I survived the trip to Machu Picchu

So going to Machu Picchu was a crazy adventure. The roads are less than comforting to drive on. Half of the trip I was praying we would get to Aguas Calientes safely. But despite the scary part of the ride, I did enjoy all of the landscapes, mountain into jungle, cold and dry, cloudy, to warm and humid, it was one crazy ride. After two and a half hours driving on just a dirt road on the side of a mountain, I got down from the bus, still vibrating. It reminded me of the dirt road to my grandmother´s house in Virgina. I love landscapes so I was not bored at all, but a little nervous.


We finally arrived in Hidroelectrica to take a train on Peru Rail, we watched little kids play on the side of the railroad tracks and laugh at the funny things they were doing to pass the time. One was pulling back the branches of a tree and laughing as the others were falling down. They chased each other made funny comments to each other like all kids do, and it was very entertaining. After an hour on the train, we arrived in Aguas Calientes. After dropping off our things in the hostel, we went over to the hot springs. It was a beautiful site with the sunset, and the hot springs nestled in the valley, with strings of lights. It reminded me of the Swiss Family Robinson house at Disney World. I was loving it. Susanne and I decided just to put our feet in the water, for safety reasons, but Renate, the Swiss girl we were with, decided to go in all the way. They were serving drinks at the side of the pool, so we all decided to share a pisco sour and enjoy the time that we had before dinner.


Dinner was nothing to write home about, it was simple chicken a la plancha, but the thing that I was thinking about, was one of my many moments of clarity in Peru. As I was eating my dinner, I was watching these people sit in a store across the street and over the train tracks. I felt bad for them that they had to live in this town, where people are constantly coming and going because basically the only reason Aguas Calientes is there is for the tourists to stay the night. So feeling this way, I thought to myself, if everyone traveled at the same time, we could not have any culture to visit. So sometimes, you have to stay home to give someone else a chance to see how your culture is. Not very profound, but an observation.


After dinner and a debriefing, we headed back to the hostel to sleep for a grand total of 3 hours. When 3:30 rolled around, we rolled out of bed and headed up the side of the mountain to see Machu Picchu. It was pitch black , but we had a blast all the same. All of my pictures go from dark to light, as the sun started to peak over the mountains. I was exhausted. The altitude and the idea that we had to walk up steps the whole way, after almost two hours we arrived at the entrance of Machu Picchu. Feeling accomplished, we walked into Machu Picchu with our tour guide, and when we finally climbed up to the mountain, I was in awe. Usually when you see something in Pictures and then you see it in real life, words are hard to come by to explain the feeling of actually witnessing it with your own eyes. This is one of those places where pictures cannot even begin to do it justice. There is a feeling you get being there in the peak of a mountain, surrounded by other mountains. Its like you are on top of the world, and even though there are tons of people with you, you feel like the only person there. How did they find this place? And on top of that, I am one of those people who loves landscapes. Painting landscapes has been my favorite,and I would have enjoyed nothing more than to sit there all afternoon and paint the scenes that were in front of me. Although it would be really hard to capture the amazing contrasts and depth, every corner was a new adventure, new perspective with an incredible view. This hidden city up in the clouds was so comforting because the mountains give the idea of protection, and somewhere to hide, the coziest place I have ever been to. Peru is incredible when it comes to the mountains. Its somewhere you can enjoy the beauty that God has made on Earth.




After a long, but awesome morning in Machu Picchu, we decided that driving home again for 10 hours on the side of a mountain was not very favorable. We decided to try to get a train back to Cusco. Luck was on our side because the lady in front of us was changing four of her tickets for the day after so we took three of her spots. There was nothing left and only because she was in front of us were we able to take the train back. Spending the day in Aguas Calientes was interesting. All we did was bounce back and forth from restaurant to restaurant even though we had no money because of the train tickets. But it was an interesting few hours. We watched our bored waitress falling asleep, and laughed at the funny things that her daughter was doing to pass the time. We also watched this little boy take a large plastic soda bottle, smash it in so that it was flat, and then since the streets were inclined, he used the bottle to slide down the street. It was a highly amusing afternoon.After the thrill was gone, we moved onto a new restaurant and had a great time drinking hot chocolate and being bit by the vicious mosquitoes . But at least we did not have the endure the 10 hour car ride home again.

Overall I loved Machu Picchu, It was such a precious and magical place. I hope that the conservation efforts work out, because it would be a shame if future generations would not be able to visit it.

Trick or treat...that is the question

Halloween,



Not one of my favorite holidays, but it was definately an interesting one.

So there is a bit of a difference in Culture here for the Day of Halloween. More celebrated in Cusco and in Peru is November 1 and 2, Dia de Los Muertos. I did not get a chance to see for myself the celebrations in the cemetaries, but I did go to a lecture on the cemetaries and saw a video of what the locals do. There are bands, and visitors to the deceased relatives. The family members clean the burial site and leave offerings that were things that the person liked. My host mother told me that she goes every saturday to visit her husband. Visiting the person allows you to keep them in the spot. If the grave is unattended, a notice is recieved saying that the remains will be removed in the next month if it is not taken care of and paid for. Basically these spots are rented.

It was interesting to see the different perspective on death. It is more hopeful and less morbid. Families are remembered and I would think that it makes the death of a loved one more bearable being able to visit and almost looking at it as the person is still here.

So along with halloween comes tick or treat, or in spanish dulces o trucos. The trick was on me when I got sick from food. I guess if you treat yourself, the trick is inevitable. It wasn´t an option for me, by taking the sweets, I suffered. But, aside from my woes, I was really surprised at Halloween in Peru. I decided to see what all the mayhem was and went into the plaza. I couldn´t believe how agressive the kids were. What was worse is that the parents were more cutthroat than the kids. I was down in thew middle of it all, admiring the little princesses turn into little monsters, but still looking so cute in their dresses. Some of the little girls had amazing costumes and dresses, I was in awe. So in the midst of all this mayhem, I did not buy candy but had so many kids come up to me asking for some. Three boys approached me looking for candy, when I didnt have candy, they asked for money, I wasn´t going to give them money, so after they gave me the suggestion of McDonalds, I told them to wait for me in the plaza and I would come back with something for them. They probably thought I would skip out on them, but I dropped it off and could see how happy they were. For me, there was no trick, just kindness.

On friday, we decided to go celebrate Halloween. There was a party at the school and we went, sans costume. But some others were very much into the holiday they had some crazy costumes. One guy had a spiderman outfit, that just did not fit. He couldn´t even zipper it in the back, the legs and arms were really short, and he had a mask that he could barely see out of. With alcohol as an added factor, he was the most uncoordinated spiderman I had ever seen. He tripped down the stairs and down calle Suecia, and all we could do was laugh. We had a great time at the first bar, and had a few people doing a line dance that we all followed. We turned, salsa-ed, merengue-d, mambo-ed, and shook to the music. IT was so much fun. After a few more bars, I turned in for the night after I couldn´t breathe anymore from the smoke that oppressively filled the dancefloor. But all in all, I went home happy.

Some highlights of the week were visiting the market , which I love because you can tell so much about a culture through the food. We had this superjuice that had pretty much every fruit imaginable,, milk, and even beer. That was an awesome experience, and I had a really nice conversation with the vendor. She was nice eloderly woman, who would not give up work. It was a great experience.

And aside from that I changed my classes to individual, because my goals were definately not what everyone elses were, and I did and city tour. More to come on that topic later...until then, stay safe, and enjoy the holiday.

Special discount to Sacsayhuaman for sexy women

So, here we are on thursday. I have already had a few difficulties adjusting. I found out that my verizon phone in the US allows people to call me, but I can´t call out. And the phone cards are absolute rip offs. Two Hundred minutes?...how about 20 minutes. One hundred minutes...no, you only get 11 minutes. Thats enough for one phone call to say hi, bye, and maybe get in an "I love you" or "I miss you" or "I did this today." Thank goodness for a Canadian girl who is going to Ecuador and wanted to sell her phone. Then I can actually get my money´s worth....hopefully. Sometimes I think that the phone companies are ladrones, pirates.

Anyways, I will stop the rant. So since my last post I have met new friends, had a few laughs, discovered some new foods and delish drinks. Classes at Amauta are great. They offer so much for the students. I have learned about some of the ruins that I will be visiting soon, I learned about the old streets of central cusco and the meanings behind the streets, as well as how a lot of the streets are original Inca stonewalls. The only difference is that today there is cobblestone, where in the time of the Incas, it was just dirt on the floor and the walls marked the streets. I am told I will advance each week to a new level in my classes, and that I could advance faster with individual sessions. I am really considering it, since all of the grammer is in my head, I just need a refresher and practice. Already I am starting to feel more confident. They are very willing to listen to your concerns and to work with you.

Sunday evening, we had a small tour of the main part of Cusco around the Square. We learned where the good places are to shop, where the local market was, and where the museums and other places of interest were. We learned about a bit of the history of the Incas, and the process of the Spaniards putting Catholicism into the culture and architecture. I asked about the flag of Cusco, because it looks like a rainbow, and I was told it was originally 4 colors for the 4 sections of town, but that they recently changed it to look like a rainbow for a more interesting flag. After the tour, I began to make friends with some others. We decided to eat in a cafe and get to know one another. Reinate is from Switzerland and Susana is from Germany as well as Mattias. I basically hang out with them everyday after classes. They are so great to travel with and to explore the city with because they actually enjoy the cultural aspect. I love the maturity. Every night we go somewhere different. So far we have been to a few bars, tried Cusquena beer, had some really good food, and a lot of laughs. But we don´t stay out too late so, I don´t feel exhausted the next day.

My host family is really nice, and my host mother calls me¨mi vida.¨ She really is an amazing woman, and she is very proud of her three sons. She explained her family history to me, and has been raising her kids on her own due to a tragic accident leaving her without her husband. I really admire her strength and feel really comfortable with her. She told me too that she is a leo and that her husband was a taurus and after I had explained to her that Alex is a leo and I am a taurus, she said that we were a good match and that she wishes every couple to have the same happiness as she was blessed with. Sound Familiar? My grandmother used to say those things about Grandpa. Love really is amazing. And I have a really nice roomate from Switzerland. Aside from the cultural exchange of seeing what peruvian life is like, there is also a cultural exchange within the students. I have so much fun with my classmates.

As for the title. After classes, I love to get together with my German sister Susana and Mattias, and walk around the city. So one day we decided to figure out how to get really close to the statue of Jesus up on the hill. Well we almost got up to the hill, and as it is very common, there are people trying to sell you things left and right. Since the statue is up near the Incan ruins, there was a guy trying to convince us to ride his horses up at Sacsayhuaman. I was not convinced and neither were the others, so it took forever to get the guy to understand we were not interested in his offer. Well, we left and headed back down, and wouldnt you know he was right behind us. He tried to sell it to us again. So we laughed about it saying, you sexy women want to go to sacsayhuaman? I think I´ll take the bus...


We also booked our trip to Machu Picchu. I am really excited. Next weekend we will be at Machu Picchu to see the sun rise. Amazing thought. I will post about that when we come back. We also decided to take the city tour tomorrow, so that means we are going to start our boleto turistico where we can visit mueums, ruins, statues, everything. It has only been one week, but I have already learned so much. More stories to come.

Sunday Morning Misa

Happy Sunday everyone,

So last night I made my first friend in Peru. This young man, probably about 18 or so, approached me with his paintings. Most people you pass by you have to say "no gracias" because everyone will ask you to look at their crafts. I would love to listen to every single one of them, but you can only do so much. Plus I will be here for two months and probably will end up meeting them all. But his humble demeanor had me interested. Now being an Artist myself, I decided to listen to what he had to say, and I looked through his portfolio. I bought two pictures, one of a little boy, with such emotion in his eyes, and one of 7 ladies selling potatoes. His friend of course asked me to look at his portfolio too, and I did, deciding on one of the landscape, but all in orange, brown and white. They have such amazing talent, and even at the end, after a half hour discussion with him asking me questions about the USA and me asking him about Cusco. He told me he is usually around San Blas and that if I wanted, he would show me around, and help me take pictures of this magnificent city. It thought it was very kind, and gave me a glimpse into how willing Peruvians are to show you about where they come from. Last night, I spent the night in my room, reading, watching TV, listening to the Fireworks at the Plaza, and walking around the hotel, admiring the beauty of the place as it was illuminated by lights. And from my window, a statue of Jesus on the hill was in perfect view, and last night he was the highest thing you could see, with open arms, beautifully lit.

Now we come to this morning. Packing took a while, but When I finally went outside, the weather was perfect. I headed out to the Church where last night, two nuns were outside and willing to talk to me about the mass schedule, and even about what I was doing here. I had to fight to get through a mob of people to get to church on time. There is a celebration honoring one of the saints, hence the fireworks last night, and there thousands of people in the square, eating, talking, preparing dances, and waiting in line for the parade. It made me rethink how a Sunday should be. This IS celebrating Sunday.

Mass made me think. I am so glad to be Catholic. There is nothing more comforting than going to church on Sunday morning, and being able to have something that I can depend on, no matter where I go. The Priest in the Homily, which I surprisingly followed really well, said that we should not be sad, we should always be happy. We should not be quiet, we should get excited and enjoy life that we were blessed with. That is great words to follow. He just solidified why I am here, and that I need to spend every minute enjoying myself. No second thoughts. I am all in, and happy.

Till next time. Buenos dias!

PERU!

Ahh....sigh of relief. After a few glitches, and a long trip, I am in Peru. I am officially in Cusco, and I can tell already, it will be a place I will always carry with me in my heart. I came to this conclusion very quickly, while sitting in the cutest hotel ever, staring into my coca leaf tea, I realized this was gonna be something unforgettable. It suggests a certain comfort. Think about it; Coca leaves have been a huge part of Peruvian culture for centuries. And if tea equals comfort and Peruvians have been using this for a long time, then I know I will be comfortable here with very genuine people. I don't believe in reading tea leaves, but if those leaves could say something, it would be that I made a great choice, one that will have a lasting effect on my life.

I have to confess that I was not as excited for this trip as I had imagined. Packing and preparing for such a long trip, and making the promise to myself that I would pack as lightly as possible, tying up loose ends, transferring bills, you name it, I did it. I think the combination of the stress, lack of sleep, and a bit of a depression with the fact that I would be by myself for two months, was weighing in on me. Then losing my boarding pass in the security line and having to sit in the WORST seat possible, made me a bit more pensive. But I did get to the airport real early and did not feel rushed, for once, and even had time for a manicure. Running around Lima's airport this morning was complicated, but the spacious window seat with the most stunning view I have ever experienced made up for all of my frustrations, and at that point, the excitement hit me. Now being here and getting to walk around a bit all of my doubt and worries have been pushed out the window. I can't wait to explore more.

And who can complain when you are staying at the coziest hotel for the first night, where they give you friendly service, a cash bar in the room, free toiletries, and chocolates that are called "princesa." I definately cannot complain.

Until the next post..Hasta Luego mis amigos.

Check out a preview of my adventure!!

For everyone that wants to see a preview of my trip, check this out...Ill be there on Sat!!!

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