I could probably write pages about my all-too-short visit to Cusco, Peru. However, as I've learned from this semester's newest hobby, blog stalking, no one wants to read lengthy blog entries. It doesn't matter if the entry is about your recent discovery of a seventh toe on your left foot, about the four people and the cat you saved from the mailbox fire last Tuesday, or the time you spent a week exploring Incan ruins, if the entry looks too long, it's not getting read. And let's be honest, no one's life is really that exciting anyway, so it's gotta be concise.

And I tried to cheat this little rule by posting the entry in two parts, but apparently that was more confusing than helpful. Suck it up and read.

First off, I didn't blog about my mom's visit two weeks ago, but I don't want to pass it by. We toured Quito a bit and spent the weekend in the jungle- it was an absolutely wonderful vacation. You've probably seen the pictures. I'm so glad she could make the hike out here! Thanks for coming, Mom! But anyway…

My first day in Peru was actually quite miserable. I pulled a lovely all-nighter the night before finishing up two essays (why do teachers love assigning work before spring break?) and was pretty much comatose during our first tour of the city and churches. Our guide insisted on telling me how tired I looked throughout the entire day, and she continued throughout the rest of the week. I didn't like her very much, as any of you know me might guess. And this next rant will be old hat for those of you (where does the phrase 'old hat' come from? Did I use it correctly? Do I want to have used it correctly?) Anyway, it needs to be documented.

There is no good reason to tell someone they look tired. My advice to you is never to make this mistake (especially to me, but this is good advice in regard to anyone.) There are two possible scenarios: the person really is very tired and her face shows it, or she actually feels quite chirpy and for some reason her face is betraying her. If it is the first, she already feels awful and pretty cranky because she is tired, and she indubitably knows that her face looks as awful as she feels. Commenting on the obvious doesn't change the fact she is tired and looks it: it only reaffirms the fact that she looks as awful as she feels. If, by chance, she is not tired and is feeling wonderfully, telling her she looks tired obviously takes her happy feelings down a few notches.

Moral of the story: if someone looks tired, keep your mouth shut. Make small talk some other way. The weather is always a crowd pleaser.

That first night, through the haze of sleep and heavy-lidded eyes, I did notice something about the colonial paintings hanging in a lot of the churches. There are a lot of paintings featuring a nursing Virgin Mary. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT of hungry baby Jesuses eagerly grasping for A LOT of very large and erect nipples. I'm not so sure how I feel about that. I know that breast feeding is supposedly a magical and very natural part of motherhood, and Mary is the ultimate mother, but still. She's Mary! The Virgin mother of God! She shouldn't have her breast hanging out for the world to see, like the dozens of Ecuadorian women on the buses I ride every day. Then again, I feel like a lot of this could be coming from my sheltered and ethnocentric American views on life, sexuality, and other cultures.

Speaking of American sheltered views… on our group tour, there was a German family of two parents and two high-school aged kids, all of whom spoke perfect German, English, and Spanish. Ok, I can't vouch for how perfect their German was, but their English and Spanish was fluent and pretty much unaccented. One of the things I've learned while here in Ecuador is that the majority of people in this world speak more than one language. Our private guide spoke Spanish, French and English, as well as the indigenous language, Quechua. An Ecuadorian friend speaks fluent Spanish, English and German. Most people speak both Spanish and at least conversational English. In the U.S. we're really impressed when someone speaks more than one language, but in most other countries it is odd if you only speak one.

Maria and I (Maria is my amazing program director- we were traveling buddies for the week) had lunch with a few members of our group tour: three lovely ladies from Peru, Colombia, and Mexico. It was also very interesting to hear about their lives. For example, the woman who lives in Mexico was talking about how the news (U.S. news in particular) has been portraying the violence and the drug wars. According to the news, the entire state of Mexico seems to be in constant drug warfare, with kidnappings and deaths and extortion taking place every day. In reality, Mexico is a big place, and people still live there and people still do normal every day things. Of course there are dangerous areas that should be avoided, but normal people are not being constantly harassed by drug warfare and violence. She also commented that her city, Guadalajara, is actually very safe because it is the home of all the drug lords- they don't want the violence interfering with their families and day-to-day business. Just an interesting little perspective twist.

Cusco itself, though- absolutely gorgeous. I won't describe it because you'll see my pictures and this blog is already getting past its readability length, but it is gorgeous. The main city has narrow cobblestone streets and is full of colonial Spanish architecture. Cusco is really in the heart of the Andes, unlike Quito. Mountains can be seen from every side- beautiful mountains, pink mountains, green mountains, brown mountains, rocky mountains. Unfortunately, they are still recovering from the absurd amounts of rain they've been having. The rain and flooding were the reasons Machu Picchu has been closed for the past two months- the only railroad to the ancient ruins had been completely washed out. At one point, our guide was talking about a lake a town was named after, and as we drove Maria affirmed, "ay, la laguna" only for the guide to respond, "no… es un pueblo." The body of water Maria had pointed to was in fact, a town, not a lake. A town, however, that was still completely under water with a few completely destroyed buildings and abandoned cars piled up- quite a contrast with the lovely tourist city of Cusco only an hour away.

In fact, Cusco's major and basically only source of income is tourism. When Machu Picchu was closed, Cusco suffered. Maria has been to Peru many times, Cusco in particular, with different students, and she says that it is always mobbed- hotels full, restaurants with no seats available. When we first got to Cusco, we were the only ones in the restaurants (which was a little bit awkward) and there weren't many people in our hotel. Machu Picchu opened on April 1st, and by Saturday, the city was mobbed. Unfortunately, this means that Maria and I were unable to get to Machu Picchu. I'm okay with it though. I've already decided that I'm going to have to return to Cusco at some point because four and a half days were definitely not enough time. Usually, on these trips, Maria and her student only really have time for Machu Picchu. We, however, were able to see much more- a lot of ruins that even Maria hadn't seen before. As she said, we were able to get a better grasp of the Incan empire and the Incan people by visiting many ruins of different types. We saw temples and fortresses and homes and agricultural centers, and even some pre-Incan ruins. Basically, the Incans were absolutely incredible. Their walls, many of which are still standing today, are made with huge rocks (which historians assume they dragged into place themselves,) held together without mortar! They carved the tops and undersides of the rocks somewhat similarly to Lego pieces so that they would fit together. They also built their walls at an angle so they would be earthquake-proof. Again, absolutely incredible.

I mentioned the lack of time on our trip. There are pros and cons to a tour group, even a private guide like we had for most of it. When you are paying someone to show you around and to teach you, you are at the mercy of their schedule. Many places I would have liked to spend hours more exploring, even the entire day; unfortunately, this was not an option because we had more places to fit in. On this trip I got a hint of Cusco and the Incan empire, just enough to convince me that a future return trip would be necessary. You are all more than welcome to visit when I am living there in a year and a half!