learning to fly

I could not help myself, I had to stealthily steal myself away to attempt a post from our local internet cafe in Arequipa- at 30 cents an hour, it is a great deal. Did I mention that I am in Arequipa? The very notion still seems surreal to me.

This morning I saw Andean condors rise and soar through canyons. This afternoon, I made a wish on a pile of rocks, as is the custom at the highest point in Colca Canyon. Sadly, I was so dizzy from the 4950m altitude that I could only manage to concoct a tribute of five rocks before I had to board back on the bus.

I thought it was such a big deal to come here to Peru, and it is for me, but it's blown me away that everywhere we go, everyone else is on 2-3 month holidays, travelling to two or three countries. Have I found my people amongst these travellers, or am I just an imposter in their ranks? I can not say for sure. I can say for sure that I will be taking altitude sickness medication upon getting to Cusco. The coca leaves have not done much for me yet, and the Inca trail looms in the near future.

And thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you for your sweet comments about my trip. The one thing in my "real" life that I feel is missing right now is blogging- a million things have happened every day, and it feels so odd not to be writing to the blogosphere about it.

Now I am going to hold my breath and hope this gets posted. Internet access is good here, but not perfect (then again, the same can be said about my usual internet connection back home).