jungle to mountain

So, at last I have made my break from the jungle, with some sad goodbyes to my friends there, and to the birds, and the place itself. They were three months I certainly will never forget.
Now I´m playing tourist again in Cuzco, where I´m spending a week exploring. The city is really beautiful, rich in history and culture, with too much to see in only one week. I arrived just before a rain storm and was dropped off by my taxi with my huge suitcase at the bottom of an enormous stone staircase which I had to climb up, with my heart pounding as if I had just run a marathon due to the extreme altitude change (Tambopata is about 180 meters above sea level, cuzco is about 3,400 meters). Instantly I found myself surrounded by a group of curious children dressed in their school uniforms, impressed with the size and weight of my suitcase. A few of them insisted that they help me carry my case up the stairs, and eventually, as the rain began, all but one ran off to their homes. The last one, a little girl, probably 7 or 8, helped me the rest of the way and when I arrived at my hostel, we said goodbye "ciao, amiga". Too cute. My hostel, after all the stairs, has a magnificent view of the city and is run by two really warm, welcoming women who gave me a cup of coca tea upon arrival (to alleviate the altitude sickness) and who made me a beautiful breakfast this morning.
Today I´ve spent the whole day just sortof wandering around, as I like to do my first day in any city, just taking it all in. I´m a little bit hindered by my labored breathing and a constant headache, but it´s gotten better since the beginning of the day. There is so much to see here... I´m charmed by the women in traditional garb, looking as though they are of another time altogether with their bowler hats and full skirts and colorful blankets carrying bundles of flowers, babies, and other mysteries on their backs. Everyone here has rosy cheeks from the cold and the sun. The city itself feels really really old (as it is.), with tiny cobblestone streets that have been walked down for thousands of years. The buildings are all white-washed with terra cotta tile roofs, built precariously and ingeniously into the sides of fairly steep mountainsides. Their are stairs to climb everywhere you go, as the city is so steep, and was designed long before automobiles, so there´s lots of built-in exersize to exploring (slow exersize. Even the locals walk slow, as it is impossible to get enough oxygen to support fast movement).
Tomorrow I´m going to do some exploring further afield but still within the city limits, to a few Incan sites, and then the next day I´m taking the trip to Macchu Picchu by train, then maybe a day trip to a village a couple of hours out of the city, for a glimpse of real Andean life (or something close to it).
All in all, It´s all quite wonderful and I´m happy as always and forever enjoying the view. I´ll write more when there´s more to write.