Cusqueñan viabrations

After almost 8 months of traveling solo I had decided it was time to accept another compañero to the culminating journey. Horacio, one of the rafting guides I had met in Potrerillo had decided to accompany me up to Cusco, Peru in hopes that he could obtain a seasonal job in El Rio Urabamba. We took off on a Tuesday persuading ourselves we could make it to Cusco in little over week. The first day we made it to San Juan, from San Juan to Chepes, leaping from Chepes to Patquia and finally from Patquia to Catamarca, an impressive town with a central plaza shimmering with artistic designs and local culture. The following few days we continued to travel further and further north though with a vague map and the ignorant local we ended up losing a full day adrift between Jujuy and Salta debating which would lead us directly into Chile. Finally we were able to stumble upon a fellow traveler who pointed us in the right direction and we headed to Jujuy with only dust trailing behind us. The Landscape began to change from dry pampas to erect mountains lush with frequent moisture and thick river bed of which captivated Horacio and left him asking ever so often where they led. We met artists and fathers, truckers and travelers and each of them leaving us with their unique stories. We finally made it to Sucre which was practically the border between San Pedro de Atacama, Chile and Argentina. We put up our tent in a local restaurant and the icy night began to frost our very bones droping well below zero. The following morning we paid less than 2 dollar for the shelter and gave away some potrerillian peppers we had taken from Paco's ranch. The next day we made it not only into Chile but up until El Pozo al Monte which was maybe 5 hours from the border between Chile and Peru. Arriving in Arica we had decided to rest for at least a day breathing in the ocean air and allowing Horacio to reconnect with the water while I attempted to make a few chilean pesos selling jewlery. We headed out early in the morning by train from Arica, Chile to Tacna, Peru. It was the first time Horacio had been to Peru and the third time for me. We bounced from city to pueblito until we were able to paid for our direct passage from Arequipa to Cusco. Upon arriving to Cusco we set up our artisan display and began selling in la calle Procuradores. It seemed like deja vu running through the mazes of Cusco, seeing the faces that I had thought were long gone tucked away as only memories. Cusco had changed for me. It was no longer about new ways to learn and create, share and participate in the canvasses of brotherhood and artistic expression. It was a sticky labyrinth of chaos, parties and indifferent masses. There were no such incas ... they had left long ago and nothing but the remains of starving indigenous and wealthy foreignors laid behind. Horacio and I struggled to make the hostal payments and decided to change stragedies putting aside our artisan jewlery and testing our hands in the kitchen to see if our luck might change. We began making crepes with cinnamin apples, bananas and some homemade chocolate. We took off to the street selling each one for less than a dollar. From the local store owner to the common gringo we went from one to the other trying to sell at least enough for the hostal but were astonished at how our local peruvian took advantage of the offer and the weathly foreignor found the price to be unreasonable, too expensive for their meager bank account. To say the least we decided to not waste our time on the foreignors and sold only to the locals giving away the rest to those begging on the street. Horacio continued to struggle finding a suitable rafting company that took the correct security precautions while not affecting the pay. After a week and a half in Cusco my time was up and I made my way from Cusco to Lima leaving behind Horacio, Cusco and all its faces. 22 hours from Cusco to Lima seemed to be well worth the winding decent for its acent left my knees shaking. Hundreds of green mountains stood alongside me and I was able to appreciate their heights eying a good 2 mile drop off sitting parallel with the road. I arrived to Lima around noon and spent the next 7 hours searching for brasilian waxed string and metals. Finally finding the correct store I quickly bought up the needed supplies and headed off to the airport to make the pending 4 connections until Rapid City. The three day journey finally came to a close and I took in the unusual green landscape of my native home and the smiling faces of my family waiting at the gate. A long hot shower, a few loads of laundry and hot meals in my belly have been the main luxeries aside from seeing all the new and old members of the family. I am soaking up every moment until I make my journey yet once again to South America in October.