hit heavy on the border line

About to depart for four days onto a spiritual journey, Ipod, clean socks, and underwear readied, I continue to blog about town. Cuzco.

(For those of you who think this traveling the world thing is all fun and games, please read.)About an hour ago I found myself in a rough spot. Working on 14 hours on a bus from La Paz, Bolivia - got up at 6am - up into Cuzco, Peru with nothing to eat, hoping my backpack was still under the bus, about 2 dollars in my pocket, no idea where I was to sleep tonight or whether I would in fact begin the Inca Trail tomorrow as I had planned, I figured that everything would just work out ok. I did have my passport on me, and, granted, I had 2 dollars more than I might have had if, um, I hadn´t had. those dollars.. um. And I had eaten some bread for breakfast, and a couple cookies when i crossed the border. So I had my wits about me.

I sprang into action upon pulling into the Terminal Terrestrial, contacted my Inca Trail guide, Walter, bargained my way into a fine hotel room, and found myself a fine chicken sandwich, (positively bursting with vegetable matter), for roughly one american dollar, leaving me change to buy a banana anda Strawberry Yogurt Drink. Things are working out in Cuzco, I say. And its not even raining! how can this be!

I was unable to leave Bolivia yesterday to do a border closure, but was pleased to stay in La Paz with Ryan and Jin, passing away one very soaking wet day. Before I awoke at 9am, I believe it was not raining. Afterwords, it was persistent. We went to see King Kong (with subtitles), a ridiculous movie with ridiculously long action scenes and absurdly extended "touching" moments between a 25 foot tall ape and an attractive yet slightly awkward former alley-theater vaudviller. Ryan liked the brontosaurus landslide and the Kong vs. not-one-not-two-but THREE T-Rex´s fight. I just couldn´t extend my disbelief enough to appreciate 15 minutes of nonstop roaring. I forgot I was in a spanish speaking country. no subtitles were needed for the roars and screeches.

I did hang out with some Al Pacas today as I viewed some snow-capped peeks, so the trip up wasn´t all bad. Though I didn´t think at the time about the Al-Paca BBQ I had eaten for dinner last night and how that might affect my interactions with those particular ruminants. (ruminants? are they? mom?) The first 8 hours or so of the trip were trouble from my navel down, as either the AlPaca or the Cow Heart with Peanut Sauce was wreaking some havoc on my LI. Is it kosher to abbreviate lower intestine? What about digestion-talk in a blog?

I will save the profound travel thoughts for the mountains (ah! but there were many today!), to roll around in my head for a few rainy nights and days and perhaps spill out into cyberspace upon my return to this century.

Los Angeles Pollería made me that chicken sandwich. There is a Los Angeles Pollería waiting for all of us, somewhere. Believe.