Whirlwind Weeks and the Land of the Inca

Cutting the cake at my birthday dinner.

This past week and half has been a whirlwind.  It started off on 23rd with my birthday when I turned 21 and experienced my birthday Peruvian style.  For most of the day I had classes, but there were a couple of highlights that made it special.  The first was that during lunch at PUCP, some of my Peruvian friends decided to sing happy birthday to me in the middle of the dining commons and then proceeded to give me a ton of chocolates. Later that night, my host family threw a special dinner for me complete with cake and wine.  My birthday was very relaxed, and I couldn't have asked for a better 21st.   Even though I was away from my friends and family in the States this year, I had people around me who went out their way to make my birthday special.
Despite how relaxing my birthday was, the day following my birthday was far from relaxing.  On Tuesdays I normally am at school from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm, and I finally get home ready to eat and fall asleep around 10:30 pm.  That Tuesday; however, I also had to finish an 9 page paper in Spanish and pack for my trip to Cusco at 9:00 am the following morning.  A nine page paper wouldn't be that bad normally, except in Peru essays are single spaced not double spaced.  Needless to say, it was a long night.

The walls of Sacsaywaman.  

On Wednesday, my study abroad program met at the airport for our flight to Cusco.  When we arrived at the airport around 7:30 am, I could tell that I was not only one who was both tired from a late night and excited for 5 day trip ahead to the land of the Incas.  Before I say more though, there are a couple of things that I should explain about Cusco.  The first is that there is a huge difference in altitude between Lima (sea level) and Cusco (around 11,200 ft).  This means that when some one travels to Cusco, they are going to inevitably feel the effects of the altitude.  In fact a common myth here in Peru is that someone will get altitude sickness if they do not give homage to the Apu's (the mountain deities of the Andes).  In order to prevent the light headedness and symptoms of high altitude sickness, there are a couple of things that a person can do.  Among which are refrain from eating fat the day before, getting lots of sleep, drinking plenty of liquids, taking certain medications, not over-exerting yourself upon arrival, and drinking a local tea brewed from Coca leaves.  I did all of these things except for the last because Coca leaves contain a compound that is a derivative of cocaine and decided that it was cultural experience that I would leave by the wayside.  I am happy to report that I successfully avoided getting sick, although I could definitely feel the affects of the altitude even just on a short walk.  When we got off of the plane and had time to rest and eat a little, my group boarded a bus to see the first of many ruins around Cusco.

This is a picture of the protest
 from my hostel room's window

 The first place we went was called Sacsaywaman (known to gringos as "sexy woman") and I have to say that the height and size of the stones were very impressive, especially against the backdrop of the deep blue cloud spotted Cusco sky.  After that first site, Cusco became one of my favorite places on earth.  We continued on after that to other ruin sites including and aqueduct and mummification site.  The Incans were very impressive with their technology resourcefulness.
The next day the group was originally supposed to visit the countryside around Cusco to see how regular cusqueños lived and to visit a Catholic orphanage that is tied with our program, but these plans were changed due to safety concerns with a large strike that happened that day.  We woke up in that morning to the sounds of drums and whistles and when my roommate, Jason, and I looked out our window we saw that the protestors were coming down the street where our hostel was located.  Quickly the street transformed from a bustling street with open shops, to a road of closed shops filled with an organized protest.   They quickly moved on without incident, and it turned out to be relatively peaceful, but it was still something to see.  Because of all the protests, a group of friends of mine and I decided that we would make that day our shopping day in the local plazas away from the strikes.

A sample of the colors that can
be made from the local plants
and minerals in the Andes.

The following day, our group departed from Cusco, and started heading south to Machu Picchu.  Along the way we made stops throughout the Sacred Valley which included high Incan terraces, more handcraft markets and a llama farm.  The llama farm was one of the first stops we made that day, and we got to not only pet and feed llamas (yes, I even took a shameless selfie with a llama), but also learned about how the locals make their famous llama and alpaca cloths.  It is amazing how many diverse colors the local people could make just using local resources.  At the end of the tour we also stopped in the boutique to look at the Alpaca and llama products that they sold there.  They say that the fur of a baby Alpaca is one of the softest materials in Peru, and I believe it. Unfortunately while the clothes were beautiful, they were also super expensive.
 From there we headed to Pisac, one of the most famous sites for the terraced farms of the Incas.  Pisac has probably over one hundred terraces below a ancient Incan citadel where the Incans would grow their crops in the mountainside.  It was very impressive.  Even now, it is hard for me to understand how a place like Pisac which seems so defensible could have been conquered by the Spanish.  It really gives a whole new meaning to the role that sickness played in the conquest of the Andes by the Spanish.  That night we boarded the train to head to Machu Picchu, and the highlight of our trip.

Admiring the beauty of the ruins of Machu Picchu.

We woke the next morning around 4:30 am to be the first people in the park.  Machu Picchu is situated on a crest of a mountain in the middle of the high selva and in order to get there, you have to take a bus that drops you off just outside the ruins.  The early morning was a struggle, but once we finally arrived at Machu Picchu we realized that the early morning was well worth it.  Words and pictures don't do justice to Machu Picchu.  The sprawling ruins with back drop of the high selva mountains shrouded in mist simply takes your breath away.  It makes you want to be quiet, sit still and take it all in.  I remember I decided to climb to one section of the terraces just above the city itself to be by myself and soak it in.  My first thoughts were how amazing God must be.  The grandeur of the site was just a little portion of creation that was proclaiming how great its Creator is.  My next thought was then how crazy it is that a God that could create something so beautiful as that, would also love me so much and want to have a relationship with me.  The only appropriate response I could think of was to start to sing a song I had learned as a kid: "God of Wonders."

Here are the lyrics:
Lord of all creation
Of water, earth, and sky
The heavens are Your tabernacle
Glory to the Lord on High

God of wonders, beyond our galaxy
You are holy, holy
The universe declares Your majesty
You are holy, holy

My roommate and I on top of Huayna Picchu.

We later climbed a the mountain that is behind Machu Picchu which is called Huayna Picchu.  The hike was  definitely not easy as it was almost completely stairs climbing some 1000 feet in elevation gain, but the view at the end was definitely worth it.  I was blown away at the vastness of the valleys that spread out below me, and to top it off there were some more ruins of  an ancient Incan temple of the moon and the homes of the temple priests and virgins.  It was crazy to think that people actually lived on the peak of the mountain.  By the time we had gotten back down the mountain and left the park it had begun to rain (I guess that would be why they call it the rain forest), and so we headed for lunch and then afterwards took advantage of some local hot springs before we had to catch our train back to Cusco.  That day was long, but one of the most unforgettable experiences of my time in Peru.

Breakfast in the country side.

On the last day of our trip, we took a break from the typical tourist sites of ruins, llamas and markets and instead headed into the heart of the countryside around Cusco.  There we got the chance to meet and eat breakfast with some of the local farmers and learn how they live.  The breakfast was far from your traditional breakfast.  It included variations of potatoes, roasted corn, bread with homemade cheese, roasted lima beans, Spanish tortillas, eggs, homemade teas,  and a lima bean drink called ponche.  It was definitely a special treat to be able to try those foods and get to talk with the people who invited us to their home.  One thing that was especially interesting was to hear their Quechua accents interplay with the way they spoke Spanish.  We have learning our Peruvian Social Reality class that many people of Andean decent are discriminated against because of this accent, but this was the first time that I had actually heard it in real life.  After we left the farm, our bus headed for the last place we would visit during our time in Cusco, a Catholic orphanage for girls called Casa Hogar de Maria de Nazareth.  Our program's director has a special relationship with this orphanage where she is known as the godmother for several of the girls there.  These girls are cared for by only 3 nuns, and look forward with great anticipation for when the gringos will come visit.  They prepared a show for us of a series of dances that they had been practicing for weeks, and then we reciprocated with several songs of our own, played with them, and finally gave them care-packages that IFSA has assembled from various donors.  It was a neat experience to be able to bring those girls, whose lives had been very hard some joy and to give the nuns who are over worked a small break.

Well now you know what a whirlwind this past week and half have been. Cusco was an amazing trip and I miss the mountains and deep blue sky, but returning back to Lima has been nice too. While I was away from Lima, I found that missed not being around my host family, and having a regular schedule.  I have come back to Lima with not only lots of great memories, but also renewed readiness to take on life in Lima and make the most of my opportunities that I am presented with.  Until I write next!

My shameless selfie with a llama!