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Published: January 12th 2006
View of Machu Picchu from Sun Gate
Vicki, Pancho and Lesley at Sun Gate looking down on Machu Picchu. One of our first climbs!!Hello everyone,
This will probably be my last blog entry, and this is the first time I've actually had any time to do this. First of all, apologies to all of you who have e-mailed me and had no reply - had no access when I was in the USA. Now finding time to catch up with the 300+ e-mails in my inbox.
You will have gathered that we also had limited access to e-mail when Vicki and I were travelling - what an amazing experience it was though. Have now attached some photos of (what were for me) the highlights of that time. Hope that you like them. Must say that the most amazing part of the trip was definitely Machu Picchu. It's almost something spiritual when you see it. Lake Titicaca was also very beautiful. Bolivia is much the same as Peru, although they have an even less expensive cost of living (if you can believe that!!). The trip was really challenging physically - Vicki will vouch for the fact that there was a lot of walking and climbing at pretty high altitudes and a lot of travelling on planes, buses and trains which was exhausting at
End of Inca Trail
This is the end of the Inca Trail to MP which is 4 days and three nights. I was trying to look like I'd completed it myself!! times (Vicki - remember the Isle del Sol trek? The only thing that got me through that one was a Cadbury Twix!!).
After our trip I flew to the USA where I met my mum and had Christmas with my family. Christmas was a bit of a struggle for me having just come from Peru. I was extremely aware of the volume and value of gifts given and received. I called and chatted to Vicki in Ayacucho on Christmas day and she was telling me that the boys in the Boys Orphanage had each received a small motor car to the value of 2 soles (equivalent of 40p sterling). Makes you think, doesn't it??
New Year was great - I spent it with my big cousin Sharon and some of her friends in Wisconsin. Really missed all my friends at home though - knew they would all be at the Hogmanay ceilidh and was wishing I was there!! They managed to raise £230 for Los Gorriones at the ceilidh which was amazing (Gil - will drop you an e-mail to arrange how to transfer the funds to you).
America was freezing cold with snow when I arrived.
View of Machu Picchu
One of my favourites!! Needless to say my mum was very excited to see me. I was met at the airport by my mum and two aunts who were wearing Christmas santa hats and waving magic wands which lit up and made interesting noises - nice to know that some things don't change when you've been away for a while!! Had to go shopping immediately for jeans as I only had two pairs of very thin combat trousers with me. My rear end was definitely feeling the cold!!
Had a relaxing three weeks staying at my Aunt Helen's enjoying the luxury of a daily hot shower and spending time with family and friends.
Arrived back in Scotland at 7.30am on Monday 9 January to find that the weather is cold, dreich and miserable. Have spent most of this week catching up with my friends and have spent a considerable amount of time in Beanscene (old habits die hard!!). Back to work on Monday 16th which will be a major culture shock - NOT looking forward to that!! Took all my suits to the dry cleaners today in preparation (aaaaggggghhhhh!!!!)
Was pleased (guys this is sarcasm!!) to see that the team in
Sacred Valley - Pisac
Inca steps at Pisac in the Sacred Valley - so called because it is so green and fertile. the office managed to include photos of my Peruvian blue boots in the internal audit "Oddity" magazine - nice to know that they can still have a laugh at my expense even when on the other side of the world and that out of sight doesn't mean out of mind!! Lookout guys - I'm on the warpath when I get back!!
Really enjoying being at home again - my cats were thrilled to see me (huge thanks to Fiona for taking such good care of them) and so far I have enjoyed the luxury of my first long hot soak in thirteen weeks, and a double bed all to myself!! The central heating I now think is the most amazing invention as is my tumble drier. It's also been lovely catching up on all the news and gossip with my friends. Breaking myself in gently, so haven't been out cycling, roller blading, playing badminton or to the gym yet. I reckon I should be super fit anyway after all the trekking and climbing I did at altitude!!
Was at Girls Brigade last night which was nice - good to see all the girls and catch up with all
Uros Islands - Lake Titicaca
These are the famous Uros islands which are floating islands made from reeds. A living community inhabits these islands on the Lake. my friends there. Was at mums for dinner before and she presented me with hard copies of all my travel diary entries - she's made them into a kind of scrap book for me. I started to read through the earlier ones - the time when I was really just finding my feet in Ayacucho and getting to know the other volunteers and the kids in Wawa Wasi - it seems like a lifetime ago now!! I felt so comfortable being there at the end, working and spending time with friends, that it seems strange reading back to those early days. The copies will also give me an opportunity to read all your comments again and really see what you thought of all my blurb!!
Karen has (very thoughtfully) arranged a get together of some friends this Sunday so we can all catch up. This will also be used as an opportunity to raise funds for Los Gorriones which is great.
Bodyclock is now adjusting to GMT and I'm managing to get to sleep at a reasonable hour and get up at a reasonable hour in the morning. Have spent a fairly productive week organising a lot of
Uros market
I did make a purchase here!! things I wanted to do at home - thinking about putting the flat on the market in the near future and have made a lot of progress which will help towards that. Already have my weekend fully booked (some things never change!!), but will need to find some time in there to catch up with myself before work on Monday.
If you remember, I had set a challenge to my friends prior to leaving. They were supposed to come up with an interesting fact re Peru that I would find useful on my trip. The winner hands down is Paul whose advice included:
- "Soy casada" means I'm married - to fend off ardent admirers or "dejame en paz" - leave me alone. One was used and the other almost used!!
- An introduction to chicha and pisco - alcoholic drinks in Peru. Did try Pisco (remember the pisco sours at Gringo Plaza??), but didn't manage the chicha!!
- 'sin hielo' means without ice. Was also very useful and helped avoid upset stomachs. Water supplies could not always be trusted in cafes and restaurants!!
and to top the lot - the last piece of advice from Paul
Uros Wawa Wasi
Look what I found!! was "don't eat yellow snow"!! If that is translated into "don't eat yellow sand" and applied to my sandboarding excursion, it is the best piece of advice I could have been given!!
A packet of coca sweets (made from the coca leaf which is an ingredient of coca cola, Inca kola and, of course, cocaine!!) is the prize and will be presented when I catch up with Paul at the weekend. Hope you're appropriately thrilled Paul - another feather for your cap and maybe redemption from the Italian bread saga??
There were also a number of challenges set for me by various people. One was from the guys in the office in that I had to learn to play "Obviously" by McFly on the pan pipes. By way of explanation this is the ring tone on my mobile, and they wind me up about it every time it goes off in the office. I have acquired a set of pan pipes and I have met the challenge. Supply me with "cerveza sufficiento" the next time we're out for drinks and I'll demonstrate my newly acquired talent willingly!!
Mum wanted me to see how many Churches I could
Uros Wawa Wasi
Some of the kids in the Uros WW find in Ayacucho. You'll see from my earlier diary entries that I managed to visit quite a few and actually made contact with people in Iglesia Presbiteriana de Ayacucho - surely some bonus points there, and also for the church I visited in Uros??!!
The last challenge was to see how many different brands of potatoes I could identify and eat. Lost count of how many brands I managed to eat, but certainly took some good photos of the potatoes available in the markets. Not sure if this counts??
The rest was mainly to have a great time and come back safely - both of which I achieved, although I have returned slightly skinnier than before!! Will need to eat copious amounts of Galaxy to resolve that !!
Anyway - thanks for all your supportive e-mails and notes etc when I was away - they were much appreciated and often kept me going when I was struggling with the frustrations of working there and communal living. Although it was often frustrating, it was an amazing (dare I say awesome??!!) experience. I also made a lot of very good friends - Western and Peruvian - which was one
Uros Church
Another Church to add to the list that I visted. of the best parts of the experience - that and getting to know some amazing kids!! The UK contingent of volunteers will no doubt be making plans to catch up when Vicki arrives home in early February.
Please spare a thought for Vicki who is currently working at the Boys Orphanage, and doing a grand job by all accounts. Her recent e-mails have made me wish that I was still there!! I should also say that Vicki's work colleagues raised funds for Los Gorriones over Christmas, and it was used to buy the kids there new mattresses for their beds. Amazing what we can achieve when we are sufficiently motivated!!
Please also remember the children that I worked with, and the hundreds of others there that I did not meet. Please especially remember the Wawa Wasi kids and the babies in the orphanage nursery. Our Church, my friends, family and I will be actively working to help Los Gorriones, and all assistance is welcome!!
Hope that you enjoy the photos, and will no doubt catch up with you all soon.
Ciao
Lesley x
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denise
non-member comment
lovely to hear about your trip
It is fascinating to hear your comments about the trip, another perspective on what Vicki has been saying. The travel logs are an excellent way of letting people know what is gong on, her new friends have one so I have loads of information. Very envious about it all. We are looking forweard to seeing Vicki soon!!