the cave

What's that old movie, possible with Goldie Hawn--likely not, where they buy an old house and try to fix it up, but it's a complete and utter disaster?
Well that's sort of how I'm feeling now... My brother's home is beautiful--I love it--but let's talk about the fact that it's sinking into the ground with a faulty foudation, and slowly sliding down the hill, or about the fact that the furnace is broken (and has been for a year) so with all the truely lovely wood and marble in the house, it's like a freaking grocery store freezer aisle in every room. And while we're on the topic of cooling appliances: ironically enough, the refrigerator broke the day I arrived. So they've got two little guys jam-packed with stuff, one big smelly refrigerator in the corner, and plenty more food literally just chillen all over the kitchen.
Furthermore, I spent one day--I am not making this up--digging ditches in Ted's backyard to create a place for rain water to run off, so that it wouldn't seep into his basement and cause further household sink-age. Another couple days were spent shoveling rocks off his street and hauling them in trash cans to dump on the side of his house. Oh the joy, home sweet home...imagine my anxiety about returning home at night.
I literally spent 3 hours down the street at Whole Foods this afternoon, not wanting to spend time in the house, but not wanting to go all the way into the city, as I was waiting for Ted to get off work. It took almost that long for my toes to defrost.
Maybe this is his way of deterring me from crashing with him if I find a job in the Bay Area...
And as for the job search, I've applied to several odds and ends nursing jobs--laser hair remover, labor and delivery nurse, medical assistant at a GLBT clinic, all of which would be lovely, but I'm not convinced I want to live here either....I may be more convinced when I return back to the midwest for the holidays with all that snow (Seriously--I hear we got 6 tons of garlic salt donated because we ran out of salt?? WTF, where are all those sand bags now?). I may well too just decide F IT, I'm going to Cuba! I simply can't find a good reason to freeze my ass off if I don't have to--here or in Iowa. Don't believe a word of what those SF-ers try to tell you--it is cold!
So tomorrow I'm off to New Mexico. I'm taking a train to Sacramento, then meeting a lovely guy named Wil and driving down to Taos. I foolishly thought I'd be getting into warmer parts with the southern descent, but have since learned that Taos is covered in snow (of course Rachel...it's a ski town). Oh well. The change of scenery will be nice...one last push before I very happily slide into home--grandma's home that is--for the holidays.

voyage to the center of the world

I have just returned from the center of the world. That´s the only way I can explain it.
6 days ago I think it was, at 10-o-clock at night, I found myself agreeing to a 4 day trek the following morning to check out some Chachapoyan ruins, Incan baths, and who knew what else, with a guy from Lima and a local guide. If you haven´t seen the movie, Journey to the Center of the World, it´s probably for the better--I saw it in Spanish with my Cajamarcan ¨enamorado¨ and even in a foreign language, I could tell it was a pretty terrible movie. Regardless, the center of the world in this movie looks remarkably like the remote areas around Leymebama, aka the cloudforest of northern Peru. The landscape is thick with green and lush with bromiliads and other brightly colored flowers. There are rocks plunked down and jutting out of everywhere--of all kinds, grey, black, white, volcanic, fossil-filled, smooth from water and pockmarked from erosion. Cliff faces--some displaying Chachapoyan pictographs from 600-1200 years ago and filled with little tombs which house or housed mummies, still preserved today. Potato farms, horses and cows wandering, medicinal plants everwhere you looks, waterfalls, and the occasional Chachapoyan town ruins, which consist of stone walls and crumbling circular stone homes... It´s all fantastically odd and beautiful.
We hardly saw any people, and no tourists. When we came upon someone herding their cattle or horses or walking to the next ¨town¨ for a supply, we´d stop and chat for awhile: ¨Where are you going? Where are you coming from? How are the roads?¨ and maybe share a little ¨aguardiente,¨ aka moonshine made from cane sugar.
We hiked up and around, through and down valleys and green mountains reminiscent of The Sound of Music (my apologies for my 2nd movie reference). 7 and 8 hour days of hiking in knee high rubber boots (it´s what everyone wears here), followed by 7 hour days of horseback riding--plunging down slippery muddy hills, stumbling up rocky inclines, and jumping creeks. Often our guide, Sinesio, was hacking our path for us with his trusty machete, as the tall pokey grass in some regions went up to my chest. Our walking sticks (also cut with his machete), came in handy when walking though the dense vegetation, feeling out holes and swampy parts in the earth. At some points our elevation got up to 1150 ft, which is pretty high for me, especially since we were ascending and descending over and over again and I was basically running to keep up with the 2 Peruvian guys. I´m not in great shape either after traveling for weeks--sitting in buses, cars, airplanes, spending hours sitting and chatting and oh my eating...milk and meat and carbs galore. And I´m not sure what was worse, the blisters and the saddle sore or the freezing nights. Regardless, I made it! And a hot meal never tasted so good!
I only intended to pass through Leymamba, but today marks one week that I´ve been in the area...still yet to reach the town of Chachapoyas. My plan though, is to hop a combi (little bus) at 5am tomorrow, and hopefully get some laundry done in the ¨big city¨and see Kuelap (the largest structure found of the Chachapoyan culture...though I should add, they just keep finding things!). Then on to Tarapoto, which is farther east and into the jungle, and then to Cuzco...we´ll see what happens though!
I really want to upload pictures because this place is simply indescribable (though of course even pictures can´t do it justice), but this computer is too slow to do such things...hopefully I can do that in Chachapoyas.

Other notes:

• I washed my face in a stone bath constructed by Incans hundreds of years ago, still preserved in the microscopic town of Atuen (where no roads reach and they communicate through radio).
• I learned to trust that the horse doesn´t want to die either, so when you´re balancing on the side of a narrow rocky path in the rain, just trust their instincts and close your eyes.
• Things I really miss: salsa dancing, yoga classes, good black coffee, indian food, my bicycle, hot showers, quality beds, a routine (seriously), and of course my friends and family!!!
• Also, one particularly frigid evening, I found myself rescued from a foul mood by Umberto´s ipod with familiar music like Bob Marley and Coldplay...I almost cried I was so nostalgic and relieved by it... And a note to anyone who thinks this adventure is a breeze for me and that I am ¨so strong¨ (in reference to some emails).....um it´s not, I´m not...anyone can throw themselves into a crazy situation! It is hard for me sometimes, and I have struggled, but ultimately I´m happy for the challenge I´ve given myself, and I am so grateful for the assortment of uncomfortable feelings this journey has conjoured up, as well as all the beauty.

So much love....from just left of the center of the world (in town now),
Rachel