Balloons in Your Face!

Ha-ha! Carrie got drenched and had to walk all the way downtown soaking wet. Sucka! We had to watch our back yesterday as droves of kids armed with water balloons, buckets of water and confetti searched for their next victims...Busloads of chuckling kids pelted unattentive passersby with confetti. I wish I could say I made it unscathed…but I had an facefull of confetti when all was said and done. This is all part of the Carnaval celebrations

Howdy doody folks! It’s been an exhausting couple of weeks thus far. Carrie and I wrapped up two full weeks of Spanish and commenced our final week today! It’s been a struggle and I think both of us are frustrated with our level of progress, but regardless, we press on!! Much more time to practice! There has been a modest amount of time to venture out, see the sights and unwind. More of that below…if you’re curious about some of the jazz I’m blabbing about, click on words that are hyper-linked (highlighted).

The two of us have eased into a bit of a routine now. Breakfast and early morning conversation with Judy (our host momí), then it’s off to class at EXCEL for 4 hours. Afterwards, we have a ridiculously huge lunch, usually 3 courses and chat some more with Judy and Ciro (host pa). Yesterday we tried singing the theme song to Popeye in Spanish. Fun people yo. The afternoons this past week were chalk full of 2-3 hour study sessions, writing papers for my language requirement (I’m getting closer!!!) and embarking on the arduous task of locating a stellar trekking company to guide us on the Inca Trail towards Machu Picchu. We had finally decided on an agency that was committed to social and environmental awareness surrounding the preservation of the trail and Incan culture, but once we met them in person, it all seemed a bit shady (I’ll write about this another time). Inevitably, we decided to go with K’intu Expeditions. The excursion is a 4 day/3 night trek following the very same path the Inca’s created to reach the secluded city of Machu Picchu. The 4th night, we’ll spend in Aguas Calientes, a small little village 8km bellow M.P…Lucky for us, there is a large natural thermal hot spring in town so we’ll be able to recoup some, oooh yeah.

Last Friday night, we ventured out downtown and found a chill little joint called Kamikaze where we took in some good song and dance by the band Pueblo Andino . Oh yeah, we also tried the native Perúvian drink Pisco Sour. Somewhat like a margarita with eggs. Odd, but surprisingly tasty.

The next day, we grabbed our minipacks and headed towards Sacsayhuamán for a full day of hiking and observing more Incan ruins. Sacsayhuamán was once a mighty Incan fortress overlooking Cusco. It had both religious and military purposes. From afar, you can see how the Inca’s strategically constructed it so as to make it nearly impossible for enemies to penetrate. Probably the most incredible characteristic is the absolutely immense size of the stones that they used to construct it (as Carrie is so wonderfully depicting).

Each stone (or mountain side, however one would describe it) was specifically cut to fit into each other. Surprising, only about 20% of the original structure remains. The Spanish took all but the largest stones to build their own structures…lazy.

From Sac, we headed up the road (up, up, up) to Q’enke where we passed this amazing grove of trees. We attempted to find two other locals, but in true Charrie form, got turned around and, well, a bit lost. But not to fret! We did end up stumbling across this exciting labyrinth.

We bounced around here for awhile and tried to find Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporáneo and took in some beautiful paintings.

We were both super jazzed about Wednesday…we took in our first “Fútbol” (soccer in the states) match. Cienciano del Cusco played Toluca, a team from México. Cusco lost 1-2, but it was an amazing experience. As the first whistle blew, a massive crowd of fans (called “la Barra”) stormed the south bleachers and began dancing, chanting and shooting fireworks…I’m talking serious fireworks. Very similar to a UW Madison football game…only with fireworks. Here’s one of the only pics that turned out…Carrie, myself and the fam.

This past weekend, we took it easy and slept a bunkload. On Saturday, we did venture to La Cathedral. As you walked in…you could smell the history. The building itself resembled a cross and had three sections, with the primary cathedral in the middle. (Click here to see some pictures). There are dozens of brilliant wall-sized paintings. By far the most striking characteristic is the ornate and grand design of the numerous alters (The Cathedral has the largest collection of religious, colonial artifacts in the country). It seems almost everything is plated in gold leaf. My favorite part was the word-carved choir and pulpit located directly in the middle of the main church. Each chair surrounding the alter had a unique design. We stayed for awhile longer and watched a small Gregorian choir with organ accompaniment.

And you thought this one would be shorter…you should know better. When have I ever been pithy?? Gotsta get back to the writing and studying yo. By the end of this week, I hope to be officially done with SIT obligations/assignments… Carrie and I will be done with classes… Looking ahead. We’ll be in touch prior to our trek to Machu Picchu (March 6).

¡Paz!

Chad Y Carrie

¿How do you say…?

And a fine buenos tardes to you all back in whatever universe you are “bloggin'” from. Charrie is back at it, Perúvian style. Can I just be frank for a minute? Sweet biscuits, are we seriously in Perú!!?? Two weeks ago, I was up to my earlobes in Nuclear Free Vermont, citizen participation and advocacy synthesis…Carrie was scrambling to get everything in order and see all her fam and friends before taking off…last week I was trying to shake a cold while kicking it in Florida…Madness I tell you!!

Here it goes…entry one from Perú. This one may be a bit long…apologies. Others won’t be nearly as verbose. The arrival into Cusco was, as you can imagine, spectacular. About 30 minutes before touch down, we could begin to see the enormous, larger-than-life Andes mountains…some lush green, others rocky and snow capped. We arrived in town (Cusco is in the south-central part of Perú) at around 7:30 am, but the city was already bustling. The city has approximately a population of 350,000. One can see both Spanish and Incan influences. Cusco was the one of the foremost cities of the Incan empire…more on this in a later entry. We’ll be visiting the Museo de Inca within the next week. Carrie and I live with our host family, Judy and Ciro, about a 15 minute taxi drive from the heart of the downtown. These two are some fun-lovin’ people, let me tell you. Neither one speaks much English, so I was pulling out my choppy Spanish straight away at 8:00 in the morning after about 20 hours of traveling…honestly, I was quite impressed with myself (bow here.) Judy showed us around their house…let’s just say we’re not “roughing it.” As part of the home stay, we get three meals a day and our own bedroom. The food is absolutely fantastic…No worries about Carrie and I coming back home all skinny and what not. The other night it was “Tortilla de Español” and yesterday afternoon ( for dia de amor…) it was “Crema de Maíz y Sufloa de Rocotose” and wine…everything is vegetarian and all organic. Most of it comes from Ciro’s farm, located about an hour drive south west of town…hopefully, we’ll be able to visit next weekend.

I should back up…Carrie and I are currently in a three-week Spanish language immersion course. As part of that, we have class for 4 hours a day each morning in downtown Cusco and have the opportunity to stay with a host family for the entire 3 weeks. Part of the “immersion” is that you have the opportunity to converse with your host family while at home…and converse we do! Each meal lasts anywhere from 30-60 minutes. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, and often last nearly an hour….All meals except breakfast includes 3 courses. Needless to say, we have a lot of time to chat. Ciro is hilarious. He cracks jokes and pokes fun at my clumsiness…their good people. Judy is a retired school teacher and Ciro is an engineer for the city (Judy now helps out at his office). They have 4 children, two in Italy, one in Lima, Perú and the other lives here in Cusco.

Obviously, the language barrier is the big frustration at this point. I know enough to get around (take a taxi, buy groceries, order food, etc.) but having a significant conversation is not in the cards. Carrie is currently in a class all by her lonesome taking beginning Spanish and I am in upper beginning class with two others (although it feels like intermediate.) Carrie is really cranking out the vocabulary and I am struggling with past and imperfect tense use. This afternoon, we had a big water fight during descanso (break). The hope is to learn Spanish well enough to travel comfortably for the next 3 months as well as to have some good chats with others as we travel.

Last Sunday we joined other tourist in a little trek to “Valle Sagrado” (Sacred Valley). This area surrounding Cusco was given its name because of the immensely fertile land and its religious importance to the Incas. We first stopped at the Pisac Market, a thriving weekly local market with hundreds of Incan and local venders selling everything you can imagine. By far the most popular items are alpaca clothing, blankets and other accessories…most hand woven before your eyes. It’s quite amazing too watch. In the center of the market is a bustling produce market where you can buy dozens of types of potatoes, maíz (corn), rice, herbs and fruits. Monsanto hasn’t tainted this market. This is the part of the world where many of the first types of potatoes and corn were cultivated. From Pisac we leaped back on the “autobus de touristas” and scooted on over to Inca Pisac, a hilltop citadel overlooking Pisac and the valley below. This was our fist look at the famous and unbelievable terraced mountain sides. The peoples of the Andes did this in order to stop landslides and erosion and you can frequently see various animals grazing amongst the enormous steps. The temples (now ruins left from the Spanish) had religious, military and governmental uses. It’s really amazing to see how the Incas used the sun to construct buildings, cultivate crops and plan social events…more about this after we visit the Incan Museum.

Next we visited Ollantaytambo, a quaint little town about 30 miles north of Cusco. Again, we were able to see how the Incas constructed their cities, temples and farm land. From atop of the temple, you can see how they strategically used the land and the changing angle of the sun. I was blown away by how well they integrated their subsistence needs with the natural environment. The irrigation systems were exceptionally elaborate and didn’t seem to infringe on the landscape. I would like to come back here once I learn a bit more Spanish.

From here, we were rushed off to the bus for our final voyage and destination, Chinchero. The bus ride was about an hour long, so we had ample time to ogle at the insanely twisty roads, enormous mountains, and small villages along the way. Chinchero is a small village atop one of the numerous ridges surrounding Cusco (about 400m or 1300ft above Cusco) at this point, you can really feel the altitude…Carrie and I especially since this was our first full day in Perú. (FYI: Cusco’s elevation is about 11,000ft. Some of the mountains surrounding Cusco reach nearly 18,000ft). At the very top of the village, sits an old Spanish church dating back to the early 1600’s. One interesting thing I would like to look more into is how Perúvians have continued the Catholic practices of the Spanish, while simultaneously steadfastly embracing the Incan heritage. Just below the church in a large common area, the late afternoon remnants of a local market continued. Here we stopped to say hi to this gentlemen diligently working on a hat. Our tour guide explained that a hat such as this could take anywhere from 2-3 months to complete and cost around 300 soles (about $95). From here, we enjoyed the 30 minute twilight drive back to Cusco.

Honestly, since last Sunday it’s been all about the studying…4 hours of class, a very necessary nap, 2-3 hours of studying, a walk, dinner/conversation and maybe some reading if we’re up for it. On Wednesday, we did muster up some energy to go out, look around some art stores and have a drink. 10:30-11pm and its bedtime man.
Ok, this is by far enough for one week I promise I’ll keep it shorter next week and put in some more pictures. Tonight, a break from studying and some dancing at a downtown discoteca! Peace yo!

P.S. Today we had a wicked crazy water fight at school during our break. I mistakenly wore my change of clothes...so I sat through 2 hours of class soaked...

Apply & Reflect

Chad and Carrie here. From this point forward, known as Charrie. First crack at this "online journal" silliness. (I'll hurl snowballs at your knees if you call this a blog...jk folks, this is a violence free space).

Carrie and I head out to Peru tomorrow afternoon. We still haven't wrapped our heads around the whole thing, but off we go. Four months of struggling with language, venturing on spectacular trails, checking out fantastic historical and cultural locals, and most certainly...a good amount of getting lost. It's bound to happen yo.

The last few days, we've spent hiding from the chill of the midwest and northeast down here in Florida...hanging with my aunt and uncle just outside of Ft. Myers Beach. Sorry suckas! It's been sunny and mid 70's the last few days. Good thing too, all the frigid air set me up with a wicked cold...one I couldn't imagine heading to Peru with.

This post will be short...much more nonsense and pics to follow. Now it's time to apply all that graduate malarkeyand reflect on the significance...apply and reflect...on and on.

By all means, send us emails along the way. Get a load of Chad at cbtossin@yahoo.com and Carrie at carrieawsimmons@yahoo.com.

Yum-yum,

C & C