Machu Picchu.... Isn't the only amazing thing Cusco has to offer.

Hola! 

I am currently writing this post from the most comfy night bus I have ever taken on the way to Arequipa. It was really sad to say goodbye to Cusco and the wonderful people I have met there but I'm excited to be on the move again and ready to explore another beautiful place. 

Since I last wrote a post I have had my final week volunteering at Aldea Yanapay. The kids were crazy and adorable in equal measures and we created the end of week show all about water pollution in Peru. It's been such an amazing experience to be part of and it was really great to be involved in a project with children again to remind me how much I enjoy working with people. 

In the mornings we mostly relaxed or walked around the city as the afternoons were so tiring. One day AK and I walked to the San Blas district which is an area full of cute coffee shops, boutiques, hotels and restaurants. We stumbled across a French run creperie and how could I resist? Afterwards we went to a market and had a huge fresh juice for 5 soles (about £1).

On Saturday I had a day trip booked to see the Rainbow Mountain. The site was only opened as a tourist destination recently but now sees hundreds of people visit every day. I was really excited and prepared for the difficult high altitude trek it would take to get there and set off with the minivan at 4am. We got to our breakfast stop and the guide received some phone calls telling him that the roads to rainbow mountains had been blocked off by local farmers who were protesting the high levels of traffic and the effect it was having on their crops. Our guide told us that there was an alternative site we could go to instead and, feeling disappointed, we set off again. Saturday also happened to be the day my dad and Sally were celebrating their wedding in the UK and so I forked out for some data and face timed the family in the bus while they were eating a delicious three course meal in Ascot which was quite surreal. 

As we drove the landscape got more and more alien, with red terraced mountains and alpacas grazing where ever you looked. When we arrived at the site I couldn't believe my eyes. This place had not just one rainbow coloured mountain but at least three dotted around this almost martian valley. We were free to walk around the site for 2 and a half hours and I had to pick my jaw off the floor on multiple occasions. I climbed to the highest point from which you can see the snow capped Andes all around and a panorama of the rainbow valley. I facetimed my family again trying to show them how beautiful the place was but I think bad signal meant they probably just saw a blur and heard a very excited Emma trying to explain what she was seeing. We left just as it began to snow and stopped at a couple of lakes on the way back to Cusco. 

Sunday was my day to relax and get ready for my four day trek to Machu Picchu. I went to a briefing that evening and met my group, 9 French doctors in training. On Monday morning I was picked up at 5am and we drove via some breakfast to our starting point. The first day we walked along an Incan Canal and then up to our canpsite for some lunch and a siesta before ascending up the steep slope to reach Humantay Lake, a vast turquoise glacial lake. 

After spending a while exploring we returned to the camp and played cards until dinner was ready, which was absolutely delicious.

The following day we got up 5am to begin our climb to the tallest point of the trek, Salkantay Pass. The walk was difficult but offered gorgeous views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. We reached the pass after a few hours of walking and celebrated before going off the beaten track a bit to visit another glacial lake where our guide Ricardo explained the Incan traditional beliefs about mother earth (Pacha Mama). 

We walked for a few more hours down to a lower altitude and our second campsite where we treated ourselves to a beer and a hot shower and got to play with some cute dogs. That evening we played a drinking game with the whole group and ate another delicious dinner before bed. It rained really heavily that night and I was very grateful our tents had been set up under a roofed structure, another reason I loved the travel agent I chose. 

The next morning was another 5am start to walk into the jungle. The landscape was completely different to the previous days and much hotter. We saw a lot of colourful flowers and medicinal plants which Ricardo pointed out.  After about 5 hours of walking we had ceviche for lunch and then were picked up by a minivan and taken to a place near Machu Picchu called Hydroelectrica where we started a three hour walk through jungle along a train track which seemed to go on forever. 

When we arrived to our final accommodation in Aguas Callientes we had a quick rest then visited the hot springs which were a bit of a disappointment but nice to be able to soak our aching muscles before our final ascent to Machu Picchu the next day. 

For our final day we left our accommodation at 3:45am (!) and walked to the entrance gate of Machu Picchu national park. We waited in a queue until 5am and when we got to the front the French guys realised that Ricardo had not given them their tickets. I already had mine so I set off alone up the steep steps for 50 minutes watching the sun start to rise through the misty mountains, until the entrance to Machu Picchu itself where I was one of the first in the queue. The French group were not far behind and we all entered together. When we got to the area where you can take the typical postcard photo the whole area was covered in a thick fog, although we were in high spirits despite this as we had finally made it!! 

We sat with Ricardo as he gave us the history of the site, which was built by the Incans before being abandoned when the Spanish arrived. It was then not 'discovered' again until 1911 when a historian from Yale university set about trying to find the mythical lost Incan city. On one expedition he asked a young boy if he had ever seen anything matching the description of Machu Picchu and the kids said 'oh yeah, my family live there'. Turns out that a couple of farming families had been living in the ruins but soon the historian and his team had visited and taken many of the precious artefacts found there back to Yale with them (classic) and were locking horns with the Peruvian government over ownership of the site. The site itself is magical, with many stone structures still standing despite multiple earthquakes. The skies cleared throughout the day and finally we got to see that infamous view. 

We said goodbye to Ricardo and then I separated from the French group who had an earlier bus to catch back in Hydroelectrica. I however had one final challenge to overcome. Yes after four days of nearly none-stop walking I had decided it was a good idea to climb Machu Picchu Mountain, another 652 metres up from Machu Picchu. The climb was really difficult, especially in the increasing temperature, and the steps were unbelievably steep at some points but, thanks to a great playlist of Spotify and a bit of determination, I reached the top and was treated to an incredible view of the whole mountain range including Machu Picchu which looked tiny from up there. 

The walk down was actually harder than going up because by that point my knees were really sore and every step was more and more diffcult. 

When I got back to aguas callientes I hobbled through town and found a restaurant where I treated myself to a coke and a cheesy quesadilla. I caught the train most of the way back to Cusco, which was really luxurious and gave me the chance to see some more beautiful landscapes. We had to catch a taxi back to cusco for the last hour and a half of the journey which I found pretty terrifying as the taxi driver was chewing coca leaves the whole journey and got progressively faster and faster going round the endless corners. I was very happy to arrive back in Cusco in one piece and understandably slept a LOT that night. 

The next day I decided to go and get a massage, which turned out to be the best decision and I felt amazing afterwards. The next couple of days I relaxed more, went to watch the sunset over the city and drank some pisco sours with the other volunteers who were leaving. 

So that's my time in Cusco finished! Going to book my trip to see the Colca Canyon near Arequipa and see what else there is to discover now :) 

Thanks for reading! 

Busy week in Cusco

Hey there! Woah a lot has happened since I last posted and it's only been a week! I' m going try and keep this concise and not ramble too much so bear with (or is it bare with?) I promise that the stuff I've been up to in the last seven days are enough to keep you interested!

So for starters my last night in Lima was a LOT of fun. The hostel organised a beer pong evening and then a big group of us went to one of the nightclubs nearby. You hear about how latin americans are amazing dancers, but seriously I felt soooo inadequate, and inadequacy that was added to by the fact I was wearing the backpacker clothes I had been wearing that day including hiking socks and a bum bag. 

The next day, still with a ringing in my eyes from the blaring latino music the night before, I flew to Cusco. At the airport the budget airline I had chosen was trying to squeeze every last penny out of it's customers and ruthlessly measuring hand luggage. I managed to wear half of the contents of my bag and squeeze it into the correct propotions. Sweaty and hungover I got to the check in desk only to have to pay £15 to have my boarding pass printed. The flight itself was both amazing and absolutely terrifying. To get to Cusco you have to fly right over the Andes, which makes for incredible plane window viewing!

However to come in to land the plane has to do what feel like a 360 turn right over the city as you are decending. I swear as I saw the roofs of the houses getting closer and closer and felt no sign that the pilot was going to straighten up any time soon I was thinking 'well, at least I get to die doing what I love. And with any luck I'll be on the news!'. Thankfully we did land (you know its been a sketchy ride when the passengers cheer and clap upon landing) and as soon as I got off the plane I could feel the altitude other travellers had been speaking about. The air felt very thin and I quickly had to adjust my London walking pace for a much slower one. A woman from my hostel was waiting for me and we jumped in a taxi and head for the city. 

The hostel is situated really close to the main square in Cusco and is a beautiful Spanish style building with a lovely courtyard and views of the mountains which twinkle with the lights from houses at night. 

When I arrived I met Ann-Katherine (or AK for short) a German girl who is volunteering through a German organisation for three and a half months. I decided to take a wander around the local area and found a sprawling market called Sam Pedro which sold everything from the famous alpaca jumpers to fruit and veg. 

The altitude was making me light headed so I opted for an early night. The following day AK and I went on a walking tour of Cusco, exploring the street filled with Incan and colonial history. Turns out that when the Spanish got here they just build on top of the mighty stone walls the Incans had so masterfully built. Even the churches and cathedrals are build on Incan foundations! 

After the tour we stumbled across an amazing parade in the main square, Plaza De Armas, where there were hundreds of groups dressed in various ceremonial and traditional outfits performing dances for the crowds. We sat and watched for ages unable to take in all the sights and colours. Eventually we tore ourselves away and got an early night for our first day of volunteering.

 

 

On Monday morning I woke up with a huge knot in my stomach, I was so nervous to be starting a project at a Spanish speaking school with other volunteers who all spoke Spanish. Honestly I was thinking about quitting even before I had begun. But my experience with travelling has always been that when it is tough, something amazing will come of it, so with some Whatsapp encouragement from home, I sucked it up and jumped on in. Just before our briefing a group of Americans and an Australian joined our team, settling my nerves of being the only English speaker. We were told all about the philosophy of the project and what our roles would be. The project is called Aldea Yanapay and is a youth centre for local children which offers art, games, music and a vital support network as a lot of the children come from troubled backgrounds. I am working in the afternoons from 3-7pm starting with an art class, then play time then an hour called circle time which can be anything from watching a movie, singing songs or speaking about issues the group has. The day then ends with family time where the children are split into age groups and spend time with volunteers speaking about the theme of the week. This weeks theme was Woman's Rights, which is a pretty cool but very complex theme especially as I know nothing about women's rights in Peru. 

My nerves were completely abolished when I met the children! They were so welcoming and did not judge you even if you couldn't understand them or they couldn't understand you. I had so much fun but was absolutely knackered by the end! 

The next day I spent the morning exploring a bit more of Cusco, recreating a photo my parents had taken when they were here in the 80's and dropping in on some travel agencies to get an idea of prices for my trek to Machu Picchu. 

In the afternoon we made masks in art class and I facilitated a couple of games during circle time, with the help of a translator of course. Luckily for me a lot of the Spanish and French volunteers speak some level of English, which has been super useful for when I need to speak to the kids.  

On Wednesday I spent the morning visiting more travel agencies, especially the ones which I had seen had good reviews online. Of course the ones with the most outstanding reviews were WAY over my budget but I found one with great reviews and a decent price eventually. I met AK for some lunch before heading Aldea Yanapay again. This time Yuri, the guy who started the project and who generally looks like a Peruvian Jesus was visiting. He spoke during the circle, and amazingly with my slowly improving Spanish, I managed to understand the gist of what he was speaking about. He was telling the group that it's important that we embrace all of our emotions and that it is ok not to be happy all the time. He also spoke about Yanapay being a place where we respect each other and are free to have our own thoughts and opinions. 

He then asked the group if anyone had anything they wanted to get off their chest and a teenage girl got up in front of the group and spoke about how she is always feeling sad at the moment and that she doesn't feel like she can speak to her family about it. As she was talking she was getting choked up and you could tell that this had been really weighing on her. Then a younger girl volunteered to stand up and told the group she wished her dad would stop drinking so much. It was a really emotional and amazing thing to see children speak so openly about their feelings in front of each other and made me realise what an amazing service this project provides. At the end of the circle we all had a few minutes to sit and meditate, which the children did amazingly well, and by the end there were a group of teenagers weeping. As we all left for family time Yuri kept the older group behind and ran another circle just for them as it was clear a lot of feelings had been brought up that needed to be aired out. 

After the children left we had a meeting with Yuri who told us why he had started the project and what he hoped the children got out of it. He also discussed how spirituality underpins a lot of his work and how this is a space for the kids to explore that too, especially with the rich spiritual history that Peru has. That evening, back at the hostel, it was quiz night and all the volunteers were split into teams. The entire quiz was done in Spanish but with some help with translation and a great deal of guess work I managed to follow what was going on. This quiz was a quiz with a difference though, every other round was a group challenge (come up with a dance routine, guess the food while blindfolded etc) and each person was given an individual challenge at the beginning of the quiz. Mine was to do a rolly-polly after every group challenge, which I managed to do without embarrassing myself too much. 

The next day was pretty incredible. I went with AK to help with a project that the organisation she is here with is working on. We met with a super friendly Peruvian guy (who can also speak english and german) called Alexis who worked for the organisation and picked up some building equipment in Cusco and then drove out the a village in the acred valley. The drive itself was absolutely gorgeous, through jaw-dropping valleys and beautiful landscapes. When we arrived we visited the small village school and gave out cake and jelly to the very enthusiastic and terribly cute students. 

We then visited the local adults to give them the building equipment to help the build an irrigation system for their farms. It was really amazing seeing the difference an organisation can make to a community first hand. As a thank you two of the women from the village came and bought us freshly cooked lunch. I was sooo hungry by this point and couldn't wait to eat. It was only until the plate was laid down in front of me that I realised this village would not offer a vegetarian option. In Peru, there is a certain dish that is considered a delicacy. A dish that you definitely can't find back home. To say that I ate a guinea pig that day would be a lie.... I only ate half. As the first piece of meat I have eaten in three years (yes, apart from that bit of chicken at Christmas Bonnie!) it actually tasted pretty darn good and I only thought about my childhood pet guinea pigs a couple of times. 

When we returned to the car I was full of such a warm rewarding feeling (and guinea pig). Really nothing beats the feeling you get from helping others. This is a feeling I have been missing since working in the rat race and something I definitely needed reminding of. That afternoon we returned to the wonderful kids of Aldea Yanapay and I took part in a bit of karaoke back at the hostel that evening.

Today has been a successful day. This morning I booked my trek to Machu Picchu with Oki Doki travel and will be setting off on the 17th for 4 days and 3 nights. I've decided to do the slightly less famous Salkantay trek rather than the Incan Trail as it is significantly cheaper, just as beautiful and does not require you to book 6 months in advance. At 11am we had a volunteer group meeting where we discussed volunteering best practices and learned more about that difficult situations that a lot of the children have at home. In the afternoon, after I had managed to smash the screen of my phone by playing skip rope with some of the girls, we spent the whole time getting our end of week performances ready in our family groups. This is when I really wish I could speak Spanish as I have so much experience from University which is soooo relevant to this work but I cant communicate it to the kids. Our performance went well in the end but was by no means a broadway production, which made it even more endearing. 

Today was a group of French volunteers last day so are going to go and play beer pong somewhere and see what the Cusco nightlife has to offer!

I have had such a challenging, rewarding and inspiring week in Cusco and cant wait to see what I will learn from next week! 

Thanks for reading!!

Emma