Students: Maggie Bratton, Chase Clymer, Lucy Curran, Gabi Harvie, Kailey Izard, Chase Kojaian, Caitlin LeCorgne, Lindsey Nichols, Andrew Paschal, Libby Simmons, Chris Stanley, Mary Shaffer Willetts

Trip Update 6-22-08

Hola amigos,

So Saturday was the start of our international adventure..at the Atlanta airport, that is. Everyone arrived, excited, nervous. I was transporting 12 teenagers from all over the US to Peru. We couldn’t believe that everything was going so smoothly, no lost luggage, no one was majorly delayed, no disasters to interrupt our trek. We made it to Miami, then Lima, and all was well.. until our delayed wake up call early, extremely early on Sun. a.m. 4:00 a.m. was too late to catch our flight..at least we thought..but, after a minor traffic delay, we made it safely to the airport-- red eyes, and big yawns all around.

Next, was our arrival in Cuzco-- Alex was there with open arms, which was just what we needed-- that, and a long nap. Then, we were out to explore the city and take in a bonita view of the city from the Mirador de Plaza San Blas. We ended our day with a delicious pizza dinner and Moon-up in Plaza de San Francisco.

Monday morning was overcast and a gentle rain caste over us, as we departed for our rafting trip down the Apurimac River. It was a somewhat grueling bus ride, but the picturesque mountain views made up for it.. and reaching our put-in made it all worthwhile. The river was beautiful and after an hour of on-land instruction, we climbed into our rafts and set out for the afternoon.

The following days on the river were pure magic. The food was incredible, the guides were both knowledgeable and fun, and every night we sat around a campfire and watched the moon rise over the mountains. Each morning we greeted the river in Spanish ("Buenos dias Apurimac!"), and every evening our laughter resonated off of the canyon walls and into a sky full of stars.

The rapids were a blast (class 3, 4, and 4+) and Lucy, Maggie, Caitlin, and I received the high honor of joining the Apurimac swimmers club when their raft, under the command of Alonzo - aka Rambo - flipped at the bottom of ´Last Laugh´.

After 2 full days on the river, we beached the rafts late in the afternoon Wednesday, saying goodbye to the river and the beginning of our Peruvian adventure. After a delicious lunch of chicken, lamb (yes, lamb!) and french fries, we climbed aboard a small bus and headed back to Cuzco. Upon arrival, we headed to Excel language school where we had a brief meeting and then, the moment had arrived, the home-stay parents arrived with open arms and heated taxi-cabs. Our kids headed off to the 3 houses, off to newly made beds, off to Peruvian dinners and conversations, off to explore this city from the inside out. And after meeting the families and making sure that all of our kids departed safely, Alex and I gathered our belongings and did the same, climbing into a taxi with our host mother and heading home to a delicious meal and our home for the next 6 days.

-Laura Ann and Alex

Trip Update 6-24-08

For the past 6 days, we have immersed ourselves in the language, the culture, and the community of Cuzco. These have been days of hands-on learning, life lessons that can not be found in books or between school walls.

All of the home-stays were wonderful. We lived between four different houses that are all within two blocks of one another. The houses were spacious, with comfortable living rooms and bedrooms large enough for two students. Caitlin, Lucy, Mary Schaffer, and Libby were given the entire 3rd floor of their home-stay, complete with two bedrooms and a small sitting room, which played host to a couple of wonderful Moon-up sessions. Due to a medical emergency, the host mother of the other four girls had to leave for Lima, but this became an opportunity for the girls to connect with the house nanny and the mother’s sister, who stepped in and cared for the girls as if they were her own. And, in this past week, there are few things that made me happier than sitting in the boys living room during Moon-up and as their host mother passed through the room, she smiled at them and called them ´mis hijos´ - my children.

Spanish school was . . . well . . . school. After the first day, a few of the students seemed a bit stunned by the fact that they had somehow, during their summer break! managed to find themselves in a classroom, even if only for 4 hours a day. But by day two, everyone was excited about improving their Spanish skills. One class learned the names of fruits and how to bargain and then the teacher took them to the market where they had to put these lessons to use. Other classes practiced conversational Spanish, which everyone was able to use at home with their families. There is something very magical that happens when a language leaves the classroom and comes alive, when it is on signs and labels, in the streets and in your house. As we rode in the bus yesterday, Mary Schaffer said, ¨Talking is really hard, but I understand more everyday. It’s really cool.¨ I agree. It is really cool. Everyone in the group is taking small steps, buying snacks at the corner store, talking about their day with their host family, or helping with homework at the orphanage, and with each conversation, they become more immersed in Peru.

For the past 5 days we spent our afternoons at the Saint Jude Orphanage for girls. When we entered into the large playground in front of the home, we were greeted with smile and hugs from the 34 children. Within minutes, almost everyone had multiple girls holding their hands and leading them to the study room to work on homework or out to the playground to play soccer or slide down a rather narrow slide. These girls come from extremely difficult homes and the attention and affection that the students gave to them was really wonderful. Chase Clymer was always easy to spot as he sprinted around the playground with 5 kids chasing after him screaming his name or laughing as they tried to steal his hat. His antics earned him the nickname ´El Tigre´ and one girl declared him ´my love´. Andrew made a very special connection with Edith, who, on our final night, gave him a small teddy bear.

On our last day at the orphanage, we threw a party for the kids. There were carnival games (Fishing for Candy, Musical Chairs, Knock over the Styrofoam cups), water balloons, food and drinks, and a pinata - which, after it was knocked clean off of its rope with a mighty swing from one of the girls, created a candy frenzied dog pile that would have made an English rugby squid proud. The evening ended with the girls thanking us for everything and singing us songs as the evening fell into night.

Between all of this, we managed to squeeze in 2 visits to Inca ruins - Pisac and Tipon. And seeing as the Inca wisely built their ruins on mountain peaks, these visits were complete with solid hikes that served as great preparation for our trek in the Andes. All of the students love the ruins and many were amazed at the ingenuity of the Inca.

Tomorrow morning at 8 am we will board our bus to Puno and head off to kayak Lake Titicaca. The adventure continues.

-Alex and LA

Trip Update 6-29-08

Tues. morning, June 24th, the day of Inti Raymi, the huge celebration of the winter solstice, we each said goodbye to our host families and loaded up on a bus headed for Puno. Lucy was ill from the night before, but made it fine to Puno, where we all felt a little "off" due to the increase in altitude. We all went out for a delicious dinner and prepared for our kayaking adventure on Lake Titicaca. We ended the night with many song requests from Caitlin, Lucy, Kailey, and whomever shouted them out for Alex to play on his guitar.

Wed, June 25th we hopped on the local bicycle taxis and headed for the port to buy snacks and food gifts for our hostel families we would be staying with on the islands surrounding Lake Titicaca. Alejandro was our tour guide for the trip, and he informed us on lots of the history of the islands, the lake itself, and the division between Peru and Bolivia.

We arrived on the island of Lechon after about 2 hrs, and got in our kayaks 2 by 2. The day was perfect-- sunny, with a nice breeze-- and the lake was all for us-- no one else was anywhere to be seen. We glided our way over to Taquille Island, about 2 1/2 hrs of steady paddling. We hiked up to the restaurant-- we not only earned our delicious trucha a la plancha lunch (pan fried trout), but also the breathtaking view from atop the island. Well.. not quite the very top, but a little while after lunch we did hike up to the top, and it turned out to be Andrew´s, and many other´s favorite view. It was one of the best sunsets most of us had ever seen.. we were in a spiritual place, of rituals and ruins from an Incan past.

We ended the night with the most incredible dark sky, full of bright stars-- Mary Shaffer and Libby couldn´t get over how beautiful it was and at that very moment they saw their first shooting star! We fell asleep talking to each other through the thin walls of the cozy hostel.

Thurs. we started off the day with delicious pancakes and the unforgettable view of the snow-capped Andes. Then, we were off on a sunny boat ride back over to the island of Lechon. We got off and grabbed paint brushes and rollers and began improving the inside and out of a local kindergarten. When our job was done, we were adorned with necklaces of vibrant pink flowers, from the volunteer teachers on the island. We also donated toys for the kids, and got to see them enjoying playing with them.

We got to our new hostel and ended up meeting a shaman, who ´read´ coca leaves and answered our questions about our future, or anything that ails us. This was interesting, to say the least. The night ended with all of us gathered around the kitchen table laughing, playing cards, and bonding. Well, everyone was there except Kailey and Alex. It was very sad to say good bye, but Kailey was feeling ill and she and Alex took a boat back to Puno to seek some medical advice.

Friday morning we had another scrumptious breakfast of pancakes and bread w-marmalade. We hugged our new friends that opened their home and land to us, took some pictures, then got on the boat and headed for the Floating Islands. After about 2 hrs we arrived in a reed-filled land that none of us had ever witnessed before. The pictures help do it justice, but there is an entire community, 3,000 people that is, that live on islands that are floating. They are made of the naturally growing reeds in this area--just a 30 min. boat ride from Puno. We got a little history lesson from the locals and got to see their homes.. and of course, jump up and down and feel how buoyant this place is! We took a boat ride in a boat made of reeds, picture a Polynesian boat. After lots of pictures, we headed back to Puno.

We found Alex and Kailey and, sadly once again, had to say good bye.. Kailey, such an uplifting girl, and extremely positive needed to head back to the good ol US. So, we said our good byes, and went out for a very fun, relaxed, all you can eat lunch! Whew.. we were laughing at just how hungry and excited we were for some American fare.

Sat., June 28th..

Travel day. We got up, had breakfast and headed for the bus station to make the journey back to Cusco. After a little break this afternoon, we got all the information we needed on our big hike to Machu Picchu! Several of us are a bit under the weather, but we have been anticipating this part of the trip for so long, that I know we will wake up and be ready to go! Until then...

Suerte,

Laura Ann

Final Trip Update 7-9-08

It feels like yesterday when we were packing our packs to head into the mountain and now everyone is gone and the trip is over. We blinked and the mountains flew past, in a flurry of laughter and sore muscles and now, everyone, except for me, is at home, sleeping in soft beds and telling stories about Peru to family and friends.

The final week of our Peruvian adventure was spent hiking the Salkantay trail, a 6 day hike through snow-capped mountains, down into lush jungle forest. We began in Mollepata, a small town about 2 hrs. – by bus - from Cusco. The first day was tough, steep hills and dusty roads and despite the first of our amazing meals - rice, avocado, grilled chicken, and cucumber salad - we finished off the day completely worn out and falling asleep at the dinner table. Chase C. and Chris chased our camp's sheep in circles until they ran out of their gate and into the open field, and soon the sun was down and the city lights were far behind us and the sky was full of stars. The first night of mountain cold fell upon us and everyone pulled their sleeping bags tight and searched for sleep.

We awoke to a delicious breakfast of pancakes with jam and dulce de leche and sugar-sweetened porridge. Everyone got their fill and we were soon back on the trail, stomping our way towards a 6,000 m peak in the distance, challenging our aching feet. Lunch was amazing but the icy mountain air blew in and soon everyone was huddled inside the lunch tent, sleeping under tables and on chairs. In the mountains, the best way to stay warm is to get moving, so shortly after lunch, we began a steep ascent into the high mountain valley below Salkantay Mountain. The switch-back trail was tough and Lucy, Libby, and Lindsey swore that they couldn't make it up, but within two hours we were all curled in our tents at the foot of the mountain, smiling with satisfaction. Chase C, Chris, Orlando (our faithful guide), and I decided to hike up to the ridge to get a better view of the mountain. After 30 minutes of picking through rocks, we arrived at a beautiful ridge and gazed out on a world of ice and stone and echoes - we discovered that a good yell would bounce back 4 or 5 times off of the mountains, a truly surreal and wonderful experience. That night, we ate a feast - curried beef, stir-fried rice, vegetables - prepared by our amazing cooks (yes, cooks!!!) and then sat around a camp fire and sang acoustic songs to the stars before heading off to bed.

That night the temperature dropped below freezing, and everyone awoke slow and stiff. The mountain air was still and quiet and as the sun rose, it cast a shadow of the mountain that obscured its warm light from the valley.

Upward over the mountain, we all threw on our pack and began a tough morning hike. Up, up, up, and soon we arrived at Apacheta Pass, 4,600 m, the highest point on our hike. We stayed there for quite some time - taking pictures and stacking rocks to honor the mountain gods, the Apus. After 2 days on horseback, Maggie and Mary Schaffer were back on their feet and everyone was happy to have finished going up and was excited to descend into the mountain valley. Down, down, down, we slowly trudged on amidst a bit of tourist traffic and soon found ourselves hiking tight curves of densely forested mountains. Yellow, red, and purple flowers popped out of trees and in the blink of an eye, the sparse mountain world had become true Peruvian jungle. Everyone had arrived about an hour before and were sitting eating popcorn and drinking hot chocolate when I hobbled in, wearing my superman cape - which happened to be fluttering in the breeze as I opened the tent door. Another 7 hr day was behind us and the next waited behind the mountain. We had another delicious meal - thank you cooks!!! – as the meal ended we then headed off for bed.

Waterfalls and mountain views were the name of the game on day 4. The trail was uneven and slow, but here and there we stumbled across beautiful tumbling falls and great views off steeply jungled mountains. We walked for over 7 hrs and at the end of the day; we stumbled into La Playa, a small riverside, mountain town. Our campsite sat right above the water and within 30 minutes half of the group was down by the river, dunking their dirt covered bodies into the freezing cold water, screaming and laughing as we all cleaned off 4 solid days of hiking dirt in the best way possible.

Truck ride, beautiful natural hot springs with stone floors and waterfalls, insane pet monkey that peed on Libby's jacket, reggae music dinner and ice cream desert, and a wonderful Moon-Up, “what is one goal that you have for your life”. And then it was day 6, 17 km to Aguas Calientes, the base town to Machu Picchu. We had a fantastic lunch, which most of the kids followed with an ice cream or candy bar and then we headed down the railroad tracks and on towards the lost Inca city.

We woke up at 4:45 am the next morning. Yes, 4:45 am. After a quick breakfast of pancakes and bread with butter, we headed towards the bus that would take us up to the Machu Picchu. To our surprise, the line was rather long, but within 15 minutes, we were tucked into plush seats, rumbling our way up the mountain.

Sunrise at Machu Picchu is something that fills the soul with magic. It was beautiful. Golden light poured over the peaks to the east and lit-up the bottom part of the ancient city, turning everything gold. Orlando told us of how the Inca worshiped the sun and that the sun-dial was a way of tying the sun to the earth and keeping it from flying away. He told us of the significance of the triad - condor, puma, snake - heaven, earth, and underworld - and we stood in these ruins and felt both present and other-worldly, all in the same breath. After a few hours of walking the city, everyone was given free time and 5 kids decided that they wanted to tear up Wyna Picchu, a steep mountain, topped with ruins, that looks down on the lost city. The sign at the entrance gate says that it takes an hour to climb to the top of the mountain but Chase C, Chase K, Chris, LA, Caitlin, and I did it in 20 minutes. We ran up the mountain, passing other hikers with 'excuse me's' and 'disculpe's' and before we could catch our breath we were at the top of the mountain, looking down on Machu Picchu, smiling with satisfaction.

Then, down, down, down, we all went. 1,000 stairs and a long road back Aguas Calientes. Then a train ride. Then a van ride. And then we were back in Cuzco, sitting at Jack's, eating hamburgers and milkshakes, celebrating our hike and the end of our trip.

It was a blast. The past 24 days was an adventure that all of us will remember for years to come. We journeyed from river valley to mountain top and found new friends and moments. Honestly, it is amazing that it is over, and that everyone is now at home. After 24 days, we became like a family, stumbling through the ease and confusion with laughter and smiles and that as long as there is a dancing slice of pizza somewhere in Cusco, we can keep on laughing.

Thanks team,

Alex and LA