Lima, Peru

Lima is a huge city of 9 million people.  On my City Tour, we went to a very interesting museum of pre-Incan culture, and then to the Church of San Francisco where we toured the catacombs beneath the church.  They are very extensive and apparently we saw only part of them.  Bodies were buried one on top of another and sometimes there were as many as 25 bodies in one grave.  They have simulated the graves with bones and it looks very realistic.  We spent some free time in the main square where I took a number of photos and following that I had lunch in a fabulous restaurant called "Alfresco".  In the afternoon I toured the Gold Museum which houses a massive collection of pre to post Incan metal pieces; copper, silver, and gold.  The same museum has an arms collection as well, room after room of guns of all sizes, sabers, swords, ropes, saddles, spurs, and everything else you can think of.  Not my cup of tea but it is an incredible collection.  There is probably more detail on the Net, under Museo de Oro, Lima, if anyone is interested. Today I am free until 6 pm when I am going out to a dinner show and a tour of the fountains of Lima lit up at night.  Apparently a previous mayor spent 13 million dollars on these fountains!  Then tomorrow evening I finally wing my way back, arriving at 7:30 am in Toronto. Home at last! Chau!

A mis amigos españoles

Este es el segundo ultimo día en la escuela. Aunque yo aprendí mucho, todavía hay mucho aprender, especialmente el subjuntivo! Los profesores han tenido mucha paciencia y ellos son muy buenos maestros. Yo tengo copias de "Lecturas", o lecciones que nosotros podíamos usar en nuestra clase los martes. Estas son muy interesantes. Esta semana hay cuatro otros estudiantes aquí de Canada - dos de Toronto, y dos de Prince Rupert, BC. La ciudad de Cusco es muy fascinante y lugares como Machu Picchu eran fantásticos. Este era una gran experiencia para mi. Nos vemos pronto. ¡Chau!

The Last Cusco Weekend

This was my last weekend, so of course I was determined to make the most of it. That also meant using up the last of my tourist ticket and seeing the places that were left on it. My first stop on Sat. morning was to a small art museum that houses one of the most extensive collections of naive art that I have ever seen. The collection included handicrafts and folk art from Cusco and surrounding area. In the afternoon I took a City Tour of four ruins around the outskirts of Cusco: Sacsayhuaman, Tambo Machay, Puca Pucara, and Q'enqo. The Q'enqo ruins derive their name from the maze of channels carved in the temple's stone, and it was fascinating to walk through one of the channels. The Tamba Machay ruins feature the Inca baths and a series of connecting channels that lead to three waterfalls. Puca Pucara offers fantastic views of Cusco Valley, and the ruins at Sacsayhuaman are extensive. It was once the site of a fort built high in the Andes to protect Cusco, but after an earthquake devastated the city, it was necessary to rebuild much of Cusco, so many of the giant stones (some weighing as much as 300 tons) were transported to Cusco. It was also the site of a major battle and after the bodies of soldiers had piled up they were eaten by birds of prey. The name Sacsayhuaman in Quechua means "satisfied eagle". Since I had not seen the inside of any churches except the main cathedral, Sunday was my day for a church tour (no guide). The first church that I was able to enter (many are locked between services), was the small church of San Blas. He became a saint after saving a child's life by removing a fish bone from his throat. He was subsequently imprisoned for something, but as he was able to walk on water, he cajoled three of his jailers to do the same and of course they drowned and he escaped. He continued to be threatened and abused and eventually he was put to death. Aside from these fantastic stories, the church has beautiful frescoes and an astounding pulpit that is famous all over Peru. No pictures are allowed. The carving is extensive and intricate, the pulpit is massive, and it took 20 years to complete. The next two churches that I visited were open for services and I was able to listen to a boys' choir, smell incense, listen to a sermon in Spanish, and particate in prayer. There are no service bulletins, and no prayer books. Everyone knows the service by heart. The last stop on my "to do" list was a small theatre to see some regional dances. The costumes were beautiful and varied, the dancing was interesting but not demanding, and the music was loud and boring. Following that I went out for supper and tried my first famous Pisco Sour and was greatly disappointed. Give me a martini anytime! The main course was delicious, however, with an alpaca steak and quinoa risotto with four cheeses. And that brings you up to date. Three more days of school and counting. I miss my family, friends, city and country! Chau.

Week #3

Last Saturday I took a tour to the Sacred Valley. The first stop was Pisac, about 20 miles NE of Cusco. There, ancient ruins at the top of the mountain featured a small Inka village with temples, palaces, solstice markers, baths and water channels. This site draws archeologists from around the world. The next stop was Urubamba for lunch - the best meal I have had. It included alpaca and chicken, as well as vegetables, pureed carrots, and potatoes with onions. Next I tried 2 different kinds of cake, or torte. Alpaca tastes a little like beef. It was slow cooked and in a rich brown sauce. I should mention that I lunched with 2 delightful women (a mother and daughter) from Ecuador. After lunch we went on to a place called Ollantaytambo. It offers the best of both spectacular views of Andean scenery (huge mountains on both sides) and ancient Inca ruins. We spent all our time climbing the mountain to the ruins and did not experience the town itself. It was extremely cold and windy but very interesting. Our final stop was in the small Andean town of Chinchero. It is a traditional village with both natural beauty and cultural integrity. We were treated to a demonstration of how yarn is prepared for weaving: first the washing, then dying, and then spinning and weaving. All the people were dressed in traditional clothing and began by offering us mate de coca tea. It was delightful and the young woman giving the commentary, ended by showing us the market stalls where we could buy their wares, and advised us to "shop till you drop!" This week has been interrupted as I was sick yesterday (Wed.) with either food poisoning or a flu bug, so I stayed in bed all day yesterday with fever and nausea, and today I am home again feeling much better but resting. Tuesday evening I accompanied 2 other students to their school where there was a cooking class. It was interesting to get an idea of how other schools operate, and we made a dish called Lomo Sagrado. It consists of beef, vegetables, French fries and rice. Re. subscribing to this blog; Ben informed me that if you do that you will receive an email notification of new posts. It may be a little late now but at least you know about it. I haven't heard from anyone except family for about 2 weeks and would love an update on how my friends are. Take care.

More of Cusco

As you may remember, every day at 3pm, I go out with a teacher to a different site in the city. At each site the teacher provides a guided tour in an effort to help me better understand the history of the city, and of the Inca civilization. Today I went to the monument of Pachacuteq, the 9th leader of the Inca empire, and the man esteemed for the expansion of the Inca empire. His image is reproduced here in a massive bronze statue set on top of a stone column. We walked up a winding staircase to the top where we had a fantastic view of the city. Yesterday we went to Quoricancha, Temple of the Sun, and Santa Domingo. Quoricancha was once an extraordinary display of Inca masonry and wealth. The Temple of the Sun was the main astronomical observatory for the Inca. In Quechua the name means Golden Courtyard as the temple was once adorned with gold panels on walls and ceilings, and housed life sized gold figures, solid gold altars and a gigantic golden sun disc. Not all our trips are to museums as one day last week we went to San Pedro market where I purchased fruit, cheese, nuts, oatmeal(!)and other things I had been missing. Many people have asked about the food and I have to say that on the whole it has been pretty bland and boring. Every meal includes rice, and often potatoes as well. Sometimes there is the addition of chicken, and once I had fish. Last night I ventured out to a restaurant and ordered a traditional Peruvian dish of lamb with salsa verde (green sauce). The lamb was very flavorful and tender, the sauce added more flavour, and there was the ubiquitous rice with potatoes and carrots. It was delicious but not particularly memorable. Next time I hope to be able to try alpaca. And now I must do my homework and some studying - no rest for the wicked! Chau

The Zoo

As part of my language and cultural immersion, today I was taken to the zoo. It is a small zoo at the University of Cusco.  There were several species native to Peru, especially a species of condor.  They are absolutely huge birds. There were many different birds, monkeys, white tailed deer, an ostrich, ocelots, foxes which are larger than ours and brown/grey in colour, spectacled bears, a species of pig with a razor back, and 2 panthers.  The panther is a sacred animal in the Inca culture. It would appear that the animals are well looked after as all the birds go into a different enclosure for the night to protect them from the cold, but it is not well maintained. If you have been checking out the weather forecasts for Cusco, you might have seen that the forecast was for rain and cool temperatures every day. Not even close! It hasn't rained since a last Thursday when there was a quick shower. Most days it is hot during the day, around twenty to twenty five degrees, and the temperature starts to drop around four pm. It is cold enough at night that you can wear a winter jacket. This makes dressing in Cusco a challenge, as you can wear shorts and short sleeves during the day and heavy clothes at night. Most people here seem to cover up and wear jackets and sweaters all the time. Re. the comment section: if you are having trouble posting comments, just send me an email. I love mail! Chau.

Recent activities

My apologies to those of you who were worried about me. Last week was intense and my access to WiFi very limited, so so no time to write. Last Friday evening I moved to a new place that is both closer to the school (within walking distance)and has WiFi. It also has EIGHT other students! The family lives in a large building with several bedrooms and is quite comfortable. There still is just cold water in the kitchen with which to wash dishes - seems to be common in Cusco - but hot showers. The hosts are very warm friendly people, and the rest of the students very enjoyable. Two women are from the US, one young girl from Norway, two couples are from near Edmonton, and a gentleman whose background I don't know yet. We all went to a concert tonight which was a five minute walk from here. It was mainly a wind orchestra made up of students from the university. We heard variations from Edvard Grieg to Mama Mia, enjoyed ourselves immensely and it was all free. Sat. morning I departed early for my trip to Agua Calientes and Machu Picchu. It seems that travel arrangements in Peru tend to be informal, and since I was expecting to be with a group and a guide, I was surprised to find myself quite on my own with no bus or train ticket, and just a hand written itinerary with the travel agent's name and tel. number. At the train station each person is expected to have a ticket and passport for boarding. When I realized that there was no tour guide on the bus, and that I could't board without a ticket, I turned to my fellow passengers and asked for help. They were amazing, taking over and phoning the travel agent, finding a train official, and finally I had a pre-assigned seat on the train. Once the train arrived in Agua Calientes, which was referred to as Machu Picchu, I again had a problem as there was no-one to meet me to take me to the hotel. Once more, another phone call by my new friends to the travel agent, and suddenly there was someone holding up a card with my name on it. The rest of the day passed uneventfully and I enjoyed lunch on the patio of a restaurant overlooking the river and mountains while eating seviche and listening to a local group playing Peruvian music. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering through a huge market, and alongside the very fast moving waters of the river. It was a beautiful day and I took many pictures. That evening a guide met me to give me the bus and entrance tickets to Machu Picchu. At 7 am on Sunday I boarded the bus for the half hour ride to MP. The views of the mountains and valleys were just spectacular and I was beginning to wonder if MP could match this stunning beauty. However, it not only matched it, but surpassed it. What an incredible place. Our guide was great and told us all kinds of interesting stories and history. The first was that Machu Picchu was not the name of the Inca city, but was the name of a mountain - big mountain. Later, the people just referred to the remains as Machu Picchu as they didn't know the name of the city. I also learned that Cusco means little dog, and that the original name was Cosco, but the Spanish has trouble with the pronunciation, and changed it to Cusco. The tour was about two and a half hours long, with much climbing, and the remainder of the time we were on our own. I took over a hundred pictures, (I promise to delete some of them!), and thoroughly enjoyed just walking around while taking in the enormity of what the Incas had accomplished. I returned back to Agua Calientes mid afternoon, and did not get back to my new abode until just before midnight - more problems with bus transportation. So that brings you up to date. Will now be able to make more regular posts. Chau.

Student life

It has been too many years to count since I have been a full time student, so this is quite an adjustment. My day starts at 6:30 and after showering and dressing I eat breakfast with my host family. Shortly after 8 I leave with Kristina, the Brasilian student, and we take a taxi (approximately $0.75 ea.)to the school. The school is in the historical section of Cusco and so is close to many prime tourist attractions. My first class begins at 8:30 and every day I am in a different classroom, often with a different teacher as they rotate. All my lessons are private and the one on one is incredibly stimulating. They use a variety of teaching techniques such as picture cards, song, changing from verb conjugations to sentence structure, all the while speaking in Spanish. Very little English is ever used although it can be if really needed. Following my 1st 2 hrs of classes, I have a half hour break at which time I feverishly read my emails and send some. I then have another 2 hrs, followed by a 10 min. Break and then another 2 hours. After that, my final 2hr class is in the streets or as happened today, a trip to a museum. It was a 5 min walk to the Inca Museum which houses the most extensive collection of Inka artifacts in Peru. And that is my day at school- 4 different teachers, 6 hrs in a classroom, and 2 hours outside. Although tiring it is certainly starting to work as I am noticing an improvement in both comprehension and verbal ability.
Usually when I arrive home I have a short rest reading one of the books IN ENGLISH that I downloaded on my iPad, then eat around 7 pm. Right now I am at a wireless cafe to allow me to write here, then I will be on my way. Thanks for reading and I do enjoy your comments. Hasta luego....

Culture Shock

As I flew from Lima to Cusco over the vast mountain ranges, I was struck by several contrasts - from the great sprawling urbanization of Lima to the isolated patches of humanity in the mountain ranges; from the coastal waters of the Pacific to the barren surfaces of the mountains; and finally from existing at sea level to being 11,000 ft. Above sea level. Flying in to Cusco which is nestled in a valley in the Andes mountains was an exhilarating eperience. What followed next was not. I was met by a man holding a card with a very odd spelling of my name. After verifying that he was indeed from the Peru Language School, he took me to a host family home which was not the one I was told about. Greetings were exchanged and then I explained that there must have been some mistake as this was not the right address or the right host family. After a call to the school i was told that the original family was hosting some relatives this week and were not available. Finally after viewing another potential home I decided to stay where I was despite the problems I was having with the accommodation. The hosts are very warm, generous people and there is another female student there from Brazil. She speaks English as does the son of the hosts who speak no English at all.
My first class this am started at 8:30 and I have had a total of 4 different instructors today. One class took place in the center of Cusco where I was given a guided tour which included a market. So much to see and absorb. The cobblestone streets are incredibly hilly and narrow with cars driving down the middle pushing the pedestrians to both sides. My guide counted at least 10 plazas and as many catholic churches. I hope to return tomorrow to do more sightseeing on my own. The school has really impressed me so far, and you may be surprised to learn that there are 25 Canadian students here now, most from Alberta.
Must go as the fatigue from the day and some altitude symptoms are setting in.
More news when I can access a wireless network as the home does not have WiFi.
Don't forget to set your clocks back!

Arrival

This was a very long day, but although it is after midnight, I am not tired. Arrived safely in Lima after all the endless lineups for baggage check-in, customs, baggage pickup (mine was the last), more customs, and finally the hotel taxi. The weather here is mild,(about 18 C), the people friendly and the hotel charming with lots of stairs meandering every which way.
Tomorrow promises to be much more interesting as I arrive in Cusco and meet my host family for the month.
Will write again soon.