| Machu Picchu Log (2007-06-06 -> 2007-06-26)
Leaders: Tommy Gavigan, Megan Moran
Students: Dede Bearden, Grier Bomar, Ally Bortolazzo, Toby Davis, Brit Eberts, Emmy Fisher, Michael Fisher, Michael Garrison, Ivey London, Rob Wear, Margaret Cheatham Williams
June 10, 2007
After our group all came together after traveling from all ends of the country we finally arrived in Cusco in the sacred valley of Peru. Our first glimpse into the country was more then any of us could have imagined. We walked out of our bus and into the Corpus Christi festival were the streets were alive with the sound of music and there were people dancing and celebrating the 13 saints parading down cobblestone roads in this magical city. We set off to our first meal together and were all amazed by Michael Garrison and Rob’s bravery at ordering the local delicacy of guinea pig, yes guinea pig. Much to their dismay the guinea pig was not quite all they had hoped for however Brit was quite fond of the alpaca he choose to order. Michael Fisher’s cheese pizza was great too. After a night of rest we got Emmy from the airport and our group was finally complete. We were ready to go to the Apurimac River were big water, dazzling stars, sandy beaches, and great food waited.
We boarded the bus and got our first real look at the majestic snowcapped Andes as they loomed overhead as we twisted and turned our way down to the river. Through out the three days that followed we paddled through 22 class 3, 4, and 5 rapids. Most of us have been rafting before however none of us have ever seen water like this. Crystal clear, really cold, and big, big, waves. The rapids came one after another and left us all exhausted. The rapids all had really creative names Ivy particully liked last laugh which indeed made us all laugh as we were all soaked in the huge wave. The only member of the team to actually fall out of the boat was our own Miss DeDe who did it with such grace it was a text book move where her head never went under water but her feet did go over her head. Our guides allowed us to body surf the waves which Margaret Cheatham absolutely loved. Our days were filled with rafting and adventure while we spent our nights getting to know each other better. Emmy Fisher entertained us for hours with her riddles, most of which her brother has heard twelve times and still can’t figure out. It was hilarious. We gazed at the stars here in the southern hemisphere where we saw the Southern Cross for the first time. Tommy was especially fond of the constellation Scorpio which shines bright and is quite an impressive sight.
We started today’s morning with a stretching session led by our guide Leo where he did pretzel like moves with a paddle that Ally was able to follow while the rest of us rolled around trying to follow Leo’s lead. Our day ended with a big barbeque where Grier and Toby couldn’t get enough of the rabbit and chicken. The food was awesome. We are now headed out the door to go meet our Peruvian families and settle into our next five days of life Peruvian style. More to come later.
Hasta Luego, Megan.
June 16, 2007
Hola from Cusco! We finished our week of school and working with the kids at the Tica school and are all packed and ready to hit the Inca trail early in the morning. We all had a great week living with the families, brushing up on our Spanish, spending time with kids, and getting to know this amazing city.
The school was very good and worked to involve excursions into the program. On Tuesday we went to the Natural History Museum in Cusco to practice our language skills and on Wednesday we went to the Living Museum of the Andes, where they raised various species of Llama and wove traditional fabrics. Ally and Grier had a great time feeding the Llamas. The school also had activities for us at night and we took full advantage of the salsa lessons. Emmy and Michael Fisher were tearing up the dance floor and Ivey and Michael Garrison were also amazing at our complicated moves. The last day of class we had a singing competition with the rest of the school, about 10 groups in all, and you will all be happy to know that Margaret Cheatham, Toby, Michael Garrison, and Brit brought home the gold. They did a great job and won first place. A sweet end to a fun week of Spanish class.
Our afternoon’s were spent volunteering with the Red Cross at a local school called Tica Tica, for young children who lack a parent at home after school. Margaret Cheatham, Toby Davis and Dede were magnets for the little ones. The program we worked with is designed to help keep the children of Cusco off the streets and in school. We helped teach the children how to properly care for their teeth, played an intense game of soccer where the team of Gavigan, Wear, Garrison, Davis, Fisher, Eberts, and Moran tried to dominate the field but were beat by kids half our size, taught the kids first aid, and had a party/dance at the end where DeDe and Ivy were dancing fools. This could be a difficult situation for anyone, but the entire group jumped right in and were great with the children. It is hard to describe the look on the faces of the children when the moondancers walked into the room. It was priceless.
Our families were all very warm and welcoming of us into their homes. Most of our nights were spent with the families as everyone practiced their Spanish and we got a window into the Peruvian culture absent from the tourists eye. It was a great week for everyone and we are all really excited to hit the Inca trail tomorrow and won’t have any news for seven days. Happy Father’s Day to all our amazing Dad’s we will update you in a week.
Hasta Luego,
Tommy and Megan
June 24
Hola,
We have arrived back in Cusco after what each and every one of us has called the most amazing trekking, backpacking, whatever you want to call it, experience of our lives. The trail itself blew away any expectations any of us had and Machu Picchu definitely took our breath away.
We started the trek in the town of Mollepata and made our way to our first campsite Challancancha which sits at 10, 500ft. We had our first taste of the amazing food that was going to keep coming for the next seven days. Our meals consisted of soup, beef, chicken, veggies, pizza, pasta, and tea, endless amounts of tea. The next morning we awoke to what was to become a favorite sound of all, especially Grier, ¨Buenas Dias, Quieres Te?¨ basically good morning would you like some tea? right in our sleeping bags. We couldn’t believe it and now can’t imagine starting our days any other way. So get ready, from now on it is tea in bed.
Starting the second day the power of where we were really started to sink in. We were so remote Rob loved the feeling of being so far away from civilization and the rest of the world. We didn’t see another soul for days as we spent the first three nights not on the traditional Inca trail but trekking off in the middle of the Andes with the huge glaciated mountains of Salkanti at 18,813ft and Omanti at 18,000ft looming overhead reminding us of how small we really are.
On day three we faced one of our biggest challenges which was our first of many passes we would encounter this one at 15,000ft, higher than any point in the lower 48. Emmy loved the challenge of the pass and felt as though she was on top of the world looking at the 360 degree view surrounded by mountains covered in snow.
Along our journey to Machu Picchu we encountered many Inca ruins which our guide Evert was an expert in explaining the history and meaning of the Inca culture, the temples and homes they had built along the way. Ivey was fascinated by the Incas and how difficult it must have been to build all of these structures. The amount of work and time that was put into building a place of worship, a resting place, a lookout tower, or even just a home boggled all of our minds. The shear size of the rocks they moved and the way in which they chiseled them all to fit perfectly like a puzzle is sure to humble anyone.
By day four we had hit the traditional Inca trail. We were no longer alone in our pilgrimage to Machu Picchu however it felt as though we still had the mountains to ourselves as the groups spread out. Along the trail we passed over 4 mountain passes ranging from 10,000 to 13,000ft and walked what we can only guess, even though Michael Fisher started trying to count, thousands of stairs built by the Incas in route to Machu Picchu. DeDe was amazed at how far she had come in only a year from having ACL surgery and learning how to walk up stairs again to walking the seemingly endless stairs that led us to Machu Picchu, we are sure her physical therapist would be proud.
We spent our nights gazing at the stars learning new constellations found only in the southern hemisphere and searching for shooting stars which Michael Garrison thought was sweet. We also learned new card games that everyone loved especially Brit as we played to occupy our afternoons between our tea time which consisted of popcorn, cookies and tea and our huge dinners that kept our energy high.
In the afternoon of day six we crossed our last mountain pass which seemed unreal to us all. Toby was overcome by the sight, after 6 days of walking miles and miles we came over the pass and there it was, Machu Picchu. Situated in what appears to be an impossible place right between two mountains it is truly a sight to be seen. Just by looking at it you can feel the hours of work and the magical spirit that went into building a place so special and unbelievable. We spent some time gazing at the sight then headed through Machu Picchu and down to our last campsite.
On day seven we woke at 4am so we could catch the sunrise at Machu Picchu which is always an amazing sight but even more so right now during the winter solstice. The light shines perfectly creating all sorts of magical sites. Margaret Cheetam loved the sunrise experience of seeing the light come over a perfectly placed rock and waking the animal that sleeps in the rock. I spent the day cruising around Machu Picchu with Ally and she couldn’t stop saying how cool everything was. It truly moved her as with everyone else in our group. After hiking the very steep but rewarding Wayna Picchu, a peak behind Machu Picchu, we headed to town and had an awesome meal before we boarded our train back to Cusco.
And now here we are cruising around Cusco letting the last few days here in Peru sink in as we all have experienced a magical once in a lifetime trip that will keep us talking for years to come. We will see you all soon.
Team Machu Picchu
|
|
