My very own Paradise! and no Gansta about it!

Here i am, alone at my own paradise resort. Sitting in front of a pool with 2 waterfalls flowing into the center of the pool. A chocolate lab pup played joyfully with a 5 gallon bucket and bamboo huts are spread out across the land. Mine is empty inside besides a doublesized bed and table. A firepit just waiting to be usd, and a bar with wood log seats and bottles of cervesas waiting to be woken alive with new storis and laughter through the night. 2 beautiful brown horses graze in the pasture in front of my hut. Now the puppy wont leave my side, as i throw raisens to get him away, he keeps coming back for more. Hundreds of dragonflies float above my head in the sky, moments later, they all disappear. Wishing now i didnt take my book out at the last minute to save room in my pack.

The sun is hidden and the clouds are rolling in. A few sprinkles drop and i hope it doesnt pour. The pool temp was chilly at first but felt warm after a few laps. It feels good to swim, epecially aftr hiking for 2.5 hours. I stare up at the mountains surrounding me knowing they are 1000 meters high or more. The reds, yellows, and orange rocks scattered with green, what looks like moss. A closer look shows cactus, flowers, and various plants, mis within the rocks. A few more sprinkles and the wind picks up. I move to another woodlog bench under a fruita tree. An old man and the same kid from before, come out of the kitchen and sit in the grass, as the puppy comes to play.

As night fell, complete darkness surrounds. No stars, moon, or light can be seen. I used my torch to follow a path throught the pasture past the horses, over a small crick, past the bar and swimming pool to the kitchen. Inside 3 candles stuck inside empty beer bottles, light the room with shadow dancers on the wall. The young boy was making dinner and i asked to help. All he had was a carrot to peal, so he let me do that. I sat on a small plactic stool, listening to nice relaxing music and trying to have a conversation with him in my broken spanish. He lives outside of Cuzco, has been working here at the Oasis logde for 3 months, plays the guitar, and would like to learn english and someday study-travel in the STates.

I invited him to eat with me so i wasnt eating alone, and he would just sit there. He brought over the DVD that was playing music and asked if i wanted to watch a movie. My options were, The day after tomorrow 1,2,or3, Independence day, or Apocolypse. I told him to choose. We watched the beginning of Day after Tomorrow 3 i think, and when we were finished eating, he asked if i wanted a bonfire. Yeah, if its not too much trouble. So we went out, and there were already sticks together just waiting to be light. Just after we got the fire going, it started to sprinkle. We sat there for a while, and when the rain picked up, we moved to sit under the bar. I sat and watched at the flames danced in the rain drops as the kid set up his DVD again and put on a Top Ballods Hits from the 80s. Sweet! I sat there watching all these videos to songs that, some i havent heard since the 80s. AFter a while of that, i decided to go to bed and walked back to my hut.

I woke up Thursday morning, with sunshine rays sneaking into my hut, the sound of the roaring river below me, and the snorting of the horses outside my door. I walked outside and as i was doing some yoga stretches, I noticed a huge boulder and a grassy clearing down below me. I grabbed my shoes and journal, and found a path down there. I was able to sit on this huge rock and see the raging river below. After a while, the sun finally peaked through the thick layer of fog, hidding the tops of the mountains that surround me. Already im not looking foward to the 3-4 hour hike back up to the top.

Sitting along side the pool with the warm sun on my back, i enjoy a cup of tea and bread and jam. The first tourists ive seen, walk down into the resort. They talk to the kid, buy a coke, and continue on some path. For some reason, i hvae no desire to find out where this path leads. Im quite content sitting next to the pool listening to the sounds of the waterfalls.

I found a cryptoquip game in my bag, thankful i found something to take up some of my time. Im even more thankful my brain is working and i can figure out the puzzle. ¨What is the system for overlaying plastic on a certain vowel? The process of E-lamination!!! haha. For some reason, earlier on my travels, i couldnt figure these out.

I look up to see some birds soaring along the cliffs of the mountains. Im guessing they are Condors, since they are famous around here. There is a certain tourist spot where at 6am and 6pm, if your lucky, you can see the condors soaring along through the currents of the wind. Another tourist attraction im not interested in seeing. But thankful i can see them right where im at.

I lay beside the pool on the concret slab, surprising that is is comfortable. I begin to daydream. I came up with a pleasant idea. What if i did go home early from my travels. I would hopefully be able to find some work and spend a month or two with my friends and family. Then after a while, continue on traveling to other places that ive thought about. As much as i love to travel, i do miss home and sadly i ran out of money before i ran out of time. In the time ive spent in South America, ive been lucky to see Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Ill probably have to make another trip to see the rest of Chile, Argentina, Uruaguay and Brazil.

I got a message from a friend i had traveled with in Colombia. When i said i was just getting to the Colca Canyon. She said, Wow, your a slow traveler, i was there 6 weeks ago. I realized, that yes, i probably could have seen more countries on this trip if i moved faster, but i dont consider myself the typical touristic traveler. i like to become apart of the culture and if i find a place that is truely amazing with the culture, nature, and people. I like to stay and enjoy it. And not just stay a day or two just to say ive been there. I can truely say, i have lived and been apart of some amazing places and some amazing peoples lives.

3 more tourists walk down the steps into the resort. I noticed one girl was limping. I went to the bathroom and when i came back, she was sitting alone on the grass. I walked up to her and asked what happened. She had sprained her ankle the night before and rode a horse down the canyon. Its quite expensive and didnt want to pay for a horse ride up, so i offered to look at her ankle. No questions asked, she said yes. Already it was pretty swollen and tender. I gently worked to put the fibula back into place and checked a few other bones. It was a minor sprain. I asked if she knew what arnica was, and to my surprise she did and had some with her. Ive found a lot of travelers know about arnica, mainly because most of them are European. I told her a few things she can do to help it heal and wrapped her ankle back up in the bandage. When she stood, she already could put more weight on it and be stable. It was still tender, but already felt a little better. Hopefully it will heal fast for her. I said goodbye and walked to my hut to lay down for a bit before getting the motiviation to hike back up the canyon.

Walking up took me 3 hours, most tourists 4. Along the way, i met three different Peruvians. At various times, we would all stop to rest as the other would pass. Fianlly i came up to some rocks where all 3 of the were sitting. So i sat down with them. An older man with only 2 lower teeth asked me where i was from. He continued to tell some story as he laughed and had a twinkle in his eyes. I found a lot of Peruvians all have beautiful eyes full of life and stories. No matter how old, rugged, or poor they look. Their eyes are amazingly happy. He had a thicker accent so i didnt understand most of what he was saying, but i still laughed because he was laughing at his own story.

I stood up, stretched, and continue on. I said, Hasta luego, meaning, ill see you later, because i knew when ever they would start walking, they would catch up to me. Finally, i made it to the top and did my own little victory dance. As i turned around, 2 of the Peruvians were right behind me. I said, Finito! and they both laughed! Now an level, rocky path back to Cabanaconde for about 25 minutes. Walking behind the Peruvians, I couldnt even keep up to them on level ground. I dont know how they walk to fast, when they look so slow.

Back at the hostel, I met Jamel, Pablos brother, and he fixed me a cup of coca tea. I had found a broken, old rusted horseshoe on the trail and gave it to him for decoration of the hostel. We sat there talking, and i had my coca leaves out on the table. A Peruvian tradition, is to read the coca leaves to see the future. He dropped a few leaves on the table and picked on up. He said this leave resembles the shape of the heart,meaning love, and the tip of the leave was bent foward meaning, i have loved this much of my life so far. Which was kinda of sad, because it was only a little bit, but the rest of the leave showed how much i will love in the future. Also, since the shape of the leave resembled the heart, and a strong line down the center showed good health and wealth in the future. Not sure if this is true, but sounds great! Ill take it!

After i showered and cleaned up, i met with Pablo in the restaurant and he explained to me all the tourist info i would need to know. He said if i worked for one week in the restuarant and attracted tourists of the buses when they came in, i can get 3 days off to spend in the canyon. Either doing more of the hiking or just relaxing at the Oasis. Tired already from just the 3 hour hike, i think i might just take it easy and do the small trails around the Oasis hostel.

This place is amazing, and i meet new tourists that come into the restaurant everyday. I get to give them info i know, and learn about places they have been. Also, i get to sleep and eat for free. How amazing. Im so happy, i took the chance to just ask about working for my accomodation. I feel very fortunate that Pablo took me in!