Machu Picchu!

Saturday April 14

It was a very early morning since our bus to catch the train left at 6:45am.  Travelling through mountainous country the bus brought us to Ollantaytambo where after we feasted on french toast and granola/yogurt at the train station we boarded Peru Rail to complete the journey to Machu Picchu.  Such a scenic route it was hard not to snap a photo every 10 seconds!

  

Ramiro, his brothers and even the lady we purchased the bus/train ticket from all think we are crazy to want to spend 4 days at the base of Machu Picchu in the town called Aguas Calientes.  But we are so excited to get away from big cities and all the traffic!!  For a family who is not fond of large cities we sure have spent a lot of time in them.  

Tianna insists on wearing the biggest back pack!!

this is the town of Aguas Calientes (hot springs)
JC & Landon borrowed camping gear from Ramiro and will have some male bonding time while the girls will enjoy a mother/daughter date in the hostel, warm & dry:-)

Sun rising over Machu Picchu and the boys campsite 

Monday was the day we chose to climb Machu Picchu and the sun was shining down on us!  This might not seem like a big deal but it was considering that the other 3 days were raining!!  I had prayed for sunshine and God heard me and provided a perfect day.  Tianna & I woke early (all on our own, no wake up call) and after breakfast walked to Landon & JC's campsite.  JC made the decision to climb (literally) one of the other mountains close to their campsite instead of doing what all the tourist do when they come here.  

 WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

 Our hike up to Machu Picchu took about 45minutes straight up not zig zagging like the buses full of tourists did.  My initial thought upon arriving and seeing it for the first time was "Wow, it is a lot bigger than I expected".  We've seen so many pictures that I was worried that it wouldn't be an awe moment but it was.  
We were captivated by the stunning architecture!!!     

 

 
Calling it a city is a good description and I tried to imagine myself living here over 600 years ago. Primitive but very structurally sound built entirely of chiselled boulders that fit perfectly without cement and strategically placed which would impress any architect even of today.  Abandoned by the Incas when the Spanish invaded, Machu Picchu was not re-discovered until 1911.

Tianna & I had booked a climb to one of the mountain tops directly above the city but it took some time to find the entrance into Machu Picchu Montana (mountain).  See Tianna's Post for her experience and impression. 

Ok, so here is where your true character shines, my daughters is one of optimism and perseverance.  The path to the top of the mountain (which is the highest one, even higher than the more popular Waynapicchu on the opposite side) is made of stone steps, we never counted but I am guessing at 3050 m that there were about a million that zigzagged at a 45 degree angle.  
 this view is only half way up!
To be honest I would have likely turned back if it hadn't been for Tianna's constant encouragement.  She was ahead of me (of course) and would yell back "Mom, we're almost there, I can see the top"  this was after about 15 minutes and for the rest of the 1.5hrs. it took us to climb to the top.  JC contacted us on his walkie talkie to say he reached the summit of his mountain and seemed happy to have accomplished this goal of his own.  

We made it.......INCREDIBLE!!  The view was one that I will remember forever and sharing this moment with my daughter was a highlight not only of this trip but of my life.  

Once at the top we contacted Landon below on the walkie talkie to let him know about our accomplishment.  When we sat down to rest I said to Tianna, "you know you can do anything you want with your life" she replied "yeah I know, I want to be a photographer."  I was thinking more along the lines of an astronaut but oh well whatever she decides to do I know she will be successful and happy.  What amazed me was that from this height we had a perfect view of Machu Picchu below but could not see one tourist even though we knew there were a couple thousand of them walking around down there.  

After about 20 minutes at the top we headed back down......in half the time it took to go up!  Even Tianna's legs were shaking.  Waiting for us at the bottom was Landon who was ready to leave so he & Tianna boarded the bus back to Aguas Calientes.  JC met them and they all went for a smorgasbord.  

Compliments of Katherine (my new aussie friend)

"Machu Picchu dates back to 1400AD and sits in perfect harmony between mountain peaks at 2400m above sea level. It was 'discovered' in 1911 by an American explorer, Hiram Bingham, who was in search of the lost city of the Incas. Surrounded by mystery and still debated by archeologists and historians, it is truly deserving of being one of the 7 wonders of the world." 

I stayed for a couple more hours hiking through this ancient Inca city in the glorious sunshine, thanking God for answering my prayer with the weather and for arranging my birth in the 20th century:-)

 the kids even managed to fit in a bit of school work on our last day before leaving Aguas Calientes:-)

Cuzco (elevation 11,000 feet)

Another night bus from Arequipa brought us to Cuzco.  Landon & Tianna were excited to be on the top floor of the double decker right in front.  It felt as though we were driving the bus and at times I wish I was!  

For such a large vehicle it amazed me at how many times the driver decided to overtake other equally large vehicles such as fuel trucks!  I clung on desperately as the bus careened around hairpin turns.  Let's just say I did a lot of praying on this night.  Oh and each time the driver went over 90kmph an alarm would sound with an annoying beep and would keep beeping until he slowed under 90.  How did I know this is why it was beeping?  Because it would also show up on the screen above our heads (the same screen that told us the temperature and the time).  Why would we, the passengers, need to be alerted to this, especially in the middle of the night?  It's not like we could do anything.... I never did find out why!!
We arrived, safe & sound, Thanks to God, at 6:00am and there waiting for us at the bus station was our 2nd Couch Surfing contact.  His name is Ramiro and he and his wife Vanessa have 3 children Lia (4), Liam (3) and Kim (1).  Also living with them is their niece Janeth.  

 helping Vanessa get the kids ready for school 

 so happy we were there to pick them up from school

Ramiro holding Kim, Liam, Vanessa, Lia, & Janeth

Ramiro has his own travel business called Info Cuzco.  He organizes treks into Machu Picchu however in order to do this 4 day hike one needs to book several months in advance.  (JC & Landon would have joined a group if it was possible).  Due to the high elevation of Cuzco we were warned not to do too much on the first day but drink lot's of coca tea which was fine by me since I didn't sleep much on the bus and was very tired.  The kids went hard though playing with the 3 kids!  Of course as usual they bonded immediately despite the language barrier, play is the universal language.  The cutest thing ever is listening to little ones speak spanish especially when they are excited.  Kim had just learned to walk so Landon & Tianna spent lot's of time having her walk between them.  Her only word is 'Pa Pa' but after a couple days we taught her to say "Ma Ma", I think Vanessa was happy about this.  In the afternoon JC & Landon went to the Plaza (remember every city has one?).  They came back with pizza and Ramiro's brothers Eddie and Clever and we all watched Peru vs. Chile that Ramiro projected onto his wall.  Unfortunately Peru lost 3 - 0.

The next day we treated Ramiro and his family to treats at the Chocolate Museum, yummmm!  Landon was able to do a mini-lesson on how to make chocolate in the kitchen while the rest of us enjoyed hot chocolate, mocha's, & chocolate fondue.

On our 3rd day in Cuzco we were so thrilled to have our very own tour guide come with us to a few of the attractions Cuzco has to offer.  Ramiro's brother Clever has studied the history of the Inca people and is a guide on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu but not today!  His clients from Argentina had to cancel due to a sickness but very fortunate for us because his knowledge of the area was priceless.

Clever (our awesome tour guide), city of Cuzco behind us

  

 

Landon purchased his CD and then got a lesson on his 18 string guitar!! 

 

Clever taught us all about the history of Inca's and showed us their ancient runes. The first Inca's came from Bolivia, & the first Inca building was in the shape of a Puma.  The Puma was important during this time and the head was a symbol called Saqsaywaman.

 pronounced "sexy woman"!

Saqsaywaman is an impressive fortress on a hill overlooking Cuzco, erected over five centuries ago when the Inca ruled.  Some of the huge rocks weighed more than 100 tonnes.  This fortress is a remnant of the once-mighty Inca empire, which at its peak in the late 1400's stretched from southern Columbia to southern Chile, about 4000 km.

After our tour we were dropped off near the Plaza and main square which is lined with restaurants, shops, old buildings with attractive balconies and street vendors.  It was certainly bustling but we found a nice quiet restaurant recommended by Clever where we enjoyed a superb italian lunch.  I loved watching all the Indigenous women wearing colourful shawls and heavy, long skirts with their long black hair in two braids down the back and a bowler hat that sits high on top of their heads.  Many also had a baby strapped to their back tied on with a colourful blanket.  Some of the women look too old to have a baby that young so presuming it's the grandma?!

Afterwards, we purchased more stuff than we have during our entire trip.  It was fun though and very reasonably priced which is a bonus for us budget travellers.  The time we spent hanging out in the town square was typical of Southern American cities as we were approached to buy all sorts of stuff, paintings, greeting cards, passport holders, finger puppets being sold by 2 little boys, bird seed, and even a mute & deaf lady asking for donations for her school.  Of course we bought a turtle finger puppet that Tianna named Henry and made a donation to the school.

 so much stuff to buy!

 Showing our newly weaved bracelets 

 

  

  MAKING PASTA!

 We highly recommend anyone thinking of hiking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu to book your trek with Ramiro!!

 ENJOYING THE FRESH PASTA!!

It was nice to have one more day with Ramiro's family after Machu Picchu, Vanessa was so sweet to make us a beautiful card with pictures of both our families and she also gave us a painting of Huacachina that she painted!!  

An incredible artist, mother, wife, business woman and now friend to a bunch of crazy Canadians!!

AMIGO'S!!

Food and Traditions in Peru!

Peru has been awesome and is so rich with culture and tradition that it's hard to remember all the details but I'll try.

Okay so I know I'm not alone when I ask who would be willing to eat Anticucho, Heart of Cow?  All the Peruvian people say how delicious it is but I'm not convinced!!  Landon wants to try it though.  He's much braver than I am?!?

This women is one of many preparing heart of cow on the street in Arequipa!

Many of the food here is so different from what we would prepare at home:
- Chicha drink - made from purple corn
- Mazamorra dessert - also made with purple corn and pineapple and has the consistency of pudding
- Ceviche - fish 'cooked' in lemon juice (no heat) the acid from the lemon juice cooks it
- more than 500 different types of potatoes, including freeze dried where they leave the potatoes in a very cold running stream for about a month.  Potatoes only cost 1 soles for 2 lbs. (that's about 38 cents).
- Cactus fruit they call Tuna
- Granadilla fruit which has bitter jelly & seeds inside but when it's blended and sugar is added tastes wonderful.
- Coca Tea (more on this below from JC)
- Inca Kola, yellow pop that taste similar to cream soda
- All the yogurt is liquid which we pour on cereal or fruit
- fresh lime/lemon juice, they look like limes but are called lemons?!
- Guinea Pig, how could we ever eat Guinea Pig, I had one as a pet when I was a kid.  RIP Ottis!
The one food we have all been missing from home is peanut butter and were so excited to find it in the grocery store.  We all did a happy dance!  It cost $19 soles which is $7.30 for a small jar...of course we bought the last jar on the shelf and then went back for more a few days later!

I will try to explain the Easter week traditions of the Catholic population in Peru which is about 90%.

JC & I at the Plaza

The celebrations begin on Palm sunday and every day of the week leading up to Easter has it's traditions including what food you eat on each day.  There is a procession every night of the week where each church will march with statues of Mary and come together in the Town Square.  


JC & I helped(a little bit) with preparing a Peruvian meal compliments of Giannina.  It was called Lomo Saltado which consisted of fried potatoes, saute onions, beef steak seasoned with cumin & pepper, tomatoes & parsley.  It was soooo good!  
After our meal with the Posner's, Giannina, Joel, JC & I ventured down to the Plaza where thousands of people gathered to visit 12 churches.   We made it to 3!  On this day the Peru people will eat 7 meals!!  We definitely feel this is more about tradition than a personal relationship with Jesus but it's interesting all the same.  Something you don't see everyday that we witnessed at the Plaza was suddenly all these women running down the street holding benches over their heads, I guess the street was just closed off to traffic and these women were running to secure the best spot to sell their food!  My new Peruvian friend Giannina is going to help me get this right so I will add more or make corrections as needed!  

  

Compliments of Giannina's website!

Easter in Perú

Holy Week is one of the religious dates venerated in Peru with great devotion there are processions, carpets of flowers, the aroma of incense, sorrowful hearts, slow pacing, grief-stricken by the death of Jesus, temples with candles welcoming devotees begging pardon for their sins. Just a few of the demonstrations of their faith.
Food is an important part of Easter, especially on Friday where eating meat is not allowed but people instead eat fish in a variety of preparations,most people eat the typical Chupe de Viernes (Friday Soup) made with Crabfish, cheese, milk, potatoes and vegetables. People eat as well variety of desserts like Mazamorra Morada (Jelly made from starch and fruits and colured with purple corn) or rice pudding. On sunday it’s typical to eat in Arequipa the “caldo blanco or seven meats soup” made with beef, lamb, chicken, pork, charqui (dried meat), goats and potatoes and vegetables to celebrate that Jesus is alive again.

Here are JC's thoughts:

The Catholic traditions and idols are much more intense here than in North America, down to what to eat on which day of the week (during lent) including 12 meals that must be consumed, all day, I believe on Easter Sunday? Shelley and I went down to the main city square, each community in the city has their own square, all complete with a statue of Mary holding Jesus. The streets downtown where closed off due to the thousands of people who goal was to visit 12 Church's yesterday alone...great experience however no personal relationship with Jesus, more of the "Pharisee" outer stuff!!

Kissing on the cheek is the norm for Peruvians, everyone from little children to the elders kiss you on the cheek upon saying hello and goodbye.  

Even little Dennis who is only 1 year old knows to kiss you on the cheek!

Not so much a tradition, more like an observation....we noticed that Kid’s aren’t in car seats, no one wears a seatbelt or uses a helmut – seems to be very few laws even though there are plenty of policemen on every corner?!


Something I don't think I will ever get used to is the lack of toilet seats, even in some of the fancy malls or nice restaurants.  Sometimes you even have to pay to use the banyo but still must squat since there is no seat!!


Now back to JC's explanation of what Coca tea is:
Coca tea is a herbal tea drank daily by the Southern Peruvian people. This leaf is also chewed on for centuries throughout the day by the (Andean’s) highlanders, as the coca plant with a complex array of mineral nutrients, essential oils, and varied compounds creating a benefit to human health yet is not addictive.  The traditional method of chewing coca leaf, called “Acullico”, consists of keeping a saliva-soaked ball of coca leaves in the mouth together with an alkaline substance that assists in extracting ingredients from the leaves. When chewed, coca acts as a mild stimulant and suppresses hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue. It has also shown to be an aid in the relief of high altitude sickness. There is an increasing use of coca flour as a food supplement.

Now if you are wondering coca is similar to an ingredient used in the making of Coca Cola…well in a word yes, the coca leaf was used at one time as an ingredient in Coke, due to it’s stimulant effect, however it was removed and now a decocainized coca extra is used as one of the flavoring ingredients. It is however the main ingredient in the making of cocaine!! Yes, amongst an entire laboratory process this is the plant used in the street drug, yet it has no drug effects when chewed or steeped in a tea. It is illegal to take out of the country and does leave traces of cocaine in your system for a few days after drinking or chewing it...so place a "note to self" those of you planing on competing in any upcoming international sporting events!!

A word you don’t want to use when speaking to the local police is Papuse, which means cocaine.  In Costa Rica we wanted to buy ingredients to make Pupusa, a local fried soft taco like product with beans, veggies and cheese, but accidently said Papusa!!  Yikes!