Cusco part II

My Cusco favorites

a random assortment of my favorite memories
(sorry for the lack of logic to the flow)

One of the things that people were always asking me while I was in Cusco was what I liked most about it. There are the old churches and ruins everywhere you look, the food (Peru boasts some of the best chefs and cuisine in the world), and some of the most dramatic views in the world at my doorstep, but what I would most often answer is that I loved how people in Cusco were so tied to their traditions and roots. Everywhere you look there is evidence of people who are still proud of their ancestry and take any opportunity to celebrate it. Whether bragging about how strong the Incas were to explaining the health benefits to many foods that come from Peru or are only found in Peru (thousands of types of corn and potatoes, quinoa, maca, coca, tomatoes-yes, those are New World products, not European), Cusqueñas take pride in their heritage. 

 I really loved this lamppost I saw in Ollantaytambo (a small village located close to Cusco) that shows the condor, the puma, and the snake, the Incan trinity. The condor represents the sky and can deliver messages to the gods. The puma represents the earth and is strong and patient. And the snake-the underworld, where it can shed it's skin and transform itself. 

Did you know condor and puma are actually Quechua words we use in English? Now you do ;)

My kids (and nearly all young people) are taught and eagerly participate in traditional dances from a young age. Even some of our littlest students would learn the basic steps. As they get older they participate in the festivals, parades and school functions, decked out in the most colorful outfits. Right before some of the larger holidays, the side streets, alleys and plazas are filled with dance groups and bands rehearsing, until all hours of the night.  A few times I came upon a 50+ member marching band, playing away at 11:30pm. 

The two pictures above are for my send off. We often had the students do a few dances for our departing teachers or volunteers, but for my farewell, it was especially touching to think of all the hard work they put into getting the steps right. 

 

While we're on the subject of my kids: here are a few pictures of some other fun projects we did in my last few months. Above-inflating balloons with baking soda and vinegar and below we tattooed banana skins. 

As I mentioned in my previous post, running was really difficult when I first started out. I had to slowly build up my time and distance. But once I was more or less acclimatized, I ran a few races and met some other runners-locals and other foreigners. Some of them took me on some amazingly beautiful runs throughout my time there. Above, a friend of mine took us on a 20km/12mi run down the mountain to the Sacred Valley. Below/left-before the half marathon in Lima, which definitely proves that running in high altitude is great training. And below/right-my last run in the Cusco region, running among old Inca terraces. Thank you to all of my friends who showed me some new trails and pushed me beyond my limits.

Gracias a todo mis amigos quienes me mostraron nuevas rutas 

y me empujaron mas alla de mis limites.

Definitely one of the best excursions I had was taking a day trip to the Q’eswachaka bridge, which is a rope bridge dating back over 600 years. Each year, the local villages gather together and rebuild the bridge. It requires that each adult from those villages make 40 arm lengths of thin rope (as seen being demonstrated by the bridge master below/right) from dried grasses. Then those thin ropes are twisted together to form thicker and thicker ropes and you eventually get this awesome structure that can withstand the weight of about 55 people. 

 

I was lucky enough to have been invited by and accompanied by several experienced explorers, photographers and historians, not to mention a few fun ladies. Here we're attempting to braid some rope, but with all my concentration I couldn't accomplish what the bridge master could probably do in his sleep. 

Any idea what I'm holding in my hands there? It's originally from the Americas, now grown a lot in Africa and consumed mostly (as in per capita) in Europe..........It's chocolate!! Or really, the cacao fruit on the left and the roasted seed on the right. Having loved chocolate forever, it was interesting to see where it originates from and how it becomes the most delicious food in the world. And I found out that you can eat the fruit (or at least the white flesh around the seeds) and the roasted seeds, which became a favorite snack of mine. I would frequent the Museo de Chocolate in downtown Cusco whenever I had guests, or not, to sample a few chocolates or liqueurs.

HATS! I loved the hats that the local women wear. Each small town has a slightly different hat that distinguished one from another. The lady on the left was just strolling across a very busy road and I loved the contrast between her old, traditional dress and the cars and buses surrounding her. The lady on the right was taking a nap in between sales of the little palm frond crosses that are popular on Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter). 

Many people in Cusco are very religious, mainly Christians and a high percentage of those, Catholics. This was evident in the large number of shrines and chapels in the most unusual of places. Above is a small, stand-alone one, visible from my apartment, day or night thanks to the bright-green lights. I would often watch people walk by and cross themselves. Below was found situated inside a local market, next to the flowers, I'm assuming so that people don't forget to make offerings. 

 

Setting out on a 5 day trek to Machu Picchu (one of the new 7 Wonders of the World), day 1 was highlighted by a short, steep hike from camp to see a glacier feed lake. After my sister and I arrived to find nothing but fog covering the view of the lake and the mountain behind it (above/right), we sat for a while before being told we had to start down the mountain before dark. A few minutes down the trail the fog looked like it was lifting so I decided to run back up and was rewarded with this view on the right. It actually took a few minutes to emerge and the process was magical. And it was worth the run back up and the reprimanding look from the guide for not having listened to him.  

Instead of taking the more popular Incan Trail to get to Machu Picchu, my sister, brother-in-law and a few new friends took the Salkantay Trail (highly recommended), which is supposed to offer more spectacular views by taking you up to higher passes. Well just our luck, despite going in what is normally the start of the dry season, we were met with rain our first few days and when we arrived at the Salkantay Pass at 4600meters/15000feet, we could see all of about 10 feet in any one direction. Not to mention the freezing rain and wind which caused me to lose sensation in my fingers and toes for the next few hours till we descended into the jungle later that day. Oh the magic of the Andes (another Quechua word meaning "high crest").

(A little aside: Whenever I think that my Spanish or my understanding of the local culture is really starting to come together, something happens to squash that feeling. Remember chicha (the fermented corn beer that used to be made by chewing the maize)? Well, while on the Salkantay trail, I had explained to my companions all about it and so one night, after passing a local house with the chicha sign hanging out the front door, I thought it would be fun to show these newcomers a local treat (above). After inquiring from the owner/cook/brewer about her concoction we sat down to try it. The only other Spanish speaker and myself were translating back and forth as people asked about the process involved. When someone asked about how much alcohol there is usually in chicha, the woman told us that this chicha didn't have any because we were in an Evangelic community and people there didn't drink. I had to fess up to the rest of the group that any tipsiness they'd been experiencing was all in their head. 

Luckily, a few days later, I was able to bring my sister and brother to a real chicharia (below)-in the backyard of some locals. Happy Easter!! )

Day 5-las ruinas de Machu Picchu!!! After getting up at about 4a.m. to get in line before 5 and then hike up the mountain (over 1/2 hour of pure steps), I was third in line to enter the park. Again, despite the disapproving looks from our guide, I was determined to be one of the first in the park in order to get a few moments alone with the grandeur that is Machu Picchu (above/left). Later in the day, after a guided tour, we climbed up Machu Picchu, which means Old Mountain in Quechua, another long, 2-hour hike up mostly stairs. At the top we were once again greeted with fog, but after some waiting, it cleared and we could glimpse the ruins below (above/right). 

 

A coworker and myself won a raffle at pub quiz one night-a pisco cocktail making class for 2 at a local establishment (owned by a friend). Pisco is THE local spirit of Peru (although there is an ongoing debate/argument with Chile about who first invented it). Pisco is a clear, strong liquor made from distilled grapes.  After the Jesuits were suppressed in Peru and left their vineyards to inexperienced landowners, the wine grapes were used primarily for pisco. The liquor actually made its way up to San Francisco during the Gold Rush, where the forty-niners liked how it was stronger than other accessible spirits. 

Now pisco is popular as either a pisco sour (like a whisky sour but with pisco) or a Chilcano (pisco with ginger ale). 

The best present I could have asked for-my parents arrived on my 33rd birthday! And following the advice given by experts on how to avoid getting altitude sickness, we minimized their movement the first day by going to a craft brew fest which was supporting my school. Win-win all around!

 

I also got spoiled by a few friends throughout the day. I had become friends with a few local guys who own and operate a coffee cart, serving the best and most beautiful coffees in the city if not all of Peru. One of the guys specializes in "latte art" as you can see above. (the butterfly wasn't for my birthday but I had to show off his skills) If you're in Cusco, go to Three Monkeys Coffee!

Below another friend who is a bartender at a nice restaurant went all out when he learned it was my birthday. First he had the kitchen prepare this dessert plate for me. And then he mustered all of his bartending skills to present me with one of the most intricate and elaborate drinks I've ever had. 

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A flaming glass upside down on a pair of knives over a martini glass. Then a flaming shot plus another shot were poured over the already flaming tower. Watch my expression change from intrigue and curiosity to.......

.......disgust and dread at having to finish the shot. After melting 4 straws I begged myself out of having to complete the drink. It was just too horrible to handle. But it's the thought that counts, right? 

Another pub quiz raffle win-Rainbow Mountain or Vinicunca or Montana de 7 Colores- is a newly popularized day trek from Cusco. The looooong (3+ hours), early-morning drive and the fact that I was extremely unprepared with clothing was a poor start to the hike (a quick, steep ascent) to see the striped mountains and rolling hills pictured behind us here. The tour companies in Cusco photoshop the s#*t out of this scene normally so the colors weren't quite as brilliant as we'd seen advertised. Luckily we were very satisfied with the view on the other side (see below) of Ausangate, a 6,385m/20,945ft glacier that can be seen from Cusco (remember-a 3+ hour drive away!!!!!). And yes, I was that excited ;)  

Inti Raymi (Sun Festival), is celebrated every June 24th, to celebrate and honor the sun god (Inti) on/near the shortest day of the year (remember people-this is the southern hemisphere), and to ask him to come back in order to bless the land with light. After some ceremonial events at Qoricancha (Golden Temple), a procession including the Inca and his wife parades through the streets and around the Plaza de Armas several times before ascending the mountain to Sacsayhuman (or as many guides like to jokingly pronounce, "Sexy Woman") meaning Falcon or Eagle Fortress, which overlooks the city. There, a mock offering of a white llama is offered to Pachamama (Mother Earth). 

check out this link to get some better visuals of the whole festival-it's beautifully done: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OShU3lQaGs

I however took the easy route out and saw the procession around the plaza and then went with a friend to eat the traditional chiri-uchu (cold-spicy) dish. It's a combination of little bits of food from regions throughout Peru. There is guinea pig, chicken, jerky (another Quechua word meaning "dried flesh"), corn, cheese, torreja, seaweed, and fish eggs, topped with a slice of red pepper. There were literally hundreds of stalls filling one large plaza all serving the same dish with thousands of people coming in and out all day. Very salty, pretty delicious. 

Tire art!!! From day 1 in Cusco I fell in love with the tire art available on the streets. However, it wasn't until one of my last few days there that I actually stopped to photograph these awesome creations. Above/left-a car or dune buggy, complete with plastic chairs; above/right- a frog-like planter; and below-another frog-like planter. 

Another thing I saw on day 1 and also meant to stop and appreciate-this gorgeous house. I passed by La Hacienda Angostura every single day on my hour commute to work. However, not until one of my last days in Cusco did I decide that it was now or never, and I ran the 14 kilometers/9miles out there in order to snoop around a bit. The house dates back to 1639, and is one of the largest houses in the Cusco region. It has had several owners over the years and presently is owned by the local village. Many families currently live inside, but arriving so early in the morning, I didn't have the courage to knock on anyone's door to ask for a tour. I feel like I missed out on a huge opportunity to see some amazing (if not devastated) architecture inside. 

I always seem to get behind the bar wherever I live. Arriving in Cusco last year I quickly became friends with the owners and the brewer at Zenith Brewery. It was my "local" for my time there and I would often hop behind the bar to serve a few beers or wash glasses if things were busy. I also helped out at a beer fest in Lima in May. I definitely want to thank the owners of Zenith and all the workers there for being my family and for making some amazingly delicious beers.

Below are other people that became my family in Cusco, although many are missing as well. Thank you all for your help and support during the year. I couldn't have done it without you. 

Hasta luego Cusco, it was great, you were great

and I hope to be back sooner rather than later. 

Cusco, Peru: Belly-button of the world (part I)

Cusco, Peru: Belly-button of the world

 My first glimpse of the Andes (one of the largest mountain ranges in the world) was one year ago this month as I flew from Lima (la capital) to Cusco- which means "navel" or "belly button" in Quechua, the native language of this region and the 3rd most spoken language in South America. Quechua was the language spoken during the time of the Incas, and it is still spoken among people in smaller communities in the outskirts of Cusco.  

 The Andes are an absolutely beautiful range. They stretch most of western South America through 7 countries, offering these amazing vistas the whole way down. I was lucky enough to live within the Andes during my time in Cusco, which means I was at an altitude of about 3,400 meters or just over 2 miles high. This means the air is thin and altitude sickness is real. I was fortunate enough to have time to acclimatize to my environment but running was really, REALLY difficult for the first few months.  The first couple of weeks I was averaging 10-15 minutes before nearly passing out ;)

Cusco was named the "navel" because it became the center of the Incan empire. Please note-the Inca refers to the ruler, not the people. As with most empires, a small group was able to conquer large areas, including hundreds of local tribes and controlled them from one centralized location, but for the most part the Inca ruler allowed those tribes to continue living as they had in the past as long as they paid their taxes-which came in the form of manual labor. Hence why there are so many thousands of miles/kilometers of roads throughout this area. 

This includes Avenida del Sol (seen above), one of the main street in town and once the entrance to the city for many visitors coming to pay their respect to the Inca at Qoricancha, Golden Temple. What you're looking at now is a massive mural, depicting the history of this region, from pre-Inca to modern day, spanning over 500 years. To get a better view and read a bit more information check out:  http://www.phenomenalplace.com/2013/08/cusco-mural-by-juan-bravo-shows-amazing.html

Above is La Plaza de Armas, or the main plaza, one of which you will find in every city and town in Peru. This plaza has the cathedral to the left and another church to the right. These are of course Spanish structures, built over the foundations of Inca temples. The Spanish would tear down the walls and roofs of the temples and reuse the stones for their churches and buildings. Below you can see Incan walls on the right-sturdy walls made of perfectly aligned rocks with zero mortar. On the left is a Spanish built wall, evidenced by the space between the rocks. Guides love to show visitors these differences and brag about the areas in which Spanish structures have crumbled when faced with earthquakes but the Incan walls have withstood the test. 

Although I lived in Cusco the entire time I was in Peru, my main job was outside the city in a small town called Oropesa, "la capital nacional de pan." Oropesa is known for its pan chuta, or large rounds of bread that is slightly sweetened with some vanilla, sesame and anis. Everyday for nearly a year I would either get off after about an hour on the bus or be leaving school, heading to the bus and smell the delicious scent of this bread wafting out of the ovens (seen to the upper left). It was torture to not run in everyday and buy a few loaves. For the town's yearly festival, the bakeries go all out and make these amazing intricate loaves in the forms of dolls, horses or babies.  

Between Cusco and Oropesa is another small town, Tipon, known for another local dish, cuy al horno, or oven-roasted guinea pig. People make a day-trip out of the city on the weekends to go there for a meal, or prepare it at home for birthdays. Yes, I tried it (several times) and yes, I liked it. I know we all have our ideas about what is okay to eat and what isn't. In this area of the world, they didn't previously have all of the wildlife and livestock that we are familiar with and so they made do with what they had. You can order mitad (half) or entero (whole) and it comes with a few potatoes, creamy spaghetti and a stuffed pepper. 

One of my first day trips out of Cusco (besides going to work everyday) was to la Cervezeria del Valle Sagrado/the Sacred Valley Brewing Company. It is located in the Sacred Valley (duh), taking its name from the original Quechua name, Wilkamayu meaning sacred river but which is now called the Urubamba River-or river through the plateau of spiders (I never figured out why it's called that). 

I had no idea when I visited this brewery that it would eventually become one of my favorite weekend get-aways and the place I'd find some of my best friends in Peru (you know who you are). On the right is a friend playing "sapo" (frog) a fun game found at most traditional bars or country restaurants. Sitting atop the green table is a large metal sapo with a gapping mouth. The object of the game is to throw little discs into the frog's mouth. This is nearly impossible, but there are a bunch of other slots where coins can fall through, slide down little shoots and land in a hole with a set number of points. The hardest part of this game was finding the gold colored coins in the dirt. 

And there is my mom on the right, who came to visit me near the end of my time in Peru having a go at it as well. She was a pretty good beginner. 

As I said, altitude can be a b#%@h. The first month in Cusco I did a hike with a coworker up Picol, the highest mountain near Cusco, which was probably up there as one of the 3 most difficult hikes of my life. Partly because we got off track and were literally pulling ourselves up the mountain by grabbing onto this long, yellow grass, but mostly because we climbed quickly and I was still not acclimatized to the altitude. The view at the top (this is not the top) was well worth it though, as were the views the whole way up. At some points we could see most of the city. 

Below was taken while on a hike a few weeks later, to a spot not too far from Picol but at a much easier ascent. My friend and I stopped in at a chicharia to try some of the local drink made from fermented corn. Chicha was previously made by people chewing and spitting out the corn kernels and allowing it to ferment for a few days.  Having been told to look out for the well-known symbol of a chicharia, a long stick with a red bag tied around the end, sticking out from a house, I decided to brave it and see what was up. We found a sweet abuelita (pictured to the left) with a few of her customers, all enjoying the chicha. The large glass I am holding was filled with a milky liquid, which is a bit sour and sweet at the same time, and costs only s/.1 or about $0.33 Supposedly farmers will come in, have a glass and then go work for the day. It is slightly alcoholic but I never drank enough at one time to see any effects. (The coca cola bottle in the corner of the table was a strange color and the man next to me was taking shots of it....he offered but I politely declined.)

 

Peruvians do celebrate Halloween, but it consists of people dressing up and going to the main plaza to show off their costumes. Luckily there is another holiday a few days later that was much more "fun" and interesting to take part in. El Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on November 2nd. On this day, most people will go to the cemetery where their relatives are buried and decorate the little niches in front of the coffins (which are sealed off) with nicknacks as seen on the left, things that their relatives liked, as well as bits of some of their loved ones' favorite food and drink. People then stay in the cemetery and relax with the (living) family while having a picnic and some nice warm beer served from ladies walking around with liters of it in crates (this is after having past large signs outside reading "NO food, drink or sales."  

The hardest part of writing this blog (besides actually sitting down to actually write it) is to choose the pictures. I have 100s of pictures of my students from this past year; I could write multiple posts about them and all of the fun activities we did over this year. But then I'd be like every grandparent who shows off too many pictures of the grandkids. So I'll try and keep it down. But just know-I had the best kids ever! I love those little rascals so much and they made me a much better person and teacher for having worked with them. 

So just a reminder-I went to Peru to teach and write an English curriculum for a small NGO that has been operating a school there for years now, but with a newer English program. It was a difficult job but moments like these captured in the pictures made it all worth while. Christmas is always one of my favorite holidays to celebrate between the art projects, decorating and games. 

Above: the kids show off their paper chain; below left: my kindergarteners sneaking some popcorn while filling in Santa's beard to a math game; below right: Santa's workshop 

I also made my adult students (from another part-time job) take part in the Christmas festivities. Since we were forced to have a weekend class I decided to make it a Christmas party! Luckily all of my students were good sports and joined in my silly ideas, including this awesome game of making Santa's beard with vaseline and cotton balls. They even went so far as to use extra clothing to attempt to make capes and then competed among themselves for the best Santa. 

The more traditional Christmas festivities consist of doing some shopping at the local markets in the plazas. I went to la Plaza de Armas on Christmas Eve to find hundreds of tables, piled high with little statues and figurines. The idea is to buy at least one new figurine to add to your household manger/nativity scene. As seen above there are lots of the traditional images-sheep, cows, donkeys, angels and 3 wise men. But there were lots more that were a bit out there as seen below. Yup, apparently Mario, Smurfs and any princess or superhero can end up in the manger scene. 

I ended the year in La Plaza de Armas where (after narrowly missing being hit by a stray firework) I first attempted to eat one grape for each time the clock stuck at midnight (easier said then done), which is actually a Spanish tradition. Then my friends and I walked around the plaza, accompanying 1000s of people who were out there with suitcases or bags, makes laps of the plaza to bring good luck in the new year. Another thing that brings good luck, yellow and what's better than yellow? Yellow underwear. I had many friends tell me that their family members exchange underwear on New Year's Eve which usually just comes out sounding wrong.

Happy 2017 people. My goal was to be more on top of things, such as my blog.....you see how well I am with my resolutions. More to come....sometime soonish.......till next time.......