My Life as a Rolling Stone Coastal cruising, Peru. The last 7 days have been a marathon pace of travel, point A to point B movement continuous. The finish line of my 9 month crusade of culture and Castellano is actually in sight, and I am not messing around with the 3.5 weeks I have left.

7 day stretch starting on Sunday, October the 14th:

Sunday the 14th-Arequipa. Jaw jackingly beautiful, host to throngs of Gringo star struck muchachas, and stunning colonial castles backdropped by snow capped volcanoes. Arriving lazy and late to the bus station around 8pm Sunday night in search of a night bus heading north, I had to pay 80 soles for my ride. Absolute highway robbery. (Woman serving the passengers on the bus was the same woman working on the bus I rode in May while in transit between Argentina and Ecuador). Night on bus.

Monday the 15th-Nazca. Desert highway town, slowly burgeoning. It had one plaza, one main drag. Made it to the mysterious Lineas de Nazca (similar to crop circles) and the Necropolis de Chauchilla, a burial site with millenia under its belt for mummified corpses. The site is amidst a plain of sun baked sand where bleaching human bones are literally littered everywhere, open for shock or viewing pleasure. Night in Nazca.

Tuesday the 16th-Huacachina. Bussed from Nazca north around 1pm and arrived in Huacachina about 3 hours later. Its name actually means China Temple. It consisted of a once natural, now man made lake set like a diamond on a golden band in the middle of swiftly rising sand dunes. There was one circular road on the border of the lake which was the size of a football field, and a handful of old paint chipped restaurants and hostals were scattered along its stretch. Upon asking for a map, the hostal worker answered with "porque?" or why? Night in Huacachina.

Wednesday the 17th-Haucachina todavía. Sandboarding in desert sand, in desert heat. In the pm, caught a bus off the street for Lima, 4 hours north. Because I am planning on staying in Lima for a few days at the end of my trip, I arrived, and immediately caught another (night bus) for Huaraz, about 8 hours north. Night on bus.

Thursday the 18th-Huaraz. Arrived around 5am in Peruvian darkness. Took a day of rest including laundry, emailing, street food paroozing, and wandering South American food markets (now one of my favorite activities in the world despite the sess pool smell they usually carry). Night in Huaraz.

Friday the 19th-Huaraz. Day of bussing. Caught the Chavin tour express 3 hours inland to the ruins Chavin Hauntar, arriving at 4pm. I had around 1.5 hours to explore the underground maze-like tunnels and sacrifical terrace to allow myself enough time to get back to Huaraz for my 9pm night bus to Trujillo. Bargained my way into the luggage space of a station wagon taxi for 15 soles from the ruins back to the city of Huaraz. 9pm night bus north, recorded on camera by a group of 13 year old girls while in my bus seat for being a Gringo all-star. During the ride they played Beetlejuice in Spanish. Night on bus.

Saturday the 20th-Trujillo. Arrived around 8am, while getting my wardrobe in a backpack, took a picture with each one of the traveling pack of 13 year old girls, who were apparently on some kind of field trip. I think they confused me with marky mark out of sleepy confusion. Later that day met two Peruvian "primos" or dudes at the open air market, Luis and Fabio, all around hilarious and sketchy, and we then turned the party out in Trujillo until the early Sunday morning hours. One of the most fast paced and travel intensive weeks of my life...fitting quite nicely in my life as a rolling stone. I am looking forward to an anchored week in Mancora, where I will be taking in a professional womans surfing tournament and Cuba libres until American GIs come home...make it sooner rather than later Family.  ¶ 6:21 PM