Juan and I went on a hike this morning before going to the school. It was basically just a scenic route around the village to the school. Since the structure of the library had been completed, we had to start on the roof today. The truck that brought the roofing materials got stuck, like every other car we've been in on this trip. After we unloaded all the logs, bamboo, and shingles we got to work. At each joint in the bamboo were fibers that needed to be removed. We worked on that til lunchtime. A very tedious activity that took no effort, just a really long time. About 8 little kids helped us and we gave them an apple, granadia, and 2 sublime chocolate bars.
After lunch, everyone was either sleeping or watching a movie so I was the only one to go work on the library. I finished up peeling the bamboo with the help of some kids, then brought it over to the structure. While working, one of the little boys taught me to count in Quechua. After I'd done all I could, I sat and watched the locals make the roof until tea time. At tea time we had fried wontons filled with cheese. The 5 of us sat in the dining tent until dinner. Juan and Alan still hadn't come back so we began without them. Turns out one of the families prepared them a huge meal of cuy. We all got what we wanted for dinner: fettucini Alfredo. It was so delicious. It was another early night for me.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
22nd Day Adventures
Good Friday. Our day off. We took a van into Ollantaytambo to have lunch with Alan's family. They prepared a traditional Easter meal, 8 courses! 3 different kinds of soup, corn, potato, and seafood. Then we had rice with seafood, ceviche, and trout. There were 2 desserts: a peach and rice pudding with chicha morado, a purple corn drink. It was all fabulous. Juan and Alan stayed with the family afterwards and we went and walked around the city plaza.
Alan's family also generously let us use 3 room in their hotel for the day to shower and rest. There was also wifi there! When we took the van home, it was already dark. We hiked our way back to our campsite and picked up firewood on the way. After a dinner of soup, chicken curry, and flan, we made a campfire. Finding stick out here was really hard but we managed to roast marshmallows and make s'mores.
Alan's family also generously let us use 3 room in their hotel for the day to shower and rest. There was also wifi there! When we took the van home, it was already dark. We hiked our way back to our campsite and picked up firewood on the way. After a dinner of soup, chicken curry, and flan, we made a campfire. Finding stick out here was really hard but we managed to roast marshmallows and make s'mores.
Friday, April 22, 2011
21st Day Adventures
We woke up earlier to the drinks and hot tubs of water this morning. Katie and I woke up with the same thing Cecilia had and she was still sick too. Juan made me drink a whole cup of muña. Eew. The three of us stayed at the camp and slept while everyone else went to work. We all woke up at the same time because being in sleeping bags became unbearable. It's shorts and tank top weather during the day but long underwear weather at night. I rested in the tent with the door open after that while Katie and Cecilia fell asleep outside getting their tan on. They woke up to some of the kids from school poking them in the ears with grass. The kids came to beg for food. We gave them some granola bars and they went away. The children here are so malnourished.
After lunch, some of the kids came back. Cecilia and Katie were sleeping again so I went outside to play with them. It was an 11 year old girl with her younger brother and sister. They sang for me and asked me a million questions. I asked about school and the girl said it was good but she had no pencil to write with so I gave her pens. She said she had no shampoo to wash her hair with so I gave her mine. I also gave them some socks and a water bottle full of water and a little more food. They were so happy and grateful. Then, they just wanted to play and take pictures with my camera. The kids here aren't greedy about pictures like kids in high tourism areas, they just want to look at the pictures afterwards and laugh. They don't ask for any money.
They left. We all rested. At dinner, everyone felt at least a little better.
After lunch, some of the kids came back. Cecilia and Katie were sleeping again so I went outside to play with them. It was an 11 year old girl with her younger brother and sister. They sang for me and asked me a million questions. I asked about school and the girl said it was good but she had no pencil to write with so I gave her pens. She said she had no shampoo to wash her hair with so I gave her mine. I also gave them some socks and a water bottle full of water and a little more food. They were so happy and grateful. Then, they just wanted to play and take pictures with my camera. The kids here aren't greedy about pictures like kids in high tourism areas, they just want to look at the pictures afterwards and laugh. They don't ask for any money.
They left. We all rested. At dinner, everyone felt at least a little better.
20th Day Adventures
We woke up at 8 to tubs of hot water outside our tents for washing our faces. Then, the chefs came around with tea, hot chocolate and coffee. They then prepared a nice breakfast of fruit salad with apple, papaya, banana, pear and pineapple. We walked to the school around 10 and went into the classroom of the first and second graders. They were so excited to see us! They had prepared a song which they performed. I just wish I knew what they were saying. We then went outside to the side of the school where the library was already in progress. The villagers had laid out the foundation, basically just marked the area with rocks. In the middle was tons and tons of mud. All around the school lay 1,100 adobe bricks. We jumped right in the mud to mix it up. It was to be used for mortar in between the bricks. Cecilia left soon after we started because of stomach problems and she cut her foot on a rock.
I took a break from the mud to help carry adobe bricks. They weighed 30lbs each. So heavy and they hurt your hands to carry. We went on this way, carrying bricks, mixing mud, or putting the mud on the structure so someone could lay the next brick. Around 11, the kids got a break to eat lunch. The government gives them milk and a piece of potato bread. We sat around with our snacks as they ate lunch. They were so curious about us. They kept asking about our parents and pets and commenting on how white we are. It seemed like a lot of the younger ones had never seen white people. They quickly started up a game of soccer when they were finished eating. Nisty and I joined their teams but the game was harder than I expected. The field had knee deep grass and there were rocks scattered around so you had to watch out, especially when barefoot. It ended with the score 1-1.
After the game, it was back to work until our lunch. We had tortillas with bologna, guacamole, cucumbers, and homemade queso (so strong). We all got big surprise when we saw Lucas walking into our campsite. His plane tickets got messed up and he decided to come find us. It's a miracle that he did because we are literally in the middle of nowhere. We rested for a bit after the lunch before walking back to the school. We got back just as the kids were getting out of school. The villagers who were helping us became more talkative. They constantly made fun of the way we spoke Spanish or the way we used a pick axe or shovel. In a loving way, I think. By the end of the day, we successfully completed 8 levels of adobe!
When we got back to the campsite we had tea time. A tub of popcorn and a plate of the most delicious crackers (my new obsession) were waiting for us along with tea, coffee and hot chocolate. We stayed at the table and played cards til dinner.
Just before dinner, a shaman came into our dining tent. He was making an offering to the Andean gods for the success of our building. The offering consisted of llama fat, an alpaca fetus, confetti, animal crackers, a catholic cross, gold and silver, fake money, garbonzo beans, a star fish, shells, sugar, rice, threads, candies, and a treat that the five of us call fagals. He laid everything out in it's proper place and blessed it. He then left us. He and a few others would travel 2 hours to the top of the mountain at midnight to burn the offering. They do it at the top of the mountains because they believe they are closer to the gods. If the fire is big and burns for a long time, Pachamama accepts the offering. If it is a low, quick fire, Pachamama does not accept it. We then had a quick dinner of soup and chicken curry. I was the first to fall asleep.
I took a break from the mud to help carry adobe bricks. They weighed 30lbs each. So heavy and they hurt your hands to carry. We went on this way, carrying bricks, mixing mud, or putting the mud on the structure so someone could lay the next brick. Around 11, the kids got a break to eat lunch. The government gives them milk and a piece of potato bread. We sat around with our snacks as they ate lunch. They were so curious about us. They kept asking about our parents and pets and commenting on how white we are. It seemed like a lot of the younger ones had never seen white people. They quickly started up a game of soccer when they were finished eating. Nisty and I joined their teams but the game was harder than I expected. The field had knee deep grass and there were rocks scattered around so you had to watch out, especially when barefoot. It ended with the score 1-1.
After the game, it was back to work until our lunch. We had tortillas with bologna, guacamole, cucumbers, and homemade queso (so strong). We all got big surprise when we saw Lucas walking into our campsite. His plane tickets got messed up and he decided to come find us. It's a miracle that he did because we are literally in the middle of nowhere. We rested for a bit after the lunch before walking back to the school. We got back just as the kids were getting out of school. The villagers who were helping us became more talkative. They constantly made fun of the way we spoke Spanish or the way we used a pick axe or shovel. In a loving way, I think. By the end of the day, we successfully completed 8 levels of adobe!
When we got back to the campsite we had tea time. A tub of popcorn and a plate of the most delicious crackers (my new obsession) were waiting for us along with tea, coffee and hot chocolate. We stayed at the table and played cards til dinner.
Just before dinner, a shaman came into our dining tent. He was making an offering to the Andean gods for the success of our building. The offering consisted of llama fat, an alpaca fetus, confetti, animal crackers, a catholic cross, gold and silver, fake money, garbonzo beans, a star fish, shells, sugar, rice, threads, candies, and a treat that the five of us call fagals. He laid everything out in it's proper place and blessed it. He then left us. He and a few others would travel 2 hours to the top of the mountain at midnight to burn the offering. They do it at the top of the mountains because they believe they are closer to the gods. If the fire is big and burns for a long time, Pachamama accepts the offering. If it is a low, quick fire, Pachamama does not accept it. We then had a quick dinner of soup and chicken curry. I was the first to fall asleep.
19th Day Adventures
Today was kind of a lazy day. We had no set schedule so we slept in and had a late breakfast. I had my last good shower before camping (sorry Mom and Dad some of my dreads would not come out). Then, we all walked around town with our new guide, Alan. Until lunch, he walked us around to famous sites and talked about the history. We stopped at a horrible little restaurant for lunch and Luke broke some bad news to us. Today was his last day with us. His grandmother had gotten really sick and his parents wanted him to go home. It definitely put a damper on our day. After lunch, we went to the markets in the plaza to buy gifts. Cecilia, Nisty, and I chipped in to buy a traditional mask thing for him and he loved it.
We walked back to the hotel and the van was waiting there to take us to our next destination. Our bags were put in the car and we all said goodbye to Luke. We started the drive to Kamicancha but stopped about an hour and a half in, in the town of Ollantaytambo. This was Alan's hometown. We had pizza in his restaurant and stocked up on water and snacks before boarding the van again. It took another 2 very bumpy hours to reach our small village. Tourism doesn't exist here. The van stopped at the end of the road and we all got out. About 50 kids came running around the corner. They were all smiling and laughing. We they handed each of us a bunch of flowers and threw confetti on our heads. We took pictures and before we could help, they all went to the back of the van to grab our bags. It was so cute and sweet. We walked about 25 minutes to our campsite which is right behind their school. The kids were so excited to show us their school.
By the time they dropped off our bags it was already dark so they left us to go home. There were 5 yellow tents in the field and 2 bigger ones a little higher up. Katie and I are sharing a tent so the first thing we did was settle in. There's barely enough room for us and our bags. Juan called us out to look the stars. It was amazing. Plus the moon was almost full so the whole valley was lit up and the glacier seemed to glow. We walked up to the food tents. Our cooks were preparing vegetable soup, trout, and potatoes for dinner. In the other tent, there was a table with 6 chairs around it and a candle on top. The cooks served us dinner, which was delicious. For dessert, they fried bananas in rum for us. After dinner, we got ready for bed and passed out.
We walked back to the hotel and the van was waiting there to take us to our next destination. Our bags were put in the car and we all said goodbye to Luke. We started the drive to Kamicancha but stopped about an hour and a half in, in the town of Ollantaytambo. This was Alan's hometown. We had pizza in his restaurant and stocked up on water and snacks before boarding the van again. It took another 2 very bumpy hours to reach our small village. Tourism doesn't exist here. The van stopped at the end of the road and we all got out. About 50 kids came running around the corner. They were all smiling and laughing. We they handed each of us a bunch of flowers and threw confetti on our heads. We took pictures and before we could help, they all went to the back of the van to grab our bags. It was so cute and sweet. We walked about 25 minutes to our campsite which is right behind their school. The kids were so excited to show us their school.
By the time they dropped off our bags it was already dark so they left us to go home. There were 5 yellow tents in the field and 2 bigger ones a little higher up. Katie and I are sharing a tent so the first thing we did was settle in. There's barely enough room for us and our bags. Juan called us out to look the stars. It was amazing. Plus the moon was almost full so the whole valley was lit up and the glacier seemed to glow. We walked up to the food tents. Our cooks were preparing vegetable soup, trout, and potatoes for dinner. In the other tent, there was a table with 6 chairs around it and a candle on top. The cooks served us dinner, which was delicious. For dessert, they fried bananas in rum for us. After dinner, we got ready for bed and passed out.
18th Day Adventures
We all woke up really early to catch the 8 o clock bus from Puno to Cuzco. It took 7 hours. Bleh. They never served us lunch on the bus even though we arrived to Cuzco at 3. At the bus station I was so hungry I bought a bag of Dorito's chips which was a huge mistake. I got sick a few hours later because I'm not used to processed foods anymore. All I've been eating is veggies, fish and the occasional chicken. I felt horrible so I took a nice, long nap. When I woke up, all the girls were getting ready to go out. They were going to dinner and then to a discoteca but I was feeling too sick to go. Juan got me some Chinese food from the next block and then they all left to go out. The rest of my night was spent on the Internet and sleeping.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
17th Day Adventures
Today was travel day again. We slept in, shopped in the co-op for a bit, then began the treacherous hike down to the port on the other side of the island. I don't know what was worse, going up or going down. There were over 500 stairs to reach the other port and they were basically just rocks thrown wherever. Walking down them was so hard because of the steepness and the fact that the rocks were so uneven and most of them were too far apart. We stocked up on snacks at the port and paid a sol to use the bathroom. The people from the hostel prepared a trout lunch for us with oka, corn, hard boiled eggs, steamed veggies, rice and potatoes. They brought it all the way across the island and served us lunch on the top of the boat. We were definitely spoiled.
The 3 hour boat ride to Puno went by really fast and before I knew it we were getting off the boat. Everyone's jaws dropped when we arrived at the hotel. There were men in suits holding the doors for us. It was so nice and the rooms were incredible. We sat in the hotel for a few hours enjoying electricity and Internet. Then, we went to a restaurant called Incabar for dinner. Most everyone got some form of pasta. It was pretty good but the noodles in Peru just don't taste the same. I also got water, with ice! Ice doesn't exist in Peru and I was so happy to have ice water! After dinner we went to a cool bar called Rock and Reggae. It was a super fun place cause they had great music and everything was black lighting. We got back to the hotel and got back on the Internet before going to sleep.
The 3 hour boat ride to Puno went by really fast and before I knew it we were getting off the boat. Everyone's jaws dropped when we arrived at the hotel. There were men in suits holding the doors for us. It was so nice and the rooms were incredible. We sat in the hotel for a few hours enjoying electricity and Internet. Then, we went to a restaurant called Incabar for dinner. Most everyone got some form of pasta. It was pretty good but the noodles in Peru just don't taste the same. I also got water, with ice! Ice doesn't exist in Peru and I was so happy to have ice water! After dinner we went to a cool bar called Rock and Reggae. It was a super fun place cause they had great music and everything was black lighting. We got back to the hotel and got back on the Internet before going to sleep.
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