Sunday, March 29, 2009
peru
peru has been really fun and was a great experience for me. i wana stay here but am glad im going back to vb. we did a lot of things in just a week, and did a lot of stuff that i would probly never do in the u.s. for example we ate madddd food, like lama, alpacha, and gennepig. they where all good. this dude ethan ate the brain and i had the eye balls. they give you a way big portion of food here than they do in the u.s for cheap. we stayed one a island that we had to take a 3 hour boat ride to whitch was fun. when we got there they splite use up into groups. our group was me,evan,justin, and ethan. then we went with our family that we had o stay with. when we got to there place they mad use a lot of food. me and justin had to finish ethan and evens meals the whole time we where there so we dident come off a rude people. they gave use a lot of soup and we got rice beans vegtibles and some squiqy cheese. at night there was a big storm and to prevent hail the natives shot rockets and screamed and played trumpets it was mad funny. we did a lot of shopping and other stuff. the coca tea was great. we helpped these little kids by giving the back packs and building a stove and walls fot the school. me justin and ethan did the stove part. they had a kitchen that was all trashed and a whle bunch of every thing was just stacked evey where in piles and dust coated the whole plance, so we organized all that. then helpped every on else. all in all this tripp was sickk.
matte de coca
well today is our last full day in peru. this whole ordeal has been so sick. yesterday we were asked our favorite highlights of the trip so far. we nearly unanimously agreed that the homestay on amantani island in lake titicaca and our community service project in socma were our favorites. This is mainly because these two things are things that normal tourists do not experience. most go from lima to cusco to machu picchu then back. but thankfully, we were given the opportunity (I don´t know how) to stay with peruvian families and then to help motivate a community to do something about the situation regarding education for their kids. In a run down school with only one teacher, we helped them build a stove and walls in order to keep the school open. This may not make sense why this helps keeps a school open but I cant really go into detail about it now. Just trust that what we did really helped a community and successfully motivated them. The night we camped out in front of the school was the first night I could really see the stars. it was epic. I had never viewed the sky from the southern hemisphere. I was quite stoked on the southern cross, a constellation that I had been wanting to see for some time.
The other day we hiked 10 miles on the inca trail. it was lovely weather for the first half then the rain came and gino, myself, and ethan charged bareback through the amazon slipping and nearly falling to our deaths over steep andean cliffs. Then machu picchu was awesome. oh and we ate ginuea pig. I ate the heart and gino ate the eyes and ethan and gino shared some brain. charrise would only eat the meat...lame. but we still love her. Well yesterday on the train ride back to cusco I chilled with some peruvian guy who was pretty good at english and we enjoyed a two hour conversation about socio economic and political problems, as well as coca leaves. I now feel that his insight helped me develop some sort of vision of how i can put into action at home my new awareness gained from these life experiences I have had in peru.
cya
The other day we hiked 10 miles on the inca trail. it was lovely weather for the first half then the rain came and gino, myself, and ethan charged bareback through the amazon slipping and nearly falling to our deaths over steep andean cliffs. Then machu picchu was awesome. oh and we ate ginuea pig. I ate the heart and gino ate the eyes and ethan and gino shared some brain. charrise would only eat the meat...lame. but we still love her. Well yesterday on the train ride back to cusco I chilled with some peruvian guy who was pretty good at english and we enjoyed a two hour conversation about socio economic and political problems, as well as coca leaves. I now feel that his insight helped me develop some sort of vision of how i can put into action at home my new awareness gained from these life experiences I have had in peru.
cya
Peru is amazing
This Peru trip is almost ending, but for me we had the most amazing experience at Machu Picchu. The first day we went hiking the last leg of the Inca Trail. After lunch when we were going to take the trek to Machu Picchu to be able to see it from the Sun Gate it was raining and never stopped. We arrived to the end of the trail, in a forest of clouds, unable to see anything but white fluff while soaked to the bone. I will admit the rain was irritating. The best part was the next day when we headed back to Machu Picchu. It was sunny and the clouds burned off by 8 am and we were able to see all of the ruins and mountains at Machu Picchu without any obstacles. What an amazing view! I have had a fun time in Peru!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Community Service and Machu Picchu
We have had a very busy week. Being off the grid for a couple of days as well as being so busy, has made it difficult to spend time on the computer.
Here´s a recap.
We left Cusco for Socma, a small village located in the Sacred Valley. We were driven down a dirt road in a canyon and then deposited on the side of road where we hiked UP to the village. The climb took us through a rocky path and some of us opted to use hiking poles for assistance. We arrived in the dark, but our campsite was set up by Jefferson, the logistics coordinator and chef. We were greeted by several pint-size residents, eager to find out about the visitors in their soccer field. Our campground was the soccer field in front of the school building.
As the sky darkened, it became clear that we were in for a treat. The cloudless sky was laden with more stars than any of us had ever seen. The southern cross, the milky way and many more. There was no electricity or plumbing, so we were roughing it, as they say. Once our meager, campfire burned out, we slowly migrated to our tents for the night.
Some of us were awakened by the rooster that wandered within inches of our tents or the donkeys braying from the mountainsides around us. Surrounded by homes nestled into the mountains, we were sitting in the bottom of a bowl, with people observing us from all around. As students started arriving, we distributed some of the backpacks. The early students were on their way down the mountain to go to a larger school. The local school teacher arrived on a dirt bike and opened the doors of the rustic shool building. We ate breakfast in our dining tent as more and more students and their parents showed up. Any leftover pancakes or hot quinoa cereal was given to the students by Huber, Vidal´s younger brother, who accompanied us on the trip.
Work started right after breakfast. Three projects were underway. We divided into two groups. One group helped clean the storage room so that two tradesmen could build an adobe stove for the school. A woman arrived with the teacher to help set up a school garden to grow alfalfa and rye grasses. These grasses would be used to feed guinea pigs, another school project needed to improve the diets of the children. The teacher thinks the current diet, mainly corn and potatoes is deficient and is affecting the ability of the children to learn. He is working to improve the diets of the children through these projects. I helped with the garden. The terrain is rocky beyond comprehension. Huge chunks of granite are cracked with pick axes and then the women and men pick up the pieces and move them aside to create a garden. The good news is that it did not rain during these projects. The bad news is that it was very sunny during these projects. The sun at altitude is very harsh and unforgiving. Even with heavy applications of suncreen, we all have evidence of sun damage.
The boys helped in the storage room. They moved piles of bamboo, wood and other dusty debris and helped bring in pre-made adobe bricks, which would be used to build the stove in one corner of the room. There was a supply of adobe bricks stacked outside all around the school. In order to create mortar, the men made a mud puddle and dropped the adobe bricks on the ground next to it. A barefoot man who stood in the puddle pulled in the broken pieces to break them with his feet. I helped with this part of the project a while until my feet were adequately soaked by the mud. My tender soles could not hold up for long. It was a bit like mashing grapes barefoot, only with mud.
The garden project was finished by mid-day and we took a break for lunch. We had one porter on site who prepared our meals after Jefferson left early in the morning. The logistics for this part of the trip are considerable and Vidal, our guide has made it look seamless and invisible.
After lunch the community started working on the adobe wall that separated the back of the school from a field of corn. Apparently, the landowner was trying to take back possession of the land that the school is built on because he didn´t think the community was interested in continuuing with the school. Our presence has energized the community and given them a jump on investing their time and effort in preserving the school. The wall is important, because it demonstrates to the land owner, that the parents are willing to keep the school running.
Before we could start building the wall, we had to collect large rocks to use for a foundation. A couple of men dug out trenches and the rest of us made a line like a firebucket brigade and passed the rocks from the supply to the wall. Instead of carrying the mortar from the first mud puddle, a second puddle was started nearer the wall contruction site. Women and men worked together and they worked hard. No special clothing or shoes were doned by anyone. I was embarrassed to wear my gloves and there was no way I could bring myself to leave them for someone else to use. Although they were too polite to laugh at me, I knew that the locals would not use them. Babies and toddlers came with their mothers and were parked in the shade.
I have to stop now because I´m getting a strange message. Will to to continue later
Here´s a recap.
We left Cusco for Socma, a small village located in the Sacred Valley. We were driven down a dirt road in a canyon and then deposited on the side of road where we hiked UP to the village. The climb took us through a rocky path and some of us opted to use hiking poles for assistance. We arrived in the dark, but our campsite was set up by Jefferson, the logistics coordinator and chef. We were greeted by several pint-size residents, eager to find out about the visitors in their soccer field. Our campground was the soccer field in front of the school building.
As the sky darkened, it became clear that we were in for a treat. The cloudless sky was laden with more stars than any of us had ever seen. The southern cross, the milky way and many more. There was no electricity or plumbing, so we were roughing it, as they say. Once our meager, campfire burned out, we slowly migrated to our tents for the night.
Some of us were awakened by the rooster that wandered within inches of our tents or the donkeys braying from the mountainsides around us. Surrounded by homes nestled into the mountains, we were sitting in the bottom of a bowl, with people observing us from all around. As students started arriving, we distributed some of the backpacks. The early students were on their way down the mountain to go to a larger school. The local school teacher arrived on a dirt bike and opened the doors of the rustic shool building. We ate breakfast in our dining tent as more and more students and their parents showed up. Any leftover pancakes or hot quinoa cereal was given to the students by Huber, Vidal´s younger brother, who accompanied us on the trip.
Work started right after breakfast. Three projects were underway. We divided into two groups. One group helped clean the storage room so that two tradesmen could build an adobe stove for the school. A woman arrived with the teacher to help set up a school garden to grow alfalfa and rye grasses. These grasses would be used to feed guinea pigs, another school project needed to improve the diets of the children. The teacher thinks the current diet, mainly corn and potatoes is deficient and is affecting the ability of the children to learn. He is working to improve the diets of the children through these projects. I helped with the garden. The terrain is rocky beyond comprehension. Huge chunks of granite are cracked with pick axes and then the women and men pick up the pieces and move them aside to create a garden. The good news is that it did not rain during these projects. The bad news is that it was very sunny during these projects. The sun at altitude is very harsh and unforgiving. Even with heavy applications of suncreen, we all have evidence of sun damage.
The boys helped in the storage room. They moved piles of bamboo, wood and other dusty debris and helped bring in pre-made adobe bricks, which would be used to build the stove in one corner of the room. There was a supply of adobe bricks stacked outside all around the school. In order to create mortar, the men made a mud puddle and dropped the adobe bricks on the ground next to it. A barefoot man who stood in the puddle pulled in the broken pieces to break them with his feet. I helped with this part of the project a while until my feet were adequately soaked by the mud. My tender soles could not hold up for long. It was a bit like mashing grapes barefoot, only with mud.
The garden project was finished by mid-day and we took a break for lunch. We had one porter on site who prepared our meals after Jefferson left early in the morning. The logistics for this part of the trip are considerable and Vidal, our guide has made it look seamless and invisible.
After lunch the community started working on the adobe wall that separated the back of the school from a field of corn. Apparently, the landowner was trying to take back possession of the land that the school is built on because he didn´t think the community was interested in continuuing with the school. Our presence has energized the community and given them a jump on investing their time and effort in preserving the school. The wall is important, because it demonstrates to the land owner, that the parents are willing to keep the school running.
Before we could start building the wall, we had to collect large rocks to use for a foundation. A couple of men dug out trenches and the rest of us made a line like a firebucket brigade and passed the rocks from the supply to the wall. Instead of carrying the mortar from the first mud puddle, a second puddle was started nearer the wall contruction site. Women and men worked together and they worked hard. No special clothing or shoes were doned by anyone. I was embarrassed to wear my gloves and there was no way I could bring myself to leave them for someone else to use. Although they were too polite to laugh at me, I knew that the locals would not use them. Babies and toddlers came with their mothers and were parked in the shade.
I have to stop now because I´m getting a strange message. Will to to continue later
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Takile Island Visit
After our visit and homestay to Amantani Island, we went to Takile Island. The locals gave us costumes and taught us a folk dance. Following the dance, we enjoyed the most glorious lunch sitting outside with a million dollar view of the Lake.
Friday, March 20, 2009
A Little Dab Will Do Ya
You would think that my second trip to Puno would have better luck with the altitude than the first. Not so. We flew from Lima to Juliaca today (with a quick stop in Cusco) and as soon as I got here, I knew it was different this time. I guess altitude is like that. You cannot predict how your body will respond each time.
No one but me, seemed to be "feeling" the affects of the altitude. By the time I landed on the bed in the hotel at 4:30 in the afternoon, I was ready to send everyone else off to dinner and the lake tomorrow without me. I started taking remedies to fight the extreme headache, nausea and general malaise. Nothing budged. My head was locked up tightly like a vise-grip.
Willingly, I agreed to suck on an oxygen tank (while in a fetal position, just like Anthony Bourdain did when he visited Peru, and for which I gave him alot of hell!) Within 5 minutes, I was not only able to converse, I wanted food. I enjoyed the delightful dinner we had in a restaurant named "Coca Kintu" which was named for a ceremony involving coca leaves. The decor featured coca leaf motif artwork and included chocolate cake for dessert.
I am packing my overnight bag in preparation for our trip to the islands tomorrow. A couple of other people in our group decided that spooning with the oxygen was not such a bad idea. A quiet evening hanging out in the hotel and the square right out front are just what we all need.
No one but me, seemed to be "feeling" the affects of the altitude. By the time I landed on the bed in the hotel at 4:30 in the afternoon, I was ready to send everyone else off to dinner and the lake tomorrow without me. I started taking remedies to fight the extreme headache, nausea and general malaise. Nothing budged. My head was locked up tightly like a vise-grip.
Willingly, I agreed to suck on an oxygen tank (while in a fetal position, just like Anthony Bourdain did when he visited Peru, and for which I gave him alot of hell!) Within 5 minutes, I was not only able to converse, I wanted food. I enjoyed the delightful dinner we had in a restaurant named "Coca Kintu" which was named for a ceremony involving coca leaves. The decor featured coca leaf motif artwork and included chocolate cake for dessert.
I am packing my overnight bag in preparation for our trip to the islands tomorrow. A couple of other people in our group decided that spooning with the oxygen was not such a bad idea. A quiet evening hanging out in the hotel and the square right out front are just what we all need.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Peru!
Hi All,
I am so excited to be going to South America for the first time!
We are going to have a great time in Peru, its less than a week away!
I am so excited to be going to South America for the first time!
We are going to have a great time in Peru, its less than a week away!
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