Peru Fragments II: The Wonders of Cuzco

In the summer of 2014, I taught a short-term study abroad class in Peru. Here is part two of the Peru fragments (part one can be found here).

We arrived in Cuzco on a beautiful morning. Once we disembarked from the tiny little airport, old ladies were already selling coca leaves and coca candy. They say its supposed to help with the elevation sickness, but I think my students bought the coca leaves because it felt so rebellious. The hotel we were staying at provided coca tea for free right in the lobby. It has a smooth, subtle, earthy taste. I could feel the affects of the elevation about 20 minutes after landing. I had a headache and I felt slightly queasy. We stayed in the beautiful lobby, sipping our tea and chatting about what we wanted to do as this was a "free" day with no "official" activities planned. I think the tea helped ever so slightly and any help is better than no help. After a few minutes, we were ready to explore the city.

What can one say about Cuzco? It's beautiful, mystical, wondrous, amazing. Well, I guess I just said it, didn't I?  It's a city that makes you feel something. Maybe it's at altitude and being surrounded by the mountains, maybe the history buff in me was excited for being in the Incan capital or maybe it was something else altogether.  However, I find it unsurprising how many "New Age" hippies feel at home in Peru and especially in Cuzco. There's just a unique vibe to the city.



The sky says it all - our weather in Peru was as good as it could get. Sunny days, cool evenings and beautiful blue skies. This was in the Plaza de Armas looking back into town.

Our hotel was about a 25 minute walk to the Plaza de Armas and the road was a constant incline up into the heart of the city.  Most of us could already feel how the elevation effected our effort up the modest hill. All of us were short of breath and my heart felt as though I had been running rather than walking.  Thankfully, we stopped about halfway up to the plaza to grab a snack;  I had a tasty beef empanada, directly across from the beautiful Qurikancha.



Qurikancha. This was a massive church that was built upon an and equally massive Incan temple (you can see the black rocks are all the remain). It's an impressive sight and meant to show the dominance of the Spanish religion and culture over that of the native population. Time and time again, I would see the architecture "show" this fact but the culture today tells me otherwise. The native culture was changed, but in many ways it adapted rather than adopted Western culture and religion.

Although this was an "off" day, we really made the most of it. We explored, took pictures, and shopped in and around the plaza. We ate and early dinner looking out over the plaza - the food was okay but the view was worth it. June is "the month of Cuzco" so there were many celebrations and festivities to check out.

After dinner, we split up. Some students went back to the hotel to rest up for the evenings festivities while the rest of us went further past the plaza, walking further up the hills towards buildings that built on top of original Incan foundations and stones.



This is Hatun Rumiyoq street and it was great. Tiny sidewalks (maybe two feet across) going up the steep hill. Cars pass right alongside you while tourist shops and restaurants are on the other side. It's a steep climb, so we took quick visits as many of the shops. Some of them were quite high-scale, another hawked New Age rocks and the like.

 

A great example of the stone work and the integration of past and present.

 

 

Hey look, loyal readers, a rare picture of me on the blog. This is me next to the famed 12-sided rock on Hatun Rumiyoq.  It was pretty cool to touch it and know the history of this rock.  I know what you're thinking, "What's the big deal?" Go ahead, and imagine ancient people moving this stone up a hill and the craftsmanship involved in working it and fitting it around the other stones. Okay, see I told you it was pretty cool when you think of it that way, right?

 

It was nearing 9:00 and I was dead tired. I was still recovering from only having about 2.5 hours of sleep the night before.  So while everyone else was returning from the hotel to the plaza to listen to music and watch fireworks, I went back to the hotel early. It was nice to be alone. I took a shower, called the fam, read a little bit and went to sleep early, a little after 10:00.  I also managed to watch many of the festivities on the local television station anyway which included women dancing with the tinniest of bikinis in front of the church. Nice.

The next morning was very quiet. I was rooming with one of our students, F (as hippie as they come). He was getting his aura read and getting a massage from somewhere in the hotel (no, I'm not kidding).  Even C (my fellow instructor) was nowhere to be found, so I ate breakfast alone and caught a random parade that came by our hotel, as it was the "Week of Cuzco". It was colorful and loud. Sometimes the best moments in travel are the small, unexpected treats.

People think Cuzco is gay-friendly but this is just the Cuzco flag. It is pretty much everywhere in the city. The people of Cuzco are very proud of their city and its role in Incan history.  

We had time to grab an early lunch before our official tours of the day started. I was trying to be budget conscious and I had already had a big breakfast from the hotel for free, so I was a planning on skipping lunch.  We were inspired by F, our hippie student to try this vegan place Green Point in the heart of the city. It had great reviews, so the rest of the team was ready to try it. Then, I might have made a mistake of the day.  I munched on some raw carrots with hummus and I think this came back to haunt me later on. I also had a quinoa beer (eh, it was okay).

Near the Plaza De Armas - looked like a sweet place to grab a beer. Alas, it wasn't to be.

 

We walked back to the hotel and meet up with our agency to begin our official tour in and around the city. We started with the Saksaywaman fortress. It was incredible, please understand the photos just can not do it justice. First, we took a ride up to the mountain just out of town, to Saksaywaman.  Upon arrival, I chewed on some coca leaves as I was feeling a little more light-headed.

Saksaywaman overlooked the city proper and was being prepped for the big celebration, the Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, that was to be in a few days.

Discussing Peru with a potential student in the Spring, we had mentioned Machu Picchu and she said, "Oh, it's just a pile of rocks." I wonder what she would have thought of Saksaywaman. Again, the pictures can NOT do it justice. These rocks are huge. If you combine both the location and the architecture and the view of the city. It's well worth your time. You might even learn something!

 

Steep steps were par for the course in Peru. It turns out I was in better shape than I ever thought. Only my feet were sore from time to time and even then I felt great in the morning.

 

Doorways like this just capture my imagination. I felt as though She-ra was going to pop out of somewhere.

The view of the city was spectacular.  We stood watching the shadows of the clouds move on the city below.

After Saksaywaman, we went further up the mountain to Pukapukara, a look-out spot and possible travel lodge for traveling Incans back in the day. It was gorgeous. I asked our guide if he ever got tired of viewing the beauty on the tours and he told me "not yet" with a smile. No doubt the interplay of the sun and clouds and the change in season bring all the beauty required to be amazed every single time.



I distanced myself from the group and just stared at everything around. I was trying to process everything around me at once,  trying to be as present as possible. I knew this was a special moment that would never quite be reproduced.

 

 

After Pukapukara, we went back down the mountain to some burial caves the Incans had at Q'inqu. Apparently, they made sacrifices and mummies in these caves. It was cool, but I believed starting there would have been the wisest choice. I was on cloud 9 from Saksaywaman and Pukapukara, so it didn't quite have the impact it would have had isolated.  

We also stopped at the giant White Christ that looks down upon the city. It was an unplanned stop, but more time with the beautiful vistas was much appreciated, especially as the sun was beginning its downward descent.

The steps coming down from the White Christ.

 

We finally headed down the mountain again and headed right for Qurikancha and then the Cusco Cathedral back in the main plaza. At this point, I felt as though we were going too fast. Maybe it was too much time in traffic on the way up, or that we spent too much time in wonder looking at beautiful sights. It's likely our agency just planned or promised too much in one afternoon. Either way, our guide ended up working overtime getting to "cover" each place. I felt we could have skipped Q'inqu to save time for Qurikancha or the cathedral.

 

It didn't help that one of our students, M, got sick at Qurikancha. She was a experienced world traveler, and said the water would be "no big deal" but it turned out, it was. Also, I was starting to not feel so well myself and wondering if those carrot sticks and hummus were doing something to me.

 

This was a huge bummer because I had been looking forward to this evening's dinner, which was at a well-reviewed Papa Pacha. We were planning a traditional Peruvian feast, including cuy, guinea pig. I only had some broth and some bread, as I was feeling mighty bad. I was bummed that I couldn't further participate in the proceedings. The bread was awesome though and according to everyone else, Papa Pacha is a great place to eat.  

 

I was worried I was going to be sick but...... nothing happened. The funny thing was that on the long walk back to the hotel, my body just produced lots and lots of gas. It was actually a wonderful revelation. I felt fine by the time we got back to the hotel.  I was well rested and healthy for the next part of our adventure in the Sacred Valley.

 

Part III Coming....(Eventually).......

1980's Spurs Memories: The Fragments

I've been a Spurs fan most of my life. Here are the fragments of my earliest Spurs memories.

If you're a fan, suffer through the self-indulgence, it will be worth it when you find out about my  personal experience with Coach Pop.

My fandom probably started when I was 9 years old. In December of 1986, my Dad brought home front-row tickets because a co-worker couldn't attend. Up until this point in my life, I have memories of my father and I watching some of those classic Lakers-Celtics battles (my dad rooting for the Celtics, and I was rooting for the Lakers) at one point in life I remember being completely surprised San Antonio even had a team as the Spurs were never on TV and no one I knew talked about them at all. 




Here's my ticket stub. $30.00 bucks for a front row seat!
That's still only a little over $64 in 2014!


 

I remember a few distinct things about the game, one was a souvenir basketball rolled down from the somewhere above us right to my seat. I looked up but have no idea where it came from. I was able to keep it and take it home. The other was Tom Chambers came barreling towards us chasing after a loose ball. He landed right below my legs and the ball popped up right into my hands. I looked down at Chambers, looked up and saw the ref looking at me. I threw the ball at the ref and I felt pretty cool. Back in those days, few Spurs games were on TV - no highlights exist but I found a full game on youtube from a few months later in the season.

From then on, I remember checking the newspaper and checking out the sports section for information on the Spurs. It was hit or miss as I had other important things in my life like candy, baseball cards and comic books. Plus, the Spurs stunk at the time (a 2 year anomaly for the most successful small market pro sports team ever). 

Other early memories included me staying home sick when the local news broke in to announce David Robinson had signed with the Spurs. I wasn't aware at the time how important this was (see the details in the video below about his options) but it was the turning point in Spurs history. It is very likely, the franchise would have stunk for another 3-5 years and been moved. Here's a TBS report about that day.




With the start of adolescence, my interest in sports grew. In the summer before 6th grade (1988)  I got this t-shirt to show my friends what a big Spurs fan I was - even though David wasn't going to play until the following year.

 

 

 

One of my most treasured childhood memories also happened in the summer of 1988. It's strange to think about but the NBA and especially the Spurs were small potatoes compared to 2014. The organization really had to  sell the idea of going to the games of a crappy team - so this meant getting the players and coaches out into the local community.

There were several H-E-B promotional events planned around the city and one of our local H-E-B's was chosen as a location. Johnny Dawkins, the Coyote and a then, brand new, little-known assistance coach named Gregg Popovich would be there. They would have autographs, ticket giveaways and have some games for the kiddo's.

My dad took me down to the H-E-B and we first got in line for an autograph from Dawkins (that is now lost in the mists of time). I hung out shooting hoops with a bunch of kids for awhile and then, the contest began. I am not sure if I knew what the prize would be, but it was a 12 game pack (for two) that as on the line. The whole package was only $176.00!!

The contest was a version of "Knockout" - where the kids were lined up and shot free-throws. If you made your free-throw, you were "safe" and continued on,  if you missed and the kid behind you made their attempt, you were "out" of the game. The game started with a bunch of kids, my memory is a bit hazy but at least 15-20, possibly more. I can't say for sure but I believe Coach Pop was hosting the game, grabbing rebounds and passing the balls back to the kids to shoot. Although I don't have a memory of him doing so, I have a very good reason to think this, as you will see below.

What was strange about this game of "Knock Out" was that the Spurs Coyote was playing with the kids.  Even more strange, he  was actually knocking kids out of the contest (maybe he was ready to go home??).  I was shooting well and was knocking kids out left and right. Slowly but surely the contest dwindled down to three of us - me, a girl about my age and the Coyote.  I think the girl knocked out the Coyote and we traded buckets a few times. Then, I missed.  I was sure that I was going to suffer the indignity of losing to a girl but then, she missed and I made my next attempt, winning the game!

Which brings me back to Coach Pop.

I had no memory about Popvich being there. After all, he was part of the newly hired staff of Larry Brown (himself, new to SA) and practically an unknown. Even by basketball standards, he was a no-body.

My memories about this great victory of mine centered on winning the contest and meeting Johnny Dawkins. Then, I was digging through some of my dad's old documents when I came across a copy of an old letter that my dad had written back to the Spurs:

 

 

 

For those that didn't bother (or who can't read my dad's handwriting) it complements Coach Popovich for the way he treated all the kids, stating he was "considerate" about the kids feelings during the contest and how, "The Spurs have a quality individual in Coach Popovich".

I was shocked. It turns out I  had most likely taken shots passed from one of the NBA's all-time best head coaches! Popovich is known for his gruff demeanor and it's true he will not suffer a fool, but if you dig long enough, you find out he has a heart of gold. The guy's the real deal- smart, no-nonsense, tough and caring head coach. Also, he's a liberal so that makes me like him even more.





Our tickets were center-court, on the lowest level of the upper deck. Actually pretty good seats for as high as they were, plus, there were free! Here's my Spurs ID card from the 1988-1989 season. I have no idea what this card was for, but I am sure I had in my wallet to show my friends. Typically, they spelled my name wrong.

  

Our package included the opening night against the defending champs, the LA Lakers. I chose this 12 game pack because it had the Lakers and Celtics, and other option only had the Bulls.  The Spurs actually  won that game on opening night in a major upset. The crowd at the old Hemisphere Arena was rocking and rolling with excitement and it was a ton of fun.

As it turned out, that game was the zenith of the experience.  The Spurs lost the next 11 games we went to. Even when the Celtics came to town, Larry Bird was out with health issues and we still lost.  As an 11-year-old fan, it was frustrating but I always got stay up late and I learned a lot about basketball that year.

The following year was the most anticipated season in Spurs history (before or since) with David Robinson finally arriving after that 2 year delay. Although we didn't get a season ticket package, my dad did manage to score opening night tickets against, once again, the LA Lakers. It was David Robinson's first regular season NBA game and he did not disappoint. He had 23 points and 17 rebounds in a victory. Again, it was an amazing game to be at, and it felt like we finally had one of the "greats" playing for "our" Spurs!

A minor miracle I still had this ticket, I think I found it in one of my old baseball/basketball card boxes in college. Also, note it was $11.00 bucks to watch NBA history (even if it was "upper balcony").

 

So, the 80's ended quite well for the Spurs, they were on the up-swing and I was a very happy 12-year-old. Eventually, I will write a part II but until then, Happy New Year, to no one in particular!

Poem Post: The Wall

It's been awhile since I've posted a poetry post, so, this one's for you, you wacky poetry fans!

(Wait! come back, it's a short one, I promise!....hello?..... anyone there?)


.......(ahem).......


the wall
I can't seem to find a torch to carry  
or a willing ear 
but my silent wall is waiting like always
It's still here
waiting when no one else does
carrying its burden like an old friend would.


This was written in 2004 (but of course, modified just a tad right now).  This was written in the era when I was running out of things to write about. I am unsure if I meant "the wall" to be literal (as in I was talking to myself) or the "blank wall" of the computer, waiting to receive my thoughts on the screen.  

From 1995-2002,  I had used poetry as a form of self reflective therapy. Poetry was a safe place for me to communicate my thoughts and feelings without having to actually share them with anyone.  I know that sounds so dysfunctional, but it worked at the time.  Often, I would listen to music and riff off a lyric or theme and just let my writing wander here, there and everywhere.  Sometimes I would even uncover deep dark feelings I would have had  trouble articulating even to myself without the use of poetry.  At one point, I was writing almost every night and it was a lot of fun, to boot.

However, once the emotional turbulence over relationships and career were over, I found myself struggling to find my voice as a poet. I was happy with life and found little to write about. I was also busier, I was working more hours and needed to tend to my new marriage. I tried writing about politics but it felt wrong (well, there's one I am quite fond of, that I will share one day).  So, this poem reflects how I saw writing itself - as my sounding board to my life that was trusty but fading away with adulthood. 

Fun With My Scanner: Casper: Grown Up

Working on a update of fragments. Also thinking about finishing up my Peru trip blogs (just thinking about it though, so don't get too excited).

In the meantime, I was scanning some personal ephemera and documents and came across this little gem. It dates from 1996 or 1997. I drew this picture in church of all places and passed it to my friend nearby who wrote the note at the top of the page.  For those scoring at home, Casper is sporting a "666" on his forehead and his t-shirt reads "Pervert".

Now, on the surface, it's just a silly little drawing.  Ok, it's stupid, but I was 19 or 20, ya know.

What turned this from a throw-away to a keepsake is who wrote back to me. 

It was from my friend, Mikey who passed away a few years after this was written. Isn't it funny how something so meaningless can turn into a treasure? I don't have many notes from Mikey so everything I have from her is precious to me.  A simply piece of paper that was seemingly destined for the trash but somehow rescued and now it "lives" on a bit longer than expected.

This brings me to the idea of changefulness. Buddhists would call it maya; that is, everything is an illusion. Most especially time and the temporary things we fill it with. I know this all too well. Everything is ephemeral, nothing is permanent.  And that's another one of those facts about the universe I am still struggling to understand and cope with. 

Comparatively speaking from the cosmological scale, I am a sentient piece of dust on a slightly larger dust ball floating in this massive soup of galaxies.  Everything we come in contact with today or tomorrow will cease to exist. Including this world and the star it orbits. I understand that's a long way off but still, major bummer.

I'm not Buddhist, but I get the whole non-attachment thing. I get it so well, I don't want to embrace it. I don't want to get rid of my attachments (clinging or non-clinging, even if it does create suffering).  I follow a Vicktor Frankel/Camus/Agnostic-Theist, eventually Christian position on the universe (at least I am trying) so, I have to make due with what I am and what I do have (even if it is temporary).

 In the meantime,  I hold onto my silly little things, treasuring my ephemeral existence surrounded by temporary objects, smiling back on all the eventually forgotten memories. Hey, at least it will get you a cheap laugh from time to time.

Pic Dumping

Hey man, it's that time again. Enjoy



This can't be serious can it?

 

 



You may need to click on this one to see it. Just wait for it.



 

No idea what is happening here. How is Andy Warhol still alive?

Am I evil for enjoying this as much as I do?

 

 

 



 

Actually noticed by one of my FB friends.

Sometimes I think we all feel like the innocent cat.





It's the holiday season, turn off the holiday music and crank up the rock n' roll. See ya soon, no one. 

Confucius Didn't Say That!

Confucius was a pretty wise dude. Just look up "Confucius Quotes" on Google. Go on, I DARE YA. 

You probably didn't, so let me go ahead and tell you that most of the quotes attributed to Confucius on the internet are fake.  Most egregiously, there are several "quotation pages" (did you see what I did there?)  are made up of 95% false quotes.




My first meme creation. I am a proud papa.

So, starting with this very post, it's time to shine some good old fashioned TRUTH on the situation. I am not a Sinologist or a Chinese expert, but I ain't no dummy either. It's time to, "strive to put right what once went wrong".  

Yeah, Quantum Leap is awesome, isn't it? 

First off,  let's address why would someone misattribute quotes to Confucius in the first place.

Americans (and the West in general) don't really know Confucius quotes because they don't know much about Confucius.

This happens with Buddha frequently as well and some lovely person has a website for it. If there were memes with Jesus' quotations with the same claptrap - it would be easily dismissed. Not only are many Americans familiar with many of the memorable Jesus quotations but many would know if a quote "sounded" like Jesus. Furthermore, many people would know where to find and verify if the purported message really was from Jesus. With Confucius, most people would have no idea where to verify the quote. So, they just give up because, ya know, Wikipedia takes too long.

We view ancient China through the lens of Orientalism.

China and "the East" has always been viewed as the exotic "other". Traditionally, China was never seen as a religious or military threat to the West, so, unlike the Middle East, it was viewed much more favorably. In particular, Chinese men were feminized and portrayed as subservient in popular art, while men of the Middle East were portrayed as bestial, violent and threatening.  Likewise, Confucius was never a competitor to Christianity like Mohammed was in Europe. Christian missionaries found much to like in Confucius' ethical code. It was the Jesuit priests that translated the Analects to Europe for the first time.

All this is to say, I believe the West views Confucius favorably. He serves as a convenient, exotic "other" that could possibly say some crap like "The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."

Yeah, that quote is actually attributed to Confucius.

Finally, let's face it Americans are kinda dumb. 

Ok, enough with that nonsense, let's start this series (that will likely end with this one post) with a doozey.

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. "  - Confucius


If Confucius didn't say it, where's it from?

Oh good, the internet did that for me.... here's the story.

Well, if Confucius didn't say it, could he have said something like it? 

No. Nope. No chance in Hades.

No one in the ancient world "chose" their job. What I mean by "no one" is 98.3% of people were farmers working the land for food. Most of those farmers were poor and/or peasants that didn't even own the land they worked.  I should note I made up the 98.3% percent for dramatic effect, but it was the definitely over 90%.

Even the few skilled workers and the even fewer elites in Confucius' time didn't "choose" their jobs. Of course the discussion so far wouldn't apply to females at all, as their "job" was also proscribed for them. Males would inherit their father's trade or position - it didn't matter if he "loved" it or found fulfillment in it.  If your happened to be in the minuscule middle or upper class, your were probably smart enough to realize how crappy life was for vast majority of people.

Beyond the fact that people didn't choose their jobs, the quote implies a sense of individualism that would be absent in ancient China.  Communities were viewed as made up of households rather than of individual people (this is paraphrase from Peter Nosco that I don't have handy). Society was interlinked and seen as a living organism, with each part of the community working in harmony with one another.  Think of the Confucian "Five Great Relationships":

1. Father - Eldest Son
2. Eldest Son- Younger Brother
3. Husband - Wife
4. Elders - Juniors
5. Rulers - Subjects

Your identity only made sense in relation to others and had nothing to do with your "work".  Western identity that is built on one's career has been a relatively new 20th century invention. Even in the West, traditionally, one's identity was built along gender, race, family and religion - not one's work or career. 

Finally, the idea that one would seek happiness through personal fulfillment would be alien to an ancient Chinese person. Personal happiness is not a goal or value found in Confucius' work. For Confucius, happiness is an outcome related to one's attitudes and actions but not a goal into of itself.

From 7:16:

The Master said: “I can live with coarse rice to eat, water for drink and my arm as a pillow and still be happy. Wealth and honors that one possesses in the midst of injustice are like floating clouds.”

From 13:16

Confucius said, “If you do it right, then those close to you will be happy, and those who are far away will come to you.”

What would Confucius say to replace this quote?

Well, I am happy to make something up on-demand:

"The Superior Man finds his happiness not in his own personal fulfillment but the fulfillment of his duties to others."

Ok, so it's not from Confucius but doesn't it just inspire you? 

No, it's bullshit.

Look, my job is awesome but it's still work. Every job has aspects that suck and that's okay.

Let's put it to the test and explore some of the typical "downsides" to particular jobs:

Teaching = Grading
Medical Field = Dead people (and Ebola)
NFL = Brain injuries
Computer People = Sitting on your butt ALL DAY
Chef = Critics
Strippers = Cheap Prevs

See, I just proved it.

If you are employed, some aspect(s) of your job will suck. You aren't going to "love" every day. This quote is an empty saying that tries to make you feel bad for not picking a different career. Screw you, I like my job and I am not under any impression that it's supposed to be joyous and amazing every day.

10 Cool Things About Being an Adult

10. I don't get carded any more (I have a child-like face and I was carded until my early 30's)
9.  People expect me to know what I'm doing, even if I have no clue.
8.  I don't give two poops if people see me belting out songs in the car.
7.  I started to like foods I hated or had never tried before. 
6.  I gained compassion for my parents.
5.  I worry less about my looks (and other people's looks too).
4.  No one expects me to keep up with current music, movies, etc. unless it's labeled for "grown-    ups".
3.  I no longer have to pretend I have heard of something in a conversation  and then I get to learn something new!
2.  I don't drive as fast, I am okay with being cut-off, etc. in traffic. Who cares?
1.  I don't give a crap about what you think about me (even MORE than before).