Sleepy

There's only one thing you want to do, the day after a stint of mountain-climbing: nothing. And nothing is exactly what I did today. After I got back from the Cotopaxi climb yesterday, I didn't hang around in Quito very long: headed straight to the bus terminal, and hopped on a bus north to Otavalo. And today, I discovered that Otavalo is the perfect place to spend a Friday resting, blogging, reading, and eating some cheap local food. R&R in Otavalo: just what I needed.

After last night's roaring party on Amantaní, this morning we the crew said our farewells to Amantaní and to our one-night-stand families there, and headed for the next island on the Peru side of Lake Titicaca: Taquile. On this famous island, we completed the arduous hike from lakeside to village, we relaxed in the sleepy town, and we checked out the local craftsmanship offerings.

After a very short night's sleep last night, I managed to pull myself out of bed at about 8am this morning, to check out of Hospedaje El Artesano for the last time, and to meet Chris at the Cusco central bus terminal at 10am. It felt really good to have my big bag on my shoulders, and to be back on the road again; but I couldn't believe that I was actually leaving Cusco after all this time (almost 8 weeks!), and that I was once again free of work and study commitments. But I guess I'll get used to it.