Peru Fragements Part III: Feeling Small in Peru

In the summer of 2014 I taught a short term study abroad to Peru. Here are the fragments (Part I can be found here, Part II can be found here).

One thing I love about traveling is how your whole life feels longer. Because you are experiencing something new the whole day long, it feels like every day is at least 2 days long. It's like life-extension.

Our fifth day we headed deeper into the Sacred Valley, towards the fortress of Ollantaytambo.
Besides the trip to Machu Picchu, this was my favorite part of our travels. I was in the Sacred Valley for almost six days, and I never tired of the sights, sounds or flavors of Peru. Wow, that reads like a commercial.

Our first stop was at a llama petting zoo (Awana Kancha)  set up specifically for bus loads of tourists to interact with and to feed the llamas, alpacas and vicunas.  It was great because we were the only group there (and we were a small group at that!) it was also perfectly scheduled as we spent maybe an hour here. It didn't feel like we were wasting any more time than we needed to.

One of these llamas spit in the face of my student F, and our guide said it was an "Andean Baptism". All in all, if you've gone all the way to Peru, you should feed and pet some llamas.

After another 40 minutes we made another stop just to take photos. At every decent vista, there were women in traditional grab selling tourist junk. We never once got sick of getting off our bus to take photos. For the first time in my life, I was actually making frequent use of the panoramic feature on my camera.

This is F with his back turned (I figured I wouldn't have to ask permission if his face wasn't shown). F would often go right up to edges of high places and do silly stuff like this, do the Karate Kid pose or if he was feeling energetic, head-stand. If I was going along as a friend, whatever, no big deal. However, being "in charge" makes you a little more nervous about being responsible for someone who might plummet to their death doing something stupid. Some where along the trip F started calling me "Dad" as I was the only one encouraging people to be careful. Oh, and everyone had a family name in the group for F too - so I wasn't the only one.

Next up was the market at Chinchero. It was standard tourist Peruvian stuff.  However, the prices were better than in Lima and Puno and in some cases Cuzco, so I stocked up. Still, I think the best place for typical stuff was in Cuzo in the big in-door market.  However, if you ever find yourself in Chinchero, treat yourself to some homemade bread or empanadas right out of the stone stove. So good.....

On the road again, we stopped to watch some locals roasting some cuy. I was feeling sick when we had it the first time and as you will learn in coming posts, I missed my other opportunity later in the trip as well. I did have a bite though....it was okay...kinda like chicken.

After a few hours of shopping (got some jewelry for my love along with other items for the fam) we made our way to Urubamba.

There's really no reason to go to Urubamba except for a few restaurants set up specifically for tourists passing through. It's an ugly city with an amazing backdrop.  We went to a nice restaurant with a buffet lunch surrounded by beautiful landscaping and gardens. Like a little piece of paradise in an industrialized zone.  Of course there was cliché live Peruvian music (El Condor Pasa MUST DIE....whenever we heard the song, everyone would look me and start laughing as they knew of my distaste for the song). The food was solid and the buffet allowed me to try things like alpaca (very much a cross between beef and a pork chop) that I hadn't had a chance up until this point.

Then, it was on to our final destination, Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo was one of the few places where the Incans defeated the Spanish.  The main attraction is a great (unfinished) Sun temple even though people mistake this structure for a fortress. This was our second taste of Incan ruins and it was pure sweetness. I'm a tactile person, so touching the actual rocks was an experience all on its own.  





The first leg up is a little challenging, depending on how in or out of shape you are because of the elevation. However, with the right pacing it's no biggie. Plus at each turn you can have a rest and turn around to appreciate the view (seen below).  

This was from about half way up, looking into town.  Ollantaytambo is a tiny little town. What you see is basically the whole thing.  You can see the trails to Pinkuylluna on the mountain on the left (more on that in another post).
 

This was at the top looking on the "back" side - away from town.  Only a little bit of green as it was winter in June in Peru. Next time I come back, I would love to take my wife in the "Summer" time and see everything with more color!
 

Better view of Pinkuylluna's ruins (center of picture). As I was looking over at the ruins (I had no idea what they were called or what I was looking at), I could see people hiking up the trail. They looked like little ants from where we were and I was jealous. As great as the temple was, they seemed isolated and it seemed like a more authentic experience than what I was having up until this point in the trip.  Little did I know I would be in their position the very next day.



Walking away from the "temple" to exit a different staircase down.  

My fellow professor and I decided to race down this staircase. It was totally stupid but fun. Oh yeah, I won. Incidentally, that's our guide on the left at bottom of the staircase.

After our visit it was time for us to head back to our hotel in Urubamba (about 30 minutes away). Our hotel was a former monastery and still has a church on site (although I don't think it's open to the public). It's quite beautiful (although after checking online - not that cheap either).

San Agustin Hotel, Urubamba

Urubamba really has little to no amenities after dark so that meant that we were eating at the hotel's restaurant. The food was okay but the restaurant itself was beautiful. This was a night where the wine was flowing just a little more than usual (although those under 21 didn't have a drop). Our meal was winding down but we wanted to continue the conversation.

I would like to think it was my idea but truthfully, I don't remember who came up with the idea first. We decided to ask if we could start a little campfire out behind the hotel so we could view the stars. It was a cold and clear night, perfect for star gazing. Even better we were in an area not inundated with light pollution.  They said we could star a campfire and showed what we could use for fuel (corn husks). We asked if we could take the last of our wine bottle and glasses and they also said yes by telling C that "this was our hotel". Wow.

Once we got to the back and had our fire up and going, we noticed that the hotel had very bright lighting for the back sidewalks, so we decided to ask if they could be shut off. Then it was show time for the universe. Surrounded by the Andes we sat and talked and above the mountains, the jaw dropping beauty of the Milky Way.

No, of course this isn't mine. All my photos looked like crap on every setting I could try.

For the first time in my memory that I could actually see the Milky Way in its full glory, as it was meant to be seen. Wine, a campfire and the most beautiful starry night I had ever seen. The only way to make this better had been if my wife had been with me.

This was one of those moments where you want time to stop. 

I've always loved looking up at the stars but in the big city  I've been reduced to staring at about a hundred stars (which on a clear night are still quite lovely).  Making matters worse, every time we go camping it's cloudy and I can't see any stars. I couldn't stop staring up at the countless stars about my head and then it hit me.

This night sky helps explain why the Andean people of  today and yesterday are so spiritual. It's was staring right at me. Being surrounded by this would create wonder and awe in your daily life. Wonder and awe are in many ways prerequisites for feeling "spiritual". Surrounded by the mountains and stars make you constantly aware of your own insignificance. Your smallness was made explicitly clear everywhere you looked.  I have a theory about this. If we are reminded of our place in the universe, it creates awe and fosters a sense of humility that we need to embrace more often. It was a wonderful night but there were more wonderful adventures to come....Part IV coming soon....

Disney Queries

Just got Ducktales Vol. 2 DVD for the kids because C has been loving the old Carl Barks Comics and sue me, I want my kids to like everything I do!!! So, here are my thoughts and queries about this strange, strange world.

Have you ever noticed that in old-school Disney comics, Donald Duck never wore pants and Mickey Mouse never wore a shirt?

That's inversion PERVERSION (but clever, Walt, very, very clever)

To top it off, Goofy was always FULLY CLOTHED.

What's odd about the whole Disney Cartoon Universe is that's it's mainly populated by dog-like people and ducks. We're watching DuckTales and there is the occasional pig in the background, or weasels (of course, they're bad guys) or different birds (like Gyro and Launchpad)  but it's mainly dog people and ducks. The dog people are kinda more like humans and less like dogs (their skin looks human). But the ducks are pretty duck-like. Where are the cats, sheep, goats and cows? Why limit yourself to dog people? 


Is this like an alternate earth where animals evolved and lost their animal aspects such as flight for the ducks and great hearing for the dogs? Wouldn't it be cool if it was a like a Planet of the Apes thing going on and they could retcon the whole universe to show the over-throw of man? (Hint: No).

Also what is very strange is that  the whole universe is segregated. You never see a mixed couple in the Disney animal world. RACISTS.

What's up with Donald's voice? It was a mistake made 70 years ago, just correct it already. People will moan about it but that's because most people are stupid. The voice is  horrible and hard to understand. It doesn't make any sense either, all the other ducks talk normal, so why doesn't he?
In the pilot of Ducktales, Launchpad asks, "why does he talk so weird?" which actually made me laugh.

Donald's like George Costanza of Seasons 7-9 of Seinfeld (when he become a caricature of the character --  in fact the whole show started to go downhill). He's a one-note character that is predictable and boring.WAIT A SECOND --

Mickey = Jerry = Every Man 
Goofy = Kramer  = Stupid Man (and both tall)
Donald = George = Angry Man 

HOLY POOP - Seinfeld is based off of Micky, Donald and Goofy.

 My mind is officially blown.

They actually work okay as a trio but the characterization in the comics by Gottfredson and Barks are so much more subtle and fun than we have ever seen in the cartoons. 

My daughter E asked if Mickey and Minnie were getting married. I told her they had been dating for 60 years so it was doubtful. I mean you know they're DOING IT, right? They can't hold out this long....

One last thing that bothers me is Huey, Dewey and Louie are STILL UNDEVELOPED characters after 60 or 70 years. Even the great Duck Man himself, Carl Barks was too lazy to try. They are just clones of each other that happen to finish each other's sentences. Can anyone address this? Wouldn't it be worthwhile?

Peru Fragments II: The Wonders of Cuzco

In the summer of 2014, I taught a short-term study abroad class in Peru. Here is part two of the Peru fragments (part one can be found here).

We arrived in Cuzco on a beautiful morning. Once we disembarked from the tiny little airport, old ladies were already selling coca leaves and coca candy. They say its supposed to help with the elevation sickness, but I think my students bought the coca leaves because it felt so rebellious. The hotel we were staying at provided coca tea for free right in the lobby. It has a smooth, subtle, earthy taste. I could feel the affects of the elevation about 20 minutes after landing. I had a headache and I felt slightly queasy. We stayed in the beautiful lobby, sipping our tea and chatting about what we wanted to do as this was a "free" day with no "official" activities planned. I think the tea helped ever so slightly and any help is better than no help. After a few minutes, we were ready to explore the city.

What can one say about Cuzco? It's beautiful, mystical, wondrous, amazing. Well, I guess I just said it, didn't I?  It's a city that makes you feel something. Maybe it's at altitude and being surrounded by the mountains, maybe the history buff in me was excited for being in the Incan capital or maybe it was something else altogether.  However, I find it unsurprising how many "New Age" hippies feel at home in Peru and especially in Cuzco. There's just a unique vibe to the city.



The sky says it all - our weather in Peru was as good as it could get. Sunny days, cool evenings and beautiful blue skies. This was in the Plaza de Armas looking back into town.

Our hotel was about a 25 minute walk to the Plaza de Armas and the road was a constant incline up into the heart of the city.  Most of us could already feel how the elevation effected our effort up the modest hill. All of us were short of breath and my heart felt as though I had been running rather than walking.  Thankfully, we stopped about halfway up to the plaza to grab a snack;  I had a tasty beef empanada, directly across from the beautiful Qurikancha.



Qurikancha. This was a massive church that was built upon an and equally massive Incan temple (you can see the black rocks are all the remain). It's an impressive sight and meant to show the dominance of the Spanish religion and culture over that of the native population. Time and time again, I would see the architecture "show" this fact but the culture today tells me otherwise. The native culture was changed, but in many ways it adapted rather than adopted Western culture and religion.

Although this was an "off" day, we really made the most of it. We explored, took pictures, and shopped in and around the plaza. We ate and early dinner looking out over the plaza - the food was okay but the view was worth it. June is "the month of Cuzco" so there were many celebrations and festivities to check out.

After dinner, we split up. Some students went back to the hotel to rest up for the evenings festivities while the rest of us went further past the plaza, walking further up the hills towards buildings that built on top of original Incan foundations and stones.



This is Hatun Rumiyoq street and it was great. Tiny sidewalks (maybe two feet across) going up the steep hill. Cars pass right alongside you while tourist shops and restaurants are on the other side. It's a steep climb, so we took quick visits as many of the shops. Some of them were quite high-scale, another hawked New Age rocks and the like.

 

A great example of the stone work and the integration of past and present.

 

 

Hey look, loyal readers, a rare picture of me on the blog. This is me next to the famed 12-sided rock on Hatun Rumiyoq.  It was pretty cool to touch it and know the history of this rock.  I know what you're thinking, "What's the big deal?" Go ahead, and imagine ancient people moving this stone up a hill and the craftsmanship involved in working it and fitting it around the other stones. Okay, see I told you it was pretty cool when you think of it that way, right?

 

It was nearing 9:00 and I was dead tired. I was still recovering from only having about 2.5 hours of sleep the night before.  So while everyone else was returning from the hotel to the plaza to listen to music and watch fireworks, I went back to the hotel early. It was nice to be alone. I took a shower, called the fam, read a little bit and went to sleep early, a little after 10:00.  I also managed to watch many of the festivities on the local television station anyway which included women dancing with the tinniest of bikinis in front of the church. Nice.

The next morning was very quiet. I was rooming with one of our students, F (as hippie as they come). He was getting his aura read and getting a massage from somewhere in the hotel (no, I'm not kidding).  Even C (my fellow instructor) was nowhere to be found, so I ate breakfast alone and caught a random parade that came by our hotel, as it was the "Week of Cuzco". It was colorful and loud. Sometimes the best moments in travel are the small, unexpected treats.

People think Cuzco is gay-friendly but this is just the Cuzco flag. It is pretty much everywhere in the city. The people of Cuzco are very proud of their city and its role in Incan history.  

We had time to grab an early lunch before our official tours of the day started. I was trying to be budget conscious and I had already had a big breakfast from the hotel for free, so I was a planning on skipping lunch.  We were inspired by F, our hippie student to try this vegan place Green Point in the heart of the city. It had great reviews, so the rest of the team was ready to try it. Then, I might have made a mistake of the day.  I munched on some raw carrots with hummus and I think this came back to haunt me later on. I also had a quinoa beer (eh, it was okay).

Near the Plaza De Armas - looked like a sweet place to grab a beer. Alas, it wasn't to be.

 

We walked back to the hotel and meet up with our agency to begin our official tour in and around the city. We started with the Saksaywaman fortress. It was incredible, please understand the photos just can not do it justice. First, we took a ride up to the mountain just out of town, to Saksaywaman.  Upon arrival, I chewed on some coca leaves as I was feeling a little more light-headed.

Saksaywaman overlooked the city proper and was being prepped for the big celebration, the Inti Raymi, the Festival of the Sun, that was to be in a few days.

Discussing Peru with a potential student in the Spring, we had mentioned Machu Picchu and she said, "Oh, it's just a pile of rocks." I wonder what she would have thought of Saksaywaman. Again, the pictures can NOT do it justice. These rocks are huge. If you combine both the location and the architecture and the view of the city. It's well worth your time. You might even learn something!

 

Steep steps were par for the course in Peru. It turns out I was in better shape than I ever thought. Only my feet were sore from time to time and even then I felt great in the morning.

 

Doorways like this just capture my imagination. I felt as though She-ra was going to pop out of somewhere.

The view of the city was spectacular.  We stood watching the shadows of the clouds move on the city below.

After Saksaywaman, we went further up the mountain to Pukapukara, a look-out spot and possible travel lodge for traveling Incans back in the day. It was gorgeous. I asked our guide if he ever got tired of viewing the beauty on the tours and he told me "not yet" with a smile. No doubt the interplay of the sun and clouds and the change in season bring all the beauty required to be amazed every single time.



I distanced myself from the group and just stared at everything around. I was trying to process everything around me at once,  trying to be as present as possible. I knew this was a special moment that would never quite be reproduced.

 

 

After Pukapukara, we went back down the mountain to some burial caves the Incans had at Q'inqu. Apparently, they made sacrifices and mummies in these caves. It was cool, but I believed starting there would have been the wisest choice. I was on cloud 9 from Saksaywaman and Pukapukara, so it didn't quite have the impact it would have had isolated.  

We also stopped at the giant White Christ that looks down upon the city. It was an unplanned stop, but more time with the beautiful vistas was much appreciated, especially as the sun was beginning its downward descent.

The steps coming down from the White Christ.

 

We finally headed down the mountain again and headed right for Qurikancha and then the Cusco Cathedral back in the main plaza. At this point, I felt as though we were going too fast. Maybe it was too much time in traffic on the way up, or that we spent too much time in wonder looking at beautiful sights. It's likely our agency just planned or promised too much in one afternoon. Either way, our guide ended up working overtime getting to "cover" each place. I felt we could have skipped Q'inqu to save time for Qurikancha or the cathedral.

 

It didn't help that one of our students, M, got sick at Qurikancha. She was a experienced world traveler, and said the water would be "no big deal" but it turned out, it was. Also, I was starting to not feel so well myself and wondering if those carrot sticks and hummus were doing something to me.

 

This was a huge bummer because I had been looking forward to this evening's dinner, which was at a well-reviewed Papa Pacha. We were planning a traditional Peruvian feast, including cuy, guinea pig. I only had some broth and some bread, as I was feeling mighty bad. I was bummed that I couldn't further participate in the proceedings. The bread was awesome though and according to everyone else, Papa Pacha is a great place to eat.  

 

I was worried I was going to be sick but...... nothing happened. The funny thing was that on the long walk back to the hotel, my body just produced lots and lots of gas. It was actually a wonderful revelation. I felt fine by the time we got back to the hotel.  I was well rested and healthy for the next part of our adventure in the Sacred Valley.

 

Part III Coming....(Eventually).......