Adios Casa de Wow

We made our last pilgrimage to Ollantaytambo to say goodbye to friends that have really formed our Peruvian adventure.  Casa de Wow and the home of Winn and Roberto served as a special place for our family and a "home away from home".  Last August during our first pass through Peru we said similar goodbyes but these we much more heartfelt and difficult.... maybe one day we will return.
In return for the many impressions on our lives, we left a plackard on our room door, hoping that we would not be forgotten during our many but briefs stays in this incredible place.  We won't soon forget.

The Return

On the 3rd day of our trek we woke up very early and ate breakfast in our tent (yogurt, cereal, apple and banana) and then we hiked back up to Choquequirao's Sanctuary.  Edds, Dad, Mom and Meghan hiked up to a big circle of grass with blocks all around it.  I stayed down and read my book called Criss Cross.  When they came back all of us hiked up to another set of ruins that were very big and had a very big aquaduct.  As we left, Edds took the path back to the campsite and we kept walking toward Marampata where we were going to eat lunch.  The path was up down up down all the way.  Finally we got to Marampata.  Our lunch was packed for us in our bags.  Finally Edds came jogging with the horse behind him.  Mom tried to feed the horse an apple.  It didn't work.  The horse would not eat the apple.  Mom tried and tried to feed it but he would not eat it!
Finally we kept moving.  From Marampata and on it was pretty much all down hill.  We passed rivers, tiny pools of water and very noisy birds.  We hiked down all of the trail that we had climbed yesterday.  When we reached the bridge over the Apurimac, Mom had promised me and Meghan that we could have a soda in the campground Rosalinda.  But when we got to the campsite everything was closed.  Mom said sorry and said we could get one in Chekiska (where we would sleep).  Mom and Meghan left Rosalinda first so they could get a head start.  I took a break for a couple of minutes and then got on the horse.  We climbed up 18 switchbacks and after the 18th switchback was Chekiska.  Meghan and I drank sodas and also ate a fruit kind of like Chirimoya but with tiny spikes on the outside.  It was called Guayabana.  Our troup arived with the horses and they started putting up our tent.  When it was dark we played cards with a candle and when we heard "Mr. Mike" from Edds, we hurried off to dinner.
The next morning we ate breakfast as Edds saddled the horse and we se off.  We had to walk two sets of switchbacks up hill basically all the walking down hill that we did on teh first day.  I rode on the horse all the way to the bench and we rested there and had some more guayabana.  Again Mom hiked off first and afer a minute I pulled out my lolypop, stuck it in my mouth and followed her.  The blocks on the ground that showed us the kilometers that we walked were getting lower and lower and my spirits began to rise and rise.  Finally I reached the mirador with Mom.  We waited until Meghan and Edds and Dad came and then we waited until Eddie and Aderli came with our food.  We ate a big thing of rice with vegetables and hot dog inside of it.  It tasted really good!  From the place where we ate lunch was all down hill and flat.  When Meghan or I got on the horse we ran with it and sometimes I ran with the dog Duby.  That is why the fourth day is my favorite day.
We walked a tiny trail that was shorter and when we reached the 1 kilometer sign I couldn't believe it.  We ate ice cream in Cachora and then took a van home.  It felt good to me in my own bed at last!

Choquequirao Trek

We got up really early just like in our manu trip to get on a bus and drive for 3 hours. Where we would stop was in Cachora, a nice small town at 9134 ft. We had a local breakfast called Qapchi. It was fried potatoes mashed up with haba beans, rice and chicken. It would have been better for dinner but was pretty good. Then we started walking. That day we walked 19 kilometers which is almost 12.8 miles. The first bit was really easy. We went at a fast pace up a non steep mini road. We ate lunch at a little house that was being built before we hiked up a little more until the Mirador. From there we had a BEAUTIFUL view of the snowy mountain range that was right across from Cachora. From the Mirador it was steep steep STEEP switchbacks untill we got to Chikiska which is where we camped. I got to sleep in a tent with Helen and we stayed up kind of late talking.
The next day was our all uphill day. Helen and I shared a horse so whenever we got tired we could ride for a little while. Our guide Edds said the horse didn't have a name so I named him Leo. He was gray with white hooves and a white patch on his forhead. When I wasn't riding him I could take his rope adn lead him up the hill. We stopped and had a really nice 2 course meal in Marampata 2 hours from Choquequirao fefore starting to walk again. We got to the campsite at 3:00 and hiked up some more to the actual ruins. We stayed up there for 2 and a half hours to see the llama terraces. The terraces werre made of black stones but the incans had white stones around them in the form of llama. My favorite terrace was one where there was a momma llama next to a baby. It was so cute! We hiked back down to the campsite and I dreamed about Incan ghosts coming out of the terraces in the shape of llamas.

Report Cards

I attended Parent/Teacher conferences at Ausangate and reviewed the first term reports for Meghan and Helen.  I have always enjoyed these meetings because teachers allways have great things to say about the girls, and this time was no different. 
Each class has a Spanish (speaking no english) and an English (bi-lengual) teacher.  As a bi-lengual institution, math and english are taught in english and all other courses are taught in spanish.  The students are 90% Peruvian and Meghan and Helen are 2 of only 6 or so children that speak english as their first language.  Obviously the english classes are remedial and the children are mostly speaking their native tongue, especially during breaks, lunch and recess.
Meghan's English teacher, Mr. Wilson was out the day of the conferences so my discussion with her teacher Ms. Karina took place in Spanish.  Although I am sure I missed some minor details, I heard that Meghan has excelled at Spanish in such a short time (which I knew), is always up to new challenges, and is mature and sensitve to the needs of her peers.
Both Helen's professors, Ricardo and Maria Renee were present and reported that she has adapted well to a new language, been very helpfull to other students during English, and is an excellent mathmatician. 
It was clear that both girls had quickly emersed themselves here, were welcomed into this new community and had made lasting impressions on their teachers.  I thought Maria Renee might cry as she expressed sadness that Helen would not return next term.  A great conference for Dad, who expected no less but always enjoys confirmation.... gracias hijas!

Our Visit to Mantay

My mom goes on Thursday and Wednesday to a babysitting place called Mantay. Sometimes when we had school off we would go with her. The place has a circular hallway with alot of doors around it. In one of the rooms is the nursery where there are babies, new born to 3. Then they go to the place where the children have school.
My favorite baby was Kevin who is 6 months old. He is very cutte and when he laughed he only had two bottom teeth which made him cuter. There are many other babies at the nursery called: Marco, Darwin, Juan Carlos, Sergio, Leo, Leticia, Belinda, Marco Antonio, and a few new borns.
My least favorite part at Mantay was snack time. I fed Kevin and he was a very messy baby. They had bibs and Kevin had the cereal (that we were feeding them) all over his bib. After they ate they got changed and cleaned and then it was play time. Kevin and I read together, played together and alot of other things.
After lunch the babies go to sleep and at that time Mom usually leaves. We left Mantay on a bus and when we got home dinner was ready. Me and Meghan wanted to go back really soon but Mom said when we had school out we would go back.

Felipa's House

After our fifth weaving class with Felipa we went to her house in Chinchero. Like most Peruvian houses her house had an inside courtyard with all the rooms around it. The kitchen had a dirt floor where the guinea pigs run around. Let’s just say every little cooking mistake is a gift for Pachamama!
We got off the bus at Paradero Manantial which was right on the edge of town. We met Aldair (Felipa's son) and he took us to the house. There we met the whole family. Felipa’s older son's name was Estalinadn his wife Marleni. They also had a son named Yordano. We joked around calling him Llorando which means crying!
Helen and I started weaving right away sitting on the ground right next to Felipa. It doesn't sound too comfortable but it's really fun. I have got my weaving down and I love it. I am almost done with my belt and I think it looks pretty good! We had to get up every now and then so our legs didn't hurt too much. The time we were up we spent with Aldair and Yordano. Aldair (who was my age) had a funny habit of going to the second floor of the house overlooking the courtyard and throwing a ball down to hit someone on the head. You always had to be careful!
Felipa prepared us one of our favorite Peruvian meals 'Papa a la Huancaina' and we all ate together in the dining room next to the kitchen. The whole meal we could hear the guinea pigs fighting over the table scraps. It was so cut and the food was GREAT!!!
We went outside again and while I was weaving, Helen and Aldair were playing soccer and the grown-ups were looking at Felipa and Marleni's weavings. I got a new camera case, mom got a wallet because she lost hers and we got a tablecloth for when we go home. When we got on the road to catch the bus Felipa asked Helen a question in Quechwa. Helen said yes without knowing what the question was so Felipa picked her up and carried her across the road back to her house. They both waved to us from the doorway but Helen ran back to us and Felipa shut the door.

Inti Raymi - Festival of the Sun

Upon arriving in Cusco in February, when we told anyone that we were staying until July - they would inevitably mention Inti Raymi.  It's the biggest festival of the year here in Cusco and caps off a full month of parades, festivals and dance competitions.

The day begins at Qoricancha (Temple of the Sun) in downtown Cusco.  The dancers, musicians and actors perform there and then parade to the Plaza for a different production.  From the Plaza, they process up the mountain and complete their day with another 3 hour long performance in Sacsayhuaman.


We opted to hang with the South American Explorer's Club (SAE) who fixed us breakfast and would later set us up with a prime locale for watching the festival on the Plaza.  We missed the show at the Sun Temple but were right on the curb when the parade of all the performers past by.

The costumes were beautiful and the people in them were obviously very proud to have been selected to perform.  Meghan and were next to some proud parents who chased their daughter down the street to get a good photo of her in costume.  There were two litters bearing the Ccoya and Inca (Queen and King) and several servants who walked ahead of the litters throwing flower petals for the litter-bearers to walk on.  The whole production is very well done.  Check out my 20 second video of the Inca on his litter coming down the street in the parade here!



After the parade past us, we moved on with the throng of people to our perfect digs on the patio and balcony of Piskou (a 2nd floor restaurant right on the Plaza).  There we were able to order drinks, chat with the other festival goers and enjoy the show away from the large crowd of on-lookers.



When the show on the Plaza finished, we headed up the hill to Sacsayhuaman with the rest of the people. We arrived at the park and quickly realized there were more people there than there were decent views.  Mike and the girls cut out fairly early, in that the girls were unable to see anything unless they were being held above us.

I found a spot where I could see a bit and stood for a little over an hour before the heat and the crowd was really bothering me.  I returned to our SAE crew and sat for a few more minutes before we all picked up and headed back down the hill.

Dinner that night was early with our friends the Leonard-Rose's.  It was their last night in Cusco before they were setting out on their great South American Adventure.  Although we are already missing them, we are planning our meet-up back home - hopefully in the next few months.

It was a wonderful day and we are grateful to have been here for the big celebration!