I´m in Cusco...I love city life!

I arrived in Cusco yesterday afternoon and my hotel is so sweet! It´s US $33, and it has a great view of Cusco and it´s only 2 blocks from the city center. And the water in the shower is HOT! That is the modern convenience I missed the most in Chijnaya. I spent half an hour just standing in the shower when I arrived. I´ve had two showers now, and I feel a whole lot better.

Being here in Cusco makes me feel so far away from Chijnaya. Just imagine how I´ll feel when I get home. Coming to Peru was such a great experience, and I hope to be able to return again, preferably with Diego and Josh if they want to come.

There was a tearful goodbye in Chijnaya yesterday morning. The night before wasn´t a big to-do. The volunteers gathered in my room with my host family after we returned from Lampa, a little town with a cool church and catacombs. We had our own little private going away soiree with just a little beer, not a case. I packed most of my things so there was little to do in the morning.

No one knew exactly when the bus left Ayaviri, but it turns out that it leaves hourly for most of the day. At least that´s what the sign says. My 9 a.m. bus didn´t leave until 10:30 a.m., and they oversold the seating. I shouldn´t be surprised, but I was pretty irritated at the idea of sitting on the floor of a big, dirty bus for four hours. After one hour, we made a stop and I got a seat. I was much happier after that. Cusco--and the hot shower--really made me happy. I guess I´m a city girl at heart.

My plane leaves tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. I´ve mostly been walking around Cusco taking in the sights. I decided not to visit Machu Picchu. I know, how can I possibly do that? Part of the reason is that I didn´t want to spend 8 hours on a train today with only 4 hours in Machu Picchu. Second, the day trip is about $150 and I just don´t feel like it´s worth it. I´ve seen so many photos of MP that I feel like I´ve already been there. I´ll go one day, but this just isn´t the time.

The remaining seven volunteers are going to do a great job over the next three weeks. I don´t think they´re as sure of it as I am, but they´re going to be fine. Everyone was returning to good health when I left. Brooke has had some stomach problems that weren´t stopping, but then she started taking the Cipro and improved very quickly. She was a lot better yesterday.

When I get home, I´m planning to upload my best photos to Yahoo or Webshots. I´ll post a link on the blog when I do. I´d also like to make a slideshow and invite anyone who is interested to come and learn more about what we did in Chijnaya.

By the way, Geronima gave me three tapestries yesterday to sell in the US. Let me know if you´re interested in seeing them. They´re beautiful!