El Fin

It's hard to believe that our month in Peru has come to an end. Josh and I have spent our last week in Cusco revisiting our favorite places (La Pizza Carlo, the San Blas district), going out with friends (Paddy's Pub, trivia night at The Real McCoy), making final souvenir purchases, and horseback riding in the Sacred Valley!

Though absolutely excited, I was a little nervous about going horseback riding after not having been on a horse since sixth grade. Thankfully, my horse, Wind, turned out to be very gentle and smart, and I was comfortable in no time; I even ran with her a few times! Josh's horse, whose name was the Quechua word for "terrible," was a little ornery, but of course he had no trouble riding like a pro. Our guide led us around the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and the views were incredible. We visited the primary Incan Moon Temple, where the nobility would go to make offerings to the moon. Apparently there were some graffiti issues a few years back, and the temple is still roped off as a precaution. We also visited a cave where shamans were initiated and would make various offerings. It's amazing to imagine what life would've been like in Cusco and the Sacred Valley at the time of the Incas. The land around here is so vast, and yet their empire radiated throughout Peru to Ecuador and Chile. Riding a horse around a mountain for hours, following wooded trails and traversing open fields, it was incredible seemingly stumbling upon significant Incan places. Of course, our guide was leading us to them, but, again, it was hard to fathom all of that land as part of the Inca domain, encompassing numerous temples and such that were so sacred to their lifestyle. And yet, the temples are so spread out across their extensive land. Overall, it was a fun, thought-provoking, and beautiful new way to see the Sacred Valley.

You may or may not know that I joined the construction crew for my last week of volunteering - more new experiences! At times, I've been the only girl working there, but it's been fun, and I've learned a thing or two. As I'm a newcomer on the project, I'll let Josh share his experience and give an update on the progress of the preschool:

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Hola!! Well after a month in Cusco I have decided to contribute to this blog for the first time and I am guessing last time. It is crazy to think that we are leaving and that a month has passed by, it just doesn't seem like that long. I feel like we have accomplished what we came to do, the pre-school we are constructing is taking shape and should be completed in about another two months. Marco the contractor was great to work for and even though his English was about as good as my Spanish he was very good at using hand signals, so work got done. He liked to joke when you were doing something difficult by saying, "es muy facil", which means "it's very easy", and then he would laugh. I am making sure to keep in touch with some of the crew that will be here for a while longer and will hopefully get picture updates of their progress and maybe even a few shots of the children using their new school.

It's amazing how quickly we became acclimated to Cusco. It seems like after a week the foreign feeling had worn off and we were running around here not feeling like tourists but had a sense of comfort and normalcy. That being said we are both looking forward to seeing family and friends in a couple days as well as consistent hot showers. It will be nice to trade the mountains of Peru for the mountains of Tennessee once again. Although the mountains of Peru are unlike any I have ever seen before, they are spectacular to say the least. The pictures that have been posted don't come close to giving you an idea of how sheer and huge they are. It seems like every time we turn around we are confronted with a view that is amazing and unique.

Anyway, we are packing up and going to take a stroll through Cusco one last time here shortly. So I hope you all have enjoyed the efforts of Adriana as well as reading about our adventure for the last month. See you all soon!! Oh and uh...GO BIG ORANGE!!!

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All in all, this has been a great experience for both of us. We've truly enjoyed volunteering with Maximo Nivel; our placements, the people, and our house have all been wonderful. Cusco itself made for a fun and interesting ride, and our various excursions around and outside of Cusco have been eye-opening and memorable. I always find traveling a humbling experience. The people here live by different standards than those prevalent in the United States. The low hygiene standards are particularly remarkable. But these people are legacies of the Inca empire. Many of them still speak Quechua at home, and their culture remains imbued with Inca culture. Their history is fascinating, and present-day Cusco provides a window into that time. I hope you've all enjoyed following Josh and me throughout this journey! Thank you for all of your support, and we can't wait to see you soon! Hot showers, running (and drinkable tap) water after 9, and milk will be great, too ;)

Et pour la piece de resistance: Machu Picchu!

Haha, I should've figured out how to say that in Spanish. Nonetheless, Josh and I are glad that we saved Machu Picchu for our last weekend! I think we agree that our Peru adventure feels complete with our trip to Machu Picchu.

Our weekend began with a car ride to Ollantaytambo on Saturday morning, where we caught the Vistadome (luxury version) train to Aguas Calientes! We arrived around lunch time, and a representative from our hotel came to meet us at the train station. We checked in to our room, which was tiny, but the bed was super comfortable, and the shower had the best water pressure (and consistent hot temperature!) that we've encountered here. Aguas Calientes thrives on tourism, as it's the main jump-off point for trips to Machu Picchu, so when Josh and I went in search of a lunch spot, we found many in close proximity. After a few delicious empanadas and Cusquenas (beer), we went to explore the town. We quickly discovered that there's not much to explore, so we ended up meandering through the craft market haggling for more gifts and souvenirs! It was nice to take our time and shop around, but we wore ourselves out. After a rest at the hotel, Josh and I set off to find the highly recommended five-star French/Peruvian restaurant in Aguas Calientes, Indio Feliz. And boy were we glad we found it!

As would be necessary in such a tourism-centered town, the restaurant was casually decorated (with a little kitsch here and there) and perfectly suited for travelers in traveling clothes. A popular ordering concept here is the "menu," which, for a set price (and a great deal), allows you to choose a starter, a main course, and a dessert from a list of options. The menu at Indio Feliz was about S/. 55, which translates to approximately $20. And this is a five-star restaurant. We were, naturally, excited, and Indio Feliz did not disappoint! For starters, Josh ordered tomato soup, and I had the French onion soup. I was a little wary to eat "French" food outside of France, but I put my trust in the five stars and the French-speaking man who seemed to be in charge. Both soups were delicious! For our main courses, Josh had a spicy trout dish, and I ordered a pineapple chicken dish served in a Jamaican rum sauce. Again, delicious. Dessert tied together our amazing meals; Josh got a slice of apple pie, and I took a chance on the chocolate mousse. I am delighted to report that I savored every morsel of that chocolate mousse, which tasted exactly as I remember it tasting in France. If only that restaurant could thrive near home! We took our time and enjoyed our meal, but in the end had to hurry back to the hotel for our Machu Picchu briefing. It was an early night with a 4:30 am alarm awaiting us!

When 4:30 rolled around, we were fairly rested and ready to contend with the other early-bird tourists awaiting a bus to Machu Picchu! After a 25-minute ride winding up the mountain, we made it to the entrance, and some time later, we met our group and our guide and began our tour of Machu Picchu!

As I understand it, one hundred years ago, in July 1911, Yale professor Hiram Bingham paid a local Peruvian 1 Sol to guide him up the mountain where he was told Inca ruins awaited. He was searching for Vilcabamba, the last known capital of the Incan empire, when he found the ruins at Machu Picchu hidden beneath an immense overgrowth of jungle vegetation. Though he continued on toward Vilcabamba, he returned to Machu Picchu, an impressive enigma. No one knows the purpose of Machu Picchu or what the town was actually called, but it's believed that it housed important people of the Inca empire, such as its spiritual leaders and other nobility, and their servants. Archaeological investigations suggest that Machu Picchu had no more than 1,000 residents, and when they heard of Spanish invasions in Cusco, the people panicked, took their valuables (including the mummies of their nobility - only the un-mummified bodies of the common people were found) and moved to Vilcabamba. From what we know, the Spaniards never found Machu Picchu (though if they had, there wouldn't have been much left there to interest them after it was abandoned). Vilcabamba was invaded, however, and with the death and disappearance of its former inhabitants, Machu Picchu was left to the jungle and Pachamama (Mother Earth in Quechua). Hiram Bingham was not the first discoverer of these ruins since Pizarro's conquests, but upon returning to Machu Picchu with a team from Yale and National Geographic, he is credited with introducing the world to this current member of the New Seven Wonders of the World. And then the Yale team took thousands of artifacts back with it; they returned a few hundred two weeks ago for the 100th anniversary of its rediscovery. Thousands are still at Yale.

We spent about three hours on our tour with Miguel (fantastic tour guide!), and then Josh and I wandered around on our own a bit. You can climb Machu Picchu for an extra fare, which is not the mountain in the famous pictures - that's Huayna Picchu - but evidently I've done something to my knee (the meniscus, I believe), and it worsened as we traipsed around the ruins. Josh walked, and I hobbled, back to the bus, and we made our way to Aguas Calientes, killed some time (and, sadly, didn't have the culinary luck we'd had the day before), and got our train and car rides back to our house. As usual, we were blown away by our Peruvian adventure, and once we go horseback riding in the Sacred Valley, our trip will be complete!