Lima to Cusco

Hello!  I haven´t written anything yet because I mainly just wanted to go out and have fun.
When we arrived in Lima it brought me back to my arrival in Buenos Aires almost two years ago.  This time it was just Caitlin and I in a station wagon instead of the mini bus crowded with my fellow students.  It was a very different drive.  In Argentina I was really struck by the way the buildings on the outskirts of BSAS looked.  They were falling apart, sometimes entire walls were missing.  It was also a longer drive.  I felt like we drove for 45 minutes before we got to our dorms.  My drive with Caitlin seemed so different.
The buildings were falling apart too but it didn´t seem as drastic.  Instead of miles and miles of houses we immediately seemed to be in the heart of Lima.  There were trago monedas  (Casinos) everywhere.  I was immediately attracted to them because they were covered in flashing, bright lights.  It reminded me of the feeling I had when I first came to Times Square.  It was on a much smaller scale this time but the lights drew me in.  I was excited to be here.  I was back in South America, a place I associated with so many positive feelings.
My time in Buenos Aires was probably the most fun I had in college.  The homework load was light and good friends were all around.  We would party and explore.  I don´t really miss the parties that much but I do miss the excitement of exploring a new place with new people.  I´m hoping this trip will be like that.
I never wanted to become a snob about my time in Argentina but Lima seemed very dull in comparison.  Not as many parks, too much smog, not as many circus people on the streets.
I´m glad to be in Cusco now. A lot of tourists but that also means lots of people from all over with whom I can share experiences.  It also just seems like there is more culture here because of its history.  The city is beautiful.  Houses extend out from the center up the hills.  The central plaza has several churches and lots of people selling paintings, clothes, etc.  My favorite was groups of indigenous women with their alpacas.  You can pay them a few soles to take a picture with the animals.  Caitlin and I saw a really cute baby alpaca and couldn´t resist.  Pictures will follow at some point.
The most shocking thing about Cusco for me was the altitude sickness.  For some reason I thought I would be immune to such things.  Wrong!  Caitlin and I thought we were really out of shape at first.  We couldn´t breathe walking up the hill to our hostel.  I got the worst of it though and got pretty sick to the stomach.  I´ll just leave it at that.
We are in Aguas Calientes now which is the town closest to Machu Picchu.  Tomorrow we are getting up at 4 in the morning to get there bright and early.  Our guidebook said that this town is touristy and overpriced.  That may be true but it is also beautiful.  A city nestled in between mountains with a river running through.  Perfect!