Machu Pichu and More

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Well, this is long overdue, but here we go... After spending about 14 hours in the Lima airport, including one flight which took off, flew to Cusco and tried to land but couldn't because of weather, so it flew back to Lima where we waited with little instruction and much confusion and then flew again... We spent about 5-6 awesome days and nights in Cusco, including our trip to Machu Pichu!!

In a word, Machu Pichu is AMAZING. Breathtaking is an understatement for this world wonder. It's everything I thought it would be and more. It 's much bigger than I thought it would be, and so high... That people actually lived there is incredible. We walked around the mountain to the Inca Bridge, where the Incas fled from the Spaniards. It's this narrow pathway along the edge of the mountain... it's insane. We walked around the mountain to get there and saw where there used to be a hanging footbridge, which has been closed since someone died walking across it a couple years ago. We walked all around the ruins, which are still very well preserved and intact, considering. Of course, we took tons of photos... I'll send more from home where the internet is faster. There were llamas, and an animal called a biscocho (sp?), which looks like a cross between a guinea big and a rabbit. A mama llama rushed us after we got a little to close to her baby. She spit, but luckily no one was within reach... All in all, it was an awesome adventure.

The trip home was another story.... We took the last bus and train home, but it stopped in Ollentaytambo instead of taking us all the way back to Cusco. When we got out, there were at least 50 people, and taxis and buses waiting to take us all to Cusco. Well, of course, we decided to go back to the station to use the bathroom and when we came out... every single person and vehicle was gone. It was past midnight and we were in a strange, small town that none of us knew so we started walking to find a taxi. One guy offered to take us, but it turns out he was drunk... so went with the next best offer and finally made it home safely.

We spent our other days in Cusco eating, shopping for souvenirs with the requisite llamas on them, and visiting the surrounding areas. We visited the four Inca ruins surrounding Cusco - Saqsaywaman (sp?), Tombomachay (sp?), Puco Pucara and Quenqo (sp??). And we spent two nights at a bar called Ukukus, where we saw two awesome Peruvian bands perform. One is friends with Memo, my cousin Courtney's husband who is from Lima. The other band sang in Quechua, one of the ancient languages that is still spoken by some here. We also took a tour of the Sacred Valley... We thought this would include visiting some markets and towns, which it did, but it also included climbing a couple moutains and about 18,000 steps to see the ancient ruins at Pisaq, Ollentaytambo and a beatiful little hilltop town called Chinchero.

After Cusco and Machu Pichu, we went back to Lima, where we visited the Museo de la Nacion, which had only 2 out of 9 floors open and was filled with exhibits dedicated entirely to the potato. That's right... did you know the potato originated in Peru? There's scientific evidence, thanks to the University of Wisconsin! And Peru grows more than 200 different kinds of potatoes... Who knew?? We've probably eaten about 150 of them since we've been here. It's definitely a staple of every meal, which is fine with me. We also went out in Barranco, an intimate seaside town, and spent entirely too long booking arrangements for the rest of our trip. We booked a flight at an airline office, but had to go and pay for the ticket at a grocery store... Again, who knew?!

Finally, we picked up the volunteers from the Lima airport and took a bus to Huancayo, where the Andean Outreach Program's inaugural volunteer immersion program is in full-swing. We've visited orphanages and schools that need so much help, and we've met some of the sweetest kids and kindest people... We've been so busy that I've barely had time to write, which is why this is a week or two behind. I'll write more and post photos from Huancayo soon.... Until then, I hope everyone is well!

Love and hugs,
Brooke

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Photos

Local Band at Ukuku's
They sang in Spanish and Quechua