May 22

Yesterday we went ATV-ing. The view from the mountain was beautiful and no one died. Yet another successful adventure… Out of the whole trip two particular moments made me pretty happy. We were riding semi-automatics, which was no big deal. My machine, like my horse, was testy but I guess that’s just my luck. We were all a little nervous about Paul because he had to drive a manual bike and it took a bit for him to get it going smoothly, but he managed, despite the many bushes he ran into and trees he almost had imprinted in his face. We got to stop and switch bikes to try Paul’s and I was pretty proud of myself for getting the bike going on my first try. I got it going a few times and if I had more time, I know I would have gotten comfortable with it quickly, so all I have to say is, next I’m movin onto manual cars. Dad, your sports car isn’t safe for long... During the trip, we drove through a number of small towns. These people are the poorest of the poor in Cusco. They live in dirt houses and animal feces, there is dirt and dust everywhere, and the animals are around every corner scrounging for more food. When we stopped in one town, the children ran up to us and climbed on our bikes. One little girl was yanking on my arm, pulling me to her, while another marveled at my blue nail polish. They all said “propina propina!” to us, asking for a tip. The kids were so poor and so dirty, yet they seemed happy and the mothers smiled at us while we played with the kids and let them sit on our bikes. It was sad to see what they lived in and I would love to be able to take one home with me, but they still seemed happy despite the hardships they live in.

Today we decided to go for a run. Apparently running miles at a time in New York did not prepare me for what running would feel like in Peru. Two blocks of a light jog and we were all breathing hard. Two more and we had to stop because our chests got tight and started to hurt. We ended up doing a lot of alternating between running and walking so that our bodies could get the needed oxygen. It felt good to actually do something physical again though and hopefully by the end of the trip, a run won’t feel so hard and when I get back home, my miles will seem easy. JT is a lifesaver on the runs though, there’s no way Lauren and I could run alone here. As it is we had to keep our faces straight ahead when we passed anyone because of the honking and whistling. They don’t see gringas very often apparently. Despite that it was good to get out and it helps to pass the time until I can finally come home.