Peru is the colour of rain

The Andes are a lot like the Alps in that the most profound part of being here is that they're all around you. 

The Andes are verdant as well, green right to their tops with a stubborn wet green that defies mudslides, earthquakes, and the runoff of the rains.

We watched women craft expertly today and took in two minor ruins. 

There was enough stairs to bode I'll for tomorrow and make me feel altitude shortness of breath. 

The mountains were cut out of the sunset though.

Suenos de la revolution

Ways Cuba was not what I expected:

I think the revolution as we can read about it, if it ever was, is over. I read a book about the early days of the Chinese revolution, and they had this little old lady who said they'd been catching rats, and they got a bounty for each one they caught. It's the same feeling in 9 days that shook the world, those guys, and the same feeling again in the conversations with Cuba book, though they believe that feeling is misguided. It's the same as what Jeremy said he found, a place which had little but was so full of pride and joy in their society that belonged to them and they were building together.

It's a feeling I believe does and has existed, a recognition of the fact that we are in this society, this world, this life together. A belief that if we work together we can make it better. An experiment in doing that. I am not a Cuba apologist, and I have never believed that this government has all the answers, but I thought among the people I would feel that spirit.

But the white city of Jeremy's dreams I could not find. Instead I found a place, not a bad place, but a third world nation like so many I have found, where people are doing what it takes to survive and surprisingly upbeat about that struggle. Where garbage litters the streets and people work and party with equal vigour.

Ways Cuba was as much or more than I expected.

The cars are as advertised, 1953 Chevies with fins, pink Cadillacs rolling down the street, watching the morning and evening commute is like a parade of awesome, all different colours and in all different states of repair.

There is just as much skin tight spandex and salsa music as you could dream. People just play music out of their doors, and salsa at the slightest opportunity. The warmth and friendliness and interest in you of many people is also true. I have progressed a lot in language, because the people I talk to seem to not just be humouring me but interested in what I have to say.

The salsa club, Casa Musica, down the road. The music is loud enough to hurt your ears and the show is off the hook. Some hot boy and his two backup singers had numerous coordinated dance moves when they wanted to excite the crowd, and he would walk down almost into the crowd. There was a horn section, and the double row of hot girls at the front of all shapes and sizes and ages were getting right into it. Behind them couples swirled and there were also seats where you could watch, but people were dancing there too. So unlike a US club. The seamless blending of little white haired couples and 20 year olds, the total failure of people to organise themselves according to type, the sheer inclusiveness of it. Everyone happy, everyone sexy, everyone here to dance period end of story. It really worked.  

Jungle green ocean blue

Our two day trips out of Havana.  Vinales was the inland area which has buttes that rise up but covered with jungle. 

We visited a cave where you could take a boat through it and out the other side, and climbed up to a viewpoint and saw a giant mural, and went to a waterfall on the way home.  It was beautiful, jungle green, and the air was fresh.  I felt better just getting out of the heat and dust of the city (dreams of revolution post is really my first) and seeing the mountains rise up in the distance.  The hitchhikers still line the roads but they hold up money now.

Second day trip the next week was to Varadero, the most famous beach.  The water was Pacific level quality, that incredible turquoise and indigo which melds magically into each other.  We swam to a cliff which had tiny sandy coves and then hung out in them, swimming at intervals and looking out at the water.  I got to swim three times, almost enough, no surf or current and perfect weather. 

To Cuba on my birthday

We took off from Cancun and as soon as we left the ground behind I thought I should almost be able to see it. 

Questionable cloud masses masquerade as landmasses.  If I were a painter I would paint skyscapes as others paint landscapes.  A patch of turquoise ocean gleams on the horizon. The plane shakes in the air. 

We landed into chaos, no car arrived and our address didn't have the house number, but a hero taxi driver worked it out with only his brain.  Once we got there the host was sweet and we spoke a lot of pidgen. 

No one takes USD and the tourist peso is much more prevalent.  Not what we expected but we had only USD... So we were on the verge of not eating until a hero waiter ran over to us and told us he would work it out.  Drinks in giant pineapples were had in celebration. 

We ended my birthday on the rooftop terrace looking out at the lights and into people's homes.

Internet is very limited here so expect not to hear from me for a while.  Peace...

Cenote

The literal translation of Chichen Itza is like city for the water sorcerer clan.  On the tour guide it describes the cenote as a sinkhole, but in reality the water sorcerers is because of the cenotes, and this big established city is possible because of the cenotes.

In addition, sinkhole is perhaps less apt than tropical lagoon.  This thing was like swimming pool size, and went like 50 metres down at all times. 

Tropical plants grew all around it, and because they are formed by the top collapsing in, the pool was in like a pit, and then the tropical plants are trying to grow into it from above, so slender roots and ferns are dangling down , some almost touching the surface of the water.

The water also drips down in various droplets and tiny waterfalls, and they've built this whole resort around the place.

We plunged in, the water cool but not cold, sweet to the taste, limestone cave walls reaching up above us, and you can float on your back and see the sunlight through the leaves, the water dripping down, the glimmering foliage. 

The view up a part of my land, the lagoon itself a secret all its own.  People leaping in from the top of stairs, because it goes down for ages, no worries about the bottom.  We swam to all sides and declared it romantic enough for Valentine's and the best thing we'd seen yet.

Chichen Itza

This was the sight I was most into getting to see on this continent.  We found a rad day tour that did all we wanted so by 8am we had walked to the ferry, ridden the 45 minutes of vomit inducement across the bay, and were on our bus with continental breakfast. 

This was valentines day which we had planned to have a big splash out for. 

Chichen itza is a giant step pyramid but more so it's a whole city which can kind of tell the story of a culture.  They have a stadium and the carvings of the games and subsequent sacrifices, with echo technology that allowed them to hear the announcements all over the stadium. 

Multiple temples and alters, the warrior place and the women's and different designs.  In the center part of the city, there is a library, observatory and school. 

The quality of the carvings varied a lot, but there were some in enough detail to see the exact pictures, and there were multiple aspects of the feathered serpent. 

Iguanas climbed on and lived in many of these. The observatory had a big dome, just like a modern one though of course no telescope.  One of the alters showed a carving of a jaguar with his mouth open swallowing a human skull. 

Overall though, I was perhaps underwhelmed by the complex.  From an archeological standpoint it was impressively complete.  But from a personal standpoint I expected it to be a lot more impressive than Teotihuacan, and it was more so just the same.

Also when I went to Teotihuacan, they let you climb on them.  Interestingly, they said they banned that here in 2006 so maybe it's a generational thing rather than the different sites. 

But the real whelming came at the last spot of the day and unexpectedly, at the cenote.

Island living

It's a good sign about Cozumel that our first day arriving there we met one guy who grew up in Mexico city and one guy who grew up in southern California who both described how they used to be wrapped up in the daily grind, working all the time and kind of missing their kids growing up.  Then they moved here and while they make less the lifestyle is a lot better. 

I'm feeling it too.  You don't feel that resentment by locals of tourists, everyone is really nice.  Our hotel looks better than the internet.  The restaurants we've tried have been very tasty. Prices and styles are western more than Mexican but it's a tourist island and the quality of everything has been good. 

We have taken an impromptu rest day today.  We slept in for the 12 hour neighborhood and were then indifferent about making things happen.  We did book our chichen itza and snorkeling adventures for the next two days and wash our clothes.  We have officially escaped winter.  Every day is lovely now. 

I've been really enjoying inhabiting the world.  We've done some lounging and internet but also a lot of wandering around checking things out.  
Kids playing in the fountains, stores out of garages, pet dogs, people coming home with their groceries, all nice to watch and see. 

Belize it

So yesterday we hit Belize.  We decided to get off the boat with authority and try to go see jaguars. 
We were thwarted by them being too far away so fast changed to howler monkeys.  I haggled the price down a bit, tho jes haggled it back up via tipping.  I told her jem always does the same.

We had a neat lunch of stewed beans and rice at a local restaurant which was v fun and flavorful. 

There was about an hour drive each way which took us through some small towns/ villages and also criss crossed the Belize river a bunch.  We saw some iguanas in the trees. 

At the reserve there was a family group of howler monkeys who had settled in this territory. An alpha male and female, a younger female who had come in, three of the alpha females offspring aged 7, 4, and 6 months, and the younger female's offspring still clinging to her.  We didn't see the younger female and baby but all the others.  The guy took us on a walk and showed us around pretty cool stuff.  There was a leaf cutter ant colony and they had some leaf bits and we saw a soldier and their chem trail.  Also more iguanas two males fighting at the end of the walk next to the river. 

Then the monkeys were eating and resting in the treetops.  Leaves mostly and our taking a nap.  Walking from place to place.  The guide said they almost never come down to the forest floor.  Then the mother and two kids including the 6 month old who was a lot smaller started a wrestling match in the tree, playing around.  There was a lot of lolling back and forth.  The guide tried to call them down with a banana, but they were having far too much fun to bother. 

Eventually they stopped fooling around and one started to descend.   He asked if any of us wanted to feed it so I said yes.  It grabbed your hand and took the food out of it.  I felt its claws and saw its face.  Then the 6 month old came down so we all got to feed it.  It's claws must not have been fully formed because its hands were soft.  It felt delicate and gentle.  It would take small pieces and steadied your hand with its own.  It walked half out onto another woman's arm but kept its hind parts and tail firmly in the tree. 

A big difference from the last monkeys I encountered in India. Those ones would choke you out and mug you.  These ones were friendly but not the dangerous half tame that wild animals sometimes get.  It was a pretty full on day and we were not get this three last people on the boat. 

Jes napped some and I did the waterslide and some hot tubbing and watched the sunset.  Jes showed up and we did dinner and many cocktails from the one real bartender who I worked on befriending.  Found some people under 40 to talk to like 4 separate times.  More than in the rest of the cruise combined.  Went to sleep late, got up early, and now chilling in the sun at Costa Maya.  We made it a low key beach day which was fun.  I saw a guy make an impressive palm leaf hat.  We took a quick dip. 

#Cruiselife

24 hours on a cruise ship. I've drunk an uncountable number of cocktails, watched the Superbowl jumped in a hot tub at night, and read an entire book.  This ship is completely populated with olds but they're pretty nice. 

There's some awkward quarantining due to some outbreak of gastrointestinal explosions on the previous voyage and lots of hand sanitizer about.  Jes and I used the lack of friend phone to talk a lot which was cool. 

I've gotten a bunch of trip notifications and she got an annual financial statement. 

I sweet talked a bartender into making me an espresso martini.  Jes had never had one before inexplicably.  She approved.

We keep walking a lap around the ship and finding a comfy nook then repeat.  We're not allowed to use the elevators.  Machu Picchu machu Picchu!

Superbowl Sunday

There's a Superbowl party on this boat.  I'm in a sports bar right now. 
I'm very excited.  Also they totally let me owe them my passport.

Lines heard by me too often as I walked by onto deck: "OK the last two passengers are on we can take off"

And may there be no sadness of farewell when I embark

We get on the boat to the Caribbean today.  I'm sitting in a sunbeam now outside the world's largest line of future cruisers.

It's Superbowl Sunday and I spent the day this far in a Dali art museum. Highlights were the guy crawling out of the egg, one of the ones with the three muses, Christopher Columbus discovering America, and I got to be in one of his paintings using the oculus rift.

Now so long as the check in guys don't expect me to have a passport, all should be well...

Swiss family Robinson

I went up the swiss family Robinson treehouse for the first time when I was a little girl, before I'd ever seen a rainforest, when it was an unconnected dream of a treehouse deep in the forest, like all my other dreams of being lost and adventures. 

Coming up to it now the first thing I saw was that it's a strangler fig, where my spirit animal the fruit bat would live, a spiritual imagining of my real life, a wood house with old fashioned wood furniture high in the trees of a tropical rainforest with plenty of hammocks for my friends and a piano in the corner. 

It is a powerful thing to look into a wild fantasy lime that and recognize myself. 

In other emotional Disney news I've been really aware of how many of the early films whisper you can fly, because all children know they can, before they wake up and forget how.  In the dream time we know it. 

Explore

"Let's explore this sucker!" Actual quote from 7 year old boy after my own heart.

Animal park and Epcot

We are rocking Disney right now.  Did every ride and every show in 2 parks over 2 days. Scored ourselves a free 3rd day in Disney proper for that.  13 hours yesterday.  My texts still only sort of working. Jes got her passport. 

The animal park had gorillas and a musical of finding nemo that was actually pretty ace.

Love burn

I went to love burn. 
Pros
On the beach.
There was a tiny train
And a globe you could climb in
And a club with the ceiling on fire
I pulled myself out on a raft with Worrill and talked for hours.
The new girl was nice
We saw the sunrise on our last day.
Beyond offered to do something nice for Jessamyn which made me like him more

Cons

Camping is dirty
It was kind of small and dinky which meant that you could lap the place a bunch of times and getting rid of dummy's was harder.
It was a lot cheaper than burning man but prolly less worth it.

Now I'm at Disney which sensibly rules.

We did every ride and show at the animal park today.  Finding nemo musical was a highlight. Also big mountain roller coaster.  Tomorrow to Epcot!