On Top of the World

A city in the clouds, a new rhythm of life, and the beginning of the real journey.

Did you know Cusco, Peru ranks among the ten highest cities in the world?

As I flew in from Lima, I kept my eyes peeled, gazing out the window at the majesty of the landscape. Almost immediately, we were above the clouds, soaring over the Andes. At times, jagged mountain peaks punched through the cloud layer like pods of whales breaking the surface of the sea.

The land seemed barren, inhospitable — but here and there, life appeared in tiny villages perched on the edge of valleys. How could this place sustain a city like Cusco, a city with over 350,000 people?

We landed in Cusco just at sunset. The plane circled wide, offering a view of both the rising full moon and the setting sun. We dipped between mountain peaks on the final descent into this stunning, wide valley — a city suspended at more than 11,000 feet above sea level.

This Mississippi boy felt the difference immediately.
Walking up a flight of stairs took longer.
Changing dollars to soles required hiking (uphill both ways, of course).
My breath came shorter. My steps, slower.

But the Andes — massive, ancient, and glowing with life — welcomed me, along with its people.

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I woke this morning at 6 a.m. and finally felt grounded after days of travel. Time had returned. I woke in a new bed, with a new host family, unfamiliar foods, and unfamiliar rhythms.

The threshold season — the liminal journey — is over.
Now, the adventure begins.

My host, an amiable retiree, cooks breakfast and dinner. I do the dishes. This morning: a banana smoothie made with homemade yogurt. He and his wife have been hosting international students for years. His English is broken. My Spanish is worse. But he communicates with food and hospitality — like any good Southerner would.

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For now, it’s all about the language.

Remembering things I forgot.
Learning words I never knew.
Listening more than I speak.
Guessing more than I understand.

But slowly, I’ll learn.

The air is thinner here, but the experience is thick with newness. And I know I’ll learn more than Spanish — I’ll learn their food, their customs, their stories, and how they see the world.

The journey continues — but now, it has a pulse.