Traveling over the mountains toward Cusco, I thought the landscape existed on a larger scale than anything I�d seen before. I�d post pictures to demonstrate, but the image upload on the blog is currently malfunctioning.

I�d heard references to landscapes before, describing them as nature�s works of art. I finally understand what that means; it seemed like God himself reached down and carved the hills and mountains, splashed some grass to add texture and plopped trees into the scene for good measure. Like a canvas.

Now I�m in Cusco, and the atmosphere of this city couldn�t be more different than the atmosphere of Buenos Aires. Cobblestone streets, colonial buildings, churches. It�s interesting to see the contrast, which I�ll describe in more depth later.

The people are different here, too. I hate to generalize, but there�s something in the affective manner Peruvians speak that makes them seem nicer. I bought a roadside snack, meat speared by a wooden stick. A little girl, hungry, looked at me while we were in the crowd and asked me if she could have some. Small, soft black eyes. I gave her everything I had left. It�s hard to not let that look penetrate you.

Location: Cusco, Peru