Pisco

Easter Sunday we arrived in Pisco to begin our volunteering with Pisco Sin Fronteras we were lucky enough to get our tour transfer to drop us off at our new home for the next 3 months. What an overwhelming experience coming from a tour to the volunteer house. We were greeted with such friendly faces who were happy we were volunteering for a longer time and were eager to
show us around. The house consists of a central courtyard, biodiesel shed, tool shed, kitchen and common room on the ground floor and the dorms on the other three levels. It works well for PSF as the building use to be a hostel! F and I took up residence in the 8 bed fish bowl with two other residence from the UK. We are only staying in this room for a week until another NZ couple leaves and we can move into our private room (still living in bunks though in our private room).
We headed out to explore the city and find some lunch. It is refreshing to be in a place with so few tourists that you have to use Spanish and nothing is in English on the menus. There are few streets that are paved in Pisco after the earthquake and the other rocky streets are very dusty due to the complete lack of rain. The beech was cleared about 4 months ago by the government, some 5 years after being the dump yard for rubble from this broken city. It is now nice to see people back using the beech and has subsequently become a little safer – well at least during the day. The old promenade and seaside leisure centre still lay as they did five years ago and the twisted cement is a stack reminder as to why we came here and why Pisco still needs help.
Living at the PSF house is great fun and provides great food. Each morning Monday to Saturday a team of three volunteers goes to the market and cooks everyone breakfast. Another team of three people is chosen to so the same for dinner, it is a full day job so you don’t work on a project that day. On our first day there was a space for dinner duty so I put my hand up and cooked dinner for 35 people, really good fun and a great way to learn your way around the market. Because there is
no space to store things in the house you need to buy everything for dinner fresh each day and a given a set amount per person to spend.
F has been working on a project designing a building a fitness course for adults to put into the local park PSF are creating with support from the local municipality. The project is called Muscle Man and is very much like the oones we have at home, with sit up stations, chin up bars,
balance beams etc. Resources are limited so it takes a lot of creativity to put the equipment together. The ground at the park is all stone, so pick axes and shovels are used along with a lot of sweat to dig the 50cm deep holes, and then of course pouring the concrete. We finished off installing the equipment today and once the instruction signs are up I will be sure to post photos of the teams work.
I have been lending my hand to a range of projects. One is working in a school for one hour a day relieving a teacher – the kids are very hard work – think climbing on tables, pulling hair, screaming and hitting each other – but it is actually good fun. After the one hour you head to an after school centre where you help the kids with homework and whatever other projects are going on that day – the teacher there is super nice and I think I will continue to go to this project a couple of days a week. It is good fun and will force me to improve my Spanish. The other project I worked on in my first week was painting a mural for a rural community on a building that is going to be used to distribute milk to children. It was so much fun, and the mural looks great – will post pictures soon J Every day the project leaders go through what is on and how many people are needed for each project. If there is room on the project you can put your hand up and get involved, if you want to try something new you cross your name off at the end of the day and choose something different the
next day. It provides such a great opportunity to gain knowledge in different
fields and learn new skills and work with heaps of people from all around the
world. The community that you work in provides lunch and there is always lots
of cute kids to play with and practice some more Spanish.
So after the first week here at PSF we are having a great
time and getting involved in heaps of different things. Volunteers arrange activities
for the weekends so there is always something fun going on. We have adjusted to
living in a communal space- made better by having our own room. It is exciting
to be involved in PSF as it tries to gain more community involvement and work
towards building capacity in Pisco. It is not without its challenges however,
community and working together is a strange concept for many Peruvians and the
idea of why we are hear to volunteer is somewhat beyond their comprehension.

Paracas

Our final stop on the tour was Paracas which is a seaside town with part beach, part port. They have obviously done a lot of work here since the earthquake in 2007 and now there is a promenade with several restaurants filled with Peruvian tourists. It was nice to be by the sea again, but the ocean and the beach were filthy so we just walked and drank a few beers.

Nazca

At first impression Nazca is a dirty desert town with not much going on. We stayed about 10 minutes out of the city at a nice hotel with a pool – which was much needed in the heat that can only be described as suffocating. It was Easter weekend while we were here so there was a lot of
Peruvian tourists and families out enjoying the holidays. We took a tour of Cemetery of Chauchilla which is a pre Inca burial site where dried mummies are presented in tombs. The sand surrounding the paths that connect the tombs are littered with human bones. The tombs
themselves are protected with wind breaks and a sun shade – there is little else to protect or preserve these mummies and from a European perspective little respect for the dead. Due to the intense heat and lack of water after death the mummies were left out in the sun to be naturally dried, preserving the hair, nails and some skin.
Finally near the coast, at low altitude and in the heat we were treated with a delicious lunch of fish followed by a drive out to the view tower to see the mysterious Nazca Lines. These lines form a network of 800 lines, 300 geometric figures and 70 animal and plant drawings. Each figure is one continuous line and no one knows how they got there, by whom or why.

Arequipa and the Colca Canyon

We arrived into Arequipa in full sunshine, a welcome break from the cold wet weather we have been having of late. We could not check in so we headed out to a traditional Peruvian restaurant and were in food heaven. The plates were so large it was recommended that we share, we had an entre of cheese and corn followed by boiled beef – there were a lot of food babies at
the end of this meal. The city is stunning and they have done a good job ofmaintaining a balance between tourism and local services and shops. It makes for a beautiful and pleasant place to stroll around in. We did one very interesting tourist activity while here in Arequipa and that was to go to the museum where the documentation of Incan sacrifices is complete with displays of the children who were mummified at the top of the mountains in the sacrificial process. It is incredible they still have skin, hair and internal organs. The most noteworthy of the children was
Junita who was thought to be a Inca princess due to what she was buried with, she is the most intact of the bodies and they could trace her DNA to Panama and Korea – is it mindblowing this museum and if you are every in Arequipa is a must!!!
The Colca Canyon is famous for its embroidery, deep canyons and condors. We were fortunate enough to witness all of the above. The canyons is over 4000m deep and the 2nd deepest in the world. It was majestic as we stood on the lookout over the canyon and watched the condors swooping around us. The trip to the colca Canyon wa topped off with a well deserved swim
in the local thermal baths – and yes it was raining again. In the evening we were treated to an interesting dancing show that involved each partner of the dance eating a poison orange then being revived by whipping – truly interesting in the middle of the restaurant. The last dance involved me being selected from the audience and getting dressed up as a man in what can only be described as a conga line.
The two day one night trip to the canyon was a long one with lots of driving but it was well worth it. The drive back was a little treacherous as we crossed our highest point in Peru at 4910m as it started to snow. A large bus, snow and sheer cliffs made me a little uncomfortable. We organised drinks of the hotel terrace for when we got back to watch the sunset.

The Scared Valley, Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

I am so excited that we get to walk the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu, it is something I have wanted to do for such a long time now that it feels surreal to have rid of our large rucksacks and reduced our belongings to no more than 6kgs which the porters will carry. I have hired myself a
walking stick and inflatable thermarest mattress to ensure that I get some sleep and my knee survives the 4 days of steep ascents and descents. We meet our guide for the next five days Vladamir who has such a wonderful soft nature and we head off in the vans for our first stop a
Gap projects training local village women in traditional handicrafts. It is great that we get to pick up some local school children on the way and give them a lift to school so they don’t have to walk in the pouring rain. The weaving stop showed us the Alpacas and Llamas that are traditionally used for the fibre, the natural dying process and the finished products. I am a little sceptical in the fact that the goods, all look the same as in town and don’t really have a hand made feel or look to them. I feel like I am being herded through the tourist route and get to see little of the real Peru but more of the staged and contrived tourist route. It5 was a nice change after that to
head to our first Inca ruin of the day Intihuatana perched precariously high on the mountains above Pisac. The terraces and retaining walls of the Incas are truly incredible in the fact that they run all the way down to the valley floor below. The Inca’s used the terraces for agriculture and to study the growing climates of the 3000 types of potatoes and other crops. They knew what crops
would grow in which conditions based on this technology. The bus conveniently dropped us at another tourist market with more of the same stuff, F and I spent 5 minutes walking around before heading back to the bus fed up with the tourist trail we were on. We were told we would be stopping for lunch at a buffet and that it would cost us S 25 (about $12NZ) the group really don’t
like this lack of choice and being told where to eat and when, because you are completely separated from the local people and food. In saying that, when we arrived at the buffet it was incredible, soup, salad, about 10 main dishes and desert – we were both in food heaven as was the rest of the group. The last of our stops in the Sacred Valley was Ollantaytambo which is a surviving example of Inca city planning with narrow cobbled streets and open waterways in a grid pattern. The Inca complex that sits above the city is beautiful and still has surviving Inca water fountains and ceremonial cites that consists of 6 giant stones with small stones in the gaps to prevent any damage caused by earthquakes. On the opposite site of the valley is where the crops were kept because this is where the best wind was. The shelters were designed to have holes in the bottom facing the wind, so the wind would enter the building, circulate then exit the top to dry and preserve the food inside – these Inca’s were smart!!!! All the hill climbing today has both served as training for the Inca Trail and as a realisation that this is going to be hard and at altitude. Day one of the Inca Trail is the easiest and starts with a leisurely stroll along the river before a steep vertical climb before heading up the valley for our lunch stop. For our group of 12 walkers we had 22 porters including two chefs. We were blown away by our lunch stop as we were applauded in by the people who are carrying all our stuff, at least the porters packs are now limited to 20kgs each – it did feel ridiculous that they were applauding us. Warm water with soap was on hand to wash our hands before a delicious soup followed by trout and desert. I was hoping to lose weight on this hike but not at this rate. It was only a short walk after lunch to the camp site where our tents had been set up, just as we arrived so did the rain. It was very awkward as we have a dining tent to play cards in durig the rain and the porters sit outside huddled under their ponchos – we insisted that they come into the tent. The rain cleared before dinner so we could get some frizbee in J dinner was again a three course meal starting with asparagus soup and chicken. Day two was a wake up call at 5.30 after a night of little sleep to be greeted with a cup of coca tea delivered to our tent and a breakfast of eggs. We were told this would be the hardest day and it lived up to its reputation. It was uphill for 5 hours to the highest pass on the trail. It was self determination as it was easier to keep going than keep stopping. I made the first rest point after 45 minutes took on some more snacks to keep me going then continued up the hill to the second point and the last chance to buy anything until Machu Picchu. The second uphill was gruelling but rewarding when we reached the rest point – we waited until we had all reached at which stage
it was over an hour and we have put back on all our layers and were chilly. The final ascent was the worst especially the last 100m of steps where F waited for me and we walked to the top together. It was such an accomplishment and a wonderful view over the valley. After an hour rest we were ready to head down to the next camp site. As we crossed the pass the weather changed and it was freezing, the hail started and the rain accompanied us for the rest of the journey into camp. The stairs were treacherous and it was a very slow journey down and the walking stick came in useful. I was so glad to reach camp and be greeted by our fabulous porters. On the trail we have tea time at 4.30 with hot drinks and biscuits, it is great. When you have lunch at 2, tea time at 4.30 dinner at 6.30 and then in bed by 8 is makes for a very intense eating afternoon. After dinner the chef produced a cake – that was divine. Day three is the longest day on the trail and it started with pancakes for breakfast with caramel drizzle in the shape of the mountain and the G adventures logo. We headed uphill again for a change to the first Inca site of the day. For then on it rained and we waited at the next pass for everyone in the pouring rain by which point everyone was freezing cold and very wet. I found a new love for my gortex jacket and my walking pole. We weren’t stopping for everyone, the plans changed and lunch was moved to the camp site
and a tea tent was set up instead. We all came in soaking wet, cold and huddled by the gas stove waiting for the popcorn. 2000 stairs waited for us on a 1200m descent into the final campsite on the trail. We knocked off the 16km journey in 5 and a half hours and were happily greeted by clearing skies and warmth and finally some views apart from clouds. The wet shoes came off, the tents were adorned with wet clothes to be dried and we waited for the rest f the group.
Our two guides and three remaining group members arrived 3 and a half hours after we did as we were amongst a state of panic about what had happened to them, it was a relief to see everyone achieve at the end of day three and it was a joyous atmosphere in camp. We took the additional 10 minute stroll to another Inca site to enjoy the good weather and views. Tonight was the last
dinner with the porters and after yet another delicious dinner complete with jelly we got to thank them for all their hard work. The porters worked tirelessly for before we got up carrying our stuff, putting up and taking down tents, cooking food, boiling water and making sure we have everything we could possible need. I have the utmost respect for the profession, they run these
mountains and smile all the way. It was great to hear that we shad a designated garbage man to ensure that we took off all our rubbish off the trail. It is said that the trails are meant to cleanse the soul in order for the arrival into Machu Picchu, well I am certainly feeling fit and
the rain has kept me moderately clean I ready for my 3.45am wake up call and 1 hour walk to the sun gate for sun rise. It is a 42km walk that has taken us 4 days but it was worth it. The walk to the sun gate was more like a procession and people queue at the checkpoint to be the first through the gates at 5.30am. Along the way after another night of heavy rain we came across a new landslide. It was a daunting crossing as two guides helped us through the rubble while
someone else was spotting for falling rocks. We were greeted at the sun gate with a view of mist over Machu Picchu. We were guided around the site by Vlad and at the end of the tour the rain finally cleared and Machu Picchu came out in all its glory and took my breathe away and made the four day hike worthwhile. The civil engineering of the Incas is incredible and it is all showcased in Machu Picchu

Cusco

Cusco city streets

A view over Cusco

Cusco cathedral

The giant stones transported to form the defensive walls of Saqsaywaman

A view across Plaza de Armas

After the 6 hour bus ride we arrived in Cusco. The beautiful
colonial centre is mesmerising and you can spend hours wandering the streets
admiring the blend of Spanish Colonial architecture and Inka inspired walls and
décor. The infuriating thing about Cusco centre is how touristy it is, it has
lost a lot of the Peruvian charm and now every corner is frequented by people
asking you if you want a massage, restaurants chasing you with menus prying you
into their establishments. It makes for an unpleasant feeling of existing
solely for the purpose of the tourist and has driven the Peruvians out of the
city centre.
I arrived with a terrible cramp in my leg and a starving
stomach, so the hungry monster came out and drove F crazy before I found the
food I was craving. Our tour guide took those who wanted to on a walk of the
city, I lay in bed and tried to figure out what was going on with my leg. That
evening we headed to a local tourist haunt of Los Perros where we found the
international cuisine that mant opf our group were craving. I have never been
so happy to see a plate of stir fry vegetables. We headed out to the party
hostal after dinner where the young part of our group had headed and had some
beers before escaping from the imminent messiness.
An early wakeup call in order to see the sunrise over
Saqsaywaman (pronounced sexy women) resulted in a fascinating tour but with no
sunrise. This was a Inca fort and is phenomenal in is construction. The stone
bricks are perfectly carved to form the walls and the size of the boulders that
they brought up from the nearest quarry is truly impressive. Only about 20% of
the site remains today as when the Spanish arrived in Cusco they took the
stones from the Inca site and used them to build the Colonial buildings that
still exist in Cusco today. It was 6am on an Inca site and there were kids
playing football everywhere!!!!
A stop a Jacks coffee saw me very happy to see decent coffee
and a wonderful mango, orange and ginger juice that cured the oncoming cold. It
was a Sunday sand we walked into the Cathedral during mass to avoid the
entrance fees and admire the wooden alters with intricate detail and beautiful
paintings of the old town of Cusco. Cusco was designed by the Incas to form the
shape of the Puma with Saqsaywaman as the head and main plaza as the heart and
the old town as the body with the two rivers forming the tail. That afternoon
we got lost in the local market that not only consisted of the central market
place but filled all the surrounding streets and it was a nice retreat from the
touristic centre to wander without being hassled. Plaza San Francisco had live
music and a craft market, although colourful failed to attract the wallet out
of my handbag.
Tonight F and I decided to celebrate our 3 year anniversary
after delaying the celebrations due to illness. F had a Alpaca kebab and I a
stuffed pepper after an entre of garlic bread – which was white bread with
garlic butter, needless to say we were relieved when the main course arrived J
Another city walking tour the next day saw us take in the
site of Iglesia de Santo Domingo which was originally the site of the Sun
temple of the Inca and an observatory during their time. It was fascinating to
see the original Inca walls being used alongside the Dominican church. The
stone work is incredible and is testament to the Inca’s that during the two
large earthquakes in Cusco the Inca structures stood while the Colonial
buildings fell to rubble.
We visited one of the projects that Gap is working with in
the community. It is a kids home where they provide a variety of different
services for children from abusive families or children without support or families.
It was good to see that were not addressing just one of the many needs of these
children. They had an educational component where they helped them with their
homework or to reintegrated back into education, a therapy based programme
where they addressed the psychological and emotional needs of both the children
and parents, developing self esteem, personal values, social skills and
cultural identity.. A work based program where they taught skills/trades so
that once they left the program they could find work and take them off the
streets. They had a program with children with special needs and finally a
recycling program for everyone where they received education and skills on how
to reduce waste, increase environmental awareness.
Our group has been reduced as a few have headed off to the
jungle and so it was nice to have a smaller group to head to the Irish pub for
a few ales then to a divine pizza place for a very relaxed and chilled evening.
We are starting to feel like we have too long in Cusco now
as the days are dragging on. The last site we wanted to see was the Inka museum
that tracked the history of the Inca’s. I though the Inca civilisation was a
lot older than it was and it still seemed unclear to me as to how this wave of
civilisation started. The empire grew so quickly because they borrowed the
technology for the existing tribes and brought all the ideas together, so it
wasn’t a completely different tribal group more the formation and joining
together of the existing groups. How that process happened is vague. The
artefacts for both pre Inca and Inca times were fascinating and much more advanced
than I had anticipated, especially in pottery and ceramics and the decoration
of these items. At the museum they also had a weaving exhibit where they were
training women in the traditional methods of weaving and several women were
sitting around the courtyard weaving as they had done for centuries – it was
great to see such preservation of culture.