Sallustani Pre-Inca Cemetery

Sallustani Pre-Inca Cemetery

As we begin our journey towards the ancient pre-inca peoples cemetery, Sallustani,

As I lay in the middle of the round sacred space fenced with stones, with it's entrance looking north-west, dividing the day from the night, the good from the bad, the dead from the living, a place which represents the connection between the upper, middle, and lower worlds, the future, the present and the past, a place which could have been used as an astronomical calendar and for performing sacred rituals and sacrifices, I connect with this ground. I embrace this energy and I accept the unity of life, while fantasizing about what else could have happened on this enclosed sight, like lovers meeting at sunset or under the moonlight, making vows to each other.

It is unique and elevating, I feel my soul balancing with the mountain, with the 4000m altitude, with the spirits who roam around and about me. I could stay here forever... but let me move on, let me store this mystical energy within me and continue my journey, as I do. Elevated, floating like a cloud, I glance at the beauty of lake Umayo, located at the top, and humbly but passionately appreciate the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.

Lima: The Science of Chaos

The day we spent in Lima went like a dream. We experienced the whole city with its parallel contrasts – from the north end to the south end, from the poor neighbourhood across the river, where they have no canalization and people live like the Romany gypsies in Bulgaria, through the city centre, influenced by old Spanish architecture, to the modern luxurious buildings and seaside parks of Miraflores.

We began our journey in the middle ground, the city centre, with its synchrony of intense car noises at 8 o'clock in the morning, European-like atmosphere of narrow pedestrian streets and 2 magnificent squares, one with a big statue of the national hero (Jose San Martin), another with a big cathedral,naturally. Yet, even though Europe tried to establish its suffocating atmosphere, it did not know that the clouds hanging over Lima are stronger, thicker, and filled with more rotten fish smell than a European capital can ever handle, even if it was London we are talking about. No, Lima has its own tropical character, warm, heavy, and humid at the same time. It is immersed into a desert mist, loud noises, and wooden façades on 2 story buildings painted in salmon pink and yellow tones. Full of life!

Life around us was buzzing in weird colourful ways, meeting us with things unseen before. One of the most notable such would be a couple of men, one on each side of the street on every little crossing, acting as independent currency exchange pedlars (yes, if it wasn't for the representative uniform of a reflective yellow vest that distinguish them, I would have taken this whole business for very suspicious!).

Lima: First Impressions

 Travelling in Europe is very different. I am used to travelling in Europe. It is cosy, it is private, it is familiar, it is expected...

Going to Latin America is something else, it is an adventure from the very start, from the moment we wake up in the morning to get the 9:30 train to Amsterdam, which, as it turns out, does not exist, in order to catch our 12-hour flight across the ocean and the desert. Fortunately, we are not the only backpackers booked for the mystery train. Hardly making it into the first hour of our journey, we have already found accomplices in the very first and very important part of the adventure: getting to the desired destination, which for us is Lima, Peru! Little do I know at this point that meeting fellow-travelers at every step is my new favourite hobby! … After 2 train changes, last minute check-in, and the chance of being left behind, we finally made it on board. KLM = flying among the heavens. We spent 12 tranquil hours of being pampered by the staff angels, settling into the cloud seats, and drifting into a satisfying sleep along the accompaniment of all my six Bonobo albums. Heaven.

Upon arrival, my very very first impression of Lima is a smell, or rather a terrible stink of rotten eggs, which envelopes us until we are way out of the airport. Leaving the smell behind, my other senses begin to sharpen for the twilight image of Lima. One thing that definitely catches the attention of every tourist, especially a European tourist, should ,of course, be the traffic. Cars of all sorts, some of them looking as if stolen from the junkyard after a shooting of Fast and Furious 80s style, magically manage to sneak through one another in a synchronized wave frequency manner, so flowingly we almost do not notice the 50 accidents that could have just happened! I like it, I like it very much here :)

Proceeding into the city, I begin to sense its atmosphere. There is a European magnificence to it, which, however, has been soaked with humidity, causing it to rot regularly, making it so hard to maintain that any rational being, and I am sure Peruvians are such (still to confirm!), would have given up long time ago. And they did. It is still beautiful though. The Latin American unique choice of bright blue, yellow, and orange colours combined with traditional Spanish facades, with benjamin trees on the side of the buildings and down the streets, construct my first memory of this place which I am yet to explore!

For now, let me rest my head on the soft pillow on this hard bed in this high rank Peruvian guesthouse:

I am happy! I am travelling! I am loving!

In peace and light,

Eliza