FROM THE HEIGHTS OF

Cuzco is actually a beautiful city. I hadn't expected this. Ancient Incan walls, beautifully crumbling churches, erratic street patterns that change names frequently, dark descendents of natives, rising mountains in the background--

Not to say that I've had much time to fully take advantage. Because I did not sleep last night, in Lima's large airport. I stayed up reading and writing and snacking on some food I stole from the 1st class lounge. Oh, yes. I forgot that the frequent flyer ticket Robyn got me was business class. A great surprise which led to me enjoying tons of free food, relaxing on leather seats and offending the miserable plastic woman sitting next to me when I took off my shoes mid-flight (she INSTANTLY sprang up, told on me to the stewardess, and without looking at me plopped down in another seat. hahahahahha). Anyway I booked my flight to Cuzco separately, so I had to get all my baggage, wait overnight from 11 PM to 6 AM tired as hell.

So when I got to Cuzco I waited for my baggage to the beats of the native woman's drum and the whim of native man's flute, and took a cab to this old mansion turned guesthouse which I'm completely enchanted by, the huge clean quiet space - private room, shared bathroom, for pretty cheap, and the money goes for charity - and slept. And got up midday to pay for my tour, and felt sort of sick when I came back and went right back to sleep. My asthma's been aggrivated lately, and when on Friday night Kate came to visit me in BA (we stayed up till 6, and got up at 10, another reason why I was so tired after travelling on Sat...combined with the fact that I didn't want to sleep much through my first first class experience!) I couldn't laugh without coughing up a lung. Then being in airports all day is always a risk for getting colds. And I failed to realize that Cuzco was actually very high up and that I'd be affected by the altitude within the city too. Just headaches, but combined with asthma and the cold, I'm taking precautions...asthma medicine, altitude pills, Tylenol for the immediate relief, and emergenc-c for the possibility of a cold. In summary, I've been feeling sick and tired. Also I haven't showered since Friday. Sick, dirty, and tired.

But still very happy. Happy to be here, happy to have some time to myself after all these months. I have almonds and trail mix for the hike, sent to me back in April by the rents, but I dragged myself out and figured a hot meal would do me good. I was the only one in the restaurant, and got veg rice and tofu and Coke that tasted like shit, so I didn't drink it. I think they made their own recipe, as I didn't see or even hear them uncap the bottle. But the food was good, and though I felt dizzy walking back uphill to get to the hostel, I think I will be ok.

Tomorrow at 4:30 AM (I'll have 5 - 6 more hours of sleep before then) I start my hike to Machu Picchu! I'm finally here! I think I'll actually be getting there on Wednesday, and returning to Cuzco Thursday night by train. So, all's well. I'm a lucky duck.