Week 4- A Month, Already?
It’s crazy to think that I have been living in Peru for a month. Time has absolutely flown by and the trip home is creeping up on me! It’s funny how, as I write this, my brain is trying to figure out how I would say everything in Spanish. It’s like I am experiencing each thought twice, first in English, la segunda en español. The language clicks a bit more each day, though I recognize there will seemingly always be more to learn.
Speaking of continuously learning, a lot of learning happened this past week as we visited Cusco and Machu Picchu. This region of Peru is mountainous and the change in altitude is nothing to joke about. I heard about altitude sickness before the trip and wasn’t worried. They warn you to take deep breaths and walk slowly. I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about until I got there. I didn’t get sick like a few of my classmates, but I could definitely feel a difference. It’s customary to drink Coca tea, chew on leaves, or eat a small Coca candy to help. The airport even offers leaves as soon as you get off the plane.
So that was my first ‘first’ of the weekend. I sampled some Coca leaves and then tea to fight off the weird feeling from the change in altitude. They call Coca an ‘energizer’ and sipping the tea feels like drinking a mountain dew or some other heavily caffeinated drink. It honestly did help the weirdly drowsy feeling from being more than 11000 ft up a mountain.
The second ‘first’ was feeding a llama. As we weaved through the mountain side we stopped at a small tourist trap where you could observe traditional weaving, feed llamas (which are actually pronounced ‘yamas’ according to Peruvians), visit a small museum, and purchase hand made souvenirs. I was handed a grassy looking plant and the llamas behind the fence seemed to immediately size me up. I was a little nervous to be so close to them and their teeth that suddenly seemed large and clamp like, but after the first few pieces of grass were gone I calmed down and talked to them as they ate.
After the llamas were fed, it was our turn to eat next and we traveled further down the mountain for a traditional Peruvian delicacy. In Peru, they eat Cuy- which is cooked Guinea Pig on a stick. They are really specific about what they feed the Guinea Pigs while they are being raised and how much water they can have. Too much water is said to make them too plump and affect the flavor. While I did try the dish, I am not sure how I felt about it. The texture was like French Dip- but the taste was like the smell of mowed grass. Nevertheless, I’ll be keeping that one handy for the next time Joe (my brother) tries to call me a picky eater. (Proof below, Broseph.)
The day ended with our arrival in the town of Ollantaytambo. The buildings there reminded me of something you would see in Europe, lots of stone, close together, and flowers creeping over gateways. The surroundings, however, were distinctly Peruvian. Mountains, people in traditional clothing, and even Incan Ruins lined the city and streets. The next morning we got the opportunity to explore some of those ruins by climbing one of the mountains to view the old granaries. It was the first mountain I ever hiked up and a great warm up for Machu Picchu!
(Sorry Mom and Dad- I climbed out on a lot of precarious ledges this past weekend- but I lived to talk about it so no harm done, right?)
That afternoon we packed up and headed to Machu Picchu Town and the next morning I was finally able to set eyes on one of the Seven Wonders of the World! The pictures at the top that everyone shows are rightfully triumphant and cool looking, but I thought I would also share what it looked like as I hiked up.
That’s me about half way up to the Sun Gate. Roughly 150/ 300 flights of stairs into the day and about 5 minutes after two very fit guys passed me and asked my friends if I was going to be okay. Hahaha- Second hike of my life, within a day of the first hike of my life- it may not have been pretty, but I am proud to have made it to the top.
The hike back down was a lot easier and only took a third of the time, surprisingly enough!
Though the views at Machu Picchu were hard to top, we still had a pretty great trip back through Ollantaytambo and into Cusco. Among other adventures, we got to stop at a local brewery (that won an award for being clean) and try traditional corn beer. While the plain corn flavor didn’t quite strike my fancy, there was also a version with added strawberries that I thought was pretty good!
As we waited for the corn beer explanation, we played a traditional yard game. The goal of the game was to get as many points as possible by throwing coins at a small night stand like table that had been modified with different cubby-holes. Each hole corresponded to a different amount a points, the frog’s mouth being the most. Once you had thrown all your coins, you pulled out the draw and the coins were organized in a jewelry chest-type of fashion, with each point amount labeled. I’m kind of hoping my dad will help me remake the game at home. (wink, wink if you’re reading this Dad (: )
Next thing you know we were back in the bus, stopped for lunch, and headed into Cusco once more. The next day involved a tour of the historic city center and a parade! I later learned from my host family that everyone wears masks in the parades as tradition, because-back when the Spanish were ruling- the parades were frowned upon because the celebrated traditional beliefs, meaning non-Christian beliefs. The indigenous people would wear masks so they could participate in their own culture and the Spanish wouldn’t look down upon them. It’s pretty incredible to see the mixture of Indigenous and Spanish traditions that mix in everything from the architecture to the parades!
That’s all I’ve got for now, two more posts and a few more adventures left!
