Me Duele Mi Cabeza

Hello folks,

This is Carly blogging tonight (or Carolina as the Peruvians call me).  So ….. after arriving back at the hostel from Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu at 1:00 AM, we began the day by sleeping in until 8:00 AM.  Then, some of us went to eat all you can eat pancakes and breakfast food at the “Blue Llama”, which is a café, restaurant, and store all in one.  I was not expecting anything great since the restaurant is right off of the main square in Pisac, but the pancakes were surprisingly amazing!  They served them with honey.  Then, we had a couple of hours to finish up some Christmas shopping, or shopping for ourselves, at the main market in Pisac.  They set up the market in the main square and surrounding streets and on Sunday, it is extra large.  There were both shopping and food stands and it was fun explore!

After spending lots of time shopping (as our group greatly enjoys), we were off to Cusco.   We had two taxis especially for our group and had a great time dancing and singing to “Me Duele la Cabeza”, a catchy Peruvian tune, as well as some old American tunes.  We arrived in Cusco and I instantly fell in love.  The city was hoppin – people walking around and there were actually cars on the streets.  The taxis dropped us off in a square and we then walked to another square (squares were very abundant).  At the Plaza de Armas (the second square), the group ate at Bembos, the Peruvian McDonalds.  It was awesome.  From the outside, no one would know that it was fast food.  I ordered a burger with sweet potatoes and some mystery sauce on it.  Lots of the group members ate their burger with Ahi sauce, which seems to be literally everywhere in this country.  I also had some Inca Kola, the bubble gum flavored soda that is also seen everywhere in the country.  As you will shortly notice, the group likely gained 20 pounds today with the mass amount of food consumed throughout the day.

Next in our adventures, we walked to a wall that was made by the Incans.  This was a rock wall with special rocks.  In the middle of the wall sat a rock with 12 edges (supposedly famous).  We touched the 12-edged rock though we were not supposed to J  We were super sneaky.  Then, the group split up …. I will briefly describe the rest of my time at Cusco.

Myself and three others went into a church off the Plaza de Armas.  We were able to explore the inside of the church, which was unbelievably gorgeous.  We then went to the basement and upstairs to explore more of the church.  We were able to look out over the Plaza at the fountain and a cross-shaped stone.  From here, we walked down the Ave. Sol  (or something of that sort), a large street that was hoppin.  It was cool to be in a city.  We walked down the avenue for some time to an Incan Sun Temple.  It was clear that it was a tourist attraction but I felt so blessed to have the opportunity to explore the grounds where this temple stood.  Though most of the temple had been destroyed by the Spanish and an earthquake, some still stood.  We viewed many paintings and learned a lot.  The courtyard in the center was beautiful and when we walked outside, we had a great view of the city and the mountains, one of which read “Viva El Peru”.  Then, we walked back to the Plaza de Armas to search for other members of our group.  We walked through a walkway that was also built of stone to reach the Plaza.

Then, Diana and I went to “Jack’s Café”, which was packed.  I had a homemade mint lemonade, the best lemonade of my life, and a super moist and delicious brownie with ice cream – more food!  We then explored the streets of Cusco and found another square, many shops, and an interesting fountain placed next to a school.  We shopped some more as we head back to the Plaza de Armas.  We then heard many cars honking around the square and were thrilled to hear that Cusco had won some soccer football championship against Lima.  The town was going crazy with excitement and people were gathering at the square to celebrate.  Police were directing traffic.  Unfortunately, it was time for our group to leave Cusco and head back to the hostel for dinner.  We went back toward the square we arrived at and were able to walk down a street full of stores.  We were able to see another church and the arch that led to this street, both of which were beautiful.  As it was getting dark, the Cristo Blanco, the white Christ overlooking the city, was now lit up.

On the way back to Pisac, we listened to more “Me Duele la Cabeza”, which seem to be the only words I know to the song.  We arrived to a special spaghetti dinner, which was giant and delicious.  Many of us found that we had large bug bites from our trek at Machu Picchu (or as my family calls it, Michu Picchu).  Ouch ….. they are a tad bit painful as I have many myself.  The correct response to cure these is … “Just pee on it”.

Happy Birthday to Tony Minaglia, who turned 21 at approximately 6:15 AM today.  The group celebrated his birthday with a special cake from Sofie’s, one of the few bakeries in town, and some Inca Kola.

To end the day, myself and some others explored the streets of Pisac with a night walk.  We went into a store that sells pirated CDs and DVDs, many of which had interesting covers.  They sell them for $1.00 a piece.  We continued to explore, saw many kids with dynamite, a street vendor who was selling chicken and pasta, and a cool bike with a large storage area.  We then arrived back to the hostel after an exhausting, but unforgettable and breathtaking, day.

That’s all folks.  Thanks for reading.

Carly Jane Celebrezze

Early Christmas & Late Blog Post

Due to traveling and lack of internet and computers the last two blogs were not posted.  But Christmas has come early for this blog!  Here are Carly and Trudala's posts for the last days for the trip.  Happy Holidays everyone

Yesterday was the day we finally got to go Machu Picchu! Our morning started off with breakfast at 6:30am as covers of Lionel Richie in Incan flute music played in the background. The group was excited and anxious as we boarded the tourist bus that drove us up the winding roads to the entrance gate. Machu Picchu is located on the edge of the jungle and the air was warm and humid as we walked through the lush green cloud covered mountains.

To start off the tour with a hike up Wayna Picchu, the mountain that rises over Machu Picchu. Only 400 visitors are allowed to hike the Incan trail to the top of Wayna Picchu every day, so our group was very excited that we had this opportunity. As we began the hike we read signs that said only fit and healthy people should hike this mountain. The climb was straight up for an hour and we took many breaks along the path to catch our breath.  We were all thankful we had been working for the last week to prepare ourselves for a hike at this high of an altitude. As we climbed higher we could see Machu Picchu and the Urubamba River through the clouds. Once we reached the top of the mountain we sat down on the rocks and soaked in the extraordinary view.

 After the hike we took a snack break and then started our your around the ruins of Machu Picchu. We found out during this time that it is the 100 year centennial of Hiram Bingham’s discovery of this lost Incan city.  Machu Picchu is special because it is one of the only cities of the Inca’s that was not found and destroyed by the Spanish during their conquests. It was fascinating to walk around the same paths of the city that the Inca’s did 100 years ago. The architecture of the city was designed to make the most effective systems for water, irrigation, agriculture, and astronomy. As we explored the city we came across  4 different Duck fans and of course greeted each other with a “go ducks!” We were also  happy to find herds of llamas roaming the ruins and Anna was so excited to snap a photo with her favorite animal.

After the amazing tour we headed back to Aguas Calientes each lunch and explore the town. Some of the group headed to the hot springs to relax, while others napped or explored the town and it’s very touristy vibes. At 9:30pm we boarded the Peru Rail back to Ollyantatambo and then hopped in our bus for an hour drive back to our hotel in Pisac. On the ride back our driver, who we named DJ Willie, played a mix of Peruvian music, reggeaton, and American 80’s. Our own Peruvian version of a party bus was the perfect way to bring in Tony’s 21^st birthday as it struck midnight! 

Maddie

The Coffee Taste's Like Incan Flute Music

Today was our seventh work day at Maska, and as usual it was labor intensive but rewarding! We worked half a day on our projects since the later part of the day was reserved for traveling to Aguas Calientes- the town right next to Machu Picchu! We spent a few hours after our work wandering around Pisac, walking through the market, getting food, and enjoying a few moments of much needed relaxation. Next, we all hopped in the car, drove to Urubamba to pick up our passports and other forms of documentation, and continued on to the very touristy town of Oallanta. In Oallanta, we enjoyed some good food (well, some of us) and beverages, did our best to avoid flea-ridden dogs, and headed down to the train station. A few of us met some cool people on the train; Diana and I got to know two medical students, one from Canada and one from Chile. They were both wonderful to talk to and learn from, and the train ride seemed to fly right on by. Finally, we arrived in Aguas Calientes, a little tired from the ride but excited to be so close to the impending Machu Picchu hike! We all can’t wait for tomorrow… it’s going to be amazing!

-Kat

Our own family

Hola,

                Being in Peru is a very humbling experience that makes me realize how lucky I am able to share this experience with the other U of O students. I am having a blast building the toilets and getting to know the other members of the team. I am creating so many great memories that I am sure I will never forget. Those memories include both high and low points in this adventure.  For my team and me yesterday was a tough day.  The first half of the day was tough we were in a slump and we could not figure out why.  My team was able to get out of the slump and continue to work hard on the toilet. I personally found extremely difficult to motivate myself to try and push myself out of the slump that I was in. I felt awful because my team was working extremely hard and I felt like I was just in the way. Thankfully today I was out of my slump and with my team made great progress on our toilet. Our toilet is finally starting to look like a toilet. Adding the walls really made a difference because it is what is making the whole thing come together and we see that our hard work is paying off.

                I am also creating some amazing memories with the people on this trip. We have become a family and that really makes it easier because I have people around that I feel comfortable with and that make me less home sick. I miss my family but being around the other U of O students makes it easier to deal with the home sickness that I get once in a while. The stuff that we do really does make this trip so much more special. I love our little traditions that we have started and I hope that after this trip we continue to be in each other’s lives because all the people on this trip are really special and I would love for them to continue to be in my life.

Reminders

Yesterday we couldn't blog because it was cloudy...thus no internet! This was just one of the millionth reminders that we are in a country where things we take for granted in our daily life aren't a guarantee. We are here to build toilets, something we can't imagine not every having available to us and yet the majority of the community of Mascas goes without them, consequently causing pollution of their water sources and chronic malnutrition in (55.46%) in pre-school age children. This makes our work extremely important and gratifying. It serves as motivation when we are getting tired of mixing mud or carrying adobe in these ten hours + of hard labor every day. Yesterday I found myself needing to remind myself of this when I was feeling exhausted and burnt out. This project daily tests our ability to focus on the goal, the bigger picture, and the meaning behind what we are doing.

Halfway there

Hola amigos y amigas,

Today marks the midway point on our wonderful journey in Peru. Can't believe we have been here for a week! Our toilets are progressing along very well and despite tiredness everyone has managed to keep up their spirits. The cooks at the hostel keep making delicious food for us including a tasty egg and bread breakfast and a scrumptious chicken lunch with rice. We continued our daily tradition of going out for dessert where we share many stories and laughter. Enough can't be said about the hospitality of the Peruvian people. They are very kind and love to share about their culture. Several members of the group have learned Quechua, traditions about sharing with Pacha Mama, and the rich history of the Inca culture. The culture sharing goes two ways. Some of our members have had dance parties and shared English lingo. Hot water continues to a hot commodity and only a few people are lucky enough to enjoy a warm shower. Warm or cold shower the group feels great after a day's work. With limited time here we are taking full advantage of every moment and we look forward to the completion of our toilets and our weekend trip to Machu Pichu and Cusco. There is even talk of getting massages in Cusco for only 15 soles. Another kind reminder to be on the look out for Kate's Dog blog and until then hasta noches todos (Good Night)

All the best,
Victor