El Pueblo en Las Nubes

Words cannot describe the majesty of Machu Picchu. When we arrived at the ruins, we were submerged in cloud. Somewhat frustrated and a little concerned that the fog would persist the remainder of the day and ruin our high hopes of taking some postcard-perfect shots of the small village, we climbed up the neighboring mountain with the idea that an ariel view would be clearer. To our disspointment, it wasn't. Yet, just as we were about to toss our notion of a clear sky away and retire back down the mountain, the thick cloud draped over Machu Picchu started to vanish. Like an artist pulling away a cloth to unveil his masterpiece sculpture, the sheet of clouds slid off the side of the mountain and underneath, the village eminated green. My travel companion and I were speechless. I have must have taken over 40 photos just sitting at the top of the hill.

I found it hilarious that all our provided workbooks were titled, "American English".

Couldn't resist taking this... I find it fascinating to see the implementation of American pop culture in advertising all over the world. Not only was it somewhat refreshing to see something other than scantily clad women as a marketing strategy, but the reactions this advertisement received were actually surprising. To my astonishment, it effectively caught attention. Whether or not it drew in consumers or built customer/brand loyalty, I have no idea. But it did turn heads; and that's a start. It's incredible to see advertising blossoming in places and cultures that otherwise had no use or need for it as little as (perhaps) twenty years ago. Yet, just maybe, this miniscule copy shop will slowly evolve into something greater and more profitable due to the use of one of advertising's most basic tricks of the trade: celebrity... dare I say, "endorsement".