Machu Picchu

     Thursday I had the most amazing day. I finally appreciate the phrase, "out of body experience." If I were to sum up my day in a phrase, that would be the one. I visited Machu Picchu, something I promised myself I would do once before I died. Even though it is crossed on my bucket list, it wasn't necessarily an easy feat. 

      Jaclyn, Margaret and I got up at the late hour of 4 am this morning in order to start our journey and make it to the top for sunrise. Despite it being so early, we all seemed pretty chipper and willing, Jaclyn playing some Foster the People cover songs and I playing "Dancing On My Own" by Robyn. Packed up, went downstairs, had a breakfast of toast and jam, and were off by 4:30. It was as a bell went off in this sleepy town for everyone it seemed was on the same pilgrimage as we were: to make it to Machu Picchu for sunrise. Once we got to the bridge that separated us between the ground and godliness we were at least 50 back in line. Once the clock hit 5:00 am, though, we were off!

      Now i'll admit I was more confident than I should have been. I was pretty gung-ho for about 15 minutes, but then quickly realized that these stairs would soon be the death of me. First off, the stairs were not stairs, but instead a strait ladder up to the sky. And second, I have sports induced asthma which is also fun when you're going strait up a mountain for about two hours. After encouragement from Jaclyn and Margaret, as well people from all nations cheering us along all the way, we made it! Screw you guys who took the bus! I conquered a freakin mountain! 

      Words really can't describe being on top of the world, which is what you feel when you finally reach Machu Picchu. Cold chills galore, I walked through remnants that were built and abandoned in a century. With most things, we should look at our past more to build our future. In the states where we only build buildings to last half a century, these remnants have lasted for 600 years. That in itself is powerful enough to give you goose bumps. 

      Jaclyn, Margaret and I strolled around in the early morning hours while there weren't as many tourists, taking obligatory pictures in front of Huayna Picchu and with llamas, then parked it to have a snack of peanuts and oranges. The most beautiful picnic I have ever had. 

      After walking around a bit more we decided to go to the Temple of the Sun, a little out of the ways, not only to get away from people but also because we wanted to explore every inch of the ruins. Once we reached the ruins Jaclyn began the trend of taking artsy pictures gazing off into the vast expanse of unknown reasons. Yes, it is lame, but even just sitting there for a split second and  you get lost in its vastness. We quickly left this spot though because, I"m sorry for all of those reading this, Americans were in our presence. First off, they could only talk about food and how excited they were to eat and second, they said "This is like climbing Mount Everest. Once you get to the top, you're like ok let's go back." To all of these absurdities all I wanted to say was, a) YOU TOOK THE BUS and b) this is why people hate americans. But I refrained from unleashing my big mouth and we were off. 

      We walked around a bit more, ran into our friend Fabricio from the train station AKA the King of selfies, and were called out by a guy with a rainbow flag on the end of his umbrella for "INDISCRETION" aka eating lunch outside. Of course we were SO SCARED in the middle of other white people eating. Thanks, dude. After seven hours at Machu Picchu, and after a llama rejected my affection, we set back down the winding steps, jarring our legs all along the way. We hit the bottom and I had some lunch while Jaclyn and Margaret caught their train. I have to say I may have had the better trip though, seeing as their train ride included Jaclyn almost getting impaled by a rock that flew through the window. Yikes. 

      First, before I got on the train, I had another lovely encounter with Fabricio who told me he was asked by his waiter if he wanted a whore for the night. In his words, "The waiter asked if I look for vagina. I said no, I look for Machu Picchu. Thanks." Great chuckle before the journey.

      Second, on the train to Cuzco, I sat across from these two former frat guys from Texas A&M, Layne and Ricky, which was refreshing as any due to the fact I hadn't encountered anyone from the South in my trip yet. Beside me was Fidel, a local Cuzconian, who after a while I felt bad for for the boys and I had been visiting in all English and hadn't included him. To make up for this I invited him to play cards, to which he said yes and to which Layne said " I need more drinks for this." After two free rounds of beer, BS, spoons and celebrity, we were as thick as thieves. When the train finally got to the station, I said goodbye to Fidel but went on with Layne and Ricky who were nice enough to pay for my taxi ride home. I must say, I missed Southern gentlemen. 

      The next day before we got on our 22 hour bus ride, please shoot me now, we explored around the city a bit, Maya getting some art from a man who had been painting for 75 years, and more importantly Jaclyn, Margaret and me getting fresh icecream made the day before. Excellent. Julio also dropped by the bus station one last time to send gifts to the U.S. to his friends and to say one last goodbye. I really will miss him most of all. He really became part of my family.

      The bus ride started at 3:00 pm and I already knew it was going to be a long one. The first movie we watched was called Fireproof and opened up with a little girl saying, "I hope someday I'll find someone that loves me as much as my Father does." Ok, this will be cute, dad dies in a firefighting  job and she'll find another firefighter. Wrong. Father ended up alluding to God, her husband found Jesus, and she was an adulterer by hugging one of her doctor friends. Moral of the story? All of American's are Evangelicals and women are whores. Margaret took the words out of my mouth by thinking we should apologize on behalf of Americans for the atrocity of the movie, not only for pushing religion down everyone throats like so many conquistadors, but also because fireproofmymarriage.com exists, as the credits showed. Dear Lord. Literally. 

      The movies didn't get better from there. Next was "Just Go With It" with Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, then "Taken 2", then the second "Total Recall". So Americans, in the eyes of Peruvians, are either really religious, love crude humor, are terrorists, or battle zombies. Bout sums it up. They played these movies until 11 pm, with a dinner of bread and peach juice, and after I took a Tylenol PM, giving me a drug induced half-sleep for 7 or so hours. Moral of this story? Don't take the bus.

      In the morning we stopped for breakfast of juice/jelly orange stuff, rice with potatoey cream and a coffee tea. On the bus ride to Lima we then watched Real Steel with Hugh Jackman who fought robots, a lot better than the other movies. Trust me. Then, finally, after 22 hours, we were off that cube of death. Met Rosie, came back to our home, went out for a veggie dinner, did our laundry and now we are chillin and relaxing. And now I am happy as a clam. Will write in a couple days after our three day adventure, to where I'm not exactly sure.

Besos! 

    

Un mes that I will miss

     Hello everyone! Despite rumors about joining a tribe up in the mountains, I AM alive and well and currently in Aguas Calientes. Somehow, without me knowing, a month passed just like that. I think it's a Peruvian trick. My homestay gone but not forgotten, I am now on my own with the other amigas, back to our small little tribe. So what have I been up to since we last spoke? Sorry, but this will take a while. 

     Last Monday through Wednesday passed in the same it has on days on the farm. Weeding in the morning, an AMAZING lunch by Juana, and usually a Pixar or Dreamworks movie in the afternoon with Inti, all in Spanish which made it really interesting. Highlights from these days though? Monday throughout the whole day we watched Peruivan Independence Day celebrations on the TV that was brought into the kitchen for the special occasion. They had police dogs do tricks for the President which was a first for me. For dinner that night we also had an AWESOME version of a Peruvian lasagna with thick crust on both sides. Yummmm. The next night passed the same, except instead of watching the equivalent of Peruvian PBS we watched a documentary on Che Guevera. I must say I have become FASCINATED with him, even if he is a communist. The next night, though, I wasn't so lucky. 

      First round of food sickness. Hoorrayyy!  Wednesday morning around 3 in the morning I was awoken by the lovely sound of my stomach doing flips and turns. My favorite. Thankfully by morning I was ok, but the fun doesn't stop there. After having an especially lazy morning due to my upset stomach, Emily and I decided to enlist the help of Inti, who is six by the way, to find Edi who had taken the cows to forage. After walking about 25 minutes, and crossing a river that came up to our ankles we finally found her. Afterwards, though, Emily and I thought that we knew best and tried to find an alternate route. We found this spot that was TOTALLY jumpable and, with Emily's confidence in me for I told her I ran track, I ran and jumped the river. Poor decisions. What I thought was solid ground turned out to be about 3 feet of mud, coming up a little past my knees. After initial laughing, and Emily deciding to go an alternate route instead of joining in for camaraderie, I walked back leaving a foot of mud in my wake and took my second shower of the day. Moral of the story? Always listen to the six year old. 

      To make up for my embarrassing, but expected, accident, Emily and I went into Cuzco on Thursday in order to go to a small celebration at Chirsto Blanco, a huge, white Christ that looks over the city. They like things really literal here. First I made it a mission to buy train tickets/MP tickets in town for the date was getting close! (It is tomorrow, afterall.) After asking many locals we found our way around and our mission was accomplished. To TREAT OURSELVES for the day we got an amazing lunch of salads, with a side of french fries and Sprite for me and some coffee for Emily. It was delightful. Also had some awesome homemade ice cream while we were at it, so it was just all around wonderful. After doing some family shopping we went up to where the festival was, only to find that we had missed it by thirty minutes. From what some Peruvians told us though we didn't miss much. They threw some food in a circle and lit it on fire. Yeah. I then visited some ruins that Emily didn't have a pass for, her sitting outside knitting, and I was once again part of a Peruvian family photo. It was a good day. 

      Friday we double dug some more beds then went on a mini adventure with Julio's friend, Sebastian, to go into town to get some fuel for his truck to go out to his tractor. Thought we would work a little bit but, no, we just had a cerveza break. Because beer is not my favorite, though, I got to drive the tractor with help from Elvis, the tractor driver. Stalled a little bit, but got it going eventually. I'm a real farmer, y'all!!! 

      Saturday Emily and I went into Calca again and I had a minor panic attack. I knew my gmail wasn't working. Big deal, I'll figure it out when I get into Cuzco. What I didn't know though was that my blog had aloso gone MIA when my sister asked me why I didn't have one anymore. I only freaked out due to the fact that so much had been typed and I was being lazy and didn't want to go back and write this again. Thankfully after a quick back 10 minute back and forth emailing with my sister all was figured out and all was good. Once back at the house we separated corn into piles, ones for cuyes, ones for dog food, ones for chicha, and ones for harvest. It got windy so we went inside and harvested while listening to The Beatles, Julio's music, and Clem Snide, my music. It was lovely. 

      Finally it was Sunday, Yesica's birthday!! Emily got me up at 6:30, a rarity for me, because we were having cake and popcorn for breakfast. Nommm. After eating they saw how tired I was and encouraged me to go back to bed. Can't fight that. After going to bed for another two hours got up, went to town to explore, then came back in time for an oatmealy type lunch. The best part was after lunch when Julio asked if I wanted to run a quick errand up to the fields, although he wouldn't explain exactly what that included. Once we got there, it was clear. It was a beer delivery for the workers, of course. While that was happening, though,  he asked if I wanted to drive the moto. OF COURSE! Where did you learn how to drive a motorcycle? Oh, you know. The Sacred Valley. No big deal. It was going great for a while until I came to a nice, calm stop, but forgot to put feet on both side and toppled over. The Peruvian's in the fields started laughing at  me but it's ok because they called us over for a Chicha break. Score. 

     Came back in time for festivites to start, of Pisco Sours and traditional highland music. Partying from four to nine though really wears you out, so Emily and I were lame and called it an early night. 

      My final first day was wonderful because it echoed all my others. We worked with Julio in the garden early in the morning and throughout lunch time, then afterward I began watching The Lorax with Inti in Spanish. I hadn't seen it and I feel like it fitted my travels here, being kind and thankful to the environment and all. We watched Oblivion afterwards, very confusing I must say with fast Spanish, but still good all in all. After the movie Julio gifted me a traditional Peruvian hat and his Che Guevara diary in Spanish. I started crying. I'm going to miss him and my family so much. I would say the night just kept getting better, but I'd be lying. 

      Second round of food poisoning. Hoorrayyy!!! At three thirty in the morning, after ridding my body of basically everything, Juana found me hunched over outside of the bathroom and proceed to ask, "Mami, no estas bien?" No. No estoy bein. She made me some manzanilla tea and Emily, who I had accidentally woken up in the process, schooled me in the art of Cipro. What a wonderful drug. I woke up refreshed, a little dehydrated, and ready to go! 

      On my last day after saying teary goodbyes, and visiting Inti at his preschool to say goodbye, Julio and I were off to Cuzco! Arrived in Cuzco, got a taxi to the hostel, Julio dropped me off which was the sweetest thing, and I was on my own! Had a quesadilla to celebrate for I hadn't eaten that day, and hadn't eaten mexican in a while which was needed, then traversed the city for about an hour, looking at shops and taking pictures. It was wonderful being on my own for the first time in a month. Not that I don't love Emily or my family, but there is something about discovering yourself in a foreign country. I also got some homemade icecream, which was bangin, so it was a successful outing. 

      Once I got back I encountered Margaret and then an hour later Jaclyn and Maya arrived. We screamed and hugged like we just got a bid from the sorority we wanted. It was beautiful. I missed them dearly. Even though we have technically only known each other for ten days now, they really are my family and sisters. After the initial excitement of freaking out and telling stories, we met some sisters from Cali and a another group for Cali and we all went out to dinner. Our group, and the Cali girls, went to eat at this delicious vegetarian restaurant where I purchased a veggie burger. Long awaited. After dinner we went to bed early though for we had a 5:30 wake-up call. 

      And now I FINALLY bring you to today. Like I said, got up SUPER early this morning to catch our train to Machu Picchu!! The train ride was pretty nice, playing Andean techno music, and I made a dutch friend who didn't speak a lick of Spanish. It was interesting. Arrived in Aguas Calientes, dropped our stuff at the hostel, then explored the little town. Got some bananas, peanuts, oranges, bread and avocados for lunch/future dinner along with some lentils. We found some shade and finally relaxed, taking in all the sites, then did a pre-hike to prepare for tomorrow. I can't convey how excited I am for tomorrow. It really is a dream come true to visit Machu Picchu. Even driving in here I was getting cold chills. I will update soon, hopefully even tomorrow, about how everything went!

Besos! 

Un mes that I will miss

     Hello everyone! Despite rumors about joining a tribe up in the mountains, I AM alive and well and currently in Aguas Calientes. Somehow, without me knowing, a month passed just like that. I think it's a Peruvian trick. My homestay gone but not forgotten, I am now on my own with the other amigas, back to our small little tribe. So what have I been up to since we last spoke? Sorry, but this will take a while. 

     Last Monday through Wednesday passed in the same it has on days on the farm. Weeding in the morning, an AMAZING lunch by Juana, and usually a Pixar or Dreamworks movie in the afternoon with Inti, all in Spanish which made it really interesting. Highlights from these days though? Monday throughout the whole day we watched Peruivan Independence Day celebrations on the TV that was brought into the kitchen for the special occasion. They had police dogs do tricks for the President which was a first for me. For dinner that night we also had an AWESOME version of a Peruvian lasagna with thick crust on both sides. Yummmm. The next night passed the same, except instead of watching the equivalent of Peruvian PBS we watched a documentary on Che Guevera. I must say I have become FASCINATED with him, even if he is a communist. The next night, though, I wasn't so lucky. 

      First round of food sickness. Hoorrayyy!  Wednesday morning around 3 in the morning I was awoken by the lovely sound of my stomach doing flips and turns. My favorite. Thankfully by morning I was ok, but the fun doesn't stop there. After having an especially lazy morning due to my upset stomach, Emily and I decided to enlist the help of Inti, who is six by the way, to find Edi who had taken the cows to forage. After walking about 25 minutes, and crossing a river that came up to our ankles we finally found her. Afterwards, though, Emily and I thought that we knew best and tried to find an alternate route. We found this spot that was TOTALLY jumpable and, with Emily's confidence in me for I told her I ran track, I ran and jumped the river. Poor decisions. What I thought was solid ground turned out to be about 3 feet of mud, coming up a little past my knees. After initial laughing, and Emily deciding to go an alternate route instead of joining in for camaraderie, I walked back leaving a foot of mud in my wake and took my second shower of the day. Moral of the story? Always listen to the six year old. 

      To make up for my embarrassing, but expected, accident, Emily and I went into Cuzco on Thursday in order to go to a small celebration at Chirsto Blanco, a huge, white Christ that looks over the city. They like things really literal here. First I made it a mission to buy train tickets/MP tickets in town for the date was getting close! (It is tomorrow, afterall.) After asking many locals we found our way around and our mission was accomplished. To TREAT OURSELVES for the day we got an amazing lunch of salads, with a side of french fries and Sprite for me and some coffee for Emily. It was delightful. Also had some awesome homemade ice cream while we were at it, so it was just all around wonderful. After doing some family shopping we went up to where the festival was, only to find that we had missed it by thirty minutes. From what some Peruvians told us though we didn't miss much. They threw some food in a circle and lit it on fire. Yeah. I then visited some ruins that Emily didn't have a pass for, her sitting outside knitting, and I was once again part of a Peruvian family photo. It was a good day. 

      Friday we double dug some more beds then went on a mini adventure with Julio's friend, Sebastian, to go into town to get some fuel for his truck to go out to his tractor. Thought we would work a little bit but, no, we just had a cerveza break. Because beer is not my favorite, though, I got to drive the tractor with help from Elvis, the tractor driver. Stalled a little bit, but got it going eventually. I'm a real farmer, y'all!!! 

      Saturday Emily and I went into Calca again and I had a minor panic attack. I knew my gmail wasn't working. Big deal, I'll figure it out when I get into Cuzco. What I didn't know though was that my blog had aloso gone MIA when my sister asked me why I didn't have one anymore. I only freaked out due to the fact that so much had been typed and I was being lazy and didn't want to go back and write this again. Thankfully after a quick back 10 minute back and forth emailing with my sister all was figured out and all was good. Once back at the house we separated corn into piles, ones for cuyes, ones for dog food, ones for chicha, and ones for harvest. It got windy so we went inside and harvested while listening to The Beatles, Julio's music, and Clem Snide, my music. It was lovely. 

      Finally it was Sunday, Yesica's birthday!! Emily got me up at 6:30, a rarity for me, because we were having cake and popcorn for breakfast. Nommm. After eating they saw how tired I was and encouraged me to go back to bed. Can't fight that. After going to bed for another two hours got up, went to town to explore, then came back in time for an oatmealy type lunch. The best part was after lunch when Julio asked if I wanted to run a quick errand up to the fields, although he wouldn't explain exactly what that included. Once we got there, it was clear. It was a beer delivery for the workers, of course. While that was happening, though,  he asked if I wanted to drive the moto. OF COURSE! Where did you learn how to drive a motorcycle? Oh, you know. The Sacred Valley. No big deal. It was going great for a while until I came to a nice, calm stop, but forgot to put feet on both side and toppled over. The Peruvian's in the fields started laughing at  me but it's ok because they called us over for a Chicha break. Score. 

     Came back in time for festivites to start, of Pisco Sours and traditional highland music. Partying from four to nine though really wears you out, so Emily and I were lame and called it an early night. 

      My final first day was wonderful because it echoed all my others. We worked with Julio in the garden early in the morning and throughout lunch time, then afterward I began watching The Lorax with Inti in Spanish. I hadn't seen it and I feel like it fitted my travels here, being kind and thankful to the environment and all. We watched Oblivion afterwards, very confusing I must say with fast Spanish, but still good all in all. After the movie Julio gifted me a traditional Peruvian hat and his Che Guevara diary in Spanish. I started crying. I'm going to miss him and my family so much. I would say the night just kept getting better, but I'd be lying. 

      Second round of food poisoning. Hoorrayyy!!! At three thirty in the morning, after ridding my body of basically everything, Juana found me hunched over outside of the bathroom and proceed to ask, "Mami, no estas bien?" No. No estoy bein. She made me some manzanilla tea and Emily, who I had accidentally woken up in the process, schooled me in the art of Cipro. What a wonderful drug. I woke up refreshed, a little dehydrated, and ready to go! 

      On my last day after saying teary goodbyes, and visiting Inti at his preschool to say goodbye, Julio and I were off to Cuzco! Arrived in Cuzco, got a taxi to the hostel, Julio dropped me off which was the sweetest thing, and I was on my own! Had a quesadilla to celebrate for I hadn't eaten that day, and hadn't eaten mexican in a while which was needed, then traversed the city for about an hour, looking at shops and taking pictures. It was wonderful being on my own for the first time in a month. Not that I don't love Emily or my family, but there is something about discovering yourself in a foreign country. I also got some homemade icecream, which was bangin, so it was a successful outing. 

      Once I got back I encountered Margaret and then an hour later Jaclyn and Maya arrived. We screamed and hugged like we just got a bid from the sorority we wanted. It was beautiful. I missed them dearly. Even though we have technically only known each other for ten days now, they really are my family and sisters. After the initial excitement of freaking out and telling stories, we met some sisters from Cali and a another group for Cali and we all went out to dinner. Our group, and the Cali girls, went to eat at this delicious vegetarian restaurant where I purchased a veggie burger. Long awaited. After dinner we went to bed early though for we had a 5:30 wake-up call. 

      And now I FINALLY bring you to today. Like I said, got up SUPER early this morning to catch our train to Machu Picchu!! The train ride was pretty nice, playing Andean techno music, and I made a dutch friend who didn't speak a lick of Spanish. It was interesting. Arrived in Aguas Calientes, dropped our stuff at the hostel, then explored the little town. Got some bananas, peanuts, oranges, bread and avocados for lunch/future dinner along with some lentils. We found some shade and finally relaxed, taking in all the sites, then did a pre-hike to prepare for tomorrow. I can't convey how excited I am for tomorrow. It really is a dream come true to visit Machu Picchu. Even driving in here I was getting cold chills. I will update soon, hopefully even tomorrow, about how everything went!

Besos! 

She doesnt speak good English

      Hello everyone!! How are you? If you´re reading this than you must care about me a little bit and in that case I miss you dearly! So much has happened since the last time we´ve talked! Where to begin, where to begin.

      Monday, Emily and I got up at the early hour of 6 am to go on an adventure! Julio´s friend is a professor and is part of the program PorEso (http://www.poreso.org/POR_ESO%21/HOME_POR_ESO.html),  which goes to rural communities high up in the Andes, who have barely any professors, and teaches once a week to fifth and sixth graders the importance of farming. They have this little oasis of a garden and greenhouse, which the students get to work on and harvest. A lot of the food actually goes to the student’s family which is really nice. Ive never seen kids fight over peppers and carrots the way these did. I also saw a kid stuff a whole head of lettuce into his backpack which was a site.

      After visiting with the students we had a little afternoon break where I decided to play volleyball with all of the professors. They take volleyball very seriously down here in Peru. I was singled out because I was so bad, but we still won! That night we then played B.S. aka bullshit with the teachers, a card game for those that don’t know it, and I won 20 cents. They loved it and it was fun yelling LIES in different languages across the table. That night Emily and I shared a children’s bed of a friend of Juan’s, the same place we had lunch and dinner and the same place I got to hold their baby pig. I was so excited. Only downside of that night was when their creepy dog who nearly bit me creeped into the room and made a bed out of bales of hay that were inside. I don’t really like getting stared down by angry dogs.

      The next day was an early start, our breakfast being of rice, onions and potatoes. We hopped on the motos and hit three towns during the day that Juan needed to visit. It was wonderful visiting all of the little kids, all of which schooled me in soccer. Although I am bigger, they are much faster. I find it so great what Juans doing and loved being able to tag along with him. We finally made it down the mountain midday and stopped on the side of the road for a picnic of granadillas, oranges, pan, crackers and jam that I brought with me from the mountains. Afterwards Emily and I hopped of in Pisac to explore and check on the scene for we knew we would be returning.

      Wednesday and Thursday were pretty mundane in the life of Emily and I. Don´t get me wrong, they were amazing, but nothing like the week of fiestas that we had. Yesterday Emily and I harvested some more lettuce seeds, which is a painstaking process, but we made it fun by singing songs that both of us knew. The Beatles and The Head and the Heart were very popular. We also double dug some more beds right after we weeded them. There is something very therapeutic about tearing out bad plants in a bed you´re trying to protect. At night Juana made some amazing spaghetti, my favorite meal from home that she makes, and we all watched The Motorcycle Diaries. If you haven´t seen it, you should. It´s incredible.

      Friday was even more chill than the day before. I got up at the early hour of 7:30, early for me but late for Emily who gets up at six and goes for a run. She´s amazing and I hate her for it. Kidding! Really though, she is amazing and I wish I could do that every morning and still be as wonderful and smiley as she is throughout the day. I decided to get up early because I needed to go into town and buy a calling card for I had run out of minutes and today is my dad’s birthday! He´s left on a plane at 2:22 so I had to catch him before he left. Emily had to send some letters so she tagged along and we took the 3 km walk to town. Everything was wonderful until we had to actually find the calling card. No one, not even the police, knew where to buy one. We were finally successful after about an hour and headed home. Before lunch we collected some Huacatay seeds with Julio, while talking about the death penalty and our views of life. I then took a shower, my first in more days than I’d like to reveal, and did some laundry.

      Now the fun really begins! Emily and I decided that we were going to have a little weekend adventure/getaway, amiga amiga on our own! Got up around 7:30 on Saturday morning, packed, had a quick breakfast, and were off! We decided, on Yesicas suggestions, to buy these 2 day passes to visit 4 archaeological sites for they were cheaper than buying passes at each location. The first stop was Pisac, by far my favorite, even though it was the hardest. Instead of doing like all of the other gringos do, Emily and I decided NOT to take a taxi to the top and walk down, but instead hike ALL the way up then loop back down. My camera does this thing where when it takes pictures it will take a clip so that there will be a little movie slideshow of all that happened during the day. The lovely background music for all of those pictures that morning? My wheezing/panting. The ruins were AMAZING though and really worth it, being able to see an old watch tower and old agriculture fields. Emily and I, or at least I felt, pretty badass doing the whole hike and decided to reward ourselves by spending some time at the market at the base of Pisac.

      We wandered around for a while looking at all the beautiful artesian work wanting to buy everything. The perusing was priceless though for Emily started talking with a llama-yarn dealer for a while and he asked her for a favor. He wanted to know how to say molestar in English. Emily said that it was to annoy and NOT to say molest for it is far more serious in English. When she asked why he needed this specific translation he merely said that he had a problem with this girl that didn’t really speak Spanish. Priceless. After Emily’s funny encounter we dined on granadillas and an avocado for lunch, along with crackers and nuts, and hoped on the bus for Urubamba!

      On the way there we made a friend, Elio, for I wanted to make sure that we were all set on transportation to go to Moray which was next. He was from Chinchero and was wonderful in directing us in the confusement that is Peruvian transport. He also asked if we had boyfriends and maybe wanted to meet up the next day. We politely declined. Once at Moray, or second archaeological site of the day, we met this lovely Australian couple and decided to share a taxi with them. On the way the husband asked us if we knew the significance of the rainbow flag down here, which is the flag for Cuzco. We explained such to him and he said ¨Ohhhh. We were at the top of Machu Picchu and saw that there and were like WOAH they are really big in to gay pride. How awesome!¨ Although that would have been awesome, we had to direct him to the right meaning.

      Moray was also at the top of my list of amazing places. Its circular irrigation on a massive scale that the Incans perfected. I’ve decided the Incans are also pretty badass when it comes to about everything. Emily and I walked around and relaxed after our long day and took it all in. Afterward we headed to Urubamba where our Hostel was waiting!

      The hostel that we stayed at is run by Javier, a native Peruvian and all around hippie. It was only 10 soles a night and the idea was that while at the hostel you could help garden and work. The idea of it was community. Sadly, Emily and I got in late and were the only ones staying so we only got to visit with Javier for a short while. While we made dinner of lentils and onions he played on his guitar and sang beautiful music. He also had paintings all around the house, all his, and he kept asking me what I thought of them. His mood and the atmosphere of the place was very surreal and magic. Oh yeah, and there was a hot shower. After our full day Emily and I retired pretty early to our little house, the bottom floor consisting of a mattress sitting area with pillows, a lantern, and books about permaculture, women, and sex, while the upstairs was lofted and had two mattresses for us to sleep on. It was like being in an adult tree house having to climb a ladder to our beds. I loved it.

      Being way too excited to start our final day of adventuring Emily and I got up around 7:30, left a note for Javier thanking him for everything, and were off again! We went into town for the local market and dined on street tamales and strawberry yogurt for breakfast. It was lovely. We then walked back to the bus station and hoped on the bus for Chinchero! Chinchero is also another archaeological site with some Spanish influence for there is a church also built on the site. We walked around the ruins and listened to morning prayers over the loud speaker, then wandered down to the market before you enter the site to peruse for gifts. I didn’t end up getting anything and instead decided to save my money for some lunch that was not vegetables or fruit. It was so worth it. We found this little local joint where I dined on spaghetti and potatoes in this peanuty sauce. When I asked how much it was and found out it was only 3 soles, I WAS SO EXCITED, I got a second helping. I was definitely a happy camper.

      What I wasn’t a happy camper about though? The typical cramped bus ride back to Urubamba where I stood the whole way for an hour. Fun times. We were the only gringas on the bus though so I feel like we at least got a little bit of street cred. After the bus ride though we were ready for the last part of our trek: Ollantaytambo! We were happy to actually get seating room on the taxi ride there, and even more happy that we got ice cream right when we got there. We had been craving it all day.

      This place was a lot busier than the other sites that we had seen so we decided to try and make our own path to the top, of course the hardest. After about a million stairs that was basically a long ladder we got to the top and were able to look over the beautiful city. We walked through these impressive ruins too that dangled on the side of a mountain, and I somehow ended up posing with a Peruvian woman’s husband for a picture. They asked, I don’t know why, and I thought why not. After a while exploring we walked back down, back through the markets, and wandered around the forgotten streets of Ollantaytambo. Once it hit 4 we realized we better make our way back to Calca, and took our last taxi ride back to Urubamba.

      The bus ride to Calca was uneventful, a first in our adventure, except that I made a Peruvian friend who was a tour guide who not only wanted to take us out to dinner, but also wanted me to come on his camping tour. Thanks, but no thanks. He did give me his train ticket though from earlier that day with his name on it just in case I decided to contact him. Really sweet, but sadly not going to be used. We came back to Calca without any electricity and dined on arroz con leche by candlelight. The electricity came on right before bed though so Emily and I did some light reading and made a few phone calls.

      Now I bring you to today! After such a crazy adventure we took it pretty slowly, double digging some beds and watering some little baby seeds and plants. We watched Independence Day celebrations throughout the day and then went into town, exactly where you find me now. I will try and post more frequently so that these blogs aren’t so long winded. I also did not read over this so sorry if it is a little confusing. Thank you for staying along and will post soon!

Besos!

Calca, Cuzco, Caramba

      Hello everyone!!! I´m backkkkkk. Sorry it has been so long. It´s been very hard to get internet in Cuzco. Oh yeah, I´m in Cuzco!! Actually, Calca, in the sacred valley, but Cuzco is the nearest known town. I don´t even know where to begin on all of my crazy adventures over the past week plus. So if I start to ramble, and things might not go in correct order, please excuse. Also, I hope to add some pictures to this post once I´m back in Lima in 2 weeks time!
      So Emily and I arrived 2 Thursdays ago at Yesica´s home in Calca. There to greet us was her brother Julio, her sister Edi, her mother Juana, and her son Inti. Also there to great us were 4 dogs, 4 ducks, 2 pigs (one of which became a meal later on during the week), guinea pigs, rabbits and lets not forget chickens. My least favorite farm animal. The beauty of the chickens? First, the rooster has an odd sense of time and can´t for the life of him get the whole ¨when the sun comes up I should crow¨ and instead does it all throughout the hours of the day. Second to this is that one of the windows to my room is open to a ramp that goes behind the house, one in which the chickens and other farm folk love to travel throughout the day. The cat did this one day for I opened up my chest of drawers to get ready for the morning and it jumped out at me. Good morning and let me scare the crap out of you!!!, thinks the cat.
      Anyways, the first weekend Emily, Julio and I ventured to Cuzco for we only saw it for a couple of minutes in passing. What a busy, lovely city! It´s also full of tourists, which is nice for you almost feel a somewhat common ground with them in this different, beautiful world. We went to a lot of artisan booths and toured the city, Juilo showing us a lot of old architecture while locals were selling little llama keychains or were walking around with goats and traditional wear for tourists to pose with. It was also a lovely lunch for I caved and got some french fries and grilled cheese. I needed a little bit of something fried. I´m from the South, aren´t I? We went back late in the afternoon and had a homecooked dinner by Juana. I´m actually very fortunate for all of our meals are homecooked hear and they are amazing.
      Can´t really recall what we did on Sunday, but on Monday we traveled with Yesica to a very rural community high in the mountains to talk with them about bioentensive agriculture and about how their crops are doing. It started in the house of the leader of the agriculture group where his wife served us hot mate de coca, or hot tea which cocaine leaves had been soaking in. It really helps with altitude and doesn´t get you high for those that think it does! We then walked around the fields for an hour or two with Yesica in the cold rain when finally the group called off the meeting BECAUSE of the rain. Oh, well. We all loaded into a first taxi, which had two sheep in the back. You know, the usual. Then for some reason we loaded into another taxi because we couldn´t find the first taxista. This taxi, all said and done, had 13 people in it when it should have only had 5. This is the only instance where I feel YOLO is appropriate.
      With our day short I then watced Ice Age 2 and 3 and Shreck 1 with Inti. All the DVDs here are really nice for all of the Ice Age movies or all of the Shrek movies come on one DVD. Very convenient. Juana laso made us arroz con leche which was amazing and comforting after a long, cold day. I think it was the slowness of that day that set the mood for the business of the next couple.
      I forgot exactly what the festival was for, so I will have to get back to you on that, but there was a three day local festival that happened in Calca. It was a little ridiculous to say the least. Before the festivities at night, Emily, Juilo, Inti and the crew planted to fields of corn with some cerveza/chicha break. Chicha is another alcoholic drink made from corn. This is one thing I love about this country. There is always time for a drink. Then that night we went to the fiesta! It consisted of lots of traditional dancing, music, food and anything you can imagine. It was at this big hacienda and everyone from town was there. More exciting stuff happened the next night though.
      The next day was also pretty mundane. Emily and I harvested lettuce seeds and sunflower seeds in the morning on our little doorstep. Music was playing and all of a sudden, in the middle of a small town, in the middle of Peru, Coldplay started playing. Come to find out Julio is a big fan of that type of music. That said, I played some Angus and Juila Stone and some Miike Snow for him, him liking the first one better. It was a perfect scene of being outdoors, listening to music and saving seeds. While this was going on, Juana had been busy preparing a meal for the dancers for that nights fiesta. Members in the community take turns throughout, so Juana was up early that morning killing chickens and killing rabbits. She´s a bit of a beast. She also made this cornbread-type thing filled with vegetables which is so far my favorite thing in Peru. Not my Nannies cornbread, but a very good rendition.
      After all of the cooking, Emily, Inti and I arrived at the festival a little earlier than the night before. We sat around and greeted the children we had played hand games with the night before. They were fascinated with my camera so a lot of me-with-some child selfies insued. Emily and I also explored the inside of the hacienda, which we actually weren´t supposed to, and got some good pictures before we were actually, politely asked to leave. I like that when they kick you out of places here, it´s with a smile. Once it got dark, it was dancing time! When you party down here, you party. Everyone was drinking, even my host grandma, and everyone was having a good time. Laughing, eating and making new friends. Emily and I even got dragged into one of the traditional dances and were swung around my complete strangers. A lot of dancing with elders too. I love that they are so loving and accepting here. Everyone slept in that morning after, except me and Emily though! We decided it would be a good idea to climb a mountian after a night of partying. We aren´t the best decision makers.
      We got up at 6:30 the next morning and climbed the beast of the mountain behind our house. Good times. The altitude and out of shapeness got to me early so it was a slow go. Julio did come eventually with his moto and was going to take turns taking us to the top. While he was taking Emily to the top, Murphy´s law rang true. The moto broke. When anything can go wrong, it will. After about 3 hours climbing we finally reached the top and what a view! I wish I could share it with you right now. At the top are ancient Incan ruins whose name translates to ¨Old Cuzco¨. They were a site to see and perfect for we were the only ones there. I suppose others were deterred from the mountain, but not us! We conqured it! After we climbed down the day was mundane again, and we hung around the house planting and digging. Actually, it was mundane until the dancers from the fiest from the past couple of days showed up at the house, them going door to door for one last celebration. More dancing and shenanigans ensued at 2 in the afternoon. Oh yeah, and shots. Can´t forget that. I´m telling you, partying is serious here.
      Friday consisted of the same thing minus the partying. Emily and I double dug some beds and planted onions and other vegetables throughout them. It is wonderful to be in the dirt all day, the soil crushed between your hands and toes while you tell funny stories. I think Emily and I now know more about each other than we probably should but that´s alright. We then went into town later in the afternoon to check emails and talk with family.I promise, we are almost done with this post. So much to say!!!
      Saturday, Emily, Edi and I ventured to Lares which is about 2.5 hours away to go to the thermal baths. It was one of the best days for I hadn´t showered in more days than I wish to reveal. The baths were lovely and soothing and I finally met someone in Peru from the South! Yes, it wasn´t North Carolina and instead Georgia, but he knew what boiled peanuts were and where Asheville was so I was happy. After our eventful day we returned home and watched ¨3 Meters Above the Sky¨, a Spanish movie, with the family, and we called it a night.
      And so I bring you to today! We helped water some corn fields of the family early in the morning and Juana, love her, brought us some lunch out in the fields of lentils and rice and fresh lettuce. It was beautiful having a little picnic today in the sacred valley with our small little family. After work Emily and I washed long overdue clothes and then came to town. This is where you find me now!
      Now because this blog is so long, and because I am pushed for time, I will apologize and say I am not going to read through this. Some of the stuff may not make sense, and many things will not be spelled right, but thankyou for those that held on for this long. Till next time!!!

Besos :)

Lima's gone, but not forgotten

      Last day in Lima! Yes, I'll be back in a month, but I'll miss it so! This hostel has become my home, while the people working here as well as the other stewards have become my family. We will go our separate ways for a month, but we'll see each other soon!
      The last day was pretty uneventful, a very chill one to get our thoughts in order and stuff together. Maya, Margaret and I decided to go on an artisan adventure where I ended up purchasing a beautiful hand-crafted ring of a turquoise type origin. Maya, on the otherhand, purchased a baby-alpaca sweater. No animals were harmed in the making though. Hopefully.
      Midday, though, was the best part of the day. My first motorcycle ride. Don't tell mom! (But really, hey mom. Know you're reading this too.) Juan, one of the hostel leader/owner/people over here took me down to the beach, only about 5 blocks away on his motorcycle. I'm addicted now! Seeing the city on the back of a bike is amazing, and so much fun!! I may have to get one of my own now. Once we got back though, things took a turn for the worst. Sancho is lost! Everybody, please cross your fingers for him. Some not so nice surfers tried to capture him and he ran away. He's a tough street dog though.
       Tonight we had a final dinner at a Krishna restaurant where I actually had a veggie burger and fries. I know, very American. But hey, I don't know my food situtaiton for the next month so I was just planning. And for dessert? Pisco sours! Its a mix of lime, egg white and sugar. I guess the only way I like egg is in my alchohol! They were really good though as everyone made a sample.
      It is really sad/exciting to be leaving. I'm sad to leave all my new friends, but so excited to make new ones! So excited for everything I'm about to learn, not only about agriculture but about myself. With a month without much access to internet I'll be absent but DON"T WORRY READERS. I'll be back soon with many stories of llama adventures and Incan ruins.

Besos!

Bonus pic of Emily sleeping over our many readings. Very interesting, but very long! 

Cultiva Lima!

      Another day, another dulce. Today we experienced another sweet treat, not only by new experiences but by literal sweets.
      The day started off as wonderful as it did yesterday, all 9 of us squeezing into a car that should only fit 6. It's ok though, we all love each other and don't mind invasion of personal space. We first headed to the Spanish Cultural Center that is funded by the Spanish embassy. There, Tete does some little seed and plant demonstrations to inspire people to plant gardens at their homes. Tete's baby, Cultiva Lima, does a lot of great work and this is one of the many examples. Want to know more about Cultiva Lima? Of course you do!!! So here is this --> https://www.facebook.com/CultivaLima
      After our stay at the cultural center, the gang ventured to a nearby girls reformatory where Cultiva Lima is also helping out. This reformatory is a juvy/orphanage for girls who are just trying to get by. To help inspire them, Cultiva Lima is working with the reformatory so the girls have something hands on to do that is both rewarding and educational. One can learn a lot from growing a garden, not only physically but emotionally. They also have guinea pigs around as little pets for now but, who knows, maybe they may be eaten one day. 
     For lunch we went to a little cafe and dined on tamales, sprouts, tomatoes, avocado, bread and a hot peruvian drink that reminded me a lot of hot chocolate. Very sweet, and VERY good. We also had some coco ice cream that was TO DIE FOR. Jaclyn can attest. She couldn't handle it. 
      And now we are back where we've ended so many nights. Since we are leaving in only two short days, we are taking it pretty easy. 

As always, besos!