June 24, 2007

Testing MT upgrade ...

Testing an upgrade of MT that I'm making to try to solve my comment spam problems. I'm going from 3.15 to 3.35, and I'm somewhat astounded by how easy the upgrade has been thus far. I'm going to turn comments back on, too.

When I turned comments off under the previous version, I watched my CPU usage drop from as much as 45 minutes a day to 20 seconds a day, so comment spam attempts hitting my database clearly were the culprit. I'm hoping this install of MT will minimize the problem. I've also changed a few default setting to try to further dodge the comment spammers. We'll see ...

Posted by Bob Benz at 12:55 PM | Comments (2)

June 17, 2007

The Ruined Cottage

I've been driving past this burned down house for a few weeks now, and it dawned on me that this would make a nice HDR photo set. So I took my camera there around sunset and snapped a series of photos. The house was donated to the fire department, which burned it down for practice. On this lot and the surrounding acreage, a grocery store and drug store soon will sprout, continuing the suburban sprawl that's been choking Hardin Valley for the past several years.

As I shot the photo, a riot of swallows soared overhead, snagging bugs in fits of aerial acrobatics. An occasional car thumped past, the subsonics from its speakers drumming a call to Saturday night parties. And then a hush fell over the fields around me. I started thinking of Wordsworth's poem "The Ruined Cottage" and the moment consumed me ...

"He ceased. Ere long the sun declining shot
A slant and mellow radiance, which began
To fall upon us, while, beneath the trees,
We sate on that low bench: and now we felt,
Admonished thus, the sweet hour coming on.
A linnet warbled from those lofty elms,
A thrush sang loud, and other melodies,
At distance heard, peopled the milder air.
The old Man rose, and, with a sprightly mien
Of hopeful preparation, grasped his staff;
Together casting then a farewell look
Upon those silent walls, we left the shade;
And, ere the stars were visible, had reached
A village-inn, - our evening resting-place. "

Posted by Bob Benz at 6:21 PM | Comments (0)

June 16, 2007

Comments disabled for now ...

The CPU usage for my hosting account has been soaring, and I suspect it's database calls from spammers who are trying unsuccessfully to post to the site. I've disabled comments for a while to try to figure out if this is the source of the CPU spike. If so, I'll need to figure out a workaround to restore comments but keep the spam attacks at bay. In the interim, you can always e-mail me at bbenz@scrippsweb.com.

Posted by Bob Benz at 5:15 PM | Comments (0)

June 15, 2007

Rory Stewart's crusade to save Kabul

Via Instapundit, a National Geographic profile of Rory Stewart's efforts to save a neighborhood in Kabul. I've written about Stewart's incredible books on Iraq and Afghanistan before ...

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:38 PM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2007

Virtual Bonnaroo

Can't make it to Bonnaroo this year? Never fear ...

Posted by Bob Benz at 7:50 AM | Comments (1)

How to save newspapers ...

I had the pleasure of having lunch yesterday with the Instapundit, who mentioned a recent post he made describing his scheme to save newspapers. Amusing. And a little frightening.

Posted by Bob Benz at 7:42 AM | Comments (1)

June 6, 2007

Babushkas and hard hats

During our trip to the 'Burg, Lara and I took one of the tours sponsored by Rivers of Steel, a non-profit group that's doing great things to preserve Pittsburgh's industrial past. They offer several tours, and this one, Babushkas and Hard Hats, focused on the immigrant experience in Pittsburgh. (Babushkas are the head scarves Eastern European women wear, but when I was a kid, we used the word to describe any older Hunky woman.)
In short, the tour was fantastic, especially since it focused on several sites that are pivotal in a novel I've been plotting out for several years (but never have gotten around to writing ...)
We started on the Southside at Station Square, where I snapped this HDR picture of the Clinton Furnace with the PPG building in the background. The Clinton furnace was one of the first Bessemer blast furnaces in the area and revolutionized steel making in Pittsburgh and across the world. We also saw key sites in from the Homestead Steel Strike, which is a pivotal part of the novel I'm plotting. And perhaps most importantly, we stopped at H and B Bakery for some Eastern European sweets.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:25 AM | Comments (2)

June 3, 2007

Pierogies and Iron City

So a Peruvian, an Edinboro graduate and a socialist walk into a bar …

I know. Sounds like the opening of a bad joke. But it actually was a good joke. The fates were playing interesting games in Pittsburgh on Friday night, and the result was a hell of a lot of fun.

Lara and I (well, mostly me, truth be told) wanted to chow down on some authentic Eastern European food while we were in the ‘Burgh, and after a bit of Googling around, we came across the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern, aka Pittsburgh’s Polish Partyhouse. They have their own MySpace page, which was a definite plus, and Bloomfield is the neighborhood my father grew up in. So we decided to give it a shot.

We arrived early, at around 5 o’clock, to find owner Steve Frankowski manning the bar. It's a great neighborhood dive bar in the Pittsburgh tradition, and we quickly settled in, ordered an Iron City and a Polish Platter, which included pierogies, haluski, golabkis (or halupki, as my Slovak grandmother called stuffed cabbages) and an assortment of other butter-laden cabbage and potato fare. The food was fantastic, and I ended up cruising through 13 pierogies before all was said and done, and probably as many Iron Cities. (Never fear, we took a cab ...)

That's when a series of bizarre coincidences started. As we talked, I told Steve I was a native yinzer and that I'd gone to college at Edinboro, an academic slum south of Erie, Pa. Turns out he did, too, and graduated a year before I did. As we talked, an assortment of interesting characters drifted in and out to order a few beers and pierogies, which Steve described as his "loss leader." As the night went on, I saw why. Almost everyone, young and old, ordered up some pierogies or a Polish platter and a few beers.

A bit later, a Peruvian wandered in and sat down next to me. I was in Peru less than a month ago, and Jorge is in Pittsburgh doing doctoral work in Spanish. We had a great time chatting about all things Peru. Until Dan the Socialist overheard me complaining bitterly about Hugo Chavez, the despotic left-wing wingnut who's currently running Venezuela into the ground and closing newspapers and TV stations. We had a great argument about the relative merits of Chavez (I could find no merit) and in the end, everyone shared a drink in honor of Peru.

The crowd was fascinating. Great mix of locals, punk rockers and folks who were stopping by to sample the pierogies. At about 9:30 or so, a band started playing that could best be described as a cross between the Minutemen, the Sex Pistols and Fugazi. I'm not sure which of the three bands on the night's bill they were, since they never bothered to introduce themselves. They were either Surrounded by Assholes, Alcoholocaust or the Goddamn Dirty Dogshed Band. Take your pick. The result was a furious set of 60-second screamed songs.

I later saw the bald, heavily tattooed lead singer emerge from the bathroom with a big red welt on his forehead. Not sure where the injury came from. Didn't want to ask. But I did tell him I liked their set and as we talked, it turned out they have Tennessee ties and have played Knoxville a few times.

After that, I bid Steve the Edinboro grad, the Peruvian, the Socialist and all the punkers within earshot goodbye and Lara and I headed back downtown. Later, my father told me that bar was a main spot when he was a kid, and he recalled getting fish sandwiches there on Friday nights. The fish has been replaced by pierogies, but it's definitely worth checking out if you ever find yourself in the Iron City.

Posted by Bob Benz at 7:29 PM | Comments (1)

June 1, 2007

Pissed off Pittsburghers ...

I forgot how much fun it is to sit among a few thousand pissed off yinzers screaming for blood when one of their sports gods has let them down.

I went to see the Pirates play the Padres last night, and I took my brother and his family along for the ride. Despite a torrential rain and bomb threats that closed the Fort Pitt and Squirrel Hill tubes, the game got started about an hour late, at 8 o'clock.

I'm not a big baseball fan, but hell. Beer. Hotdogs. A chance to yell for the home team. I'm there. And all was good till the 9th inning, when the Pirates sent a hapless reliever in to try to seal up a 2-0 victory on the strength of Shawn Chacon's very strong pitching performance up to that point.

The reliever, Salomon Torres, promptly gave up 2 runs, and the Pirates ultimately lost the game 4-2 in the 11th. The abuse from the fans was astoundingly cool. From the stands around us, they shouted at the umps, the pitchers, the porky Padres right fielder (who heard one of their quips and burst into a wide grin). There are no greater pessimists among sports fans than Pittsburghers. It's like they were waiting to lose the game for nine innings, and when their prophesy proved self-fulfilling, they still howled in indignation. As we filed out of the stadium, one of the most virulent hecklers just sat dejectedly in his seat, head down, beer empty. My brother patted him on the back in an attempt to console him, but to no avail.

Damn, it was fun. I'm almost glad we lost.

Posted by Bob Benz at 12:22 PM | Comments (0)

May 30, 2007

Soul of Athens

I'm in Athens today at Ohio University, so it seems appropriate to give props to Soul of Athens, a new site spawned (I think) for the OU VisCom Department. But what I like most about it is the mix of folks involved. It's good to see academia slipping out of its silos and spreading its wings. And the content is very cool.

The site is Flash-driven and sucks some bandwidth. The wireless connections I've been viewing it on are barely enough to render it, but it does work. And it errs a tad on the side of being too image driven. But given the abundance of text centric sites out there, I think I'd sooner err on the side of photos and video, most of which are beautiful on Soul of Athens.

I particularly liked the Die Donkey Skull piece. Dawn2Dusk also is a nice look at Athens from sunrise to sunset.

For interactivity, they've made it very easy to share each piece, and they have a blog and a Flickr group featuring user-submitted images of Athens.

All in all, great stuff. I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes from here ...

Posted by Bob Benz at 9:27 AM | Comments (0)

May 19, 2007

Hijos de Peru

These kids followed us around at the lake In Peru like a pack of puppies, and unlike the children in Cuzco, they never asked for anything. They were just out having fun on a Saturday afternoon when the stumbled upon a pair of giant Gringos and decided to make the most of it. They really made the day special.

I've pulled together some of the better shots of kids that I took while I was in Peru, and you can see them here

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:04 PM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2007

LBJ at Machu Picchu

America's littlest president, LBJ, also made the trip to Machu Picchu with me and Wes, where we wreaked a little havoc and shared tales of tequila, Texas and the American way.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:46 PM | Comments (3)

May 12, 2007

Cloud Forest Flower

I'm not certain what the name of this flower is. Might be some sort of orchid. There were a lot of them in the cloud forest that surrounds the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel in Aguas Calientes.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:23 PM | Comments (0)

The Crop Circles of Moray

This is an HDR shot of Moray, a series of circular terraces that archeologists believe the Incans used as some sort of agricultural test center, growing various crops in the microclimates that each terrace provides. This is an unrestored site. There is another site here that has been restored and gives a clearer idea of what it must have looked like in Incan times. Those are the Urubamba and Vilcabamba mountain ranges in the distance. We arrived early and had the place to ourselves, providing some of the most spectacular vistas of the trip.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:22 PM | Comments (0)

Sunset over Miraflores

This is an HDR shot of the Pacific Ocean shot from the Miraflores section of Lima around sunset. This was taken from LarcoMar, a mall built into the cliffs above the ocean. It's not only a great mall, but they also have a great cigar store packed with Cubans.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:13 PM | Comments (0)

Corn Fields and a Lake

This is an HDR photo of a lake where we ate lunch one afternoon in Peru. Corn fields ran down to the water's edge, and the mountains loomed in the distance. Toss in brooding skies and you have a pretty phenomenal HDR image.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:13 PM | Comments (0)

The Salt Mines

This HDR photo was taken at the Salineras, vast salt mines near Tarabamba. There are about 3,000 squares terraced into the valley, and families can own up to 9 squares. People have been mining salt here since Incan times.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:13 PM | Comments (0)

Las Montanas

Drama, pure and simple. The clouds and mountains combine for a great HDR shot at Moray, an ancient Incan agricultural test ground. These are the Urubamba and Vilcabamba mountain ranges.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:12 PM | Comments (1)

A Peruvian Cemetery

This is a cemetery in the hills above the Urubamba River Valley. Hernan and I went hiking after lunch one afternoon and stumbled across this. I had to shoot it through the gate, which was locked.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:12 PM | Comments (0)

The Urubamba River Valley

The Urubamba River snakes through the valley with the town clearly visible on the opposite bank. I think that's a bullfighting rink down there near the water, and somewhere down there is Hernan's aunt's house. This is another HDR shot that I took during my trip to Peru.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:11 PM | Comments (0)

Ollantaytambo views

This is somewhere near Ollantaytambo, I think. HDR provides a neat contrast between the mountains in the distance and the wildflowers in the forground.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:11 PM | Comments (0)

Cloud Forest Waterfall

This is an HDR shot of a waterfall in the cloud forest that surrounds the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel in Aguas Calientes, a short bus ride from Machu Picchu.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:10 PM | Comments (0)

Cloud Forest River

An HDR photo of the river in the cloud forest that surrounds the Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel in Aguas Calientes, a short bus ride from Machu Picchu.

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:09 PM | Comments (0)

Perros de Peru

While I was traveling in Peru, I was astounded by the number of dogs I saw. Perhaps even more astounded by the fact that most of them were in pretty good shape, even the ones that obviously were strays. Peruvians apparently love their dogs, and that's just another reason to love Peruvians. Here are a few pictures I took of dogs I encountered during my travels, including the hairless dog of Peru in this photo, which was taken at the pre-Incan pyramid of Huaca Huallamarca in the San Isidro section of Lima. Apparently, this forlorn creature is Peru's national pooch.

Posted by Bob Benz at 6:50 PM | Comments (0)

May 9, 2007

Machu Picchu in HDR

Here's an HDR shot of Machu Picchu. Hernan and I hiked up into the hills, which left me panting and sweating. But it was worth it to get this view of the Incan ruins. Once I caught my breath, I took this shot and a few others from the same vantage. With more distance, it's easier to see how well the stone work melds into the surrounding landscape. This was taken at around sunset, right after a light rain had abated.

Posted by Bob Benz at 5:45 PM | Comments (2)

Sexy woman ...

Here's an HDR shot of the Incan ruins of Saqsaywaman (pronounced Sexy Woman). This is where Manco Inca almost defeated the Spaniards, but a last ditch attempt run allowed the Spaniards to break through the Incan lines. From there, they chased the Incans all the way to the jungle. I really love the way the HDR technique made the clouds pop in this photo.

Posted by Bob Benz at 5:40 PM | Comments (0)

Cusco viewed from Saqsaywaman

This HDR photo of the Incan ruins Saqsaywaman (pronounced Sexy Woman) was taken while I was in Peru. That's Cuzco sprawling out in the valley below. Saqsaywaman is Quechua for "satisfied falcon." The lights and darks in Peru's mountains completely lend themselves to HDR photography.

Posted by Bob Benz at 5:36 PM | Comments (0)

Salt of the earth

Nowhere is the line from Incans to modern Andeans more clear than here at the Salineras, vast salt mines near Tarabamba.

I have to admit, I was underwhelmed at the prospect of going to salt mines after drifting through the Moray circles and taking in the mountain vistas a little while ago.

But as I stand in the middle of the salt mines, I'm astounded by the scale of the operation. About 3,000 squares of various sizes are terraced into the valley, and each family gets a maximum of nine. The plots are passed from generation to generation, and people have beeing mining salt here since Incan times.

As we watch several people working their squares, much as their ancestors did years ago, I make a mental note not to question Hernan when he's laying out the day's itinerary ...

Posted by Bob Benz at 11:07 AM | Comments (0)

Buenas vistas

We arrive in Moray early, and the dividend we receive for our quick start to the day is an opportunity to wander the ruins in solitude, amazed by the circular Incan stonework that likely was some sort of agricultural test grounds. The views of the Urubamba and Vilcabamba mountain ranges in the distance are astounding, some of the most beautiful vistas I've seen send Machu Picchu.

As we arrive, a flock of caracara (vultures) hop around on the ground and soar in vast wings.

What an amazing way to start a day ...

Posted by Bob Benz at 11:02 AM | Comments (0)

Truckin'

"This is the best food I've ever had from the back of a truck," Wes told Tammy as we ate lunch in the shadow of a waterfall in the Urubamba River valley.

A perplexed look crossed Tammy's face until she realized Wes was offering the ultimate compliment. Then she broke into a wide smile.

Tammy is the owner of Cicciolina restaurant in Cuzco, and one of her specialties is cooking picnic lunches on site in various scenic spots throughout the Sacred Valley. She and two assistants arrive in a 4-wheel-drive truck, bringing all the fixings and a propane tank for cooking. They set up a tent. Ice down the wine. And lunch is served.

We had lunch this way two days in a row.

First, we dined near the waterfall. The food was incredible and included our second taste of cuy (guina pig), this time as part of a tuna salad that was strikingly different from anything I'd ever had.

The second day, Tammy, an Australian ex-pat who has lived in Peru for 10 years, was supposed to be serving barbecue. But Hernan knew Wes was hankering for a steak, and he managed to get the menu changed at the last minute. So while sheep grazed nearby, Wes and I dug into a couple of delicious grilled steaks. Tammy had to adjust for the altitude when cooking the steaks, noting that it would take 20 minutes to get Hernan's steak well done. Even then, it came out closer to medium. I could only imagine the adjustments baking must take at this altitude.

For the triple play, we dropped by Cicciolina for lunch while we were in Cuzco. And again, we marveled at how good the food was. I had scallops backed on the shells, lamb shank and a poached pear. Delicioso, even if there wasn't a roaring waterfall or scenic lake nearby as we dined ...

Posted by Bob Benz at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)

Portrait of the artist as a young scam

"I am the artist," Armando said, smiling broadly as we took a photo of him holding the works we had just bought. "See. This is my signature. Armando."

Armando had approached us the same way many vendors had, but he carried a portfolio complete with various artworks. All nice stuff, ranging from monochrome reflections on Cuzco to colorful celebrations of Andean culture.

Continue reading "Portrait of the artist as a young scam"

Posted by Bob Benz at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)

A trip to the market

"Give me your camera," Hernan said as we approached the stone gate on Santa Clara. From there, the road continues up the hill away from the main plaze in Cuzco, toward the San Pedro Train Station.

I thought he wanted to take a photo of the gate, but he really wanted to tuck it into his backpack for safekeeping. The area around the market is rougher than the central plaza, where the police keep a vigilant eye on things.

Continue reading "A trip to the market"

Posted by Bob Benz at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)

Coming up for air

The altitude hit me really hard Saturday night in Cuzco. There were several times that I awoke gasping for air. It was similar to the feeling I get during an asthma attack, but my inhalers offered no relief.

Apparently, Hotel Monasterio will pump extra oxygen into your room for about $30/night, but by Sunday morning I had acclimated and wasn't having problems.

Posted by Bob Benz at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)

Taxing attire

The stereotypical, colorful Andean garb really isn't a relic of the Incan empire, according to Hernan. It was introduced by the Spanish after the conquest to identify various groups of people and regions for taxation purposes ...

Posted by Bob Benz at 10:11 AM | Comments (2)

May 8, 2007

Tossing chum in the water

Children selling shoeshines, finger puppets, postcards and cigarettes navigate the narrow streets of Cuzco like a pack of piranhas. Once they smell gringo dollars, they start a frenzied circling motion and spin up their pitch, which is well-rehearsed and fairly uniform.

¨Want to buy a postcard.¨

¨No, gracias.¨

¨Why not?¨

¨No es necessario.¨

¨Where you from?¨

¨Los Estados Unidos.¨

¨Ahhhh. The capital is Washington. The president is George Booosh. Before him was Clinton. Before him was another Booosh. Before him was Reagan. Before him was ...¨

And on and on. Sometimes it´s a chance to practice my Spanish. Others it´s just annoying.

They are all orphans.

They all have five brothers and sisters.

They all make 10 nuevos soles per day (about 3 bucks). But today they have made nothing and want something to eat.

It tries my patience because after you heard it once, it´s so obviously a come-on. But I try to be gracious and humorous. I even learned that singing ¨no no no no no no no¨in a descending scale as they persist with their pitch draws a smile and makes them realize the answer really is ¨no¨ and that ¨no,¨ I won´t want to buy that postcard ¨maybe later,¨ either.

Posted by Bob Benz at 9:19 AM | Comments (1)

Hay agua

It´s easy to marvel at the Incans´ skilled masonry, but one thing that really pops out at me is their command of water. They were brilliant at channeling it for agricultural and aesthetic purposes. Their fountains are marvelous. It´s humbling to stand in front of the tingling waters and realize this sound has been reverberating through the nearby stone for hundreds of years. And it´s all by design. It would be hard not to incorporate rushing water into the architecture here. Cascading mountain springs are the Sacred Valley´s soundtrack. The distant roar of water is always present, at Machu Picchu, in Urumbamba, in Cuzco. And the Incans echoed it as they built their cities.

Posted by Bob Benz at 9:07 AM | Comments (0)

On pottery and politics

Marilu Behar is describing pottery technique in a video at Seminario Ceramicas in Urubamba, and I am instantly smitten. She has a quietly direct yet impassioned demeanor and though I am reading the English subtitles in the video, I am listening closely to the cadence of her Spanish.

Continue reading "On pottery and politics"

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:29 AM | Comments (0)

Heads of the household

¨This,¨ Hernan says proudly, ¨is the room where I was born.¨

Well, not quite. He is one room off, as his aunt quickly informs him. But it is clear how proud he is of his origins.

Hernan has brought us to his aunt´s block-long home in Urubamba to show us where he came from and to give us a glimpse into daily life.

Continue reading "Heads of the household"

Posted by Bob Benz at 8:07 AM | Comments (0)

On cars and condors ...

During my time in Peru, I´ve been amazed at how the natural world infused the Incans´ worldview. Machu Picchu looks like a condor when viewed from neighboring heights. The mountain near Picara is a crouching puma. And the Sacred Valley mirrors the heavens.

The Incans saw the familiar in the world around them, and they used their architecture to reflect those images back at nature.

I caught a glimpse of how strongly this impulse lives in the local people while walking near the Urubamba River with Hernan, a local woman and her two children. The woman pointed up at the cliffs in the distance and insisted she saw the shape of a car there. After squinting a bit toward the heights, I finally saw what she was talking about. This descendant of the Incans still looks for the familiar in the local geography, and if the similarities are more likely to take the shape of a diesel-breathing car than a soaring condor, so be it.

Posted by Bob Benz at 7:58 AM | Comments (0)

A taste of cuy

While in Peru, Wes and I wanted to sample the local delicacy called cuy, or guinea pig. We´d already seen them being raised in a local home. Now we wanted to get a taste of one.

Continue reading "A taste of cuy"

Posted by Bob Benz at 7:42 AM | Comments (0)

Take me to the river

Hernan and I have just finished a rambling hike down out of the hills that rise up out of the Urubamba River valley, and we´re standing on the main road.

¨Want to go down to the river?¨ Hernan asks.

¨Sure.¨

We cross the road, and Hernan asks a woman there about the easiest way to get down to the water. She points the way and begins walking with us, smiling broadly. As we turn onto a trail that runs past her adobe home, her 10-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter join us. Most of the discussion in in Spanish and directed at Hernan, but when she learns I speak un poquito de Spanish she makes an effort to include me as we walk single-file on a narrow path that runs through corn fields toward the Urubamba.

Continue reading "Take me to the river"

Posted by Bob Benz at 7:26 AM | Comments (0)

May 3, 2007

Machu Picchu

Upon arriving in Aguas Calientes Tuesday, Hernan and I grabbed a 3 o´clock bus to Machu Picchu to see the ruins at sunset (Wes remained behind at the hotel, trying to fight off a nasty case of turista.).

A serpentine, dusty bus ride up countless switchbacks took us to the lost city.

All I can say is ¡increible! Words really don´t cut it. Clouds crowned the surrounding mountains while sparrows and swallows tittered excitedly in the waning day. And almost on cue, a soft mist began to fall, refracting the sun´s setting rays into a rainbow that arced from the twisting Rio Vilcanota to Wayna Picchu.

We stayed for about an hour and a half, just soaking in the view and trying to imagine what it must have been like when Machu Picchu was buzzing with life. The experience was especially intimate because there was almost no one there. Just a handful of tourists, llamas, a pair of chinchillas and the soaring birds.

After catching the sunset, we decided to return early Wednesday for the sunrise. Wes had recovered and joined us.

The trip up was more crowded, and it was more difficult to capture the sublime solitude of the night before, but it still was spectacular. The sun streamed in through the surrounding peaks, making Machu Picchu´s stone structures shimmer in the dawn.

We spent about five hours touring the site. The Incans mirrored the heavens and earth with their architecture. Hernan´s sage guidance gave us great insight into the various features at Machu Picchu, and he told us that even though it was more crowded than the previous night, it really wasn´t that bad overall. That was tough to believe as we ate lunch, watching bus after bus grind to a dusty halt and disgorge 33 tourists, looking a little stunned after the twisting trip in.

Posted by Bob Benz at 1:09 PM | Comments (0)

Hernan y Aldo

Hernan, our guide, and Aldo, our driver, have spent more time with us than any pair of Peruvians should have to endure. They´re great guys and have done much to make this trip phenomenal.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Continue reading "Hernan y Aldo"

Posted by Bob Benz at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)

Palabras locas

Spending time with Hernan gives great insight into what a capricious bitch the English language is. His English is excellent. But still he gets tripped up by the language´s lack of logic and consistency.

¨Miss¨ and ¨lose¨ are particularly troubling. Hernan can´t get his head around why it´s ¨miss the bus¨ and not ¨lose the bus.¨ I try to explain but eventually resort to ¨It just is.¨

We also get amusement when he tries to translate a menu item and it comes out ¨rolling chicken.¨ I start stabbing the table with my fork, trying to spear the tumbling entree, which really is ¨rolled chicken.¨

Hernan speaks English, Spanish and Quechua fluently, and my presence gives him a chance to learn new words and ask about meanings. It works both ways. My Spanish has always been piss-poor, but I´ve been taking this opportunity to exercise it, sometimes with horrible results. Once the conversation drifts past three-word phrases in present tense, I´m in trouble, as bartender Marcello found out when he tried to talk to me about futbol. When it was all said and done, I tipped him profusely, mostly out of guilt for the way I had just savaged his language.

A few other interesting linguistic gymnatics ...

Continue reading "Palabras locas"

Posted by Bob Benz at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)

Taking flight

(May 2) -- I´m sitting here at the Inkaterra hotel in the Sacred Valley, watching a hummingbird molest a encarnada cantuta flower while I sip coca tea. This mornin we catch the train at Ollatantambo and ride to Aquas Calientes, where we´ll be a 25-minute bus ride from Machu Picchu, the high point of the trip.

Tingling with anticipation and coca tea, I´ve elevated Machu Picchu onto a sort of pedestal. I keep saying we´re going ¨up¨ to Machu Picchu, and each time Hernan dutifully reminds me that in fact, Machu Picchu is at a lower elevation than Cusco and Ollatantambo.

Posted by Bob Benz at 12:34 PM | Comments (0)

A sexy woman in the Sacred Valley

When our guide, Hernan, said we were going to see ¨sexy woman,¨ our driver, Aldo, smiled knowingly.

Imagine our disappointment when we realized our destination really was Saqsaywaman, which does indeed sound like ¨sexy woman.¨ Quechua names can be really tough to get your tongue around, so this helpful pronuniation guide was much appreciated. In Quechua, the name means ¨satisfied falcon.¨

Saqsaywaman is where Manco Inca, the Incan king who started as the Spaniards´ puppet but went on to lead a full-blown rebellion, almost wiped out an army led by Francisco Pizarro´s brother, Juan. But the Spaniards prevailed against long odds, prompting an Incan retreat to Ollatantambo and ultimately deep into the jungle.

There´s a sprawling parade ground at Saqsaywaman, and Hernan says he and his friends used to camp and play futbol there when they were children. It´s hard to imagine what it must be like to grow up in the stone embrace of these Incan ancestors.

Posted by Bob Benz at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

A perfecto landing

Wes and I both were nursing pisco hangovers during our early morning flight from Lima to Cusco, but even the misery of being crammed into microscopic coach seats couldn´t dim the beauty of seeing the snow-capped Andes peek through the clouds as we began our descent into Cusco.

Once we dropped beneath the clouds, we saw the airport´s runways stretched out in the valley, hemmed in by incredible peaks. After the pilot landed the plane, the cabin broke out in polite applause, as if a symphony had just concluded.

Posted by Bob Benz at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)

Honk if you love Lima

Several of the guide books I consulted were decidedly down on Lima. Big. Polluted. Noisy.

All true, but it definitely has its positives. The Miraflores and San Isidro sections are beautiful and very livable, and even the grittier areas have a certain charm. Of course, I like sprawling, honking, sweaty cities. And Lima fits the bill.

Drivers here are conquistadores of the carretera, and their bleating horns practically dare you to step in front of them. It´s such a contrast to rural parts of Jamaica and Peru´s Sacred Valley, where the horn is more a conversational tool. ¨I´m passing you.¨ ¨Coming up behind you, heads-up.¨ ¨Step aside, wayward llama.¨ There´s no real aggression there. Just information. Not so in Lima ...

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Posted by Bob Benz at 12:08 PM | Comments (0)

Dining with Diego

During our first day in Lima, Wes and I had lunch at Astrid y Gaston in the Miraflores neighborhood. Apparently owner Gaston Acurio is something of a man about town, Peru´s answer to Emeril.

This was my first taste of authentic cebiche (raw fish marinated with lime juice), and as I marveled at how good it was, I noticed one of the paintings nearby. It looked like something from Diego Rivera´s Cubist period, and damned if it wasn´t signed ¨Rivera.¨

Could it be?

I asked the waiter, who confirmed that it is indeed a Diego original.

Bon appetite!

Posted by Bob Benz at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

Peru: The llama, the puma and the serpent

We´re standin in the magnificent choir loft of Monasterio de San Francisco, and my guide, Olinda, is a bit frustrated with me. She´s trying to explain key features of the loft, but my eyes have drifted down toward the altar, where a priest is saying Mass in front of a packed house. Above them, at eye level with me, pigeons flap back and forth among the rafters. Below them, in the dank, claustrophobic catacombs, lie the bones of 70,000-some people.

It seems the perfect metaphor for the three themes that constantly recur during my trip to Peru -- the heavens, the earth and the underworld.

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Posted by Bob Benz at 11:34 AM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2007

Who's yer dog's daddy?

I came across a cool service in one of the dog magazines I read. For $65, Metamorphix claims it can run a DNA test that will reveal your dog's breed composition. It apparently uses a cheek swab to sniff out the dog's heritage from among 38 breeds. I've always been curious about Ozzy's 57 varieties, and I'm thinking about giving it a shot. Even if this will only find 38 ...

Posted by Bob Benz at 7:36 PM | Comments (2)