"The world is a great book...

...of which they who never stir from home read only a page." St. Augustine

This quote made me feel better during a short bout of homesickness. Sent to me from an English teacher currently living in Lima, Peru, I imagine this has helped her regain confidence many times. It easy to slip into the ´what the heck am I doing here?´mind set. It passes easily, as I snap photos of protests in the street and precious little ones curious to see their faces on the LCD.
Making friends is important here for this very reason. This afternoon I am having lunch with a Shaman I met the first night here. Yesterday I went to his hostal, Mamaculla Wasi, to check it out and was greeted with such tranquility I could think of nothing better to do but focus on my breathing. I will be switching over to this mind-body-spirit healing home shortly. There is a beautiful patio surrounded by bouganvilleas and giant palms to relax and do yoga. I´ve been waking up with the overwhelming urge to say Om, and no I´m not kidding. So, I do. It would be much nicer to do so outdoors surrounded by flowers though, instead of sitting on a lumpy mattress with neon lights buzzing above my head, able to reach out and touch both dusty walls that close me in. Yesterday I passed the day with his young daughter, swimming in a neighbor´s pool and then hopping over to a sauna and vapor room, where huge stacks of herbs sit on the steamer and make one feel as though they are inside of a giant cup of chamomile tea! Simply wonderful!

Above are a few photos taken very recently, and now that I have found a computer with an SD card sot, more are on the way!
1. Gabiel and I, standing in front of a statue in the Plaza de Armas in the center of Ayacucho. Gabiel, his brother Yefferson, and I passed some time today chatting with an indigenous, Quechua speaking woman who loved touching my face and hair, repeatedly saying ´gringa linda´. Most kids are bilingual around here, speaking both Castellano and Quechua and make for great, no shame translators and teachers. We also had fun drawing different animals, all with live models, including a pig and a parrot.
2. Sisters in the plaza, mom is in the backround on a bench. These little girls sell candy while their mom knits hats and things to sell. They were very excited to have the picture taken, and their mom seemed quite proud of how adorable they are.
3. Corn cake from the Choclo festival! This tasted even better than it looks. Hard to beleive, but true.
4. Chicho, age 4. He was playing with some friends near the ´mirador´, the lookout from which all of Ayacucho is visible. It took him some time to warm up to the camera, as his older female friends were trying to position him as if he were made of modeling clay, but once they scooted over and let him breathe I couldn´t resist snapping several closeups of his adorable little seed covered face. It was very hard to walk away from this crowd. I almost tried to fit him in my backpack. ;)

paz y amor a todos!