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Published: June 26th 2008
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So . . we survived the Inka Trail, (yippee), but first things first . . .
As we haven't been able to talk, we have a lot to catch up on.
Let's introduce you to our special group of new friends- the Llamas. One would think when joining with a tour group, you may strike trouble. But oh no, our Llamas (the name of our group) are legends. So, let's introduce you to our Llama family. Firstly there is Sam. She's a Melbournian who is nutty and brilliant. We then have Kate. She is Canadian who speaks Spanish, newly appointed as an Intrepid employee and who is great company. Then we have Vicki and Nathan/Roger- a newly engaged (woo hoo!) couple from Sydney. Followed closely by Peter and John, our big, cuddly brothers. We have shared a lot (oh, yeah, let's not go into it now, but it involves both vomit and bowels). We will tell you about Mountain spew later. Stay tuned for our Inka Trail blog. Of course, we had Gonzalo to lead the flock (??) His babies.
So, we are going to start with our visit to Chawaytiri. This is a local community in the
Sacred Valley in Peru. It is beautiful and mainly an agricultural area. Our day began as ususal . . . bright and early. Our tour guide, Gonzalo (Speedy- have we introduced you to him?? . . .we should have) Quite simply, he is brilliant and very passionate about his country and it's people. He walked us through the Green Market, Cuzco's main market. On the way we stopped and met a local Shaman who showed us his wares . . . llama foetus anyone?? It brings good luck to your home! Bargain price. Following this we bought some local essential produce for us and the community. This included coca leaves, a soccer ball, apples, bread and chocolate. Gonzalo then introduced us to the best juice bar ever. We got the special. Amongst the multiple fruit ingredients, we also spotted beer, yoghurt, pollen and no doubt other 'special' ingredients going in . . . may sound strange., but as with most things in Peru, it was gooood.
After purchasing our weight in chocolate, onto the mini van we hopped and off we went into the Sacred Valley. A quick toilet stop in Pisac (only 1 sole, with toilet paper included!)
We felt privileged in the mini van as the main mode of transport seemed to be a motorised tuk tuk contraption . . . please refer to photo.
We then ascended into the Andes and passed through some wonderful villages and houses. One thing we appreciate about Peru is their overwhelming sense of community and family. This is evident as you pass through the streets, observing their everyday life. Whole families walk and work together, living in their basic mud brick houses and working on their land - always smiling. As tired as we were, we felt blessed to drive through and experience this. The general area is pretty awe inspiring too, which is just a bit of a bonus.
As we arrive in the community, we went straight into the kindy. Oh my goodness . . . more beautiful kids, who we wanted to squish and cuddle. We were all so lucky to be shown around their school and have them sing to us. Cute to the max and very humbling.
We reluctantly left the kids (leaving them with goodies) and met with the adults and artisans of the community. The handicrafts of Peru are beautiful,
all hand woven and naturally dyed, painstakingly produced by hand. We always admired these fabrics, and gained a real appreciation for the process of creating each piece.
Next off, they made us lunch. Remember the guinea pig?? Actually, quite tasty. Goes especially well with quinea soup. Mmmm.
After filling our bellies, Gonzalo suggested a game of soccer. Normally we would jump at this, but you must remember, we were at 4000 meters above sea level . . . lungs work even worse up there. So reluctantly, we took to the the field. We must mention our oppposition, the women of the community. In full traditional garb, and half our height, you would think we would have an advantage, but boy are they stocky and skillful. We didn't stand a chance. After five minutes we were all gasping and laughing so hard our lungs hurt. We lost a respectable 2-1 and had a lot of fun, and it was so enjoyable playing with them, with the game (finally) ending in hugs and giggles. The boys had a go too. They were a bit more serious, but the girls making up the numbers in the team, were pretty damn impressive.
We are sure our gift of the ball will be put to good use.
We were saying our sad goodbyes, when some ladies grabbed our hands and started to dance (accompanied by Gonzalo on the pipe, Pide Piper style). Smiles on everyone's faces. It was lovely. What an unexpectedly joyful day.
We were able to express our thanks and gratitude and a warm welcome was extended to all of our friends and family to also visit them. So get your buts over here.
Ok - that was a BIG day. Our hearts feel big and happy.
. . .Inka Trail to come. Can't talk about it yet, still recovering!
Hugs and kisses,
Kath and Amy
We have to get off the computer, so we will add the photos tomorrow. Night night. Check in the morning.
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sarah tonkin
non-member comment
Hey Kath and Amy, I got your text and am glad to hear that you enjoyed (and survived) the Inca trail. Your trip sounds amazing and it is certainly making me more determined to get over there within the next 2 years. Everyone who has been has raved about it and so it's great to hear that you haven't been disapointed. Keep the emails coming and looking forward to looking at all of your photos when you're over here in October. Loads of love, Sar