Return to Nature

The land will once again be polluted with forests and leafy green trees. 

Mountains will interrupt the horizons. Rivers will spill into the oceans. Waterfalls will tear into the earth. Clouds will distort the sun. Light from the moon will ignite the night. Fires will burst from the depths of damnation. 

It is told in the song of the winds that collide with natures creations. A song sung of earth. A praise never to be heard.

One day it will be as it always was.

Within a fist lies a truth

A secret longing for abuse

Knuckles bent transparent white

Trembling softly for a fight

Scribble Flakes

I keep tying to fight the rhythm of my pen but there it goes again. We've done it this time.

Peruvian flake and green smoke. Its a birthday celebration, why not? The beach town of Paracas was the last place I would think of finding such substances but so it goes. For 50 Nuevos Soles ($20usd), we have another first together.

Welcome to 23 my baby!

Lines off Big Sur by Jack Karouak and we aint reading. A smokey apple to smooth the mood. Lets play music... but not too loud. We don't want to be rude. Oh wait, everyone here is deaf to the constant noise. Whats a bit of music added to this eclectic mix? We'll just stay in tune with the coughing dunebuggy and shouting horns outside our room.

Briefly mutated.

The news is informing the masses that bus and cab drivers need not, better, cannot listen to music while driving. "Distracting and dangerous".
Bullshit. This culture will not stand for such nonsense.

I could almost swear the people outside are speaking English but if I listen hard... Oh wait, they are. 
Drugs are bad but so so fun. We are something. Its hard to believe that today we got off a bus at 5am in the noisy city of Pisco having arrived from the claimed white city of Arequipa, 13 hours south. Whippidy dee, we work fast. I need sleep.

Desperate.

Time for another Apple.

May 25th 2012. 8am - Quilcayhuanca Valley 

(Zona de Usa Especial) 

Day 5 of my 5 day treck.

Waiting for the sun to thaw me and my gear out. Dry off really, no ice last night, just heavy cold rain. I must be down around 4,100mtrs.

Yesterday while searching desperately for a campsite exhaustion led me down to a valley accesed by a rickity bridge.

I had been hiking for 8hrs and the sun was threating to let the cold overtake me. I´d asscended and decended over 1000mtrs, made it through the difficulties of navigating the 5,100mtr snow blind pass and avoiding falling down the sheer decent into the valley. All this thanks to a white tailed mountain deer who showed me the way down.

I needed a place to sleep and set up camp.

After crossing the bridge I clunked around looking for a flat wind protected perch. Nothing. I wandered higher. The cry of a calf caught my attention. The thought entered my mind, ¨this does not look like an established camping area¨.

My eyes sensed movement. A menacing grey Bull was thundering toward me. Instinctively I ran straight at him, putting a big boulder and high bush between us.  He did his best to circle the boulder and get a good swipe at me. I cricled with him being sure to keep our seperation. We came to a stand still. I could see his nostrals flare as he scared the earth with his hoofs. I pointed my trecking poles at his head. My only means of defense. My mind raced.

I crossed the poles over my head and cracked them together trying to appear larger and louder. ¨Back the fuck up! I mean no harm¨.

I should have spoken spanish. What can I say, I was scared shitless.

While talking to the bull and trying to reason with him I took note of my surroundings and possible means of escape. Lots of open space. I wasn´t trying to outrun this beast. I caught more movement. Seems another bull had taken interest into what the hell I was doing. I decided to take my chance and ever so slowly backed up, eyeing the small bridge 200yards behind me. The grey bull stayed put. His friend strolled over to him. I kept my poles high, my movements slow and calm. Finally I reached the bridge and crossed. The bulls continued to observe.

I posted camp high on a ridge nestled next to the steep dropoff of a cliff and behind a red lettered sing reading, Zona de Usa Especial. The bulls and cows came by for a night time visit but their spirits were light and demeanor friendly. I could see the Valley from my perch.

¨Im watching you cows¨.

Mandolin Magic Magnified 

by 

Mystic Musicians 

Making Magnificent Music

A day in the life

Through the streets I wander.

An old gentleman wearing a soiled grey sweatshirt gives me the Peruvian wave to "come on over and sit a while". He pulls me into a dank hallway of a bar. His friend sits slouched in his chair, drool dripping from his chin, eyes peacefully glazed.

There is no one else around.

The gentleman pushes a glass soda bottle into my line of sight and slurs, "Whiskey". I can see the dark liquid tremble as the other man slams his head against the table, temporarily disturbed from his trance.

 "Why not"?

If Anthropology has taught me anything its to embrace culture in all its forms. Especially when social drinking is involved.

I oblige.

A few pulls off the strong mix, shoot the shit and make my escape, ...after a few more of course.

"The sun is strong".

Time to make some grub and filly my empty belly.

Poisoned

Grumble, rumble, gurgle, drop
Its time to get up again and sit on the pot

Hot cold sweaty and weak
The body is poisoned, the out come seems bleak

Walkabout

Lips bleed verbal blessings
Eyes glow silent urgancies
Crooked fingers tremble pleadingly
All I can do is smile tenderly

Sorry weathered mama
Forgive me crippled papa
My coins will not cure your dilemma
A sad reality of this living drama

Well hello friend! Yes I am a gringo
From the states I am but I know your lingo
I can rap with the best of you
And those are indeed used tires acting as my shoes

Isnt it nice not tying laces
While still able to walk about these places
And best of all I get to enjoy your dumbfounded faces

Coffee Delight

The afternoon coffe is a simple pleasure
An aromatic gift of dark and bitter
Fill your cup at your own leisure 
And don´t be alarmed by the slight jitter

Be sure to use it in sparing form
To respect its strength and taste
For when it becomes the simple norm
It is simply sipped to waste.