A case of the lunes....

Today I got up, had breakfast, packed, checked out...typical stuff. The sky was so over cast I thought it would cry, but the lady at Alex Hotel assured me, "no." Gratefully she said, "yes" when I asked if I could leave my huge mochilla there for the day. I purchased my bus ticket across the street and embarked on a walk toward the middle. It wasn't too bad. The Jesuits are well-known around here for starting the first school. I am actually using their free wi-fi in the library. Quite generous! I knew there was a "Jesuit block", so I headed for it first. There didn't seem to be much to see, so I wandered down the pedestrian mall. There was a church at just the right point. I needed to rest. I went in and prayed. I thought about posturing myself very devoutly and then falling asleep. I am sure it wouldn't be the first time, but I couldn't do it. So I pulled out my book, Out of Solitude, by Henri Nouwen. It is a lovely, short meditation book I would recommend to all. After a bit of that, I pulled out the map to find I was in the church of Our Lady of Mercy. (?) It seemed appropriate, so I said a rosary and some memorares at the different statues. I found my way back, a shorter route even, to the Jesuit church. I missed the beginning of mass, but I wouldn't have understood it anyways. I stayed around after mass and read some more of my book. It was nice to be there. It didn't feel quite so ostentatious as the other churches in Peru. (I have been doing a lot of that comparing back and forth.) I talked to a lady on the street in the morning who recommended a vegetarian restaurant. I found it, and it was delightful - a buffet reminiscent of Govinda's, but more variety and less Indian. I am glad I saw the scale at the register, so I wouldn't go hog wild. Hardly a worry considering how little I have been eating these days! I drank lots of herbal tea and water from the bubbler. What a treat! I stayed for a long while journaling before embarking for this library. I leave at 10:30 pm for Mendoza and arrive at 8ish am. I went for the bed bus - not the semi-bed bus. It's like the bus ride from Arequipa to Puno, but twice as long. This is great, since I slept well on that bus, but the ride was too short! I can get picked up right then and there by Azucena, but I think it might be better for me to take another day to rest. I can't imagine having to work a full day right now. I am still a weakling, and part of the deal is that it is an exchange of labor for a place to eat and live. I don't want to be a mooch. So tonight on the road and maybe arrive on Halloween at the farm! Who knows...things get a little crazy in Latin America around religious holidays. I may want to be on the farm before November first and second. Until next time...Victoria