The One Where I Meet My Favorite City Ever

Cusco is beautiful. I actually think it might be one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. My pictures don't do it justice. 

On Monday we got to sleep in a little and leave at 9 for Ollantaytambo. Once in Ollantaytambo, we got on our buses and headed out for Cusco. 

On the way, we stopped at a chichería. Chicha is a type of beer made from corn. The corn is left out to germinate. Once they have sprouted, the kernels are boiled for four hours over a wood stove. The mixture is then sifted into a big clay pot through a woven basket. Nothing is sanitized, as far as I know. The beer is left to ferment for 3 days. It's only 3% alcohol, so farmers usually drink from a half-liter glass. And they drink a lot. It's okay, because German researchers just found out that it helps prevent prostate cancer. You'll probably start seeing more chicha in the states soon.

We also played a fun game where you throw coins onto a little table with holes carved into it and a toad in the middle. The goal is to get the coins in the toad's mouth, but the holes count for points too. The coins fall into a drawer underneath, so when you have thrown them all, you pull out the drawer and add it up. Whoever loses usually buys a round of drinks.

After that we were on our way to Cusco! After we checked into our hotels, the rest of the day was basically free to do what we wanted. There was an optional tour, which I went on because I like to learn. I had lunch with some other girls at a little pastelería. I had spinach quiche and a cheese sandwich with limonada. It was soo good, but I felt so full the rest of the day. It takes twice as long to digest at high altitudes like that. I wouldn't recommend it.

The tour basically consisted of the cathedral and a market. The cathedral was really cool because it was built over an Incan shrine. The Spanish forced the Inca to build the cathedral, so during the construction they made little suggestions and quite effectively hid Incan symbols all over the church. Many paintings have the Southern Cross in them, which is a constellation that is very important in the Incan culture. 

There is also wooden crucifix in this cathedral where the image of Jesus is black. Several hundred years ago, there were really bad earthquakes in Cusco. The Catholic priests said this was punishment and they should have a ceremony and ask for forgiveness. So they took this crucifix out into the plaza and began worshipping. The earthquakes stopped and as a thank-you they lit hundreds of giant candles all around the cross. They kept these candles lit for years. With all of that smoke, the crucifix was forever stained black. Now, there are electric candles in front of the shrine. It's a cool story.

After that tour, we went to a market where they sell grocery-type items. It was mostly closed because it was a holiday, but we got to buy some coffee and chocolate. Chocolate was invented here. By the Incas. You would think that there would be more of it.

By the time we got done with the tour, it was almost dark. Lights were coming on, and this is why I love Cusco. The whole mountainside was lit up with little twinkly lights all around the city. It was so beautiful. 

A couple girls and I went to a fancy bonbon store where you could get chocolates filled with fruit or liquor. I got a few. So far, so good. Basically maracuya is the best fruit ever.

Then we went to the textile market and I bought way too many souvenirs. I'm probably done with that now. But everything is just so pretty and so cool. I want it all!

After that we went back to the hotel and met up with some others for dinner. We went to a traditional restaurant called Valentino's and had cuy. In case you aren't aware, cuy is guinea pig. It is a delicacy in the Andean Mountains. They put enough spices on it that I probably would have believed it was chicken if they hadn't served it to us whole. I also had palm hearts and Cusqueña, the local beer. It was an alcohol-filled day, I guess. They had a live band that played really good music. Most indigenous music that we heard was just covers of American pop songs (like My Heart Will Go On, Don't Cry For Me Argentina, and Let It Be) done with a flute and violin, but these guys were better than that.

We went back to the hotel for another early bedtime. Both of my roommates were out late, so I got the room to myself for a while. It was really nice to have some alone time after a weekend constantly surrounded by people.

At breakfast the next day, I finally had my coffee. And I had chocolate cereal with vanilla yogurt. It was fantastic. And to top it all off, there was a man playing piano in the breakfast room. He played lots of great songs, like The Entertainer, and Dancing Queen. The best, though, was The Star Spangled Banner. We all gave each other confused looks and then just went with it. We clapped at the end just like it was a sporting event. 

I'm becoming a breakfast person. Slowly, but surely. As long as I keep having great breakfast experiences like that, I will be fully converted by the time I get home. Look out, world.

Still can't believe this place exists

On Sunday we got up bright and early for breakfast and then hopped on a train to take us through the mountains to Machu Picchu!

So. We played cards on the train because, like you might imagine from watching Harry Potter, a lot of trains have seats that face each other around a table. We played Kemps and War. I know what you are probably thinking. "Amanda, you don't even like games!" Here's the thing, guys. I'm trying to make new friends here. The best way to do that is not saying, "Oh, you like to play cards? I hate that. I'm going to sit here and read a book." No! And War is an okay game. It doesn't take any strategy. I lost. But! Noah went to the bathroom and I took over for him and won!

Anyways. Once we arrived in Machu Picchu Pueblo we had to get on a bus. The bus took this winding road of switchbacks all the way up the mountain to the ruins. It was a really nice bus. At the top, we got our tickets and went in.

When you go in Machu Picchu you have to walk through a covered bridge. Then you go in some small buildings that have a hallway through a few rooms. The point is that you can't see Machu Picchu until you walk through the door on the other side of this building. It's spectacular. You walk through this dark building and then BOOM you're there. 

The complex is big. They estimate that 300-500 people lived there. And it took 22,000 people to build it, which means that many people lived close enough to go there every day. Everything is made from granite and some is stone and mortar, while the more important buildings, like the temples, are a more complicated technique that the Incans perfected. They would break the stones on natural cleavage points to create very smooth bricks. They worked the stones until they fit together perfectly. It's unbelievable. 

So once we were in we took some pictures and rushed over to the entrance to Huayna Picchu. This is that big, pointy, green mountain that you see in all the classic Machu Picchu pictures. That's right, folks. I climbed that mountain. When you are looking at it from the entrance to Machu Picchu and your leader is saying, "What do you think, guys, are you up for it? I think it's worth it!" you will probably do what I did and think, "Yeah! I got this!" What you will probably not have realized is that you first have to walk down the mountain you are currently on and climb Huayna Picchu from the bottom. And it isn't a smooth path. It is stone stairs. Built by the Incas hundreds of years ago. And you are 7,000 ft above sea level. Oxygen doesn't come easy.

It's okay though. We probably hiked for almost an hour. And then we were at the top! (there were a lot of breaks in there) The very top is a bunch of boulders that you can sit on. It's pretty sweet, but our whole group was up there so it was really crowded. There is a part that is more leveled off where we took pictures and ate snacks. You can see Machu Picchu from up there and it is really sweet. There are ruins at the top of the mountain too. I'm not sure what they were used for, but we were told that groups of Incans would run up the mountains every day. Yeah, they ran. I think that's totes cray.

Climbing down was not as bad on the lungs, but much worse on the thighs. The steps are not very even and most are really thin and really steep, so it's an uncomfortable descent. We were next to some Brazilian guys, though, and they told us a little about the protests going on over there. They said that people are fed up with the government spending money on FIFA standard soccer fields and Olympic standard pools when they are lacking in education and health services. They said that there are picket signs that say, "We want FIFA standard hospitals and schools!" They said it isn't very dangerous, but it's on the list of places that the US recommends we stay away from, so our site leader's trip was cancelled a few months ago. It was cool to hear about it from people who live there, though, instead of the news.

Once we were back in the complex, we went to lunch. There are two places to eat at Machu Picchu. One is a buffet and it costs 100 soles, or around 36 US dollars. Or there is a snack bar that sells sandwiches for amusement park prices. I got a chicken sandwich and passionfruit juice and sat with a view of the mountains. A bird nearly pooped on my lunch, but it missed by a few inches. It was a lucky day.

After climbing a mountain, we continued our day with more stairs. Machu Picchu is basically all stairs. The Incan people had some good looking legs (I'm assuming). I probably won't need to work out again all year.

Our guide, Rudy, told us all about the Incas and what each section of Machu Picchu is thought to have been used for. Some sources will tell you that Machu Picchu was where they went to live in the winter. Rudy says this isn't true. It's more likely that Machu Picchu was a school. There are rooms with posts sticking out from the walls where students could hang their kipus, which is the Incan writing system (or quipu, google search that). They have mirrors made from small reflecting pools on the ground in one classroom. This would have been where they taught students about astrology. They also have a large sundial that was used to track time during the day and throughout the year. 

One of the major Incan gods is Pachamama. Pachamama is mother nature. She and the sun god work together to provide everything that they need. The shrine to Pachamama is really cool because they used boulders that were already there. Frank Lloyd Wright called that organic architecture. 

One of the best things about Machu Picchu is that the Spanish never found it. When the Spanish arrived in the 1500s, it's likely that a messenger arrived at Machu Picchu and warned them. Everyone fled to the final Incan capital, Vilcabamba, where most of them were eventually killed. Machu Picchu is so well hidden, though, that it's whereabouts were unknown to the modern world until 1911 when Hiram Bingham announced it's discovery. Bingham was an archaeologist from Yale, and since this was before NAGPRA (look it up), there are a lot of artifacts still at the Peabody Museum at Yale. There are a lot of people who are not happy about that.

What people are happy about, though, is that Machu Picchu was not destroyed by the Spanish! It is practically the same as when the Incas deserted it hundreds of years ago. So that is really very cool. Research is still being conducted there. A body was just found buried at the top of Huayna Picchu and a trail was just found going up the mountain just across the valley. Exciting stuff.

I kind of want to hike the Inca Trail now. After climbing that mountain I feel like I can do anything. I also want to live in Cusco, but I will elaborate more in the next post.

We left Machu Picchu on one of the last buses and went to our hotels in Aguas Calientes. You could probably guess that there are hot springs in this town. I didn't go, but I can imagine they would feel good after a long day of hiking. A group of us went to a really nice restaurant called El Indio Feliz and had a three course meal for 60 soles. I had Trujillo Melon, which was cantaloupe melon balls in wine, mango chicken, and orange pie for dessert. It was one of my favorite meals ever.

After dinner we walked around the town for a bit. Aguas Calientes is at the base of Machu Picchu. It is basically a town built for tourists. It didn't exist until Machu Picchu opened to the public. There are a lot of places to eat and a lot of little shops. 

We were walking up the street and saw a really cute dog. We were all oohing and aahing over the dog, like girls do, when we saw another dog. I was in the middle of saying, "Oh that dog is cute too!" when it attacked the other dog. We freaked out. It was pretty scary, but also kind of funny since everyone (including the dogs) was okay.

We also found a live band. They were pretty good, but we were pretty tired so we went back to the hotel and watched Poseidon in Spanish. Nothing goes right in that movie.

I can't even believe this place exists

This past weekend I got to go to one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Like, they took a vote. Everyone on Earth said that Machu Picchu is one of the top 7 most incredible places on our planet. So, I mean, I guess it was a good weekend.

Our plane left Lima at 8 am which meant we had a meeting time of 5:30. Ugh. No, it wasn't that bad. Cusco has an altitude of roughly 11,000 ft above sea level. Altitude sickness is a real thing. We took lots of precautions, like drinking plenty of water, avoiding sweets, alcohol, spicy, and caffeine the night before, getting lots of sleep, etc. So no one got very sick. I had a headache the first day, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Anthony Bourdain had to get an oxygen tank on No Reservations, and he's a professional traveller. 

Anyways, we landed in Cusco and the people at the airport must have thought they were really funny because they made the ramp from the plane to the airport really steep. I couldn't tell if I was experiencing the altitude right away, or the ramp was really steep. I figured out it was the ramp, but by then I was out of breath. Sneaky, sneaky. Also, there was a McDonald's billboard that said Bienvenidos a Cusco on one side and Welcome to Cusco on the other. It felt like home somehow. Actually, I was kind of disgusted.

In the parking lot, people were already trying to sell us souvenirs. They had bags, hats, dolls, all with the signature peruvian textile patterns. One guy was taking pictures of us with his fancy camera. I thought he was just a creep. Turns out he was more than a creep. He was a professional creep. He found our hotel on the last day (we stayed in 3 different hotels) and tried to sell us postcards with the pictures from the airport on them. We have no idea how he found us.

So we met our wonderful guides, Rudy and Carlos, got on buses and drove through the Sacred Valley. Our first stop was in Chinchero at La Casa de Nely. Nely showed us how they spin yarn from alpaca and sheep wool and then dye it with plants and bugs found in the Andes. It was really interesting. Nely is an indigenous Incan woman who speaks Quechua in the home, but she also speaks Spanish and English. I was impressed. Most people selling things there can speak some English, because most tourists speak English, but Nely gave her whole presentation in English. She then showed us how they weave the yarn and told us about the traditional dress. My favorite part was when she wrapped up a baby in a blanket and showed us how they carry their babies on their backs. The baby was too cute. After the demonstration we were invited to purchase things from the women. It was all really good stuff.

Our next stop in the valley was at a lunch buffet. They told us to eat light the first day, but then took us to a buffet. I think that was poor planning. I had two plates of food, one plate of desserts and we celebrated birthdays with a cake, so I had some of that, too. New foods encountered here include: alpaca meat (I would have thought it was tough beef if no one had told me otherwise), ensalada de trigo which is a wheat salad (oat-type things with onions and peppers), lots of different potatoes, maybe quinoa (they didn't tell us everything), and mate de coca. Coca is a really important plant in the Andes. It is most famous for its role in the production of cocaine, but it has plenty of other uses. Coca has 65% more calcium than milk. When archaeologists were studying bones found at Machu Picchu, they noticed that none of the skeletons had signs of osteoporosis. They thought this was odd, and studied their diet, finding that coca is one incredibly healthy addition to your daily meal plan. It also gives you a boost of energy. For this reason, they sell coca tea, coca candy, and dried coca leaves at all the touristy and non-touristy shops to help ease the effects of the altitude. It really does help. I had 3 cups of coca tea my first day. I totally survived.

Finally, we made it to our final destination, day one: Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is one of the major archaeological sites in the Sacred Valley. It is also one of the three Incan cities where a major battle was fought against the Spanish. Today, it is the oldest "living" Incan city. Most of the roads in Ollantaytambo are the original Incan roads. Many of the existing buildings in the city are built upon Incan foundations. It's really cool. There is an irrigation system where all the rainwater runs through a sort of gutter in the streets. It's just really cool. Believe me. 

In Quechua, "tambo" means resting place. Ollantaytambo is one of the major stops along the Incan Trail. The Incan trail was used by messengers to carry news throughout the empire. These messengers didn't just walk or ride llamas or horses. They ran. It was sort of a long distance relay, with many tambos along the way. Ollantaytambo is one of the four larger resting places in the empire. There are farming terraces and a temple that was destroyed by the Spanish fathers. It's a really beautiful place, with mountains all around. It is also slightly lower than Cusco at 8-9,000 ft above sea level. So that helped. 

We toured the ruins there and then checked into our hotel. The hotel had llamas. When we were going to our rooms, the guy showing us where to go made sure we knew where the llamas were. There was a mom, dad, and baby llama. Llamas never seem like they are okay with you being near them. I generally feel uncomfortable around llamas.

For dinner, some of us decided ice cream would be enough. We went to a little place and tried most of the flavors. I got chicha morada flavored ice cream, which is a beverage I mentioned in one of my earlier posts (it looks like grape juice but tastes like Christmas). Then we walked around and shopped a little. We stopped at a little restaurant because a couple girls were hungry and I got jugo de piña (pineapple juice). It was good. I think pineapple juice might be one of my favorite things ever. We ended up going to bed at like 8:30 or 9. It's okay because The Princess Diaries was on Disney Channel in Spanish.

I think I'm going to do a different post for each day since this feels really long. Stay tuned for next time on "Amanda's Adventures in Cusco!!!"

PS One of my other favorite Peru things is cereal with yogurt instead of milk. The cereal doesn't get soggy as quickly and it makes healthy cereal (like plain corn flakes) taste better. I will never think about yogurt or cereal the same way again.

Vlahhh

This week has been our first (and only) full week of classes. And I still ended up not having class on Friday. So I guess the year with no summer at least has a little bit of a break.

On Monday I was beyond tired. The weekend was jam-packed full of fun and travel so all I wanted to do on Monday was sleep. And browse Facebook.

Tuesday I had the sociology portion of my Socio-economic Realities of Perú class. I really like this part of the class. It's right up my ally. The professor talks a lot, but I think that's typical of professors. It's just harder when they are doing it in your second language. We talked a lot about education this week and the distribution of wealth in Perú. In Lima, the difference in monthly salaries from the top socio-economic tier to the bottom is S/.17,000 to S/.890 ($6,204 to $325). There is a huge discrepancy in wealth. As our economics professor often says, there is a lot of money in the hands of only a few people. Anyways, I like that class. It's super interesting to me.

After class we had a little coffee get together with ISA and Universidad del Pacifico. We got free coffee and coke and Inca Kola, and sandwiches and tarts! YUM. There was a trivia time and some people won tshirts and chairs for their cell phones. How exciting. I didn't win anything. If you know anything about my academic challenge days, you know I'm not very fast on the buzzer. And I'm even slower when there is no buzzer.

After coffee, a couple girls and I went to Polvos Azules which is a giant indoor market downtown. They have tons of cheap clothes, shoes, and souvenirs. There are like 1000 little stands the size of cubicles in this huge building and they are jam-packed with clothes. It's super overwhelming but also really awesome and terrible. I'm sure a lot of it is knock-off stuff, but it still works, right? I got some nice, thick leggings, an alpaca sweater, and a scarf. I am planning on wearing all of those things in Cusco. There are a lot of markets like that here since Perú is a main manufacturer of textiles. I know, more economics.

We went to La Baguette for lunch and had no idea what we were supposed to do once we got there. Do we order here and then sit? Do they come to our tables? Is someone going to seat us? We asked and they were like, "Do you want to speak English?" So that was nice. They were accommodating, but it was also slightly uncomfortable. I got a cold Coca-Cola which actually made my day. Most drinks are served room temperature here and it is way more common to drink juice than pop. Also, water is not free. So really the whole drink situation is different.

The first two weeks were really easy, cravings-wise, because I'm used to going on trips that are around two weeks or less of eating different foods. This week has been really rough. I basically just want to eat dessert as my meal. I think I'm going through sugar withdrawal. I also have a cup of coffee most days, but since we are going to Cusco this weekend I have been worried about hydration. So today I stopped drinking coffee for the next week. It has been really hard so far. All I could think about all day was how much I wanted coffee. It was sad. I can't wait to get back from Cusco so I can drink whatever the heck I want.  And I really want Taco Bell. And fudge pops. And popcorn. And a frappuccino.

This afternoon I went with a group from ISA to La Casa de Panchita's program called "Mi Espacio para Crecer" in San Juan de Miraflores (Google image that). It was super fun. It's basically an after-school program in the poorer part of Lima. The kids there don't really have any space to themselves in their homes so they can come to Mi Espacio para Crecer to do their homework and just act like kids. I played with Lego-like blocks with a kid who made the sweetest ship/truck I have ever seen. We also traced pictures and played with one of those mazes with the little silver balls. I had a lot of fun. La Casa de Panchita is where I will be doing my internship, so I'm pretty excited for that. I met some girls that I will be working with and they seem really nice.

Side note: We drove through this one intersection where there were like 18 stores for eyeglasses. We learned that the most popular place to get your eyes checked was just around the corner. Welcome to the Latin American business model. I know, more economics.

Lastly, I have been listening to Gungor on repeat. I just really like "Please Be My Strength." I'm tired and I have to push through this homesick part and the song just makes sense to me right now.

Sorry, one more thought. I'm really blond here. Compared to everyone else, my hair is super light. I stick out like a sore thumb. I thought about dying it darker, but I think I might look like a vampire. You know, the dark hair would make my skin look more pale. Right?

Get ready to be jealous...

Hello. I went to the Amazon rainforest last weekend. Here is an account of my experience.

Day 1

We traveled a lot. First we got on a private bus at 5:30 am to take us to the airport. At 8:00 am our flight left for Iquitos. We had a small stopover in another jungle town but we didn't even have to get out of the plane. We landed in Iquitos at 11ish and met our guide, Hulber. He showed us to our private bus where we each had 2 seats. So classy. We took the bus to a Manatee Rehabilitation Center!

This was probably one of my favorite things ever. Because you all know that since spring break I have been on a small manatee kick. They are so cute and so fat and they never hurt anyone. Their only mistake was taking forever to reproduce. Ugh, evolution sometimes, you know?

Anyways this is where baby manatees are taken when their mothers have been poached and someone finds them being kept as a pet. The first baby we saw was in quarantine because it had been fed the wrong kind of milk for its whole life (manatees are lactose intolerant) and had a vitamin deficiency. It was shedding its skin which happens to all baby manatees, but it was taking longer for her. The rehab center gets milk sent to it every 3 days from Texas. Special manatee milk.

The Amazonian manatee is endangered, like all other manatees. It can grow to be 3 meters long! That's really big! It eats water lettuce which can get out of control and keep oxygen from getting to the fish. So the manatees are really important for keeping this in check. In the Amazon, manatees are hunted by native people to be eaten. This is now illegal since manatees are very endangered. There are only 1000 left. That isn't a lot.

So then we went over to the weaning area where there were 7 baby manatees that we could touch and bottle feed and give lettuce and bananas. I had to keep reminding myself that keeping one forever is very illegal. But they were SO CUTE. They have like 100 little whiskers on their noses so when you put your hand in the water they immediately know and swim over and beg for love and food. Their skin kind of feels like vinyl only different. Kind of how you would imagine, but softer. They also don't have front teeth so don't even worry about getting bitten. Like I said, they never hurt anyone. Let's try to keep them around, okay?

Then we all got back into the bus and drove for an hour and a half to Nauta which is super close to where the Marañon and the Ucayali meet to form the Amazon. It was raining, like it does in the rainforest, so we just hopped into the boats to head upstream to our lodge.

We boated for about 40 minutes on the Marañon River to reach Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.

Our lodge was just across the river from the actual nature reserve. It was sweet. The lodge only had electricity from 6-10 pm everyday. It was fine, though, because we were only there for meals and sleeping. We were served gourmet jungle food like fish, palm hearts, rice, vegetables, chicken and all sorts of desserts. And lots of juice. And coffee!

We met our second guide, Rey at the lodge. Rey and Hulber both grew up in indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Rey moved to Iquitos when he was 6, but later returned to his tribe to find out where he came from. His father was a shaman, and always encouraged Rey to become a shaman. His other side of the family is Christian, though, and thinks of shamanism as evil. I think Rey started to train to be a shaman, so he knows a lot about the rainforest. He knows most animal calls. It was sweet, because he would make the sound of a dolphin breathing and then one would surface. He worked with a photographer from Animal Planet to get a good shot of the pink dolphins. He's pretty darn cool.

Once we ate and dropped our stuff off we went on a hike through the rainforest by the lodge. We saw bullet ants, which are like an inch long and super poisonous, huge spiders, leaf-cutter ants, squirrel monkeys, and crazy mushrooms. We also drank water out of a tree root. I know what you're thinking! Don't drink the water! Don't worry. The tree roots are like a super filter. They also make the water taste smokey. I don't know if that's the right word. It tasted like wood. We also saw a polka dot tree frog which was super cute. And the stars! We could see a thousand more stars than I have ever seen in my life! That night the bats on our porch kept us up. And my stomach hurt. But if you don't know about my stomach hurting, then you don't really know me.

Day 2

The second day we ate breakfast and then hopped in the boats once again. We motored along the coast edge of the reserve and saw about 4 sloths hanging out in the tops of trees. One of the sloths had a baby clinging to its back. How cute. We also saw a bunch of hawks and one iguana.

Once we got to the park, we entered via another river system that feeds into the Marañon. They call it the Río de los espejos, or the river of mirrors, because the water is black and reflects everything on a sunny day. It was so beautiful. Dolphins like to hang out where rivers meet, so we saw a lot of pink dolphins. If you have never heard of them, you should do a google search. They are funny looking and there are a lot of sweet river people myths about them. Well really, only one, but it is still kind of cool. Okay, I'll just tell you.

So the local people believe that the pink dolphins turn into beautiful young men and women at night and come out of the water to seduce their sons and daughters. Because of this, they stay far away from the river dolphins. It's cool, because the dolphins are protected this way. That might have been the porpoise of this dolphin myth (see what I did there?).

At the ranger station there is a community of native people. There were little kids running around, being cute, and when we saw a jungle cat in a tree they took us to see it up close. It ran away before we could get there, but it was sweet nonetheless.

Then we went farther up the river to the community called 20 de Enero. A lot of communities are named after the date when they were founded. A local man showed us where they press aguaje fruits to extract oils used to make make-up in Europe. It has a lot of female hormones in it and makes your skin look younger. The local women use leftovers and say their skin looks 10 years younger overnight! They can sell a huge bag of this for 25 soles in Iquitos. A tiny bottle of it sells for 35 dollars in drug stores. I think that's a rip off.

Then we went behind the fruit press to see the aguaje trees that they climb to get the aguaje. They used to cut the trees down to get the fruits. Now they climb them using simple rope tools and collect from the same trees all year. A few of us tried to climb. Not me. It was harder than he made it look.

Then the locals took us for a ride in their dug out canoes. My canoe driver was named Haber and he was 13 years old. What a cutie. They have to have really good balance. The canoes ride really low in the water so they are super easy to tip. Thankfully none of us fell overboard.

After we said our goodbyes and thank-yous we got back in the boats and went to a little pond just off the river where we were able to swim! The water was sort of chilly, but definitely warm enough. There were dolphins nearby, which was a good sign. Dolphins eat piranhas. It was roughly 5 meters deep where we were so it was a solid 20 minutes of treading water. But it was so fun.

Then we had lunch which was a traditional Peruvian dish served only in June because it is eaten to celebrate El Día de San Juan. I think I read somewhere that this is because the way it is wrapped in lettuce resembles John's head being served to Harod on a platter. But don't quote me on that. This is when I got eaten by mosquitos because my bug spray washed off and I was still too wet to reapply. No fair.

After lunch we fished for piranhas. Don't get too excited, they weren't very big. These ones couldn't have even fit my finger in their mouth. But it was still super cool. I caught a freshwater sardine. We ate the piranhas at dinner. They were served to us whole. We had to like, pop the head off and then just eat the meat even though I wasn't sure where the bones were. Because of this, I am 98.9% sure I ate some ribs.

Then we went back to the lodge. On the way it poured. This was rainforest rain. It was nothing like anything I had ever experienced before. There was so much rain. At one point it felt like I was being shot with tiny round things (I would say paintballs, but I haven't experienced that and don't want to). It was awful. Everything we took with us got soaked except for the few valuables we stashed behing a seat. Since the humidity is around 100% in the rainforest, nothing dried. Our clothing options were extremely limited for the rest of the trip.

Before dinner we went looking for caiman. Caiman are just like alligators, only a little different. When it gets dark, you can boat along the rivers and shine your flashlight along the banks. Their eyes glow red in the light. It's sweet. One of the guides caught a baby and we each took turns holding it. Just call me Bindi (The Crocodile Hunter's daughter, of course). We also got another good look at the stars. I wish I could see that every night.

After dinner, some locals from the San Jorge community came over to show us their dances and music. It was really cool. Their dances are a lot of kicking and hopping on your toes. Nothing too fancy, but enough to make my calves really sore. Members of the San Jorge community work at the lodge. They have an agreement to help take care of the environment around the lodge in exchange for jobs and tourist activities.

Day 3

We got up bright and early for birdwatching and a visit to San Jorge. We saw parakeets and a few hawks. We also stopped at a small community and a 6th grade boy showed us the fish he had caught that morning. In those communities there is no adolescence. It is child then man. At 11 years old he already has a lot of responsibility.

At the San Jorge community we were able to buy souvenirs made by the local women. They were really cool and really cheap. And I got to say I was supporting the local economy. This provides money for them that doesn't come from exploiting the rainforest, so I think that's pretty cool. San Jorge is very organized. They have local elections every year for mayor and 2 other positions. Their first project was concrete paths so that they wouldn't step on snakes. Then they wanted a school. Now they are in the process of getting 24 hour electricity and soon they will have internet. It was a great example of how they aren't lacking in resources, or really even poor. This is just their lifestyle. 

After breakfast we loaded up our stuff and boated back to Nauta. From Nauta we went up to where the Amazon River is formed. The Amazon is the largest river by volume and length in the world. The Congo and Mississippi are second and third, respectively, by volume, but it would take two Congos and one Mississippi to fill the Amazon. The Peruvian military reports the Amazon at 15 meters in some points and Brazil reports 100 meters! So yeah, it's pretty big. At some points you can't see the other side. Where we were, I kept thinking we were on a lake. Nope, it's definitely a river.

Eventually we made our way back to Nauta where we got on a bus that took us to our plane. We were all sad to be leaving, but excited to get back to warm showers, electricity, and internet. I'm still really tired, but it was probably one of the most exciting weekends of my life.

Swimsuits, donuts, and Harold

I just got back yesterday from the Amazon Rainforest. Yeah, I know. 

Highlights include:

Bottle feeding baby manatees

Swimming in the Amazon

Meeting natives

Holding a baby caiman

Fishing for and eating piranhas

Seeing bullet ants, polka dot frogs, sloths, and pink dolphins

So now that you know the highlights, I want to tell you about our adventure Thursday night, before leaving. I forgot to bring a swimsuit to Perú. This was a terrible mistake. It is winter here so no one is selling swimsuits. But I keep seeing activities that might require a swimsuit. Like surfing. And hot springs. And swimming in the Amazon. 

A group of like 8 of us went shopping at La Plaza San Miguel, but it turned out to be a mall just like the States. With prices similar to or higher than those in the states. And the guy at the department store told me I wouldn't be able to find a swimsuit in all of Lima. He was wrong. I found a few at Rip Curl but they were over 200 soles, so almost $100. I guess in a way he was right. I decided to just wear shorts and a tank top in the Amazon. 

Basically we wandered a bit because in a group that big it is hard to agree on what to do, especially while shopping. We went to Dunkin Donuts for a bit. That was kind of nice. And then we decided to see a movie. The first choice was "Que pasa ayer?" or "The Hangover 3." Luckily we went with "El Hombre de Acero" or "The Man Of Steel" also known as the new Superman movie. We were super excited to hear how they dubbed everyone's voices into Spanish, but it ended up just having Spanish subtitles. Apparently the movie came out in the States on Thursday at midnight so I saw it a few hours earlier than all of you were able to even think about seeing it!

After the movie ended we all piled into a cab (obviously not all 8 of us, one was meeting a friend there), crammed 6 in the back and went on our way. We had to keep hiding from the police because that is illegal and since 5 guys escaped from the prison police were everywhere. Anyway, it turns out the cab driver can speak english really well and is a student at another university downtown. He is a student in the morning, teaches in the afternoon, and drives a cab at night. His name was Harold and he gave us his number if we ever need anything. We probably spent way more time in his cab than we should have because we gave bad directions, but it was a good time and we tipped him a lot.

So that all happened BEFORE I went to the rainforest. In an effort to keep posts short and keep your attention I will write about the rainforest in my next post.

Yo vengo a hablar por vuestra boca muerta

I decided today I would just give you a little taste of my Literature class. Today we read poems by Pablo Neruda and interpreted them. This is an excerpt I found from Los Alturas de Macchu Picchu, translated into English.

Canto XII from The Heights of Macchu Picchu

Arise to birth with me, my brother.
Give me your hand out of the depths
sown by your sorrows.
You will not return from these stone fastnesses.
You will not emerge from subterranean time.
Your rasping voice will not come back,
nor your pierced eyes rise from their sockets.

Look at me from the depths of the earth,
tiller of fields, weaver, reticent shepherd,
groom of totemic guanacos,
mason high on your treacherous scaffolding,
iceman of Andean tears,
jeweler with crushed fingers,
farmer anxious among his seedlings,
potter wasted among his clays--
bring to the cup of this new life
your ancient buried sorrows.
Show me your blood and your furrow;
say to me: here I was scourged
because a gem was dull or because the earth
failed to give up in time its tithe of corn or stone.
Point out to me the rock on which you stumbled,
the wood they used to crucify your body.
Strike the old flints
to kindle ancient lamps, light up the whips
glued to your wounds throughout the centuries
and light the axes gleaming with your blood.

I come to speak for your dead mouths.

Throughout the earth
let dead lips congregate,
out of the depths spin this long night to me
as if I rode at anchor here with you.

And tell me everything, tell chain by chain,
and link by link, and step by step;
sharpen the knives you kept hidden away,
thrust them into my breast, into my hands,
like a torrent of sunbursts,
an Amazon of buried jaguars,
and leave me cry: hours, days and years,
blind ages, stellar centuries.

And give me silence, give me water, hope.

Give me the struggle, the iron, the volcanoes.

Let bodies cling like magnets to my body.

Come quickly to my veins and to my mouth.

Speak through my speech, and through my blood. 

The poem is attempting to bring justice to those exploited in the building of this Incan wonder. It is recognizing that people suffered for this, and that people are suffering today. After reading the poem, we listened to this more modern use of Neruda's words.

This actually gave me goosebumps. I'm glad we read this poem a week before we go to Cusco. I might not have even thought about the fact that just like the Great Wall of China, slaves were used to build Macchu Picchu. How often do we praise those who have accomplished great things by robbing another of his rights?

Arriba Perú!

Yesterday was the Perú vs. Columbia soccer game. I'm not really big into soccer, but you know, when in Perú. 

So the game was at 3:30. Most people had class. There were about four of us who were free. And we all happened to be from Ohio State. 

We tried to go to a sports bar in Miraflores called The Corner Bar but when we got there it was full. So we wandered a bit, but eventually made our way to a "pizza bar." Basically, they served Italian food and also drinks. We were late, but we caught the last half of the game. It was probably good that we were late because a lot of people were leaving the area as we were getting there. We might not have found a place to sit. 

We ordered a round of pisco sours, which is the official drink of Perú, and cheered the team to a disappointing loss. It was worth it to be in that restaurant, though. Imagine the intensity of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game, only that's what it's like every time. It was great.

Then we walked through Kennedy Park which is also known as "el parque de los gatos" or the cat park. There are stray cats everywhere. It was like a dream come true, except with more fleas and dirt. Cats will just walk up to you and you can pet them and play with them and probably only some of them have diseases. 

We walked over to Larcomar and stared out at the ocean for a while. It was a good night. After a bit we hopped in a taxi and ended up having a somewhat chatty taxi driver. He seemed like he knew about tourists; I assume he's driven a lot of them around. He was really concerned that we knew where we were and where we were going. So that was nice. 

Onwards and Upwards, I suppose.

Saturday night we went to a salsa club called Turatao. It was mostly fun. I laughed out loud a few times because I make fun of things a lot in my head. In those moments I was glad the music was loud. Captain Morgan was there and took pictures with everyone in the club. Many people got hats and shirts. I had a good time, but it wasn't my scene.

Sunday we toured Miraflores and Barranco. Both are on the coast and are the more upscale parts of town. Miraflores has many stores and a mall called Larcomar right on the coast where you can shop at upscale stores like Jimmy Choo's or Hush Puppies or Guess. They also had a KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut and Tony Roma's. 

In Miraflores, there is an archaeological site called Huaca Pucllana. It is a pyramid built by the Limas who are the earliest known civilization in Perú. The area was first used as a cemetery and then was more of a sacred center and political complex. Eventually the Lima were overtaken by the Wari and then the Wari were overtaken by the Incas. It was really cool to see an active archaeological site right after having worked on a dig in Columbus. I was thinking, "So this is what it would be like to find something!" The pyramid was originally hidden in a large hill. They had to do a lot of digging to get it to look how it does today. I don't know if anyone else in my group appreciated the tour quite as much as I did. But that is to be expected. Not many people are thinking about being archaeologists. 

I think one of the coolest things about the site was the intense juxtaposition of modern civilization and ancient civilization. From the top of the pyramid we could easily see Bembo's, a peruvian burger chain. The city was literally just outside the walls put up by the archaeologists. It was a strong reminder that people have been living here for over 1000 years and life has not remained stagnant. Human culture, unlike non-human animals, is constantly assessing and improving. Onward and upward, I suppose.

After lunch we went to a museum in Barrancos. An art collector once owned the house. He had no wife or children so his house and collection wound up belonging to the state. Unfortunately the group size for this tour was very large, so a lot of what our guide said was missed. He showed us some really interesting art, though. Apparently it was really common to paint over old portraits in order to reuse canvas. While the museum workers were restoring some portraits of viceroys and such, they found portraits of saints underneath. It was cool to have another reminder of how culture changes. Colonialism brought a change of focus in the world. Rich people were interested in getting richer. They sent people out in search of gold. They owned plantations and took chances on the "New World." In some cases, probably many cases, the saints were forgotten. Their portraits were replaced with those of the upper class. It's an interesting thought, for sure.

Despues de esto, we went to the shore in Barrancos. Obviously, it was beautiful, as most shorelines are.  We crossed a bridge called Puente de los Suspiros. The legend says that if you make a wish before you cross and hold your breath the whole way, your wish will come true. I didn't make it. I guess I won't be passing my classes. After seeing the coast, we ate picarones at a restaurant on the hill called Javier's. Picarones are like donuts, only made with sweet potato flour. They are doused in honey and oh so good. The sweet potato flour makes them healthy, right?

So there is a pretty comprehensive summary of my weekend. I'm way tired. We have four days of classes this week and then we are going to Iquitos. I can't wait. Tomorrow I only have one class and then I am going to meet the organization that I will be doing my internship with in July. Thursday I might go shopping with some other girls. Life is exciting, guys.

Cats and Combs

Today we toured historic downtown Lima. It was great. There is beautiful colonial architecture everywhere and so many little shops. 

First we went to La Plaza de San Martin. It is huge and surrounded by big beautiful buildings. I'm not entirely sure what happens there, but it is beautiful nonetheless. 

Then we walked a few blocks to La Plaza de Armas which is where the national buildings are. The Cathedral, and the President's Palace are there. We watched the changing of the guards at noon and then peeked inside the cathedral. It is also know as La Plaza Central. This is where all the national festivals are held, such as the independence day celebration on July 28. 

Then we went to Lima's Chinatown. It was kind of gross, but the food was delicious. We had some seafood and pork appetizers, rice, chicken and plenty of other things that were unnamed. It was served family style so we didn't learn the names of anything. But it was so good! We also had Chicha Morada which looks like grape juice but tastes like Christmas. It's kind of nutmeg-y/cinnamon-y and very good. We also got to try Inca Kola which is the typical soda pop. It's super sweet. 

After lunch we went on a tour of Saint Francis's Cathedral and Catacombs. It was awesome. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but you should know that I was able to identify all the human bones that I saw in the catacombs. I got an A in Human Osteology, you know. It was really beautiful and really old. I think it was built in the 1500s, but most of it had to be rebuilt after an earthquake a few years later. The rectory part had this sweet painting of the Last Supper and on the table is a plate of cuy, or cooked guinea pig. Because of the time period and the way the cuy was cooked, historians were able to determine that the painter was from the Andes because Lima didn't have that type of cuy yet. So that was pretty sweet. Also, in the sacristy, they have paintings of famous martyrs on the walls. Hidden in some of the woodwork is the tomb of a modern day martyr (I think) from Mexico. So that's also pretty sweet.

Then we went to a little shop and had churros. I think I have only ever had churros from Disney World or Taco Bell, so this was obviously better. They had crema de leche filling which tasted like custard or vanilla pudding. It was so good. 

Tonight we are going salsa dancing in Miraflores and tomorrow we go on the official tour.

Oh yeah, there's more.

I realized that there were a lot of fun things that I didn't include in that last post. So here they are.

Street performers actually perform in the street in Lima. On our first day we saw a man doing magic tricks with a red rubber ball at a stoplight. And yesterday, at that same stoplight, we saw a lot of people spinning nun-chucks that were on fire. It seemed really dangerous because there was a gas station on the corner, but I'm sure they know what they are doing.

The bus system here is totes cray. My economics professor said that the bigger buses are 19 years old! They are old school buses sent here from the US. And they are being used as public transportation. The most common buses you will see are called micros. They hold around 25 people, but there are usually 45 people in them. These are also very old. Then there are convis which are smaller and not as old, but definitely dirtier. We aren't supposed to ride those because they are a bit more dangerous. There are tons of taxis that can be safe if you know what you are doing, but we are supposed to call a taxi if we want to go somewhere. It is safer to call a company that you trust.

Peru is on the San Andreas fault. So, my building is antiseismatico, meaning it will withstand an earthquake. It already held up in a level 8 earthquake a few years ago. There are green signs with a big S on them everywhere to tell you where to stand in the case of tremors. Also, painted on the ground are big yellow circles. Some say "Zona de Seguridad" but once you've seen one, you know what they all are. If there were an earthquake we would all have to run to the streets or find a security zone. There aren't many buildings more than 3 stories tall and I bet that is why.

My university is really nice. It focuses on business and economics so you know it's fancy. Every classroom has a projector and sound system in it, like you would expect in the states. They even have classroom furniture that I think my dad would find acceptable. There is a cafe and a restaurant in the main University and a small cafe/snack bar at the language center (which is where the majority of my classes are). I got a cup of coffee for 3 soles which is the equivalent of $1.20 or so. So that's nice. They even sell kekes de platano and other fruits, which looks like banana bread. I haven't tried it yet.

Today I learned how to salsa dance. It was really fun and the instructor was really helpful. We were a group of American girls who never move their hips and he helped us out a lot. He would teach us the steps and then make each of us dance with him until he was sure we got it. So now I can go salsa dancing! And when I get home, people will say, "Oh, Amanda, you move so well! Where did you learn to salsa?" And I will be able to say, "Oh, it's no big deal. I learned in Peru." What a day that will be.

I also learned how to make salsa verde. It is very similar to pesto only with a lot more spinach. At least that's what my host mom says. It is very good and had a fair amount of garlic. I will probably try to make it when I get home. So I learned about two different kinds of salsa today. How fun!

Also, I wanted to share the exciting story of how Peru got its name. This is all according to an excerpt we read by Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and my understanding of what our professor said in very fast Spanish. So, in the 17th century, when explorers were all over, doing exciting and scandalous things, Vasco Núñez sailed down from Mexico to what is now Peru. Once they were on land, he sent a few boats back to Spain to let them know that they had found something. So the ships sailed off and when they were near modern-day Ecuador, they saw an indigenous man fishing. They snuck up on him and captured him. Once they had him on the boat, they said with words and gestures, "What land is this?" Obviously, the gestures used to ask that question could be confused with many other questions, like, "What do you call this dirt?" or "Have you ever found anything here?" or "Who does this land belong to?" You get the idea. The man answers with two words: Berú and Pelú. The Spaniards thought he understood completely and called this new land Perú (l's and r's sound very similar in Spanish and could have easily changed over time, or even on the boat). Pelú is actually the Quechuan name of the river he was fishing on. It was all just a big misunderstanding. So that's pretty awesome. 

Tomorrow we are visiting historic downtown Lima. I am very excited to learn more and also eat Peruvian Chinese food. 

Supertiernos

Today is Thursday so I have been in Peru for 3 full days. I got in late Monday night and have been a bit tired ever since. Culture shock can really take a toll on you.

My flight arrived at 9 pm on Monday. It took about 40 minutes to get through immigration and then baggage claim, and then customs. (Peruvian customs is awesome. You hand them your form and then press a button. Either a green or a red light flashes. Green means you can go, red means your bags get searched. I got green.) I met my program leaders outside customs and found out that I was the second to arrive and we were picking up a total of 19 students. So a couple more girls got there and then we went in search of the airport Starbucks to take advantage of the wifi. We didn't get the wifi to work, but we learned that the airport is just like, it's just like, a mini mall. (Sorry if you missed that obscure reference. I had to throw it in for Dana.) It's open 24 hours a day and there are great places to eat like Subway, Papa John's and McDonald's. There are also clothing stores and of course, your typical candy/perfume/souvenir airport shop. So we hung out for a bit, changed some US dollars to Peruvian soles and eventually got to our host homes at 1am.

Tuesday was full of fun as we had orientation. My host mom served me a delicious meal of scrambled eggs and juice from a peruvian fruit (I don't remember the name) and packed me a sandwich lunch with a mandarin orange. The ISA office is only a few blocks from my apartment so it's really convenient. The majority of the walk is around the Italian Embassy so there are guards and policemen everywhere. I live in a very safe neighborhood. We had a nice orientation from the university that was all in Spanish. On the first day in country I probably only understood 45% of what they told me. I was tired! Then the ISA part of orientation began which was in English, thank goodness. We eventually got kicked out of the room we were using so we went on a walking tour of the area. We saw one of the main streets of Lima that goes all the way to the coast one way, and historic downtown the other. We went to two grocery stores and bought cheap prepaid cell phones so we can keep in touch with each other and our host families while we are here. We eventually made our way back and had the internship orientation and finished the orientation from earlier. When we were finally done it was around 5, but it felt much later. I unpacked and took a small nap before dinner. We had arroz con pollo and salad. We watch a lot of Animal Planet which is great.

Wednesday we started classes. My first class is from 8:30 to 11:30. It is a Spanish Literature class and the professor is a young woman who is basically a genius. She is Peruvian and speaks English and French fluently. Anyways, she speaks very quickly but very clearly. The class seems like it will be fun. Then my second class was from 11:30 to 2:30. It is about the Social and Economic Reality of Peru. The professor speaks very quickly in that class too, but he is also kind of funny. Then I went home for lunch and did homework, etc. We had a Peruvian potato for dinner last night with a lot of vitamins and minerals in it. It was purple and we ate it with a yellow sauce. How colorful! We watched Supertiernos on Animal Planet which is Too Cute in espanol. It was fantastic.

Today I went to my lit class, had some cafe, hung out at the university and skyped my Dana. So far, my afternoons and evenings have been restful, which is what I need right now after a month of field school and no time to rest before going to a new country. I'm pretty pumped to be here right now, even though I'm also really homesick. It's strange to have friends all over the place because even when you feel at home, you miss someone who is not there. Living in Columbus, I miss my family and church family. I miss my friends who have moved away and my friends from high school. Living at home, I miss my school friends and my high school friends who have moved away. Even though I really want to be here and I'm sure I will have lots of friends who feel like family eventually, I really miss my family and friends in Ohio. And wherever else you are. It's just really hard sometimes to reconcile my love of family and close relationships and my love of travel and new and unique experiences. Gracias a Dios for Skype, Facetime, Facebook, email, and TextPlus. Oh and I guess blogs. Even though I still don't like this.

The view from my bedroom window.
The cars are very loud all day long.

Why am I even doing this?

Today I am traveling. Because it is a little scary, I feel it is necessary to remind myself and also let you know why I like to travel.

Reasons to travel:

1. It makes you brave. 

I hate doing things on my own. I'm way introverted but not very independent. Traveling, especially by yourself, makes you take initiative. I have to find my gate all on my own at the airport (scary). And if I can't, I have to talk to someone I don't know (scarier). But when you do it once, it gets less scary. I'm kind of a pro at maneuvering airports by now. TSA lines don't bother me. I only feel slightly uncomfortable lugging my very full duffel and sort of full backpack through the terminal on my own. And I only cried a little when I said goodbye to my family.

2. You meet new people.

Like I said, talking to people I don't know is terrifying. But everyone was someone I didn't know before I met them. To quote Regina Spektor, "People are just people, they shouldn't make you nervous. People are just people like you." So that might be my mantra. With some time, strangers can become friends.

3. You see things that other people see all the time.

Driving through the Danish countryside, I realized that it doesn't look all that different from Wayne County. It was new to me, though, and it was DENMARK. There are people who drive through that countryside everyday. There are people who live in the beautiful Haitian mountains. There are people who walk by the Eiffel Tower everyday. These are staples in the background of real people's lives, and I think it's really cool that I get to see that, even if they are famous landmarks as well.

Basically to sum all this up, by traveling you get to expand your life. Meeting new people opens you up to new ideas and new experiences. Seeing new places reminds you that there is life outside of your home. And having to take care of yourself makes you grow up. So I think that's pretty cool.