It´s 4am here in Lima and I can't sleep. It's been a week straight since this strange form of insomnia started. The first time was our last night on the Inca Trail, up in our campsite facing the peaks of both Veronica and Salcantay. I sat outside our tent for hours, watching the day break and the first few chasquis getting up to prepare breakfast. I remember sitting there just looking up at Salcantay and thinking, well hello. There's a breathtaking sight that I'll probably never get to see again. I remember feeling blessed. And I thought that was it. The next night, on our bus on the way to Arequipa, it happened again. That's fine, I thought. It's the motions of the bus that's keeping me up. The third time it happened, I climbed up to our rooftop balcony in Arequipa. Mount Misti and Mount Ampato lay steaming in the distance, and I remember feeling so angry, so tired, so freaked out at not being able to sleep. What scared me the most was not knowing what it was exactly that was keeping me awake. Until tonight, I still don't know what accounts for my sleeplessness. It could be Bubs. It could be work. It could be exuberance. It could be a whole plethora of other things. What's for sure, though, is that this is running me out. I'm tired, I'm scared at the prospect of having to fight my own body to get some rest, and it's frustrating when I can't function properly. With worktrips and negotiations looming around the corner, I can´t afford all this bullshit right now. Sleeping never used to be this hard. xxx In other news, Peru has been so good to the soul. I have been blessed with windows of opportunities through out this trip, and my faith in mankind has grown stronger since we first set out from KLIA. The majestic beauty of nature aside, what I loved the most about this year's big trip were the friendships that were struck while on the road. That feeling of kinship you share with strangers in certain moments don't come by every day, and once they do it is something that I am eternally grateful for, and never, ever forget. I am in love with the world again. And my heart is mending, insyaAllah. Surely, if it cannot be made to the intended recipient, I find equal pleasure through spreading a certain amount of love and affection to those present around me now; be they kind strangers from the road or that long lost friend that hasn't been in contact since Graduation. (Congratulations, by the way, Little Steve! I wish you happiness and good health always.) xxx I can't wait to see The Family again. Aside from Bubs, I've missed them the most. | 