Well, here goes nothing, my first blog post. Ever.  So without further ado here we go.  It's hard to describe in words what the past 3 days have been like.  I don't think i've ever taken so many methods of transport in so few days, nor spoken so much off-the-cuff Spanish.  La necesidad para Español started at Dulles airport of all places, where the ticket agents English was less than spectacular.  Once I actually did board and we arrived in Lima (after a hectic change in Bogota, which, as I veer off course, is one of the most claustrophobic and congested airports i've ever been in) it finally really hit me that the trip had started.  

As far as cities i've visited, Lima is unlike any other.  Its size is shocking (around 10 million people, 2 million more than NYC) and the traffic is much more chaotic than most American cities.  As far as I can tell, the government does not believe in stop signs, or traffic lights, or cross-walks for the most part.  And according to a local, there is a big problem of people driving without licenses registration, a fact which is illustrated clearly by the apparent lack of yielding to any other traffic (be it pedestrian or automobile).  I also think I saw more speed bumps in the day and a half I was there than in the rest of my entire life, though none quite as gnarly as the horrifically high speed bump leading into Collegiate Suites.  When I asked a taxi driver about this, he replied in Spanish that "otherwise no one would slow down."  After that I made a permanent mental note: never attempt to drive in Lima.

The "salon" of our hotel room

Anyway, enough about the traffic.  The hotel where we stayed in Lima was the Puccllana Lodge, and lets just say that if Shaquille O'Neal was staying there, they would need to cut down the wall between the living room and the bedroom just so he could fit inside, to say nothing of the beds.  One interesting thing was that much of the hotel was exposed to the elements, which is fine given the warm climate (it's technically winter right now but there has not been a day below 65 degrees, even here in Aguas Calientes, which is at 7,000 feet above sea level) but they do get quite a lot of rain, and the thought of thinking you've escaped the rain once you enter inside, only to find that there is no roof until you actually get into the room.  We had training the next day at the Corporate Offices in Lima, which leads me into my other favorite thing about Peru (besides the food and the fact it doesn't rain this time of year)  which are the people.  They are so friendly and receptive, and are generally interesting to talk to.  And if you're from the Northeast United States you know that this is not always the case.  I knew from the get-go that my Spanish speaking ability was less than stellar, but everyone i've talked to so far has generally gotten the gist of it.  I have certainly learned more slang phrases, both in Spanish and Quechua (the most widely spoken native dialect of Peru).  Quechua is a very interesting language.  For one thing, it bears absolutely no resemblance to Spanish, and it takes a good deal more time to be able to pronounce the words correctly.  For one phrase, which I am not going to risk butchering the spelling but roughly translates in English to "a ball sack having one testicle larger than the other" it took me a good 10 tries before I was able to say the word to the satisfaction of my co-workers.  Gotta love the Peruvians.

For the last part of this entry, I want to touch a little bit on the scenery around the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.  I will admit, after being here for over a week, I have yet to hike Machu Picchu, but given that I am still in the "induction period" of the internship, meaning rotating between all departments in the hotel (from the restaurant to the administration), the days have been too "loco" to merit getting to the summit.  There is also a daily visitor limit to the site, which, in 1911, was restored by an American historian by the name of Hiram Bingham, and given that this is the most popular season to visit Peru, it is difficult to obtain a spot.  Have no fear, there will be pictures to come in future entries, but in the meantime, enjoy these which were taken near Mandor, a scenic hike close to the resort.  I could probably write a short story on my first days here, but we'll stop here and continue with

more soon!

Hasta luego