Graham Milton

Coming from Lima, I was instantly struck by the natural beauty of Cusco. It was the capital of the Incan empire, back in its day… though now its mostly sustained by tourists. Needless to say, there is poverty everywhere, which can be confronting when you’ve got a 70 year old man crying to you in spanish in the street.

I’ve been slowly filling up my sketch book… These scans are crap, because the net-cafe owner didnt trust me with his scanner. grrrr.

Will re-scan some time in the future. I promise.

*edit: sketch book STOLEN in Bolivia. No re-scans.

The view from my balcony is amazing. Cusco is nestled between a circle of mountains, and the buildings slowly creep up the sides, until the hills are too steep:

I saw some ancient Incan ruins 30 minutes walk out of central Cusco. Even there, there are kids begging for money & bugging me to buy their wares.

Eventually I befriended one and I agreed to buy his stuff only if he sat about while i finished my sketch:

once again, sorry for the crap scans, i’ll try to redo them myself, later.

*edit: here are some more PICS!

Cusco at night:

Sacsaywaman: (which is 15 minutes walk west of Cusco)

I♥NYC

I´ve decided I´m going to have to live here one day.

It is easily my favourite place on earth! I love central park in mid winter, echoes of a distant sax player haunting jazz through the subway, the vibrancy, colour and amazing attitude of the people, and the over abundance of great bars, artists & musicians, and the beautiful old architecture.

23/01/06: I am still alive.

I just flew into Costa Rica this afternoon from New York City… (MUST live there, one day)

Decided to try to make it to the hostel via public transport and foot with no map and practically no spanish (just following ‘gut instincts’) till i found downtown and then found my hostel… very ‘Alchemist‘ style, dont you think?

A few months ago, I took up body building. I’m fascinated with the idea that muscle tissue grows best after strenuous training. That the growth doesn’t occur during the excercise, but afterwards: The body regrows & repairs the muscle tissue which had been damaged through excercise, making it larger and stronger than before.

It strikes me that this may also be the case with one’s spirit.

Do we need to overcome emotionally strenuous challenges to build courage, focus and determination?

If I can take this metaphor by the hand and stroll a little further, would a logical conclusion be that to strengthen our spirits, we should try to test ourselves frequently, while leaving ample time for resting & recovery, to encourage our hearts to grow stronger?

With this in mind, I’ve decided to take a solo trek around South America for the next two months.

Hasta luego, mi amigos.