from the belly button of the universe

¡Saludos y bienvenidos!
After too many hours on airplanes and in airports I finally made it to Cusco. Here in Cusco begins a five-week long adventure and here in cyberspace I will offer you updates and I hope some photos, as well as confirmations that I am still alive and tropical-disease-free.

I am already charmed by this city, its cobblestone streets and tiled roofs, quintessentially Latin American and I love it. My only complaint is that it is freezing in the morning! It is a good thing that I packed my sweats in my backpack, because my checked luggage is lost somewhere in Houston or in Lima. (Thanks for the warning, Claire.) And for those of you who remember last year's trip to Mexico and my packing mishap, this time I packed plenty of underwear, thanks for asking.

A note on the blog title: The name Cusco, they say, comes from the Quechua word Q'osqo, which translates to "the belly button of the universe". If you are still confused about the blog address, well, "beebo is just the silly hippo way of saying belly button" (you can ask baby Jack about that one). Believe it or not, beebo.blogspot.com was already taken (I have not visited it so I offer no guarantee on its content), so I opted for beee-bo.

So there you have it. I am spending half the summer in the universe's belly button. Now if you will excuse me, my own belly is calling me to Peruvian cuisine, and my head and chilled body are begging for mate.