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| Cusco |
“A warrior acknowledges his pain but he doesn't indulge in it.
The mood of the warrior who enters into the unknown is not one of
sadness; on the contrary, he's joyful because he feels humbled by
his great fortune, confident that his spirit is impeccable, and
above all, fully aware of his efficiency. A warrior's joyfulness
comes from having accepted his fate, and from having truthfully
assessed what lies ahead of him.”
― Don Juan Matus
The path of the "Warrior" has been talked about in various historical spiritual systems as well as in the modern sphere of contemporary spirituality. Carlos Castaneda talked about warriorship in his books, there is Dan Millman's "Way of the Peaceful Warrior" and the Shambhala teachings of Trungpa Rinpoche which extensively lay out the path and training of warriorship in everyday life. During periods of extensive travel and our everyday lives there is always the opportunity to practice virtues such as patience, generosity, discipline, etc.
Here are some general guidelines that I am practicing during this South American Tour:
1. A warrior wants only what he needs. 2. A warrior strives for impeccability in thought and action. 3. A warrior operates from a position of absolute clarity of will and intent. 4. A warrior always leaves a place in the same, or better condition than what he found it. 5. The warrior strives to be an average person in a superior reality. The average individual strives to be a superior person in an average reality. 6. The warrior (or superior individual) seeks to do what is hard and necessary, rather than what is simply easy and expedient. 7. A warrior is aware of times when his power is high, and seeks to perform his most important actions at those times. Conversely, in times when his power is low, a warrior seeks to engage in self-protection. 8. The warrior understands the importance of wu-wei (non-action). 9. A warrior is concerned with the true essence or substance of a thing, rather than simply the outer aesthetics. 10. A warrior treats his body like a temple, and is careful what he ingests.
There are many, many more guiding principles in addition to these, the ten above are laid out simply to establish the basic intent.
Woke up early and got on the mini bus from Ayacucho to Andahuaylas. This is another section that i was glad to not ride because of road conditions and general safety. From Andahualayas I started climbing up again into the Central Andes and meant to visit some Inca ruins along the way but somehow missed the turn-off so kept going up the dirt road through small villages perched on the hillside, during late afternoon I finally came to the summit and enjoyed a nice vista with snow peaks in the distant horizon. Then began the winding 36km downhill on dusty road, half way down the mountain it was suddenly dark and I found a decent place to set up the tent for the night. The next day rode across the valley to Abancay and then the day after made it to Corahusi. When I left this town I was not planing to make it to Cusco but I grabbed hold of a truck going up a long pass and then came down the other side and rode all the way to Cusco just as it got dark. When I arrived I went to a internet place to look at a map of the city so that I could find the hostel I wanted to stay at. I parked my bike in front so that I could see it the entire time, the only part of the bike I could not see were the front bags, after only a few minutes I went outside and saw that my bags where open and my two video cameras were gone as well as my sun glasses and some other things. It was my fault, I was tired and let my guard down for a few moments and trusted that I was somehow protected from theft, and thus lost some valuable things. It could have been worse and I learned a important lesson that will help me in the future. So the show must go on...
Next I will explore the sacred valley around Cusco and visit the numerous Inca sites including the mysterious Machu Picchu.
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| Sahuite |
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| wild camping with Abancay in background |
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| random street art |
