Travelling in Spanish

This is the first time in many years that I´ve travelled in a place where I very much speak the language. And it has been a complete blast. I have fun conversations with EVERYONE--cab drivers, hotel staff, Inca women selling their wares, museum docents, etc. Talking Spanish I have a different personality--lighter, more playful, curious and with all the time in the world for things to unfold.

Much of the time I´m told that my Spanish is really good (which basically means to me that I don´t sound like a native, e.g. no one tells me my English is really good!) I´ve had fun getting lost, yesterday wandering around Lima and today in Cusco, after emerging from a bad case of altitude sickness (its 3,200 feet here!) Cusco is filled with picturesque cobblestone streets that all look quite similar--and they wind up and down the hilly landscape. Today I wandered kind of nowhere..but then it was ultimately successful. Found a low-keyed travel agent with no particular agenda and worked out all of the details of my next two-weeks here. I´m beginning slow in that my body is just slowly emerging from breathlessness, headache and nausea. After eating a little dinner I felt completely spun around and could not for the life of me figure out where my sweet little hostal was. Eventually a local walked me back here...unlike last year at the Kumbha Mela there are plenty of locals who do know where things are...and speaking Spanish makes a huge difference!