Today we are supposed to fly from Cusco to Arequipa where we will spend the remainder of our time in Peru. Our plane leaves in about two hours but it is pouring which may mean no flight for us. It is the start of the rainy season (though the official start date is the 15th of December) and there is the definite possibility that we could spend the rest of our time here in Cusco-which wouldn't necessarily be bad.
To continue from my last post (we did indeed find pancakes) on our way to Macchu Picchu, we stopped at the Pisac market which is ultra touristy but also retains some authenticity as Quechua-speaking women are also there with their produce. The market is huge and one could spend hours on end there. We only got one hour but managed to do some damage. Just about anything you could want is available there, as well as a few things you don't. We also ran into some of our housemates who were trying to get to Macchu Picchu without much luck. We hooked them up with our guide who gave them instructions on the best method to get there. It is sort of ironic that we keep meeting up with people from the house, however, there is a definite path that most tourists follow called the "Gringo Trail". It is annoying in one way, but at least we had a bit of a more authentic experience by staying in Ayacucho for two weeks and of course by volunteering at our placements.
After the market, we drove to Ollantaytambo which is one of the most well-preserved examples of an Inca village. The little town was beautiful, with amazing stonework and the original drainage system still in tact. The Incas were very into straight lines and cleanliness....they would probably be diagnosed with OCD today. From Ollantaytambo, we took the Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes, also known as Macchu Picchu Pueblo, and the jumping off point to visit the ruins. The train ride wound down into the cloud forest of the jungle, following the Rio Urubamba all the way. At many points, we couldn't see the ground below us and it looked like the train was floating on mid-air. There were lots of great tunnels cut straight through the mountains and bromeliads contrasted with mile-high snow capped peaks. After about an hour and a half, we reached Aguas Calientes. The Lonely Planet guide had described this town as unpleasant with uncontrolled development, however, I found it one of the cutest little places we've been. There are no cars in Aguas Calientes, only the train tracks, and the Aguas Calientes river cuts through the main square before shortly meeting the Rio Urubamba in a raging torrent. We stayed at Gringo Bill's, a hostel run by Margarita and her son Lawrence as Gringo Bill is no longer in the picture. We loved the atmosphere and our rooms were the most comfortable so far. Unfortunately, we only had one night there.
The next morning we got up bright and early to take the bus to the ruins. The bus went through tropical scenery at break-neck speed, around switchbacks on the edge of the cliffs. We did, however, make it in one piece. I was disappointed when our guide strongly urged against hiking up Waynu Picchu, but once we started up just the basic trail to the ruins, I realized he was more than right. The Incas were obviously extremely healthy and fit people. Everywhere is stone steps and steep inclines. In fact, our guide said that the people in the Andean highlands today, Incan descendants, have more blood and larger hearts and lungs than those of us that live at reasonable altitudes. Macchu Picchu itself was beyond words. The shear immensity of the scenery surrounding the site is overwhelming. Wandering through the ruins and imagining what life was like here 500 years ago is something I could do all day. And here again one finds the attention to detail in the stonework and the ingenuity of a people that had their own "universities", sanitation systems, aqueducts, and hierarchy which allowed for the construction of these massive stone buildings. These are the same people that the Spanish felt were no better than animals-and treated them as such.
We spent about five hours at the ruins and by then we were sun burnt, out of water, and exhausted. We were only too happy to head back to the bus, then the train, then the private van back to Cusco for a good nights rest. Our guide bade us goodbye once we were back in Cusco as he needed to get back to his restaurant in Nazca. We consulted our guide books and chose to eat at Jack's Cafe in the San Blas district of Cusco. It was a fantastic meal, the first of several we have had here. I am always interested in trying the local foods, however, most Peruvian food seems to be spicy and laden with meat, two things that I am not fond of. So it has been a nice break to have some international choices while we are in Cusco. Touristy places do have some benefits, much as we hate to admit it.
Jenny
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Lots to Tell
Today we got up really early to (it is cooler with a drum-role on your knees) go to Macchu-Picchu!!!! We went up the mount in by bus,and thanks to Poncho (our really,really helpful guide from the CCS house) we got there before all the other hordes of people.And MAN was it awesome to see it!!My favrite part was the alpakas eating grass.the rest I can't tell you about it in words, but we will post some pics later.
Today we did something sacred...we slept in.
wyatt
Today we did something sacred...we slept in.
wyatt
No Rain!
So now that we are away from the comforts of the CCS house, we have much less reliable access to the internet. But, we are in Cusco...we made it with no rain, no problems at all. Things went very smoothly from Ayacucho to Lima, dropped off two of our bags at storage to lighten our load, then Lima to Cusco. Our wonderful guide from our Ica trip (who had arranged this week for us) surprised us by being at the baggage claim in Cusco. He had taken a bus from Nazca, about an eight hour ride, so that he could be our personal guide to Macchu Picchu. I think part of it was that he was a little concerned about two women and two kids wandering around on their own, something that I know several other people will appreciate. He has five nearly grown children of his own so he definitely has that paternalistic air. The first night in Cusco, we checked out the lay of the land and found a little bar/restaurant called Norton's Rat owned by people originally from Arizona. Then we had dinner at Chez Maggy, one of the original and best pizza places in Cuzco. It was good, but the type of cheese they use hear is different than in the US (of course) and it seems to wreak havoc with my stomach so I think I will skip the pizza from now on. There were some interesting pizza combinations including our guide's which was banana and egg.....
We stayed at Hostal Saphi, close to the gorgeous main square, which is plain but decent except for being next door to the one room being remodeled with sledgehammers. At least no one complained about the boys being a bit rowdy....I don't think anyone could even hear them above the pounding and power tools. The next morning we got up bright and early to go through the Sacred Valley with our guide. We made several stops including the Inca ruins of Sacsaywaman, a wildlife refuge, a textile shop, and a chicheria. The wildlife refuge at first looked like a very dreary, depressing zoo, but we realized that this family was trying to rehabilitate animals that had been confiscated from the illegal international trade. There were South American condors that were being breed so the young could be released into the wild and pumas which had been kept, drugged, in Lima so that tourists could pet them. The owner told us that smugglers will take up to 100 macaws from the jungle and put them into tubes to transport to the United States. By the time they get there, only 9 or 10 will have survived but the smugglers will make around $1000 on each of them. The refuge just opened about a year ago and as is typical of Peru, no government funding is given to them. So we of course made a donation to them-an amount that we will never miss but is exhilarating for them. The "textile" workshop was really just an extremely touristy place that sold beautiful alpaca garments for exorbitant prices. Our guide told us this going in, also noting that the traditionally dressed "weavers" supposedly working the looms were only pretending to do so. But his main purpose in bringing us here was so that we could touch and feed the domesticated llamas and alpacas. Which we of course loved....little baby alpacas that were just adorable and others that looked like mops with eyes and hooves. At the chicheria, which was basically someones home on the side of the highway with a red flag on a stick to signify what they sell, we got to see (sort of) how chicha is made. Chicha is a fermented corn drink that has been around since before the Incas. Peruvians drink it like Americans drink Budweiser and we had to of course try it while we were here. However, there is some danger in drinking chicha from roadside homes as the sanitation there may not be up to our industrialized standards. Also, chicha was originally made by chewing the dried corn and spitting it into a pot of water to start the fermentation process. I know that some chicha served in restaurants is not begun this way but I can't really get a straight answer out of any locals as to whether the chicha in traditional chicherias is chewed or not. So we were a bit apprehensive but didn't want to offend our hostess and ......well, what the hell. So we tried a strawberry tinged chicha and it was actually pretty good. No ill effects seem to have followed so I think our stomachs must be acclimating to the various Peruvian bacteria.
Lots more to write but the kids are ready to go in search of some breakfast. In this most touristy of areas, they are sure that they can find some good buttermilk pancakes and also want to try Peruvian hot chocolate. More later.....
Jenny
We stayed at Hostal Saphi, close to the gorgeous main square, which is plain but decent except for being next door to the one room being remodeled with sledgehammers. At least no one complained about the boys being a bit rowdy....I don't think anyone could even hear them above the pounding and power tools. The next morning we got up bright and early to go through the Sacred Valley with our guide. We made several stops including the Inca ruins of Sacsaywaman, a wildlife refuge, a textile shop, and a chicheria. The wildlife refuge at first looked like a very dreary, depressing zoo, but we realized that this family was trying to rehabilitate animals that had been confiscated from the illegal international trade. There were South American condors that were being breed so the young could be released into the wild and pumas which had been kept, drugged, in Lima so that tourists could pet them. The owner told us that smugglers will take up to 100 macaws from the jungle and put them into tubes to transport to the United States. By the time they get there, only 9 or 10 will have survived but the smugglers will make around $1000 on each of them. The refuge just opened about a year ago and as is typical of Peru, no government funding is given to them. So we of course made a donation to them-an amount that we will never miss but is exhilarating for them. The "textile" workshop was really just an extremely touristy place that sold beautiful alpaca garments for exorbitant prices. Our guide told us this going in, also noting that the traditionally dressed "weavers" supposedly working the looms were only pretending to do so. But his main purpose in bringing us here was so that we could touch and feed the domesticated llamas and alpacas. Which we of course loved....little baby alpacas that were just adorable and others that looked like mops with eyes and hooves. At the chicheria, which was basically someones home on the side of the highway with a red flag on a stick to signify what they sell, we got to see (sort of) how chicha is made. Chicha is a fermented corn drink that has been around since before the Incas. Peruvians drink it like Americans drink Budweiser and we had to of course try it while we were here. However, there is some danger in drinking chicha from roadside homes as the sanitation there may not be up to our industrialized standards. Also, chicha was originally made by chewing the dried corn and spitting it into a pot of water to start the fermentation process. I know that some chicha served in restaurants is not begun this way but I can't really get a straight answer out of any locals as to whether the chicha in traditional chicherias is chewed or not. So we were a bit apprehensive but didn't want to offend our hostess and ......well, what the hell. So we tried a strawberry tinged chicha and it was actually pretty good. No ill effects seem to have followed so I think our stomachs must be acclimating to the various Peruvian bacteria.
Lots more to write but the kids are ready to go in search of some breakfast. In this most touristy of areas, they are sure that they can find some good buttermilk pancakes and also want to try Peruvian hot chocolate. More later.....
Jenny
Friday, December 4, 2009
Sad and Happy to Say Goodbye
Today was our last day at placements and our last day in Ayacucho. We will be flying out to Lima early tomorrow morning and if all goes well, continuing on to Cusco in the afternoon. The end of our time here elicits a mixture of emotions: I am so grateful to have had this experience, I have met some incredible people both in the house and out, and I have connected with some of the children at the school so that leaving them forever is difficult. But I also am sort of over communal living, am relieved to be done at the school which is incredibly draining, and ready to see other parts of Peru, most notably the incredible ruins of Macchu Picchu. The food at the homebase is good to a point, one can only be so creative when trying to please 20 very different palates. The trip has been eyeopening and unforgettable for the kids, but it has also taken a lot out of me as far as making sure everything is in order in general, and then the worry of Wyatt being sick. I think for me, I could give a bit more of myself to the placement if I were on my own (not something I wish to be for even a moment) as there is a finite amount of care that each of us can bestow on others before we run dry. One thing (among many) that I have taken from this is that I would like to go home and (after our move) volunteer in some of the more difficult schools in California on a regular basis. Though there are different circumstances and different reasons, there are schools in the US with many of the same issues I am facing here in Peru. And my only regret is that I can't be a positive influence for these children continuously, something I can definitely do in California.
Yesterday, we were given the chance to visit the prison where we picked up the toddlers that are jailed with their mothers and took them on an outing to the Plaza Mayor. This was a treat for me because I had really wanted to see firsthand what the prison system was all about. The men and women are kept separate for the most part though they are allowed some time together. The women sit in an open courtyard where they do their laundry, cook for themselves, and make beautiful handicrafts to sell. There is also a tiny store run by the women where they can buy snacks and drinks. I am always frustrated by my inability to speak Spanish fluently, but today it absolutely killed me. I so wanted to be able to have meaningful conversations with these women, many of whom seemed very willing to talk about their situations. But I really can't get much past the basic conversational niceties. Only more inspiration to practice when I am at home. We took eight children out with us, I got a three year old bundle of cuddles named Cheena. She just clung to me as most of the other children did to the other volunteers. I can only imagine how odd this must be for them. These children have seen nothing but the inside of the prison for the majority of their lives except when volunteers take them on weekly one hour trips out into the world. I look nothing like the people Cheena is used to seeing, and I couldn't speak her language very well. But all in all she was a pretty good sport, only trying to run away from me once and falling asleep on my lap on the way home.
That afternoon, we made up for missing our Monday placement by visiting the asilo, or old people's home, for a few hours. Actually, I only stayed for about a half hour because as some of you may be aware, that is not my favorite place to be. But it was interesting to see and the elderly women there were precious. The facility is run by nuns and the 60 women pay nothing to live there. The facility is gorgeous and immaculately clean. All the women looked very well cared for which was so nice to see. But Rudy told us later that the building was built with donations from congregations in various places and the nuns have no ongoing source of income to take care of the elderly men and women so the nuns have to beg on the street for food and money. How awful. Seems like a less extravagant building and more money for care would be in order.
This morning Eddie woke up with "the cleanse" so he missed his last day of placement which truthfully, I don't think he was too broken up about. He has had a hard time finding a niche for himself here though I think he has enjoyed the interaction with the other volunteers in the house. And I know his time at the various places has impacted him though exactly how may not be evident for awhile. He is spending his last hours here lounging in bed, eating soda crackers, and trying to gather strength for a last round of chess with the housemates. I think he'll make it.
Christin and I headed to the "real" market (the one where locals go) today to get a couple of things. I have to say, fun as it is in there, it smelled horrific. People are cooking who knows what next to stands of grains, fruit, and every sort of meat you could want to find (or not). I love it and I wish that I had the guts to go in and eat there like the locals, but I just can't quite do it. And that's OK. I think I will head back to the room and try to stuff six bags worth of gear and souvenirs into four bags and maybe write some notes about the school for the next set of volunteers. Hope for no rain for us tomorrow since if there is any, we will be spending quite a bit of time in the airport....
Jenny
P.S. We bought a pineapple and brought it back to the house for everyone to have for lunch today.....it was so good!
Yesterday, we were given the chance to visit the prison where we picked up the toddlers that are jailed with their mothers and took them on an outing to the Plaza Mayor. This was a treat for me because I had really wanted to see firsthand what the prison system was all about. The men and women are kept separate for the most part though they are allowed some time together. The women sit in an open courtyard where they do their laundry, cook for themselves, and make beautiful handicrafts to sell. There is also a tiny store run by the women where they can buy snacks and drinks. I am always frustrated by my inability to speak Spanish fluently, but today it absolutely killed me. I so wanted to be able to have meaningful conversations with these women, many of whom seemed very willing to talk about their situations. But I really can't get much past the basic conversational niceties. Only more inspiration to practice when I am at home. We took eight children out with us, I got a three year old bundle of cuddles named Cheena. She just clung to me as most of the other children did to the other volunteers. I can only imagine how odd this must be for them. These children have seen nothing but the inside of the prison for the majority of their lives except when volunteers take them on weekly one hour trips out into the world. I look nothing like the people Cheena is used to seeing, and I couldn't speak her language very well. But all in all she was a pretty good sport, only trying to run away from me once and falling asleep on my lap on the way home.
That afternoon, we made up for missing our Monday placement by visiting the asilo, or old people's home, for a few hours. Actually, I only stayed for about a half hour because as some of you may be aware, that is not my favorite place to be. But it was interesting to see and the elderly women there were precious. The facility is run by nuns and the 60 women pay nothing to live there. The facility is gorgeous and immaculately clean. All the women looked very well cared for which was so nice to see. But Rudy told us later that the building was built with donations from congregations in various places and the nuns have no ongoing source of income to take care of the elderly men and women so the nuns have to beg on the street for food and money. How awful. Seems like a less extravagant building and more money for care would be in order.
This morning Eddie woke up with "the cleanse" so he missed his last day of placement which truthfully, I don't think he was too broken up about. He has had a hard time finding a niche for himself here though I think he has enjoyed the interaction with the other volunteers in the house. And I know his time at the various places has impacted him though exactly how may not be evident for awhile. He is spending his last hours here lounging in bed, eating soda crackers, and trying to gather strength for a last round of chess with the housemates. I think he'll make it.
Christin and I headed to the "real" market (the one where locals go) today to get a couple of things. I have to say, fun as it is in there, it smelled horrific. People are cooking who knows what next to stands of grains, fruit, and every sort of meat you could want to find (or not). I love it and I wish that I had the guts to go in and eat there like the locals, but I just can't quite do it. And that's OK. I think I will head back to the room and try to stuff six bags worth of gear and souvenirs into four bags and maybe write some notes about the school for the next set of volunteers. Hope for no rain for us tomorrow since if there is any, we will be spending quite a bit of time in the airport....
Jenny
P.S. We bought a pineapple and brought it back to the house for everyone to have for lunch today.....it was so good!
Wyatt Wins
¡Hola! Well yesterday we went to the old prison market to get some souvenirs. I got a statue of the monument of the Battle of Ayacucho (long name I know) and Wyatt got a chessboard. We played five games over two days and Wyatt won three of them. I also played with Keith (one of the other volunteers) and he is really good. Each of us had a king and a queen left. I won by trading him in a lose-lose situation. The pieces are the Incas vs. the Spanish. We went down to the prison today to take the kids out for a little and to feed the pigeons in the Plaza. It was fun. Someone in the house is eating the volunteers food that they buy for themselves. They ate most of Keith's pizza and all of Wyatt's and my cereal while we were on the coast trip. Not nice. ¡Ciao!
Eddie
Eddie
Sickness
From Wednesday:
Today I am sick. Sadly, I could not go to the school. But at least I can still play ping-pong. Yesterday, at the end of the day, I did get to go to the hospital (not for emergency) to get a nebulizer treatment (ours doesn't work here). I felt a lot better.
Wyatt
Today I am sick. Sadly, I could not go to the school. But at least I can still play ping-pong. Yesterday, at the end of the day, I did get to go to the hospital (not for emergency) to get a nebulizer treatment (ours doesn't work here). I felt a lot better.
Wyatt
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Sandboaring!
(I am finally getting around to typing Wyatt's post from our Ica trip)
Today we did something awesome!! We went sandboarding in a desert! We drove f-a-r into it but then we got our boards out. When you sandboard, you go down on your stomach (on your feet is for pros only). By the way, it was almost vertical. It was very fun (very,very)! The dune buggy that we went in was fun, going down the dunes in it was awesome....like a roller coaster!
Wyatt
Today we did something awesome!! We went sandboarding in a desert! We drove f-a-r into it but then we got our boards out. When you sandboard, you go down on your stomach (on your feet is for pros only). By the way, it was almost vertical. It was very fun (very,very)! The dune buggy that we went in was fun, going down the dunes in it was awesome....like a roller coaster!
Wyatt
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