Today was the most difficult day to get through. I spent a lot of time reflecting on the last three weeks and trying to sum up my experience. To be quite honest there is no other way to discribe it then, I do not want to leave.
Peruvians are so much more emotional and so deep. Im not sure what it is, but we sure felt it. So many of the people I met have an appreciation for the land, for eachother, for thier culture. And you could feel their passion. I felt I got something here that I really lack at home. A deeper connection with people. Some believe that you do not need any verbal communication to connect and feel people and know people. There is something to be said about it... In Peru, with such a language barrier, it was acheived. Somehow without any verbal communication I managed to form a bond unlike any I have at home, where we speak the same language. I think that is why is was so easy to fall in love with each and every one of them. In such a short time such a bond was created with many people. Shay said that on all of her other trips she didn't cry when she said goodbye to her tour guides. But here, emotions were a big part of the goodbyes. While Shay and I talked over breakfast she said something I really liked. The friendships I made here is worth more then any stone I layed. And its true. People will never understand the impact of the experience until they experience it themselves. Its never just about the communities and people that we physically help here. Its also a small step to something bigger that each of us will take home with us.
I said before that it felt like home. Never once did I feel any sense of culture shock. I have learned on my travels that no matter where you go you will always find a piece of home. No matter what country, however far away, whatever culture, you will always find that people are people, just living their lives just as we do. They have families, they play with their children, the eat dinner, enjoy a good time, good music, and a glass of beer. They go to work, school, university out to the bar... Its important to look for these things and feel the sense of being able to relate. Instead of picking apart whats different. Always look for the kindness, remember that just because you are told to watch your bags, doesn't mean that everyone is going to steal them, and also remember that people will steal at home too. And for every person who wanted to pickpocket us, 5 people told us to watch out for them. Think about that. See the beauty in people no matter where you go, including home.
From the farmlands, to the mountains, from the ruins, to the historic streets, the elite parties and the coast, Peru is so diverse and it was a pleasure getting a taste of every little part. I will never ever forget my friends who made my time there so worth while, Yessie, Cristian, Nancy, Hugo, Augusto, Pursy, Rebelino, Gabriel, and Ricardo... each of you have a special place in my heart. As well as each and everyone of the group members, Shay, Nicole, Jamie, Karin, Jeff, Jarret, Drew, Laura, Tania, Jessica, Mel, and Lori. Will miss you all. And thank you for an unforgetable experience.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Day 17-18: Lima, Peru
Lima. What a different culture then the rest of the country. The place from my books! Its so exciting to be here! I have decided I am not nearly classy enough for Lima, no not at all. We hooked up with our friend Gabriel again and went for drinks down in the lounge in our hotel. Gabriel is such an amazing person. He was the perfect gentleman, and fantastic host. He showed us a around lima, took us to the finest resturaunts, malls, waited around for us while we shopped, and was extremely caring making sure we got to where we needed to go for the right price. One of the guys from the Casa Rodas hostel came by to drop off a suitcase that Nicole and Shay left behind, and decided to join us for drinks also. His name is Ricardo, or Richard as his friends call him. We chatted over Pisco Sours as best we could and we all just got drunk off martinis and Pisco Sours. Good times. Later, Ronal from the hostel came with a friend, Julio. Up on the top floor where the pool, gym and souk bar was, the staff was preparing for a party. It was a Stella Artios party, VIP only, complete with argintinian super models and the most elite upper class people from Lima. Again, not nearly classy enough to be here... But after a few Pisco sours, who cares!
We lost a few members of the group early in the night to the toilet/bathtub. (one to many stellas) But Shay, Jarret, Ronal, Ricardo, Julio, Gabriel and I continued onto a discoteque, and then another, and then Gabriels apartment. Where we soon couldn't keep our eyes open anymore and Gabriel called us a cab back to the hotel. This is where I officially put myself on Peruvian time. In Canada we start at 9 or 10 and go til the bar closes at 2, they start at 1 or 2 and go all night. Mission accomplished. We slept for a few hours and and then I decided to start my day. Jarret, Jeff and I walked down to the ocean to sit and listen to the waves. Its only a few blocks from the hotel, we can see it from our room :)
At 9 we met up with Gabriel again and he took us to yet another classy, delicious, beautiful, resturaunt on the ocean. Its called, Rosa Nautica. I sat next to the window and watch the waves pound up against the pier. I decided I need much more ocean in my life....
We lost a few members of the group early in the night to the toilet/bathtub. (one to many stellas) But Shay, Jarret, Ronal, Ricardo, Julio, Gabriel and I continued onto a discoteque, and then another, and then Gabriels apartment. Where we soon couldn't keep our eyes open anymore and Gabriel called us a cab back to the hotel. This is where I officially put myself on Peruvian time. In Canada we start at 9 or 10 and go til the bar closes at 2, they start at 1 or 2 and go all night. Mission accomplished. We slept for a few hours and and then I decided to start my day. Jarret, Jeff and I walked down to the ocean to sit and listen to the waves. Its only a few blocks from the hotel, we can see it from our room :)
At 9 we met up with Gabriel again and he took us to yet another classy, delicious, beautiful, resturaunt on the ocean. Its called, Rosa Nautica. I sat next to the window and watch the waves pound up against the pier. I decided I need much more ocean in my life....
Day 16: Chinchero
Macchu Pichcu was amazing, and we were all quite exchausted from the hike. We went out for lunch before boarding the train back to Olataytamba to catch the bus to Chinchero. We arrived late at the most beautiful hostel/hotel I have ever seen. By far my favorite place we have stayed at. It was very rustic looking, and extremely cozy. They had two sweet little dogs, a couple of kids and the best food ever! (Will post photos once I get home) I would come back to chinchero just to stay here for sure! Chinchero gets even better. We visited a beautiful lake where Pursy said there used to be a village. The legend says that this lake once was a valley with a a small village. In the center was a church. One day there was a wedding happening in the church. there was food and lots of people. Somebody notice a man was there tht didnt belong. He asked for food because he was hungry and he was refused. Some parts of the story arent 100% clear, but I remember that eventually somebody gave the man food and then said to climb the mountain and when they get to the top there would be some sort of reward, some treasure. But they were not to turn around while climbing the mountain This person dissobeyed and turned around anyways. When the did, they saw the village start to fill up with water from all directions. soon the entire village was under water. And the person turned to stone. And that is the story of the lake. (I hope I got it all right)
After visiting the lake, we had a very special dinner planned. Pursy was taking us to his house to meet his family, who were going to feed us a traditional peruvian meal and play for us some wonderful music. His family is so beautiful! all the women were dressed in traditional Quechua clothing and the men wore vests and woven hats, also traditional. Uncles, aunts, parents and grandparents, children and spouses. Everybody. We were greeted with hugs, kisses and confetti on the head, put there by the grandmother. Im not sure what the confetti meant, but im sure it was a welcoming thing. Pursy and Rebelino played us an andean tune on the flute and drum and then we went to eat. We sat on llama skin rugs at a long table. We ate like KINGS! there was Quinoa salad, rice, some kind of bean dish.... and a traditional and very popular in Peru, guinea pig. It tasted kinda like.... duck. I think. It was such a beautiful experience with such beautiful people. I really dont think we could have gotten a better tour, or better guides. I would highly recommend Cousin Tours to anyone who wishes to spend some time in Cusco. After lunch, we were shown outside in the yard, the family hard at work making beautiful weavings. They spin the wool and then dye it using natural plant dyes in clay pots. The clay pots were place upon a mound of clay on the ground wish was a stove and had hot coals burning underneath. They deminstrated to us what plant they first used to clean the wool. It was a root from a cactus. They grate a little bit into a bowl of water and then scrub the wool clean. And in a minute or so it is beautifully clean. They also use this root to wash their hair and clothes. I really wish I could get my hands on some, but it only grows up high in the andes. They showed us the different plants they used for different colors, same as at the alpaca farm in Huancayo (if you remember) But this time we were shown the dying process. They would mix into the boiling clay pots, a bit of which ever plant, and then add a mineral to make the color permanent. In a matter of minutes it comes out a beautiful natural color, preserving the beautiful andean traditions of using only natural. The weaving is all done by hand and takes incredible detail and time. Some of the larger pieces take up to a month. If I hadn't spent most of my money by this point I would have picked up piece woven by Pursy's family. Because I was there and saw the work being done, I bought some small pieces however and took lots of photos, preserving the memory for myself.
Once we got back into Cusco we met up to go for our last dinner. This time Puma came with us. Puma is another member of Pursy's family who is a shaman, whom we thought was going to come with us to Macchupicchu but did not. It was such an honor to meet this man, he is very charming, outgoing and a good sense of humour. He told us a beautiful story about a humming bird and a condor. But that is better left not coming out of my mouth, I could never tell it quite as beautifully as he did.
We ate at a fabulous resturant with wonderful peruvian entertainment. First was a flute band who played the most amazing classical medly on there flutes. Next were some dancers. Quechua, spanish, and andean traditional dance with full on costumes. It was so much fun! All I could think of was, Oksana and mom would love this :) We stayed one last night at our fabulous Royal Inka Hotel and then were seen off at the airport by Rebelino. Lima, here we come...
After visiting the lake, we had a very special dinner planned. Pursy was taking us to his house to meet his family, who were going to feed us a traditional peruvian meal and play for us some wonderful music. His family is so beautiful! all the women were dressed in traditional Quechua clothing and the men wore vests and woven hats, also traditional. Uncles, aunts, parents and grandparents, children and spouses. Everybody. We were greeted with hugs, kisses and confetti on the head, put there by the grandmother. Im not sure what the confetti meant, but im sure it was a welcoming thing. Pursy and Rebelino played us an andean tune on the flute and drum and then we went to eat. We sat on llama skin rugs at a long table. We ate like KINGS! there was Quinoa salad, rice, some kind of bean dish.... and a traditional and very popular in Peru, guinea pig. It tasted kinda like.... duck. I think. It was such a beautiful experience with such beautiful people. I really dont think we could have gotten a better tour, or better guides. I would highly recommend Cousin Tours to anyone who wishes to spend some time in Cusco. After lunch, we were shown outside in the yard, the family hard at work making beautiful weavings. They spin the wool and then dye it using natural plant dyes in clay pots. The clay pots were place upon a mound of clay on the ground wish was a stove and had hot coals burning underneath. They deminstrated to us what plant they first used to clean the wool. It was a root from a cactus. They grate a little bit into a bowl of water and then scrub the wool clean. And in a minute or so it is beautifully clean. They also use this root to wash their hair and clothes. I really wish I could get my hands on some, but it only grows up high in the andes. They showed us the different plants they used for different colors, same as at the alpaca farm in Huancayo (if you remember) But this time we were shown the dying process. They would mix into the boiling clay pots, a bit of which ever plant, and then add a mineral to make the color permanent. In a matter of minutes it comes out a beautiful natural color, preserving the beautiful andean traditions of using only natural. The weaving is all done by hand and takes incredible detail and time. Some of the larger pieces take up to a month. If I hadn't spent most of my money by this point I would have picked up piece woven by Pursy's family. Because I was there and saw the work being done, I bought some small pieces however and took lots of photos, preserving the memory for myself.
Once we got back into Cusco we met up to go for our last dinner. This time Puma came with us. Puma is another member of Pursy's family who is a shaman, whom we thought was going to come with us to Macchupicchu but did not. It was such an honor to meet this man, he is very charming, outgoing and a good sense of humour. He told us a beautiful story about a humming bird and a condor. But that is better left not coming out of my mouth, I could never tell it quite as beautifully as he did.
We ate at a fabulous resturant with wonderful peruvian entertainment. First was a flute band who played the most amazing classical medly on there flutes. Next were some dancers. Quechua, spanish, and andean traditional dance with full on costumes. It was so much fun! All I could think of was, Oksana and mom would love this :) We stayed one last night at our fabulous Royal Inka Hotel and then were seen off at the airport by Rebelino. Lima, here we come...
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Day 15: Macchu Picchu
We boarded Inka Rail, en route to Aguas Caliente at the base of Macchu Picchu. The train followed along the Urubamba river through the Sacred Valley of the Inkas and with windows all around, we had a spectacular view of the Valley. We watched as the mountains went from dry, and brown with tall eucalyptus trees, to lush and green, and almost jungle. The mountains here are somewhat different then at home. Our mountains have a much larger base to them, these ones here shoot straight up. We arrived in Aguas Caliente around 5, grabbed our luggage and walked through endless markets up steep and narrow cobblestone streets to our hotel. Our hotel here was called, " Plaza Andina". We went to grab a bite and then call it a night because we had to get up at 3:30 to get in line for the bus to Macchu Picchu. I dawdled a wee bit before going out eat and walked into a jewelry store. There was a man sitting at the table making jewelry and when I walked in, he looked up to greet me, with sparkilng eyes and a kind smile he winked and said, "hola". I loved him. He just had a soul that drew you rignt in... He had long hair about mid back, and just a kindness and gentleness about him, im sure everyone who met him loved him. He told me he made all the jewelry, stone and silver, and other beautiful stone work. He introduced himself as Sara, followed by a hand shake and kiss. (it is a traditional way to greet here in peru, with a kiss on the cheek.) He then decided to show me another part of the store, which seemed to be closed at the time, but it was a gallery full of all his beautiful paintings. They were paintings of Macchu Picchu, Inka triology symbols with condors, pumas, and snakes. spirits, the sacred valley. Very spiritual artwork. What a talent. How I knew to walk into the right store... Anyways, it seems everywhere I go I just fall in love with the people. Its so easy... I would have loved to buy a painting from him, but I just cant afford to keep buying paintings!
Karin and I (and everyones else) had requested a wake up call for the next morning. We had also attempted to set the alarm clock... Our wake up was to be at 330. The alarm never went off, and the phone never rang. We woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing. I guess that was our wake up call! We packed our bags and walked down to the bus stop. There was already people in line and more on their way. The bus ride was quite an amazing climb up a switchback up to the high andes. when we got to the check point, we got out and walked. up a few flights of stairs.. but that was nothing. The most beautiful and overwhelming feeling I have ever had happened when we reached the top of our climb. I have waited and waited, and come all this way. And there it was the anceint Inka city of Macchu Picchu. All I wanted to do was cry. About 20 minutes had passed before I even took a picture. I just sat and stared in awe. Soon enough, Pursy gathered us up for our history lesson. He is such a thourogh and informative guide. We learned many things about Macchu Picchu. one thing being that the city itself is not named Macchu Picchu, but that is the name of the mountain to the ?north. The City's name in still unknown but there are some thoughts on what it might be however. The man who discovered it in 1911 was told buy a local farmer that their might be some ruins up there (pointed) on Macchu Picchu. It wasn't, but was in the middle of three mountains. But he decided its name was Macchu Picchu. The man was an american by the name of Hiram Bingham. He found many artifacts, such as pottery, textiles, tools, etc. and He brought them all back to the united states with him and still today they remain in Yale universtity. Which is tragic for Peru. Thier history should be preserved in their own country not the united states.... :( More and more things we learned... the Inkas had an irrigation system running through the entire city, trenches carved out of the stone running down each street and into beautiful fountains. And then, while we were in one of the houses and pursy was telling us what each room was for he showed us a small room with a small hole in the floor... it was a bathroom! There was a completely different plumming system running through the city for sewage. How fantastic is this place!!
Next we climbed up Waynapicchu to get a fabulous view of Macchu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Waynapicchu is the tall tall mountain in the background of Macchu Picchu when you see pictures... the Inka trail goes all the way to the top. It was the most difficult hike I have ever done. Mind you I dont do much hiking.... But it switch backed all the way up one side. Inka stonework made stairs all the way up... it was so rewarding getting to the top. This hike was so dangerous too, its not like in Canada where we have regulations and such, where railing will be placed where its dangerous or boardwalks will be built where the footining isnt safe... no no nothing like that here. It was straight over cliff edges and sometimes extremely narrow pathways... the stairs ranged from narrow short steps to steps that were a foot tall! 5 foot wide to 1 foot wide... some steps were tilted so you never really could get your foooting on them. Near the top were more ruins. there were a few houses and agricultural terraces.. who lived all the way up there? I dont know but they were crazy. The stairs going throught the terraces were so steep that you had to climb up and down them like a ladder. At the very very top, there was a cluster of large boulders that people were climbing all over. You could easily slip on the smoothh side of these big rocks and with all the people, with huge backpacks and what not, its not a surprise that people have fallen off. I got out of there as quick as possible, didnt even get a picture. I really didnt feel like falling off of Waynapicchu. But mind you, if I was going to die, that would be a not so bad way, right? In macchu picchu? I can just see the headlines now...
Karin and I (and everyones else) had requested a wake up call for the next morning. We had also attempted to set the alarm clock... Our wake up was to be at 330. The alarm never went off, and the phone never rang. We woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing. I guess that was our wake up call! We packed our bags and walked down to the bus stop. There was already people in line and more on their way. The bus ride was quite an amazing climb up a switchback up to the high andes. when we got to the check point, we got out and walked. up a few flights of stairs.. but that was nothing. The most beautiful and overwhelming feeling I have ever had happened when we reached the top of our climb. I have waited and waited, and come all this way. And there it was the anceint Inka city of Macchu Picchu. All I wanted to do was cry. About 20 minutes had passed before I even took a picture. I just sat and stared in awe. Soon enough, Pursy gathered us up for our history lesson. He is such a thourogh and informative guide. We learned many things about Macchu Picchu. one thing being that the city itself is not named Macchu Picchu, but that is the name of the mountain to the ?north. The City's name in still unknown but there are some thoughts on what it might be however. The man who discovered it in 1911 was told buy a local farmer that their might be some ruins up there (pointed) on Macchu Picchu. It wasn't, but was in the middle of three mountains. But he decided its name was Macchu Picchu. The man was an american by the name of Hiram Bingham. He found many artifacts, such as pottery, textiles, tools, etc. and He brought them all back to the united states with him and still today they remain in Yale universtity. Which is tragic for Peru. Thier history should be preserved in their own country not the united states.... :( More and more things we learned... the Inkas had an irrigation system running through the entire city, trenches carved out of the stone running down each street and into beautiful fountains. And then, while we were in one of the houses and pursy was telling us what each room was for he showed us a small room with a small hole in the floor... it was a bathroom! There was a completely different plumming system running through the city for sewage. How fantastic is this place!!
Next we climbed up Waynapicchu to get a fabulous view of Macchu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Waynapicchu is the tall tall mountain in the background of Macchu Picchu when you see pictures... the Inka trail goes all the way to the top. It was the most difficult hike I have ever done. Mind you I dont do much hiking.... But it switch backed all the way up one side. Inka stonework made stairs all the way up... it was so rewarding getting to the top. This hike was so dangerous too, its not like in Canada where we have regulations and such, where railing will be placed where its dangerous or boardwalks will be built where the footining isnt safe... no no nothing like that here. It was straight over cliff edges and sometimes extremely narrow pathways... the stairs ranged from narrow short steps to steps that were a foot tall! 5 foot wide to 1 foot wide... some steps were tilted so you never really could get your foooting on them. Near the top were more ruins. there were a few houses and agricultural terraces.. who lived all the way up there? I dont know but they were crazy. The stairs going throught the terraces were so steep that you had to climb up and down them like a ladder. At the very very top, there was a cluster of large boulders that people were climbing all over. You could easily slip on the smoothh side of these big rocks and with all the people, with huge backpacks and what not, its not a surprise that people have fallen off. I got out of there as quick as possible, didnt even get a picture. I really didnt feel like falling off of Waynapicchu. But mind you, if I was going to die, that would be a not so bad way, right? In macchu picchu? I can just see the headlines now...
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