Let me preface my blog post with the note that I have hardly left the happy confines of room 309. I held off on altitude sickness for many days, but finally succumbed yesterday morning. That, in combination with the iffyness of the internet here in Cusco, has led to yet another delay. But there is news to report. Just beware any underlying bad mood seeping through the words.
Yesterday, the weather was great, and the altitude still over 3,300 meters. We were to do a tour of Cusco (oddly enough, three days after initially getting to the city). We bused it up and headed up and out of town. Cusco is surrounded by Incan ruins, scattered every 100 yards around the hills that surround the valley. The first site was Tambomachay, at about 3,700 meters. While I sat at the gate talking to no one, the kids marched quickly up the hill. They were back in fifteen minutes. The site was a resort for Inca rulers, with fountains and baths. Very Roman. Or, as Ms. Wang said, so many parts of the Inca culture reminded her of Tibetan culture. Perhaps it was the lack of oxygen?
Just a bit down the hill back to Cusco we stopped at Qenko, with a fascinating collection of rocks and cut stones. The highest rock, perhaps fifteen feet high, was presumed to have been carved into the shape of a puma (the lords of the earthly realm). It must have been impressive. It guarded the entrance to a natural cave in which a small niche for mummies was located. This was also where Pachacuteq was stored for a while. There were apparently thousands of niches and mummies, most of which were destroyed by searchers for gold. The Spanish also broke almost all of the visible temples to ensure that there was no recourse for conversion to Catholicism. A small passage through the cave was necessary to complete the journey. A quick pitstop at a bathroom/silversmith separated some money from the kids.
Our final historic site was the famous Sacsayhuaman. The kids loved it - or so they reported to me. I slept on the bus. I had been looking forward to this temple/fortress for quite some time, even practicing how to say it if a spare Inca asked for directions. The best part of this significant place in Inca/Peruvian history was the unbeatable allure of a slippery rock slide. You will see pictures. This was apparently the precursor to grat watersides around the world. Only a few kids were injured at the bottom, as there was no soft pile of mulch, just stones.
The last activity that was scheduled was a pizzeria stop, provided by EF for the whole group because of the complaining about the first hostel in Lima. A nice place, although at this point I was not convinced that anything they called a five-minute walk really could become in anything less than fifteen minutes. I was the last in the door, starving for air and food.
Special note: there are very few places in the world that serve food that can handle 80 people descending at once en masse in anything approaching time. The pizzeria was not one of these. The soup, pizza, and lemonade were good, but took a long time to get there. But I will say this about eighth-graders: they do not complain much. They just sit there, having fun, being energetic, talking, playing games, keeping themselves occupied, and then politely asking me if they could use the restroom. This is why I love traveling with your kids.
Finally, yesterday afternoon was a combination of side trips, meals, and general good feelings. One of our group had stayed the night overnight in the hospital with a stomach ailment, but was greeted like a hero when he returned during pizza time. Today, there is a lot of free time. Students have gone to markets with teachers, some to the salt mines, others to lunch. Plans are afoot for a soccer game nearby and tonight, our first Deal Passover Seder in Peru! Some of our kids put together a shopping list, and Luis (one of our guides) has been running around town to get the right ingredients. We think we are almost there! Very exciting.
We are almost done with our massive excursion to Peru. A long flight awaits us. I will try and get another post in before we head out. See you soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment