Meet Billy!

Mike and I are thoroughly enjoying the comforts of home -- especially since we've splurged a bit with some super comfortable furniture. Our bedrooms still need quite a bit of putting together, but we've managed to make our living areas presentable at least. Mike wants you to know that the photos below were taken with an old camera (since his wide-angle lens is currently being fixed), so they do not represent his best work. Nonetheless, they'll give you a sense of our new home.



Our front yard is a bit plain, but we appreciate the Arizona-friendly rock landscaping (as opposed to water-guzzling grass). It would be really nice to put in a few cacti, so we may have to consult with the homeowner. I really like the cute green archway and the tree on the left -- they make a nice entry point to the house.



These two torritos, or bulls, sit atop that lovely green arch. They are among our favorite souvenirs from Peru. It's hard to pass through any village in the southern Andes of Peru without seeing torritos perched on every rooftop; oftentimes they are accompanied by a cross, but they show up even without that design element. Some houses feature the bulls on every section of the roof, and we did see bulls sitting above archways (so our design choice is legitimate). The bulls are a symbol of good luck, and I'll be sure to point them out again when we get around to catching up on our Peru pictures.



Here's a closer view of the torritos. I'm not entirely sure why, but they are always made with their tongues sticking out.



Our back yard borders a kind of busy street, but we have a nice patch of grass and some tall bushes between us and the noise. I can honestly say that I hardly ever even notice the traffic. Mike wasted no time in hanging his hammock from Ecuador between two of the pillars on our back porch -- as you can see. Now for the interior...



Our kitchen is huge and I love it. Though you can't quite see it, that counter in the bottom left corner of the photo is the start of a four foot wide counter top/breakfast bar. We also have a dishwasher and a pantry that could fit enough food for us for two years, but they didn't make it into the photo either. Moving on to what is in the picture, I'd like to draw your attention to the bread maker next to the fridge. Mike got it for me as a housewarming present, and I've used it several times already. Sadly, I haven't found any phenomenal recipes yet, so if you know any I'd love to have 'em! On the right of the stove is a small bread/fruit basket that is one of my favorite souvenirs from Peru; it's a small puma-headed boat made out of the reeds that form the floating islands on Lake Titicaca. In fact, some of the locals float around in much larger versions of our bread basket. I guess that's enough info about the kitchen, but don't you think those cupboards are pretty cool too?



The dining room table itself isn't anything special, but how about those hand-woven place mats from Peru?!? They certainly add a splash of color!



This is one of our living rooms, which I refer to as the "fireplace room" or the "reading room." The fireplace started out a hideous gray color, but I fixed that in a hurry. Now I think it adds a bit more flavor to the room. The framed picture on the fireplace is a propaganda poster from the Vietnam War, which we bought during our trip to Vietnam 2 years ago.



The bookcase to the right of the fireplace is a personal favorite. Grandma, you should recognize it since it used to belong to you. I love it, and it's where I put my "special collections" from my personal library. You'll find Shakespeare's plays, Stephen King's Dark Tower series, Harry Potter, and my Chuck Palahniuk collection on this shelf.



This room is known as the "reading room" not only because it contains some of my favorite books, but also because it contains the world's best reading chair. This super chair is about 5 feet in diameter, and it couldn't be more comfortable.



Our new chocolate, wrap-around, sectional couch might actually beat out the round chair as my favorite piece of furniture. It's that fantastic. So plush, so soft -- I make up excuses to sleep on the couch instead of in our pretty decent bed. The little bit of furniture you can see in the bottom left corner is actually a third chaise piece that fits with the other two pieces, though we have it singled out for the time being.



Though I opposed it at first, Mike finally talked me into getting a 46" flat screen, LCD TV. I'm glad he did, though, because it's pretty sweet. The only thing we need now is surround sound. By the way, in the top left corner of the picture you can kind of make out part of our Llama tapestry from Peru.



Meet Billy. That's the name of our wrap-around corner bookshelf. We didn't name it; Ikea did. The nice thing about Billy is that we can add shelves very easily as our collection grows. We might even splurge on the cute little ladder that you can buy as an add-on -- those high shelves are hard to reach!

Well, thanks for taking the photo tour with us. It'll be a while before we have our bedrooms squared away, but I'll keep you updated. Maybe between now and then Mike will start working on Peru photos again. Lately he's been very busy getting his jewelry business running smoothly from its new location. I'm helping too! Anyway, try to be patient with us -- we're having a crazy enough time getting back into a working schedule of sorts. I hope all is well wherever you are! Cheers!

New Home!

Mike and I finally have a house in Arizona! It's a three bedroom beauty in a really nice neighborhood. We have access to pools, lakes, disc golf, tennis, racquetball, a library, a golf course, and various other amenities in our community. We also have a fabulous new chocolate-colored couch. Obviously you should take the time to come visit us sometime in the next year -- we have plenty of room, and our place is kick-ass!

You won't have to take my word for it much longer, either -- I plan to have pictures up soon. We've been very busy moving and unpacking, but we're almost finished. Soon we'll be in some sort of a routine. Then Mike will be able to work on our travel photos again and I'll be able to catch you up on our stories. It will be nice to establish some sense of normalcy since we've been abnormal for so long now...

Oh, I also found a job. I'll be working at Applebee's, which is about a mile from where we live. It's convenient and it appears to be busy. I'll have to start out serving, but hopefully I'll be able to move behind the bar again before long. At any rate, it's money, and that's good.

Well, I'm gonna take off, but keep an eye out for some make-up blogging soon.

Stateside Update

Sorry I've been neglecting my blog lately -- I really do want to get some more pictures and stories posted. The problem is we are far from settled, even after being back in Arizona for a week.

Right now we're sleeping on our friends' futon and house-hunting on our bikes. That's fun. The weather did a HUGE switch on us this week, too. For a couple of days we were biking around in 110 degree heat, then yesterday the temperature dropped to about 50 degrees with rain and wind. In addition to house-hunting, I'm looking for a summer bartending job, but I can't really get into it since I'd like to be a bit more settled first.

I'd love to post some pics of our trip (we still have a month and a half of pictures from before we got home) and my new blonde hairstyle, but the computer we're working with at the moment is slow and pathetic. It could be outdone by most of the Internet cafe computers in Peru.

So...until we get it together I'm afraid you'll just have to be patient. Give us another week or two and we'll have more exciting posts for you to read.

Extreme Makeover

Mike and I have been having computer problems again, so it looks like it may be a while before I post some more pictures. This is bad for the short term, but good for your summer since it means that I'll be posting long after we get back to Arizona. And I know that this blog is the only thing that keeps you going some days...

Despite the fact that I don't have any fabulous trip photos for you, I do have a ridiculous new post to keep you interested (hopefully). First, I'll fill you in on the answer to the latest trivia question. Haha! I fooled you all! There was no "Blood of Cuy Pudding" on the menu. "Bruises" and "scabs" were abundant though. How appetizing.

This post will revolve around a true poll for a change (not a trivia question).

My hair is gross. I had it cut and colored real nice for my sister's wedding in October, but it's gone to hell since. I rarely shower more than once every other day and sometimes not that often. I haven't used any hair products for over 6 months. I borrowed Sharon's hairdryer once or twice while she was here, but that's the extent of my hairstyling for the past year.

I desperately need a change when I get back to Arizona. In fact, I've already scheduled an appointment for the day after we return.

For those of you who have known me a while, you know that I've been a bit experimental with my hair from time to time. That's the great thing about short hair. Mine's been every shade of brown, several shades of red, and even slightly purple on occasion. I've never been a blonde, though, and I kind of want to try it. In fact, I would like to try "going platinum." Sure, it's a bit scary, but I think my total lack of a hairstyle this past year has emboldened me enough to give it a try. Besides, all of my friends have forgotten what I really look like anyway. Maybe I'll fool people into thinking I'm a natural blonde.

So, I was shopping around on the Internet for hairstyles/colors I liked and I saved a few to my jump drive. I showed them to Mike and asked him to photoshop them onto me. We found one of the few pictures in which my face was positioned at an okay angle and my real hair wouldn't be hard to edit out; then he went to work. Personally, I hope I end up looking better than any of the photos, but we had fun putting them together.

So now I need your opinion. Which of the following hairstyles could I possibly pull off (with the help of a good hairstylist and a little luck)? Vote in the poll on the upper right for your favorite(s) (you can check more than one answer this time). Thanks for your help!



Figure 1



Figure 2



Figure 3



Figure 4



Figure 5

Haha....silliness...

Aguas Calientes

I've got a bit of catching up to do on my blog, so this will be my second post of the day. Don't miss "A Work of Pure Fiction" below.

Aguas Calientes, as you may recall, is the town that everyone must go through in order to visit Machu Picchu. It may as well be on Mars, because it sure isn't much like the rest of Peru. Mike took a few photos in town that he was proud of, so they're featured below. Enjoy.



This is a special collage that Mike worked up. Literally every eatery in Aguas Calientes is called a "restaurant pizzeria" -- no joke. These restaurants serve a mind-boggling combination of Peruvian, Italian, Mexican, American, and French food ranging from cuy to crepes. Nobody specializes and therefore everything is crap.



The only cool thing about the restaurant pizzerias was that each one had a nifty wood-fire oven. This one is decorated like an anaconda.



Pretty yarn.



These little hooligans kept getting whistled at by the tourist police. Their crime: playing in a fountain.



More hooligans. These tykes are playing in the gutters.



The only vehicles in A.C. are buses going up to Machu Picchu and trains coming from Cuzco. That's why this man is hauling a load of bricks in a wheelbarrow. This is a very common sight since there is an awful lot of construction going on in town.

Well, that's it for my Aguas Calientes wrap-up, but I do have a couple more random odds and ends to share with you:

1) The answer to the last trivia question is "Cheese of Pig." This was a trick question, however. All of the items in the list appeared on menus in Cuzco, but "Cheese of Pig" was one that Mike and I saw earlier in the week.

2) There's a new trivia question, very similar to the last one. We can't help but find the menu items amusing. Don't forget to make a guess.

3) Mike and I will soon be publishing a list of things we are looking forward to in America. Keep your eyes peeled for that addition.

A Work of Pure Fiction

Mike and I have been together 24/7 for about 10 months now. Perhaps this has addled our brains a bit. Oftentimes we were the only gringos we saw for weeks, though lately we've been in some heavily touristed areas. Unfortunately, we've forgotten how to act around other people. At Machu Picchu, Mike was so thrilled to be around other English-speaking gringos that he had to take everyone's photo and interview them extensively.

These are the stories of the unfortunate souls we accosted at Machu Picchu.



Ellen, from Sweden, is traveling alone throughout South America. She's a fashionista and has collected "at least 14 scarves so far." She claims that vicuña wool is of far superior quality, though alpaca and llama scarves are more practical.



Yves and Sophie, like most French Canadians we've met, refuse to speak English. Mike and I each remember a little French, however, so we tried to chat them up anyhow. They let Mike take a photo, but then we got into a huge argument because they claimed we were butchering their precious language.



Miguel is a tour guide with a company called Piggyback Porters. Apparently, each tourist has the services of 3 porters at their disposal, and the porters trade off the task of piggybacking the tourist. Each tourist is given a souvenir whip with which to "encourage" their porter to go faster.



Sheryl, from Kentucky, decided to engage us in a political discussion when she learned that we are from the States as well. She believes that Bush is doing a "swell job of keeping us safe from them terrists," and that "that Muslim 'Bama and that bitch Hillary oughta just quit already." We were sorry when she accidentaly tripped over our bag and got grass stains all over her pants.



The "Cantakerous Chico," from "a world of pain," ran around Machu Picchu threatening old tourists and hurling ancient Inca stones until 4 security guards caught up with him and threw him bodily out the entrance.



Eugene, from Argentina, insisted that the cuy (guinea pig) at the Paradilla in Cusco is "divine," and commented that the indigenous women of Peru "simply don't know how to dress to flater their figures."



Though Jan, from Norway, looks thrilled to be on top of the Inca world, he must have been harboring some dark and disturbing thoughts. Minutes later he lept to the bottom of the canyon, shocking everyone meandering nearby.



A typical American, George had a few too many Big Macs back home before deciding to visit Machu Picchu. Nevertheless, I admire his gumption -- he huffed and puffed all the way up to the top of Wayna Picchu and only took twice as long as Mike and I to get there.



Mike wasn't the only person at Machu Picchu with a 12"-long....lens. Jean-Pierre from France was snap-happy as well. The two of them spent a bit of time comparing equipment.



All day I searched in vain for some trashy whore wearing high heels to climb over the rocky steps at Machu Picchu. Sadly, the closest things I saw to 3" heels were Sandra's Chacos. I own a pair of these sandals, and while I'm sure that boots are better for exploring the ruins, they hardly constitue a grievous error on her part.



This group of new-age weirdos is getting power from the rock in front of them. Their guide was a total hippy, and they all bought into his crap. One woman even aimed her ass towards the rock in hopes of healing her sore buttocks.



Okay, so we didn't actually talk to this shemale, but Mike nicknamed him/her Pat and followed him/her around for a short while.



This lady didn't speak any English. If she had, we would have told her that Machu Picchu, thankfully, isn't plagued with smog...yet.



Shortly after snapping this photo, Jim woke up disoriented. After a few seconds he began to panic, and we discovered that he had missed his $50 train ride back to Cuzco. Oops!



I thought these sisters from Canada were kinda cute at first. A few minutes later, however, the red-faced one swatted me for accidentally getting in the way of her llama photo.

Okay. The End

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is the Holy Grail of any trip to Peru, and we finally made it there after 5 1/2 days of walking. Our trek turned out to be much more involved than the traditional Inca Trail. On the 6th day we woke up before the sun rose and started hiking up the last mountain to Machu Picchu. There are buses from Aguas Calientes, but we had come too far by foot to puss out then. It took us about 2 hours to climb up to the ruins. We barely missed sunrise, but it was pretty cloudy anyway, so I don't feel like we missed anything.

We spent most of the day at Machu Picchu, exploring the ruins by ourselves. In addition we hiked up to the top of Wayna Picchu (the mountain in the background of virtually all M.P. photos). I had been worried that after hiking for 6 days the ruins themselves would be disappointing, but they were magnificent. None of the other ruins we have seen in Peru come close to the grandeur of Machu Picchu. Mike commented that the mountains really set the scene, and he's right. Machu Picchu wouldn't be half as cool if it weren't for the peaks that surround it.

Enough of my blabbering -- how about some pictures?












This is Wayna Picchu.








This is the main entrance into the heart of Machu Picchu.





















These "flying steps" are an Incan innovation. These particular steps were over a 200 foot drop, which is why neither of us volunteered to be photoed on them!


On top of the Inca world...


Both pics were taken atop Wayna Picchu.







































Well, that covers our Machu Picchu pics. Mike's parents are actually visiting the ruins today, so maybe they'll share their impressions later. TTFN!