Alive. Alive. Alive.

There is so much to write about.  I'll do it when I don't have to pay.  But first things first.  There is nothing better than washing your hair after three weeks in the mountains.  Nothing in the world.

 I had fun.  I'll be here another 10 days but the hard part is over.  Civilization has returned to me.

 Que felicidad.

 

Machu Picchu
Mood:  crushed out
Okay, so let's talk a little about Machu Picchu.

Don't get me wrong; I was quite excited to go there. But you have to understand that without ever having set foot at Machu Picchu I had, in some ways, been there, done that. For most people it is the only Peruvian archaeological site they know, so when I say I do archaeology in Peru, the typical response is, ¨Oh, like Machu Picchu!¨ I have heard Richard Burger recount the story of the site's rediscovery literally five or six times. I have written papers about the exhibit he put together at Yale and fielded endless questions regarding my views on the whole Peru-wants-its-artifacts-back debate. I answered a test question based on an architectural plan of the site. In Spanish class I did an oral presentation on it. Without having seen the place I could tell you where the Temple of the Sun was, where the emperor's quarters were, and why it was not really the ¨Lost City of the Incas.¨ I thought I knew Machu Picchu like the back of my hand.

I did. But I didn't know how it would feel to step off that bus and into a postcard. Postcards can't do this place justice. The sheer size of it impressed me. In pictures it is always dwarfed by Huayna Picchu, the sugarloaf mountain that always serves as the dramaic backdrop to the ruins themselves. Well, the ruins themselves are incredible. The quality of the stonework in the sacred and royal sectors, the mazelike quality of the place (I found rooms on my second day I totally missed the first time), the architectural genius of evoking a harmonious fusion of natural and artificial forms...woah.

What few people understand about Machu Picchu is how infinitely photographable it is. Nine out of ten photos will show the classic shot of the ruins framed by Huayna Picchu, and yeah, I took tons of pictures that looked just like that. But every time you move five feet, there are ten new gorgeous photographs to take. Every time the sun moves five degrees, you get the urge to take the same picture you just took all over again. I'm not kidding when I say I could take pictures of Machu Picchu all day long.

I'm glad I knew what I did about the site, and not just because I didn't have to shell out money for a guide. Rather than making me jaded, it made me really appreciate what I was seeing. I saw myself as Inca nobility, retreating from the cold Cuzco winters to this forest resort to rest and worship and party. Then I saw myself as Hiram Bingham stumbling across this place in 1911 with no idea what it had been or what it would become.

The train ride was long but beautiful, and climbing Huayna Picchu was worth the sweat, though not as fulfilling as the time I spent wandering the main site. The grazing llamas were a nice touch, too. I slept in too late to see the sunrise, but the quiet morning and late afternoon were worth the extra time and money for the overnight stay.

I'm sure I don't need to convince anyone to go to Machu Picchu. I believe it's quite famous. I just wanted to say how wrong I was for even imagining I'd be too jaded to fall in love with it all over again for the first time.

Cuzco is love.
Mood:  happy
I've been in Cuzco for 5 days already. Wow. It is a beautiful place, albeit extremely touristy. The people are nice, especially my darling host mother Yeny. There are tons of restaurants and coffee shops and even the nightlife looks good, though I wouldn't know, since I've mostly been eating with my family and going to bed early. I have a couple of British kids living with me and have met other friends through the school as well. My Spanish classes are helping me a lot and are throroughly enjoyable, and I've finally gotten used to the freezing nighttime temperatures. My house is quite nice and I can always get a hot (though brief!) shower before class.

I wish I had more time here to plan trips to Ollantaytambo, Urubamba, etc. I am really really excited to go to Machu Picchu this weekend, having already been blown away by Sacsayhuaman. I thought coming here might be a bit of a letdown after studying the Incas for so long, but in fact I have found my familiarity with the history of the city has enhanced the emotional impact of the trip. I almost cried at the Coricancha/Church of Santo Domingo. The Inca Museum was nice, but the Museo del Arte Precolombiano was phenomenal. There are so many places to buy souvenirs it is overwhelming.

I'm a bit apprehensive about Marcajirca, mostly because of the temperature factor. I hate transitions and really wish I had another week here. I'm sure when I get there it will be great though. Having hooked up with Bebel in Lima really helped, and my trowel is sitting in my backpack feeling anxious!

Still no word on who my co-leader for FOOT will be. Ahhhhh so many adventures!

I'll probably post again after Machu Picchu, providing I am still capable of writing in this language.

T Minus 30 Minutes
I'm going to Peruvia
There won't be any lluvia.

Adios amigos. Hopefully I'll still remember English when I return!

Peruving
Mood:  rushed
Hokay, so I'm going to Lima tomorrow night and flying into Cuzco the next day for two weeks of Spanish class. Then I'm going to work on a dig in the mountains near Huaraz for a month. Getting ready for this trip has been an adventure in its own right (mostly 'cuz I suck at life) but I think I'm just about there.

Entonces, adios amigos. Hopefully I will find true love and lotsa cool old broken stuff. Well, maybe not so much true love.

I'll take llama pictures :)

I OWNED THE GRE.
Mood:  on fire

zomg.

*happy dance*

Wednesday Beatley Goodness!

This picture gives me so much joy.

Massive Update/Rant Day!
Hokay, so...

It's massive update/rant day! Why? Because a lot of things have happened that I haven't bothered to post about and that fill up much neglected blogspace. Because it's Tuesday again and at this rate my blog will consist solely of Wednesday Beatle pictures. And because I'm ANGRY! Karl Rove has escaped indictment in the CIA leak case, inspiring gleeful gloating from the right. Now, this is just disappointment.com.

So my life right now for those who don't know...I'm taking the GRE on the 26th, for which I'm not as well prepared as I should be given how much time I've had to work, but oh well.

My brother graduates this weekend and this whole week has been a celebration of his existence. He won a ton of awards and received compliments on the beautiful yearbook he put together, and then he and his girlfriend were prom king and queen. So it's all somewhat sickening from an older sister's point of view, but I'm also proud of him. Aw.

My grandma got the cutest puppy and is calling my mom on a regular basis to complain about how hard it is to manage when she already has two older dogs. I held out hope for a while that she wouldn't be able to take care of it and we could keep it, but that doesn't seem to be happening.

I'm still working out all the Peru logistics and am really looking forward to the trip. Alas, my Yale course catalogue won't come until I've already left the country. GAH! SENIOR YEAR!!!!

I can't stand it.

This was going to be a much longer entry, but I got sidetracked surfing the net and ran out of steam. I've been spending waaayyyy too much time with my computer of late... >_<

We get the truth from Comedy Central and comedy from Fox News
I love when Jon Stewart gets semi-serious in an interview. Here he skewers Bill Bennett on the marriage question.

Wednesday Beatle Blogging

Much love for George's outfit! XD