Saturday, November 24, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Peru 2007
For a while, my sister and I only talked about going to Peru. So this past summer, we finally got onto a plane...our destination: Peru!
Altitude sickness was a challenge the first week in Peru but thanks to an old town remedy we found that chewing on Coca leaves (which has the same effects as strong coffee) actually alleviated the headaches and nausea.
The walk to Machu Picchu was looong and arduous but there were many lovely surprises along the way such as little villages nestled in between hills, children dressed in colorful ponchos running up and down hills to greet us, and hot springs to loosen up our aching bones. Some parts of our walk were beyond difficult! It was literally, one-step...stop to breathe...another step..etc since the air was so "thin." On one particularly difficult hike, the temperature was quickly dropping, the sun was falling and mist was blanketing the ground. It was the "one-step...stop & breathe...second-step" process for the last few miles...which was literally up a mountain side. It was beeeeautiful but even lifting up the camera felt too difficult to do!! But once we got over the highest point and looked downhill...i forgot how sore, cold, and famished I was! The view looked like something out of the National Geographic. Silvery mist slid down the side of the mountain and hundreds of alpaca were walking around and grazing while baby alpaca played by their sides. There were small clear lakes that reflected the gray sky and grazing alpaca. I finally understood the word "breath-taking." My sister and I walked down through this paradisaical land; I remember we glanced over at each other with funny expressions (in complete awe)...and we knew that the long walk was worth every aching step just for that moment. It was a silent walk because words just didn't matter anymore! The mist was so thick it seemed to muffle out all sound. About half a mile away was our campsite...(it dropped to about -15˚ Fahrenheit that night....nice)
Our last day in Peru was bitter-sweet. The thought of clean laundry, hot showers, and Starbucks brought warm and fuzzy feelings but at the same time, I would sorely miss beautiful Peru and the wonderful people that I met there.
As Shakespeare wrote, "Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow."
Except there was no "morrow" in Peru..
:)
(tear*)
It was a short trip but I still got to learn so much. There are an innumerable amount of things that we take for granted. Sometimes it takes a trip away from our comfortable little bubble in order to learn some of life's greatest lessons: be thankful and generous!
The whole experience was humbling and challenging, to be sure!! The vibrant culture, rugged terrain, deep forests, and buzzing cities were all wonderful to see and experience. We stayed in the lovely city of Cusco for a few days. Cobbled streets dotted with small art galleries, souvenir shops, gourmet restaurants, tapas bars, and cafés made it easy for us to forget about the poverty in other areas of Peru. (which we got to see more and more of as we traveled further away from the touristy areas)
Our brief homestay in Cacacollo and our four day trek to Machu Picchu allowed us to escape the city rush and to enjoy the panoramic views and endless mountainous terrain. I was able to teach one girl the game of "slide" which is kind of like an advanced game of "patty-cake." (except we counted in spanish..uno..dos..tres..) By the next day...ALL of the children in the town knew how to play the game! Playing "slide" was exhausting work, especially with all of the little eager hands tugging at my sweater to get to their turn. But of course, I couldn't help but laugh along with them. The last time I remember playing that game was in the fourth grade and it was not nearly as much fun as the time in Cacacollo. Since the convenience of video games and television was not available, kicking around a raggedy soccer ball and dancing around an ancient but CRANKIN' LOUD radio went a long way!Altitude sickness was a challenge the first week in Peru but thanks to an old town remedy we found that chewing on Coca leaves (which has the same effects as strong coffee) actually alleviated the headaches and nausea.
The walk to Machu Picchu was looong and arduous but there were many lovely surprises along the way such as little villages nestled in between hills, children dressed in colorful ponchos running up and down hills to greet us, and hot springs to loosen up our aching bones. Some parts of our walk were beyond difficult! It was literally, one-step...stop to breathe...another step..etc since the air was so "thin." On one particularly difficult hike, the temperature was quickly dropping, the sun was falling and mist was blanketing the ground. It was the "one-step...stop & breathe...second-step" process for the last few miles...which was literally up a mountain side. It was beeeeautiful but even lifting up the camera felt too difficult to do!! But once we got over the highest point and looked downhill...i forgot how sore, cold, and famished I was! The view looked like something out of the National Geographic. Silvery mist slid down the side of the mountain and hundreds of alpaca were walking around and grazing while baby alpaca played by their sides. There were small clear lakes that reflected the gray sky and grazing alpaca. I finally understood the word "breath-taking." My sister and I walked down through this paradisaical land; I remember we glanced over at each other with funny expressions (in complete awe)...and we knew that the long walk was worth every aching step just for that moment. It was a silent walk because words just didn't matter anymore! The mist was so thick it seemed to muffle out all sound. About half a mile away was our campsite...(it dropped to about -15˚ Fahrenheit that night....nice)
Our last day in Peru was bitter-sweet. The thought of clean laundry, hot showers, and Starbucks brought warm and fuzzy feelings but at the same time, I would sorely miss beautiful Peru and the wonderful people that I met there.
As Shakespeare wrote, "Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow."
Except there was no "morrow" in Peru..
:)
(tear*)
It was a short trip but I still got to learn so much. There are an innumerable amount of things that we take for granted. Sometimes it takes a trip away from our comfortable little bubble in order to learn some of life's greatest lessons: be thankful and generous!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
