Peru… Traveling Back In Time
As I prepare to celebrate a friend’s wedding, I got to thinking how we met. As we became friends, I discovered we both had interests in travel and decided to take a trip together. At the time, I had already been pondering the idea of visiting South America and so I was super excited to see that she was game to the adventures. I’m grateful for great friendships and life chapters made from these sort of shared stories to now celebrating with them years down the line for the new chapters. After our trip, I decided to write to family and friends of the experience:
Made time to cuddle baby sheep in Cusco
Let the travel begin
The excitement for this trip had built up for so long. I was excited to have the opportunity to meet a little girl attending a school that I was fortunate enough to be involved in supporting. I also looked forward to the Inca trail that led us to Machu Picchu and then head to Puno, where the floating islands off of Lake Titicaca are located.
The day Dad arrived to so kindly watch my pups (Thanks Dad! :o) although I still say you spoiled them), it was cold and it snowed. Oh was I excited to be leaving. Off to the airport, I sat all anxified. Landing in Peru late night, I made sure to be well rested for some touring of Lima. Initially hesitant to dust off my Spanish lingo, it seemed to come more naturally than I expected. There were a few hiccups but with Lima being your typical big city, we could find someone who spoke English in the event there was complete confusion.
Food was pleasantly delicious in the Mira Flores District of Lima
We stayed in the Mira Flores district (kind of like a borough of Lima). The city is right on the water but built pretty high up as the high cliffs were a natural barrier against weather events such as tsunami's. Food was also pleasantly delicious in the region. Of course we also explored the city by foot and learned much about the history of the area, especially regarding Inca traditions that are still prevalent in the city but also pre-Inca history as well. Next, we were off to Ayacucho to meet with organizers for visiting the school. A three hour flight, we finally make it to the windy and mountain area of Ayacucho. From the airport, it was all about the Spanish; however you can find translators on the street if needed. One thing to note is the people of Peru are so kind and willing to help. The women were dressed in the traditional Quecha attire. They were so sweet to talk to (of course we stood out being this is not a tourist area, but it was an opportunity to learn from the people). The landscaping of this area is beautiful. Surrounded by mountains, the sunset from the Plaza de Armas was just too pretty for words. And of course food was amazing!
The next day, we met with two people who helped coordinate our visit to head to the school. Entering the doors of the building, I saw the young girl and her mother sitting. We greeted each other and they shared with us through video all of the work that has been happening at their school. It was nice to see where donations contributed to the school and the lives of the children here. It was difficult to speak to the mother because she spoke the traditional language of the area called Quechua. Funny enough, we worked by way of a trilingual translator which was extremely helpful for the group. We then exchanged gifts. I received a hand made scarf and traditional designed mat from Ayacucho, also hand made. It was especially exciting to see this sweet girl’s expression, learning play-dough, slinkies, and other knick knacks. I also made her a scarf so seems like we think alike :o) I am also thankful that my pastor from back home offered a Spanish bible he used as a missionary of which they were happy to receive. Next, we all spent the day together visiting some historical sites and a town called Wari where we spent the remainder of the day playing volleyball and futbol. Funny considering other than tennis, I am more of a watcher when it comes to sports where things are thrown in my direction. First impression of my volleyball skills was my ability to get knocked in the face by my teammate :). The laughing was hysterical for quite a bit (myself included). Talk about breaking the ice. There were also opportunities to sit aside time to share stories and just enjoy a day out together. On the way to finding food, we were walking and ran into the sweetest little kiddos with an interest in pictures that were taken with the camera. We wrapped up the day visiting a local restaurant with head organizers of the school where we had an opportunity to eat some pretty tasty food.
Next stop was the city of Cusco where we would spend the remainder of our trip. A typical tourist spot, it was still a pretty beautiful town. Of course, the Plazas de Armas was the center attraction of everything. We did some typical touristy things: having visited various places such as Koricancha (also known as Temple of the Sun) and a place called Sacred Valley. The Fortress of Sacsayhuaman was another experience, where you can view the perfectly fitted carved stones that the people of Inca time so intricately placed. This area was used for meetings and rituals. Other Inca ceremonial and ancient centres were visited as well. The area was surrounded and smelled of eucalyptus. The practice was to fill remains with the plants like eucalyptus, mint, and coca leaves to keep the bugs away as a way of preservation. Burials were done as they are in some Asian countries: in the mountains or hills.
As we arrived back to the city centre, we witnessed two wedding ceremonies which was nice. Also having an opportunity to visit a quality Alpaca fur store, it was neat to learn about the process of how these sweaters/rugs/scarfs/hats, etc. are produced and also learn ways to identify quality products. There was also an opportunity to have a lesson from a young Peruvian girl on the process in coloring the fur and beginning a project from start to finish. Little did I know the detail that goes into this...from cleaning to coloring to include the use of these little white worms found on aged cactus to produce the deep red colors that look so pretty in the clothes worn today. All dyes used came from natural sources. Of course, good eating took place too. Buffet style is popular in the area.
Preparing for our trip to take of the Inca trail, we needed to rest the night before. So wandering the streets of Cusco, my friend and I played a bit of Farkle, did a little people/dog watching in the plaza, ate lunch at Green Organics (best place), did some shopping, and also had opportunity to listen to traditional music played live. Finally, we settled for a quick meal before heading back to the hotel knowing the hiking adventure we were going to take part in early the next morning...Little did I know my feeling of bad restaurant choice would follow me into the next couple of days.
On the train, my friend and I had the opportunity to visit with other travelers from Brazil, Ecuador, and Puerto Rico. People were really excited about the World Cup and Olympics to take place in Brazil. Got some good insight into possible future travels. At the same time, a feeling of food poisoning slowly crept into my system. My thought process: I did not come this far to get sick...I am totally doing this Inca trail!
We reached our stop in the middle of the wooded area. It looked like the train dropped us off in the middle of the nowhere. We found our guide and headed to the trail. A beautiful and peaceful climb, we followed the trail that led to several different Inca terraces throughout. A 10 mile hike (we did the shorter version of the trail), we can finally spot Macchu Picchu at a distance from the Sun Gate. I am so glad I brought my good camera lens although a picture does no justice to the experience of being surrounded by this beauty. The sun hit the city perfectly, dramatic mountains surrounded the area. That day we took brief pics of the area and then headed to the hotel with plans to visit Machu Picchu early morning as recommended to witness the fog that was surrounding the mountain lift from the city.
We Made It!
Arriving to appreciate the beauty that is Macchu Picchu!
Dinner time and then straight to bed I went. Next morning, we took the bus rather than an additional hike back up to Macchu Picchu. We met with a guide who walked us through Inca times. Looking at the huge rocks that were carved so intricately leaves one to imagine the amount of hands that were needed to move just one rock, not to mention the amount of people that worked and died to build these cities. Macchu Picchu took over 700 years to build. There is also a sun dial built out of rock that is spot on with the directions of a compass. It also helped the Inca's in determining the seasons for the sake of their crops. They were known for over 1000 different types of potatoes and over 700 types of corn (side note: corn in Peru is pretty delicious...served with homemade cheeses and this green chile paste).
The Incas learned from people before them and developed new methods to building structurally sound cities. Macchu Pichhu is built directly on a fault line yet still remains intact. Pretty fancy if you ask me! There is still running water within the city and you can really visualize just how things may have worked during this time in history. In fact, there is an area at Macchu Picchu where the people clearly were still building before the Spanish arrived and the Incas fled.
About this time, I found a bench and just enjoyed the view. Nausea kicked in with a mixture of altitude and food choices being possible contributors. The feeling of sickness was in full effect. We made our way back to the train station to head back to the town of Cusco. This pretty much was the ending of the trip. Two days of bedrest and a visit from the doctor, we made the call to just head home (on Thanksgiving actually). Travel from this point was an experience with airports, customs, and missed flights. To be fair, as much as I travel, I was due for a moment like this. It happens sometimes…but bonus: I had the opportunity to help translate for a lady at the airport as I’d been really making an attempt to not let those high school Spanish lessons go to waste. Sitting waiting for my flight, she came back with a box of the most delicious chocolates that I got to enjoy once I was home and started feeling better...yum yummy 😋 Looking at the positive of the situation, I had an opportunity to spend time with Dad for Thanksgiving (even if it wasn't the traditional thanksgiving). I also made it home in one piece feeling much better and without any sort of parasites or dangu fever (Dr. Google-search is really something…grateful for those who are actually trained in the medical field and not having to rely on my own knowledge here).
I would totally go back to Peru to visit the places still on the list (Lord willing). We didn't make it to Lake Titicaca or Puno, but perhaps there will be an opportunity to visit this area in the future.
