तेअचिंग एंड रेअचिंग फॉर थे स्टार्स

Teaching in the rain!

This is my second update from Cusco, Peru, the place that people think of as the most authentic Peruvian town. Nestled in the mountains and standing next to the Sacred Valley (Valle Sagrado) Cusco is a magical pueblo. It is one of the first civilizations on earth! Wow... Llamas, women and children wander the streets in traditional garb. Street vendors hock everything from machetes to sandia (watermelon) and every type of person trying to sell you a tour, a bite to eat and picture of them next to their llama named Sam infiltrate the streets. This past weekend seemed to be a lot more tranquilo. Today, on this busy Monday morning the street is alive and hopping.

Acclimate!

We have finally acclimated to the altitude and the water which took a while. If you ever come down this way ask for the equivilant of the Zpac and you won´t be sorry. After two days of antibiotics we were feeling on top of our game again. Not that we were ever sick, mom! Hehe.

What the heck are you doing in Peru, guys?

We have moved hostels and have a panoramic view of the city complete with vista of ¨VIVA PERU¨ and an Incan face etched into the dirt two respective mountains. We´ve also seen all sorts of advertisements and dichos (sayings) written with flowers on mountains. When we took a tour of the Valle Sagrado each pueblo we passed had its name etched into the mountain. Peruanos are proud of their culture and their mountains!

We went on a 4 hour horseride around ruins like Saqsaywaman (pronounced sexy woman- I know right lol) and Quencho (Kenko). My horse was named Mapache (racoon) because he was black and white and mischevious. Our horses lead us through breathtaking landscape, dropped us off at unbelievable ruins and pretty much took charge the rest of the time.

Here´s some fun with Horseback Riding Catch Phrases!
Claire=¨Mapache, it´s not time to eat again!¨

Tash=¨Horsey, stop taking me in a circle and thwarting the group!¨ (Tash had the best horse. It was her first time on horse and she rocked it while trotting it!)

Noel=¨Tu trabajo es nunca terminado pero eres feliz¨ Translation- Your work is never done Horsey but you are happy¨ (Noel´s first full sentence in Spanish!)

Yesterday we went to ruins in the Sacred Valley. This is what we learned from our tour guide Ruben.

Top Ten FACTS!
1,) There is a fabrica (factory) right outside of town that manufactures TNT.
2.) The different Inkan ruins and towns were all fashioned after important Inkan symbols. The town at the base of Machu Picchu looks like corn. Cusco is fashioned after a Puma.
3.) Cusco is the center of energy of the mountains of Peru. Each mountain has either positive or negative energy. Cusco has the positive. It has us!
4.) Mudslides are a way of life here in Peru. Just walk on the other side of the road to avoid falling rock and debree.
5.) There are more than 80 climate zones in Peru. We´ve felt quite a few so far. What to wear? Should we do our hair?
6.) Children bathe in the rivers next to the road and wave as tour buses pass.
7.) The rocks used to build the walls of some of these ruins come from different mountains very far away. No explanations were given as to how these 8 foot and larger rocks were transported from another mountain.
8.) The bank in Ollantaytambo held their most precious resource to the Inkans—not money but food! So, if the llama leads you to food it´s actually taking you straight to the bank! Thanks Damon! Getting paid, getting paid!
9.) The ruins of Saqsaywaman were taken over by the Spanish conquistadores 500 years ago and used as a fortress. In other words, the Spanish took over an Inkan –built structure and used it to take over. The Inkan were mostly peaceful about this takeover because the Inkan leader at the time had had a sign from God telling him to be peaceful to strangers from a different land.
10.) In Chincero we learned that bugs (bichos) that live in cactus (nopales) make the perfect color red when you sacrifice them. Their blood is used to make dye for fabric and can also be used as a beautiful 12-hour lipstick. Cactus bug blood is the Maybelliene ladies!

We´re here for a few more days…More updates to come! So don´t forget to follow the llama!