher in a small room. Too much, I have not grief whatsoever against her, we actually are having much fun. Yet the combo of “locked inside” 6 hours a day with “one person’s full attention” is not healthy. It’s too mental… I am a free roam chicken!

For you, mom!

             The other night we had a blackout on the north part of Cusco for one full hour at least!

A local born and raised in Cusco told me it was current in his childhood but not so much anymore.

 Was in a hostel bar at the time, which had a balcony, view turned off and Big jesus asleep, I loved it! Walked back home with much light thanks to the moon and clouds. It was the ultimate excuse for not doing homework too “sorry but when I came back home there was no light so I could not do my homework!”.

            

The nature in these parts is gorgeous and I am looking forward to going on my own or if I have the luck to meet a person with whom I can share deeply. This is what was so strong with the boat, how in very few days we were a spiritual community. I wonder if age does change things? In the boat, yeah I know you should say ship, I was one of the youngest of our group. Here more an “elder”. Going out to party. I laugh for I am falling for it each time. Thinking it might be different, how can everybody be so different, every individual unique and yet in group we behave so much the same way? Repeating schemes…

            What else?

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The dogs are not scared of people and most of them are beautiful and unharmed, compared to the pigeon population of most big cities. Of course some are mutilated but overall the city seems to let them be. I decided that I was a dog in Cusco in another life!

La Gran Ciudad de Cusco!

            I guess dogs are a good measure of the feel of the city. I have been walking home at night, between 11 and 2am never been bothered. Hookers and dealers are a bit more insistent but in the end they let me be. It is a reality of the city, doesn’t mean they are dangerous. Truth be told the most grief I have been feeling is from so called “Gringo” in tourist nightclubs, again no aggression there, but there seem to be this terribly depressing aspect of some of the youth tourist that are looking to loose themselves on cheap alcohol and drugs in an exotic place. I get the same feeling when some of my contemporaries become aggressive and belligerent whilst claiming specific changes. I would love to see some precise changes but you can’t wage war on war, it simply makes it bigger. Fighting against evil is not possible. You want to hurt hurtful people, how would that make things better? Some sort of trick of the ego on people’s mind. I feel somewhat of defiance in some of our stares, not so much in local population, almost never. We are very defiant it would seem.

            The center of town is really beautiful. As part European, raised in Switzerland I can really enjoy an Old town. And Cusco’s is really nice. And chained “no thanks” is a small price to pay considering the economical twist between Peru and Switzerland. But interaction with other human being is of utmost value and, as many, I feel a bit distressed by feeling as if I am being seen as an opportunity for a sale. If it weren’t for food I’d probably just buy books and the odd tshirt. I understand Peru’s economy benefit a lot from tourism and I can appreciate that. But I doesn’t change my ideal of everyday interaction. But I am getting tired of this paragraph.

           

The importance of paths

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            Ah time! what a lovely funny little construct that is time! So I’ve managed to get my hands on some.

Ironically it took me 30 minutes between last sentence and this one. I am writing this whilst skyping anyways.

Be humble please!

So, Cusco. So many things to say, probably will not cover everything. There seems to be a gap between what I want to write and the time I have to do it. I believe if I am able to live as an artist and do nothing else than write, compose, edit, film, photograph and plan then I will have time to do it all. But I “have” to do something else then I will probably not have time to do everything I should.

Puma's bite

Nonetheless. It has been 2 week I am now in Cusco and it has gone by very fast. I am getting to have a, somewhat small, general picture of the City. Mostly the city centre, quite touristy and a bit of the outskirts too. Been out in the “countryside” seems somewhat wrong to use that term when it is mostly mountains and millennial ruins.

Goatface mountain

            I feel now that I can start settling, after 100 crazy days. I had no idea that all this would happen, “hey 100 day younger Scott! You’ll be in Cusco in three months”. Anyways running and planning and moving and meeting and going and and and…

       

After Goatface, Caimanface mountain

    So now I slow down and well, with the momentum, sometimes I feel as if, everything comes crashing down. And oddly enough when everything is falling around me, in comparison it is as if I am rising in a very fast manner.

            I’ll make a little pause in blogs.

Love

Yours truly very stylish riding a Zipline!

Scott