meat on a stick is great.

I have been working on a piece of writing surrounding my experiences with the summer solstice and some crazy stuff about the spirits of the valley but left it in Ollantaytambo and am now in Cusco for a few days so I will just catch up here and post that one later from there.

Mel leaves tomorrow and I am sad to see her go. I am looking forward to going back to teaching and such though, so there is that. I can´t believe that I have only a couple more months in Ollantaytambo - having Mel leave is giving me a taste of what it will look like to go myself and I don´t like it!

We have been having lots of grand adventures and I am realizing that I better get on it to do some of the other adventures in Peru that I want to have before leaving here or I will have spent 8 months in the Sacred Valley and never left. Of course it is a pretty darn good place to be stuck in. I feel like I´ve learned so much in the process of leaving home and being here that at least another year would only serve me well, but I just don´t think I can quite pull it off. Home to work hard and save money and choose the next adventure. Whether it is back here or to somewhere else all together will be interesting to see.

I have been really enjoying watching my body get so strong and taking hikes that I would never have been able to or would have been a whole day ordeal and now have me back before lunch. I hope to not lose this when I get home so I will be looking for folks who want to go do lots of walking and take advantage of the great mt. hood hikes and gorge hikes that I just wasn´t in good enough shape before to tackle. Especially after doing these hikes at this kind of altitude, I will be superwoman when I come home - gonna need a super suit.

Mel leaves tomorrow which is also Inti Raimi here in Cusco - the biggest tourist draw of the year and this city is so crowded it is incredible. Seems like a shame to miss this but the same event will take place in Ollantaytambo on Monday, just a little smaller and easier to deal with. I am growing less and less fond of huge crowds. I will be headed back to Ollantay on Thursday and will try to get my solstice experience posted then as I am headed out of town with the boy for a few days on Friday to reward him for being great with Mel here and because I miss him.

hasta soon,
em