2010 Princess Anne Peru
2010 Princess Anne Peru
Hola Amigos,
I am writing this as our train chugs along the banks of the Urubamba River from Machu Picchu to Cusco. Today was an epic day of exploring the ruins, but there is plenty to catch you up on beforehand.
We spent a week in Chinchero living with local families and working hard on the construction of two bathrooms for a couple of families without running water. The projects were difficult, involving everything from construction with adobe blocks to the mixing of cement, but we enjoyed sweeping views of the surrounding Andes and worked hard. We finished the projects on Wednesday morning. To celebrate, we mountain biked from Chinchero to Moray, a mind-boggling series of circular terraces that the Incas constructed as an agricultural laboratory. From Moray we continued further into the Sacred Valley to Salineras, a series of 8,000 cascading salt pools. Jose, our local guide, expertly taught us about both and we returned to Chinchero for one last night with our new friends.
As we left Chinchero, we experienced a myriad of emotions. We were proud of the service work, but more than anything grateful for the experience of sharing a week with such nice people and getting to know a vastly different culture. We improved our Spanish, picked up a little Quechua and tested our comfort zones. We ate new foods, overcame homesickness, acclimated to over 11,500 ft and had fun. It was a week we will never forget, but we were also eagerly looking forward to Machu Picchu.
After a two-hour train ride to the town of Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Village), we checked into our hotel and tried to steal a couple hours of sleep. We awoke this morning dark and early at 3am and hit the trail under the light of our headlamps. We labored up over 2,000 stone stairs to the entrance of Machu Picchu. The reason for leaving so early was to be part of the first 200 people at the entrance and get a ticket to climb Wayna Picchu, the famous mountain that looks down upon Machu Picchu. All went well and at 6am we entered the famous park. While the ruins were practically empty we each took a chance to spend about 15 minutes solo for a time of reflection, then began the steep and adventurous trek to the top of Wayna Picchu. We made good time and before long we were among the misty peaks and looking down on Machu Picchu!! We later descended back down to the ruins where Mario, our local guide, gave us a wonderful tour of this mountain citadel. It was truly an unforgettable experience.
We will spend tonight in Cusco and fly to Lima tomorrow around noon. We plan to spend a few hours exploring the seaside neighborhoods of Mira Flores and Barranco, enjoy a final meal together then make our way back to the airport to begin our journey home.
I am very proud of this group. Each student has added a wonderful element to our stellar group dynamic and has maintained their commitment to speak Spanish. Rachel Thompson has made this program spirited, enriching and easy. It has been a huge challenge and success. Before signing off, I wanted to let you know the students asked to me to tell you know they are hoping for potato soup and roasted Guinea Pig upon their arrival in Virginia and look forward to seeing everyone soon!
The path is made by Walking,
Gabriel
2010 Princess Anne Peru
Hola Amigos,
I am writing this from the Imperial Incan city of Cusco!! It’s a beautiful sunny afternoon and our students are currently exploring the city on a photographic scavenger hunt. We are a week into our adventure and we have so much to catch you up on…
After an overnight stop in Lima, we flew to Cusco and took a private bus to the shores of Lake Titicaca. We spent the next day touring the world’s highest navigable lake. During the morning, we visited the floating islands of the Uros people. The Uros live on islands made of reeds and we were able to learn about their culture and spend some time making friends. From there, we sailed for another couple hours to Taquile, a remote island with unique traditions. We had a lunch of trout and quinoa soup, hiked to the top of the island (over 12,000 ft!!!) and descended through Pre-Incan villages. That night, we hit a karaoke club and I am a little surprised you couldn’t hear us from the United States!
We then traveled across the Peruvian high plains to our homestay community, Chinchero. The students were nervous as we drove through the Sacred Valley to our new home, but friendly faces and warm smiles greeted us. Chinchero is a small community, where people wear traditional clothing the mothers of all the families are renowned weavers. It is far from any big city and at night the sky is bright with stars. We have spent the days building a pair of bathrooms for two families who don’t have running water. It has involved digging foundations and construction with heavy adobe blocks. Our local foreman, Adrian, has guided us and the projects are coming along nicely. Oh, we even celebrated a birthday with a roasted Guinea pig!
We will return for Chinchero tomorrow and are excited to continue the work and spend more time with the community. Although it has been an amazing week we still have a day of mountain biking to an Incan agricultural laboratory, more time with our local families and of course, the exploration of Machu Picchu, to look forward to.
A quick side note: I have never traveled with a group that is so motivated to practice Spanish. This is certainly a testament to Rachel Thompson’s teaching, but also the nature of these students. They have been speaking (almost) exclusively in Spanish even when Rachel and I are not around (I know because I have overheard them). They have already improved their language skills and I have really enjoyed getting to know them.
I hope you are all great in your respective locations and we will try to post again next week!
Saludos,
Gabriel
