Amantani Island - Lake Titicaca

Our visit to Lake Titicaca included a morning walking around Taquile Island and then an overnight stay on Amantani Island.

Strolling up from the dock on Taquile Island.  It was a glorious
day and all of the views were stunning!

We were not sure what we were getting into when we agreed to stay with a family on Amantani Island but were assured by several people that it would be a wonderful experience - and it was!!

Here we are with Clara, our Mama for the time we were on Amantani Island.  She is wearing the

traditional clothing worn by the women of the island.

We were dressed up in the traditional clothing and taken to a dance at the community hall that evening.

Chloe and Paul were out on the dance floor groovin' to the Peruvian rhythm, learning how to dance in a traditional Peruvian fashion.  I was very proud!

Clara in the kitchen with her two children: Mario (5 years old) and Jimmy (9 years old).  We had a lot of fun playing soccer and frisby with them.  Paul even tried to teach them how to juggle!  We ate a LOT of potatoes during our short stay.  I don't think we've touched a potato since!!

In the morning we hiked up to one of the two temples located on the top of the island.  We had an amazing view and, after walking around the temple 3 times, were allowed to make 1 wish (if you make too many wishes, they will not be granted).

Amantani Island was a fantastic experience for all of us.  It was really great to have a small glimpse into the lives of one group of people in Peru.  Although this was a typical stop on the tourist route, it did not feel as though the tourists have harmed their society.  Their way of life has certainly been changed by tourism but it didn't feel as though their culture had been tarnished.  

In her most recent blog post, Chloe has shared a small glimpse into the negative effects of tourism that we saw on the floating islands of Uros - high pressure sales, songs that do not reflect their culture (as with the child singing twinkle, twinkle little star) and the send off of "Hasta la vista bebe" as we sailed off on a traditional reed boat that ended up being pushed by a motorized dingy.

 Peruvians are truly an amazing people - they are friendly, hard working, grateful for what they have and very welcoming.  This short visit was yet another demonstration of the amazing Peruvian culture!

There is more to Peru than Machu Pichu

5 unforgettable things about the Inca trail and Machu Pichu-

5 hours of unforgettable up

4000 well remembered stars from the first campsite

3 sleepless nights in a tent

2 hands gripping onto a bush

1 well used, ripped and tattered poncho

In Cusco we had guinea pig and it was gross!!! We had guinea pig because it is a specialty in Peru. We drove 40 minutes to get there and it was a hole in the wall run down place. One of the things that got my dad thru it was beer.

In Ica we went sandboarding but the crazy part of it was the drive to get there. The more we screamed the faster he would go and the more hills and bumps he would go over. The sandboarding was fun. On one of the hills you could get up to 80 km per hour. WOW!

The Colca Canyon near Arequipa was very cool because of the condors in it. The condors have the second biggest wingspan of all the birds in the world. And the hot springs in the Canyon were way better than the ones in Banff.

lake Titicaca was very fun. We stayed with a family on one of the none floating islands with a family. The floating islands of Uros were cool but they were very touristy and you could notice it. I know that Amantani Island where we stayed was touristy but it didn't feel like it. Plus we took the "traditional" reed boat between two islands in Uros. We were going so slowly that a speed boat had to push the reed boat. (Not so traditional.)

The Inca Trial

Five years thinking about it.

Four days trekking an estimated 45 kilometers climbing from 2600 to over 4200 meters (the apex of Dead Woman's Pass) and then back down again.

Three (occasionally rainy) nights spent in tents.

Two very well-used rain ponchos.

One unforgettable arrival in the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu.

I have never been more proud of my daughter.

A Little Organization called Peru's Challenge

  Peru's Challenge (http://www.peruschallenge.com/) is an organization founded by Australian Jane Gavel and Peruvian Selvy Ugaz. They were in their early 20s when they met and fell in love in Cusco.  At just 22 and 23 years of age, they had a vision of how they could help some of the poorer communities high in the hills above Cusco.

A rare moment - Jane and Selvy  sitting down together at Pumamarca

Their vision has resulted in an organization that has been very successful in working with several communities in the area.  They do not give handouts and they have some very strict rules when they "adopt" a community.  They will work with a community a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 6 (the community of Pumamarca where we've been working is just heading into it's 6th year and so everyone is in the process of preparing for the new reality of life without the support of Peru's Challenge).

The community decides (with the help of Peru's Challenge) what it needs and how the organization can help.  The community is then in charge of providing some portion (be it materials or labour) of the project with Peru's Challenge supplementing where it makes the most sense.  For example, when we arrived we were told that we would be helping to build a fourth greenhouse up at the school.  As the weeks wore on, however, the greenhouse site remained unchanged.   We soon learned that the community had been unable to make enough adobe bricks that they were meant to provide for the project.  Another meeting was held just last week and everyone decided that indeed a green house was very important and if they could quickly make enough adobe bricks, there may be time before the rainy season really kicks in to build the greenhouse (with the help of the volunteers).

In the picture below notice the site for the new greenhouse on the left and on the right, the most recent greenhouse that had no roof when we arrived. (it does now!!)

We were able to help put the roof back on one of

the greenhouses!

Many of the projects undertaken by Peru's Challenge focus on the schools and the children in the communities. Although this is a starting place, they realized early on that they must support the whole community in order  for the children to thrive.  In the community of Pumamarca, for example, every house now has water and electricity and there are several large greenhouses for blocks of families that not only enable them to provide food for their families but also support their ability to sell food and flowers in the local markets.  Peru's Challenge also employs a social worker who supports the families in their struggles against poverty, alchohol and domestic abuse.  They track the health of the kids and provide medication, vitamins and most recently had all the kids eyesite checked and provided glasses for those who needed them.  In addition, they have started a woman's group (Talleries) that has provided the women in the communities with skills, confidence and the ability to supplement their family income.

The women in the community of
Quilla Huata working on art and
crafts in their weekly Tallaries class.

The results of their work in Tallaries are on display at the
Pumamarca school site where volunteers and tour groups
come up to purchase some items and tour the school.

As you may surmise, I am incredibly impressed by this organization and both Jane and Selvy.  Those of you who know me well know that I am not one to idolize people and I rarely become "star-struck",....  I think I'm in love!  They are down-to-earth, kind, fun and incredibly dedicated individuals who, by the way, are also raising a lovely little boy Tomasito!  Amazing!!

A fellow volunteer and new friend of ours has 2 very detailed and well written postings on her blog if you're interested in more information about Peru's Challenge: 

http://freindinfarplaces.posterous.com/69140246

http://freindinfarplaces.posterous.com/69912164

The grade 1/2 class, with the help of the director of the school, greeted us
with a song on our first visit to Pumamarca.

              

It's all a big museum

As some of you may know, I had a hard time getting my family to feel joyful about going to a museum or fort when we were on our cross Canada tour.  They did join me but they weren't necessarily happy about it.  They were impressed with our last tour at Fort Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia (it was mostly outdoors and people in period costumes would walk around and answer any questions and offer information).

Chloe at Saqsayhuamain

Selvy explaining how the royalty
would sit on this stone throne in Q'enqo for
celebrations and offerings, etc.

I now realize that the trick is to arrive in a location where everything around us has great historical significance, is outside and is inspiring in some way.  On our first weekend in Cusco we toured around some local ruins with Selvy, one of the founders of Peru's Challenge.

This stone casts a shadow of a puma
on June 21st (winter solstice, a very
important date in the Inca tradition)

Looking down at Plaza de Armas, the main square in Cusco,
from Saqsayhuamain ( pronounced somewhat like sexy woman)

This last weekend, as Chloe has already explained, we were in the Sacred Valley visiting various towns and ruins.  At each site we visit we all shake our heads in wonder as we contemplate not only how the Incas built the temples with such clean lines and close fitting stones, but also how they got those huge stones (which were often from a quarry at a different site) to the top of the mountain!!  Everything we're seeing is truly awe-inspiring.

water system at the top of
the Pisac Ruins

The shape of the "windows"
help make the ruins seismically
sound (no upgrades needed here!)

This coming Friday we will begin our hike up to Machu Pichu, along the Inca Trail.  We think we're prepared for the cold nights with our alpaca hats, socks and gloves.  We'll see how well we do physically, especially on day 2 of the trek which we've been told is the most difficult day (up to Dead Woman's Pass or Abra de Huarmihuañusca at 4,200m).

Wish us luck!

The Sacred Valley

The sacred valley is called the sacred valley because the river makes the ground wet and plants can grow really well.

We got in the bus around 10:00 Saturday morning and drove about an hour to our first stop in Chinchero. It was a big town around a church. We saw a demonstration of how they dyed the wool the "all natural" way.

Then we went to the second place called Ollantaytambo. It was a place where the messengers could stop to sleep. When we were there we climbed at least 200 steps to the top. Then to get to the bottom we went down a steep trail.

After that we drove to the hotel in Pisac and rested. On Sunday morning we went to the Pisac ruins. It was really cool but it was windy and rainy the whole time and me and my dad were wearing shorts!!!

After that we went to the Pisac Market. It was really cool because of all the stuff there!!! The market was huge and there were blankets stalls, music stores, clothing (happy pants), jewelry stores and much more. I loved my weekend!

Hello Cusco

One of the side-effects of getting adjusted to the high altitude of Cusco and our new existence as volunteer's with Peru's Challenge is that our blog entries have been a little sporadic.

It has been a very cool week. We got here and almost immediately got impacted by the high altitude and also by a stomach bug that we think Heather picked up in Lima. Almost as soon as we got off the plane we (well, at least Heather and I - apparently kids are immune) started to feel the effects. Thankfully we seem to be somewhat adjusted now.

Once we arrived we were met by the Peru's Challenge team and taken to our home base in Cusco where we met the other volunteers. There are people here from the USA, South Africa, and Sweden, including a two-year old boy.

We received our orientation trip to the community where we will be volunteering on last Friday. It is amazing what the Peru's Challenge team has been able to accomplish here. Our focus will be on doing some teaching and completing construction of the local greenhouses, as well as assisting with the local woman's craft market and even doing some house visits with the local social workers.

Here's a look at the greenhouse (before we started on it) and the school area:

Saturday we had a trip into the centre of Cusco and a visit to the local black market. Unbelievable. Like a giant maze filled with people selling anything. A couple of times Chloe and I had to turn back as we were sure we would lose our bearings if we went deeper in. Here's a sample of movies that were available (note the titles)

Sunday had us horse-riding to explore some Inca ruins in Cusco.

One of the things we learned was the significance of various animals to the Inca people, and how they paid tribute to those creatures in their temples. Here's Chloe at the head of the snake and me at the tail.

We are definately not in Kansas anymore

Booked our first stop

When we first started putting the idea of this trip together (4 years ago), I have had the dream of including some sort of volunteering in the mix. I believe I have found the right fit with Peru's Challenge (http://www.peruschallenge.com/). We are in the midst of filling in forms, getting our references checked and having phone interviews.