Monday
Must have been very normal.
Tuesday
We watched another movie at ISA. This one was called No, a movie about Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile. It wasn't that I wasn't engaged, but I was just really comfortable. I think I managed to sleep without losing out on the content.
Convenient Place for an Outlet
Wednesday
I realize today that I have been here for a long while. My computer hasn't been backed up for 75 days!
Soccer night! The group has grown to an impressive 15, and I believe it will continue to grow. We now rent the synthetic field for two hours. We rotate 5-minute games between three teams, and it is a blast. Today was tricky though, it rained earlier in the day, and we were slipping all over the place.
Thursday
After class, I came home and took a splendid nap in a strong rainstorm. Sheer delight.
Friday
Man I notice new things everyday. Like a little archeological site sandwiched between some buildings on La Avenida de la Cultura.
Later I saw a cool dog with dreads. But just on his left ear. I think somebody had to have done them, because they were well formed, twice as long as his ear, and only right there.
More on dogs: I am so accustomed to seeing hoards of dogs daily that it's hard to believe the infrequency with which I saw stray dogs back home. When I did see one back home, an intent to bring it back to civilization often ensued.
That night, more karaoke. More fun this time though.
That night, more karaoke. More fun this time though.
Saturday
Saturday was a day of exploration and seeking peace in the countryside. Papa Jesús, Anthony, and I let our inner kid out. P.J. had been wanting to head south from Cusco after hearing about my Huacarpay trip, and he offered to drive us all down. Well, finally it happened.
We passed by Huacarpay en route to San Salvador. One spot along the Urubamba River looked enticing, so we unloaded and headed to its banks. The River ran red as birdlife impressed my comrades. First to gain our attention were friendly Andean Swallows, but an elusive Bearded Mountaineer later came in to steal the show.
Nature was rejuvenating us. I felt like a child, and the world was my sandbox. It's that feeling I have back home when I go birding with my buddies and we end up goofing off in the woods. That day was the first that I experienced of such carelessness in Perú. Anthony and I skipped stones and looked for treasures along the River as Papa Jesús pointed out exciting birds from his higher perch.
We passed by Huacarpay en route to San Salvador. One spot along the Urubamba River looked enticing, so we unloaded and headed to its banks. The River ran red as birdlife impressed my comrades. First to gain our attention were friendly Andean Swallows, but an elusive Bearded Mountaineer later came in to steal the show.
Nature was rejuvenating us. I felt like a child, and the world was my sandbox. It's that feeling I have back home when I go birding with my buddies and we end up goofing off in the woods. That day was the first that I experienced of such carelessness in Perú. Anthony and I skipped stones and looked for treasures along the River as Papa Jesús pointed out exciting birds from his higher perch.
Spanning Continents (Three, right?)
Anthony with the glee of a child
Papa Jesús Light as a Cloud
We wound our way further south, and the scenery was just otherworldly. Steep rockfaces with diagonal striations rose from the far bank, and spanish moss-type epiphytes covered their sheer walls. Taking it in from the speeding car was magical: sensations combining in a way that beats any type of cinematographic masterpiece.
Paisaje
The Mighty Urubamba
Strange Epiphites: Pictures only go so far
Encouraged by our finds, we pressed onwards to San Salvador. What a blessing to come across a feeding flock of Mitred Parakeets at eye level!
One of my favorite Peruvian photo series
We made a few more stops along the River, trying for Pygmy-Owls and adding species along the way. Hillsides were verdant. Families were intently attending their chacras near and far.
Eventually, we decided to head back and try our luck at the renowned Huacarpay Lagoons. Backtracking, we let down the windows and embraced the breeze. Man, what a perfect day. The Mama's and the Papa's did our talking, as we were at a loss for words. Actually, we just didn't need words. All the messages surrounded us. I mean, it was Perú.
As we made our way towards Huacarpay, Papa Jesús' inner Kyle Petty came out. Work zone? No problem. Professionals make their moves in congested areas.
We did survive the maneuvers to arrive at the next hotspot. Although it was midday, we worked the hell out of that place. We covered three observation platforms and wandered about the reeds. Using this tactic, we nailed all of the specialties, getting close looks, interactions, and photos. Cuis skittered this way and that as we pursued our winged subjects.
Feeling that we couldn't possibly have better fortune, we called our birding day after adding our 30th species. The ride back brought some famous Oropesa bread.
Lunch with Anthony, P.J., and Gabby. My first Inca Cola taste. Not as bad as I thought actually, just really carbonated.
Then I got real sleepy. I dozed off on the ride back home. And when home, I elected to take a nap that lasted 14.5 hours and brought me to the next morning.
Sunday
That's right, my nap ended at about 7 am on Sunday. So I got ready for church.
Outside of church, I saw a first: a police officer sitting in the back of a cop car. Three officers in one car? Don't think I've ever seen that.
After church we ran a bunch of errands and ate some lunch. And remember how I mentioned a lot of rest? I took yet another nap to conclude my week.
End of Week Reflections:
-I miss my connection with the land; It's my way of making sense of the world. I try to learn as much as I can here, but there is still so much that I don't know. Biologically, Perú is a complicated case. I have virtually no idea what the highlands "should" look like, other than there must have been more Polylepis and less (no) Eucalyptus.
-The value of this trip has been on the mind lately. The combined experience of outings in classes is very educational. We often make connections and references between the classroom and real world. I feel like we'd learn so much more back home if we did the same for all of our classes. It helps you to see the world in a different light.
-I've got a special peace of mind here knowing that my phone will never vibrate outside of wifi. Back home, I would have these moments were I thought my phone vibrated, but it did not. It was just resonance from a passing truck or some loud music. Here, I feel that ghost vibration, but I know that I do not have to check it. Just a means of escaping the control that that little piece of metal, glass, and battery fluid wants to have on my life.
-This was my first week in Perú without seeing any new species... :( The closest that I came was adding a new species for the department of Cusco: Andean Swallow.
-This was my first week in Perú without seeing any new species... :( The closest that I came was adding a new species for the department of Cusco: Andean Swallow.
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