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