Chopping down the tree

Although carnival is done, there is still some celebrating going on in Cajamarca. Different neighborhoods get together and put up an 'yunsa' tree. Kinda of like a Christmas tree, but with plastic items, fruit, shirts, and other random useful things. So the tree is set up during the day and at night everyone gathers around to drink and dance around the tree. Then you take turns trying to chop down the tree. Like piñata chaos, when the tree comes crashing down, everyone runs to get whatever goodies they can from the tree. If you knock the tree down, you have to buy all the plastic things that go on the tree for next year. I don't know the meaning behind all this fun, but I do know that as we were trying to get to the disco last night, it took a little longer than usual, because there were lots of neighborhoods celebrating with their yunsa tree in the middle of the road. Yunsa detours everywhere.

On a totally unrelated 'Yunsa note' today I treated myself to an out of my normal Peru existence experience. I went to Banos de Inca, a town just outside of town, to treat myself to a spa treatment. The Spa I went to was inside this swanky 4 star hotel, complete with gardens, horses, thermal swimming pool, and old Spanish style buildings. Not that work is that stressful, but I feel like I am juggling lots of different possible programs/trainings/activities, and I thought this treatment would help put me in a peaceful place to start the week off relaxed and confident. While I was in the Spa it was drizzling and the surrounding mountains were coated with clouds; I felt like I was walking into a fairy tale. After my massage, I went into the thermal swimming pool and enjoyed the perfect combination of hot water and cold sprinkles. It was delightful and perfect, to say the least. Sometimes I feel like I strattle two different worlds. World with money and poverty. Clean and the dirty. The Haves and the Have Nots. Adobe and Cement. I left my perfect spa world to take a rusty minivan back home. But, you know, I was happy to leave the spa and go back to "normal Peru." That is what I live and breathe and that is why I am here. I just feel so fortunate to be able to cross over to the other world every once and awhile.