A Chicana in Peru

We were told that we were going to be doing about a 2 hour hike at Pisaq. I wasn't that excited at first because I wasn't sure how difficult of a hike it was going to be, but upon arriving and realizing that we would be hiking across and down rather than up, I thought, no big deal. 

Pisaq is actually a very beautiful small town, with amazing views.

Since my husband is a plumber, of course I took to taking pictures of the various water systems that they have there. I tell you, all of our indigenous ancestors, Incas and Aztecs were amazing at figuring out how to construct waterways and plumbing systems hundreds of years before us. These same systems that the Incas created are still in use and actually provide the town of Pisaq and surrounding Sacred Valley with running and drinkable water.

Here is a little picturesque guide of what the hike is like, more or less.

entering Pisaq

the beginning of the hike

going through a cave

so high up!

The area is perhaps best known for its Incan ruins, known as Inca Písac, which lie atop a hill at the entrance to the valley. The ruins are separated along the ridge into four groups: Pisaqa, Intihuatana, Q'allaqasa, and Kinchiracay.[2] Intihuatana group includes the Temple of the Sun, baths, altars, water fountains, a ceremonial platform, and an intihuatana, a volcanic outcrop carved into a "hitching post for the Sun" (or Inti). The angles of its base suggest that it served to define the changes of the seasons.[3] Q'allaqasa, which is built onto a natural spur and overlooks the valley, is known as the citadel.[4] 

The Inca constructed agricultural terraces on the steep hillside, which are still in use today. They created the terraces by hauling richer topsoil by hand from the lower lands. The terraces enabled the production of surplus food, more than would normally be possible at altitudes as high as 11,000 feet.[5] The narrow rows of terraces beneath the citadel are thought to represent the wing of a partridge (pisaca), from which the village and ruins get their name.[4] The birds are also common in the area at dusk.

almost done, but not quite

Now, a little while after this we finally finished our hike and ended up right at the bottom of the town near the market. We ate at this delicious restaurant where we had our choice between various appetizers, main courses and deserts. I started off with a zapallo soup (pumpkin) which was delicious, for the main course I had lamb which was to die for, and ended with a passion fruit ice cream which was so good. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of this delicious meal because I lost my phone in Peru, =( but trust me, it was good.

After that wonderful experience at that show, I was ecstatic to wake up bright and early to go hiking the next day...

From Cusco we took about an hour or so ride to the Sacred Valley, specifically the town of Pisaq. But along the way we stopped at an animal sanctuary, called Cchochahuasi

This place is apparently a location where they hold endangered species as well as those animals that have been abused. It was actually really nice to be able to see some of these beautiful animals up close and personal in such a gorgeous environment, nestled in between the mountains.

A condor. Condors are actually very special animals in the Inca Empire, they hold a very special place in their history just like the Eagle and Serpent do in Mexican/Aztec history. You will see the condor, along with the serpent and puma represented all over the city, and throughout Peru because of their significance. But sadly, condors are almost extinct, and killed for their feathers, which is why we were warned not to buy any if anyone offers to sell us some, because that only promotes the killing of condors.

Cchochahuasi runs on donations, but they also have a store at their location where they sell lots of textiles, jewelry, ceramics, etc. I will warn you though that the textiles there are very pricey, and most likely if you stop here it means that you will be heading to Pisaq, where they also have a market with a lot of amazing things. Although, it was our first time going to a market and were so eager to shop, I will tell you that the prices there are higher than in Cusco, and because the vendors see you there with a group and know you're a tourist, they give you high prices and lower it a little making you think that you're getting a good deal. Although it is tempting to shop, you can always barter, and if you say no and walk away you will see that they will lower the price even more. Once you've shopped a bit around, you will get a good idea of prices, and can always let them know that it's cheaper elsewhere, and see where you get from there.

Upon arriving to Cusco, the first night that I went to walk around town with my host mom, I noticed some posters under a bridge, announcing upcoming shows in the city. My eyes were immediately drawn in... Gondwana! 

I was so excited! There was no way that I was going to miss seeing Gondwana, and in Peru?! Of course not!

After our excursions earlier this day, we met up in the evening to eat at a pizza place with our home stay organizers. They invited the whole group to eat, and gave us the low down on things we should know and be aware of about the city. They also gave us these really cute framed pictures with our host parents on the first day they picked us up.

I started that evening wearing a dress and two pairs of leggings, and I'm so glad that I decided to change before heading to the show that night. Being our first weekend in Cusco, and at the dead center of Winter, trying to wear a dress was not the best idea. Even with jeans and a big coat, I was still freezing, but I was hoping that it wouldn't be that bad.

Upon arrival at the show, I was in awe because the show was in a big open field, it wasn't super crowded but there were plenty of people there. Also, we were dead center with all of the city lights surrounding us. 

At first I assumed this was going to be a reggae show, and by the looks of the dreaded youth around us, I thought I was correct. Having missed the first two bands that played, we waited for what seemed like an eternity for sound check to finish so that the next band could play on.

The first band we saw was Rio, which is a Peruvian band, equivalent to the Rolling Stones I would say in South America. They were older men who had been playing for several years, and everyone in the crowd knew every song and sang along. After a dozen encores because the crowd couldn't get enough, and thinking that they were never going to finish performing, they were finally done.

Immediately after, the crowd dispersed and I felt naked. The warmth of the crowd was gone, and it was then that we could feel exactly how cold it really was. The good thing is that there were many vendors inside, selling chocolate, coffee, and anticuchos (meat on a stick, street food). We tried to warm up with some hot chocolate, but trying to keep my hands warm with my gloves and scorching hot chocolate, I ended up spilling it all over myself. Then there was the issue that I didn't want to drink too much, because I didn't want to have to go in a porter potty. As much as we tried to hold in, it was no use, we had to go. So we made the pilgrimage to the porter potty's and waited in short lines that took an eternity. I'm assuming people took their time because of the cold, but in my opinion shouldn't everyone be getting their business done faster so as not to have their butts exposed in the cold for so long. 

We kept seeing all of these young men go out in a corner of the field, and because the line was taking so long and I couldn't hold it anymore, I was so tempted to squat in front, but I wasn't sure that just having Sonya cover me would be enough, so we decided to wait. Finally, just as we were almost to the porter potty Gondwana came out! As soon as it was my turn to go in, I peed as quickly as I could and used the little bit of tissue that I had in my pocket (always make sure to take toilet paper/tissue with you in public). After I relieved my bladder, I felt 100 times better, and I even felt warmer. 

It was already about 1am at this point, and not wanting to stay out too much longer, we stayed for several songs in order to catch a cab and beat the traffic of the crowd. Needless to say, despite the fact that we froze our butts off, Cusco Fest 2013, and seeing Gondwana in Peru, was absolutely worth it!

Our excursions officially began today. Usually people tend to knock out and visit the 4 archaeological sites right outside of Cusco in the same day, because they’re close to each other.

We started the morning by going to Tambomachay, and upon arrival we saw some llamas!!! We were so enthused to see them, and you actually don’t have to venture out of the city to find them, you can find them everywhere. You typically see young girls or even older women, wearing their traditional indigenous clothing, and either carrying a baby llama with them, or hauling a large llama on a rope, and they ask you if you want to take a picture with them. Of course it will cost you, they do it for tips, and most people usually give them about 1 sol.

  Since we were still getting used to the elevation and the cold, we couldn’t hike or walk as fast as we’d like to. I found myself out of breath every couple of steps, but you just have to take your time and make sure you breathe in deep. 

Right on the other side of the road is Pukapukara, and a few miles down is Qenko. All of these places are so wonderful and beautiful. You are surrounded by these luscious green mountains that everyone tries to capture in photographs.

  The final stop was Saqsaywaman, which is huge and absolutely beautiful. At one point it served for military purposes, and the way that the structures are formed in a zig zag, were done specifically for protection. And when you go on top of the structure towards the back, you have this beautiful panoramic view of the entire city. You could actually see everything that was going on in the plaza de armas from up there, it was amazing. One interesting thing that we learned is that Cusco was originally created in the form of a puma, of course the city has grown a lot, but the Incas construct everything with specific animals and shapes in mind. Those Incas are actually pretty damn clever and creative.

Our first official day in Cusco was a success. We met at our host university where we received a tour. We are literally right behind the main plaza in the square, La Plaza de Armas, so its really nice to be in the center of everything. Cusco is actually a pretty big city, but it still has a small city vibe, so it takes about 10-15 minutes to get somewhere in taxi, depending on the traffic.

Speaking of which, although I know that in certain places, San Antonio, TX for example, people drive horrible. In Peru, people drive ridiculous. They speed in and out, almost look like they’re about to crash, they get really close to one another, but they don’t actually hit each other. So although I have seen hectic driving, like in Mexico City for example, nothing compares to the driving here. They don’t drive bad, but they just don’t seem to follow the rules of the road. So pedestrians beware!!! Cars have priority here. Speaking of which, incase you’re wondering how much taxis charge, it is typically about 3-4 soles, which is a little over $1. In the evenings they can charge a little more about 5-6, but be careful because some of them will try to overcharge and ask for 10 soles in the evenings, especially if they know you’re a foreigner.

Anyway, since part of our program consists of a teaching practicum, in the evening we met with the local teachers that we were going to be working with. We will be working in one school, and simply observing in a second one, both of them being all girls schools. In the first school I will be working with 4th grade students, and in the second I will be observing 8th grade students.

Prior to arriving I was a bit anxious about this because I had never actually taught before, nor had I created a lesson plan. But what made it worse is the fact that although we were told the units that students would be working on when we arrived so that we could plan our lesson around it, I had no clue what my unit meant. My unit was titled “Who’s that Boy?” and as much as I tried and as much as others also tried to help me figure out what to do, no luck. I prepared some lesson plans, and decided to modify them once I was in the classroom.

On our way to Cusco, we all expressed our nervousness and anxiety about having to stay with our host families. It was more of the idea that we don’t know these people at all, and we didn’t want to be separated. We had no idea if we were going to be near each other or not, how we were going to get around, nothing. It was the fear of not knowing that got to us.

We had been previously told that our host families were picking us up at the airport, so once we got our bags at the airport, everyone seemed to hesitate and not want to leave the group. So I took initiative and walked out first, but to our surprise our families were not there, instead the home stay organizers were there to pick us up. They told us that they were going to drop us off at all our homes, which put us all at ease, this way we could know where we all live and how far we were from each other.

We were dropped off in several groups, and I was part of the second group to get dropped off. We pulled up to a parking lot in a neighborhood, and I immediately recognized my host mom. She was so warm and inviting, but I was still a little nervous. My house was literally at the corner of the lot, so we walked in and she fed me right away. Feeling exhausted, I took a nap afterwards for maybe 2-3 hours. When I woke up, she directed me towards an internet café, and after a few minutes we decided to take a little walk around the neighborhood to see where all the stores are.

Now, one main thing to note is that Cusco is at a really high elevation, and its pretty much cold all year long. They do not have a summer, only a rainy season and dry season. We had been warned previously about this, and the fact that we might have a little trouble breathing because of the elevation, but when you’re there you don’t realize it until you start walking and have trouble keeping up with your breath. My host mom was trying to converse as we walked, and I had trouble keeping up. I felt so winded and out of shape, but honestly whether you work our or not has nothing to do with it.

As we started walking back, I could feel myself feeling a little dizzy. I had no headache, but I felt like I would pass out at any moment. Immediately when we entered the house, I laid down in my bed for a few minutes until the dizziness went away. Then I got up and went into the kitchen to drink some coca tea. But a short while after I started feeling dizzy again, so I told my host mom that I was going to lay down again. I rested for a few more minutes again and then went back to finish my tea. My host mom told me to just get some rest, and that if I felt really sick during the middle of the night to just call her so that she can take care of me.

Despite the fact that I started taking elevation pills the day before I arrived in Cusco, I took it the first two days upon arrival, as I was instructed by my doctor. Most people get headaches, but I didn’t get one. It was just the dizziyness that I experienced. To deal with the symptoms it is recommended to take elevation medicine and also drink A LOT of coca tea. Coca tea, which is the leaf used for cocaine, is actually widely consumed here in different ways, primarily to use for elevation sickness. There are also coca caramel candies and coca leaves that you could munch on.

We began our embarkation to Peru, and although I wasn’t nervous, I was very uneasy. To begin, I didn’t really start packing until the night before, and finished in the morning, so I couldn’t help but feel unprepared. I tried to pack as light as I could, but I kind of feel as if I took too much. Despite the many sweaters that I’ve taken, the pair of boots, hiking shoes, and big coat, it still seems as if I don’t have what I need for my trip, there are many things that are missing, but I suppose I will have to wait until we get to Cusco and just buy what I need there.

From San Antonio, we flew into Atlanta for our connecting flight to Lima, Peru. The flight to Atlanta, although it was only 2 hours made me feel really nauseous. The 6 hour flight from Atlanta to Lima, although very long was actually not that bad. International flights of course tend to have better accommodations, so it was great to have your own tv screen in front of you, and they had tons of videos, shows, music, games, and other things that you could watch or listen to along the way. The screen also had a map showing the course of the plane and how much time and distance was left,  which was pretty cool.

Upon arriving to Lima, I knew it would take a while to get out of the airport. First of all we arrived close to 11pm, and we had to wait in a really long line to get through immigration, which took us about an hour and a half to get through. Then we had to get our luggage, and wait in another line to get through customs. I had never actually seen so many people get a red light before. As we took turns pressing the button which would either turn green or red, meaning that if you got red you would have to take your luggage to be scanned and searched, a good majority of us and others as well got a red light. So that took about another half hour.

We were so happy to finally be out of the airport and find our bus waiting for us. We left the airport a little after 1am, and traveled to the other side of the city, which took about another hour, although I swear the bus went in a circle. So by the time that we got to the hotel we were so exhausted, and many of us didn’t go to sleep until after 3am and had to be up and at the lobby by 8am.

The weather in Lima is very gloomy, overcast, and foggy in the mornings. The good thing is that it gets a bit warm in the day, so its not too bad.

On our first day, our host institution Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola (USIL), provided us with a tour of the city. It was really interesting to learn about the history of Lima and Peru in general. Not knowing too much about its history in the recent decades, I learned that in the 1980s the country, specifically Lima, was going through some horrible times. There was a lot of terrorist activity and crime going on which affected tourism and the economy. So a lot of projects in the country and employment pretty much came to a halt. It wasn’t apparently until some terrorist attacks and car bombings began to occur in the middle and upper class areas, that the government actually began trying to do something about it. Therefore in the 1990s, the government took to fighting terrorism and working on the infrastructure again. Our university guide took us to the centro to visit the historical area where we also learned about Hotel Don Ignacio. This hotel is interesting because we were told that it is somewhat like a co-op. In the 1980s because of the economic crisis, the hotel owners had no money to pay their employees, instead what they did was give the hotel to its employees. So the hotel is owned by the people that work it.

After our tour of the main plaza, and watching the changing of the soldiers at the governor’s palace, we went to have lunch at Barranca, which is an artsy middle and upper class area right by the beach. Typically when you look at a map of Peru and see where Lima is located, it is at a distance off the coast, but I had no idea that Lima stretched towards the actual ocean, making it a pretty big city. Barranca is an extremely beautiful area right off the beach, although the water is way too cold to swim in, except for surfers. But the beach atmosphere, the trees, the breeze, and the clean streets with bright colored buildings and white trim, make you feel like you’re on some kind of island.

 We started off in Barranca by eating at a buffet place called Rustica. We were all eager to eat and try some Peruvian cuisine, although this restaurant is tailored specifically for foreigners, so we didn’t get to try anything too exotic. They have some really good rice, some amazing stuffed potatoes, delicious sauces and salsas, and very yummy deserts.

And that was for the most part the end of our first day in Peru, and only day in Lima. The next morning we were off to Cusco.

So we leave in approximately a day and a half. I have not packed yet, but i'm not worried. From having traveled so much to Mexico the past few years, i've learned to narrow down what I take on trips. The first time, I practically took my entire wardrobe and didn't wear 3/4 of what I took, then one time I took too little, seriously one pair of shoes and sandals, that they actually got soaked in the rain one day, and were not dry the next morning, so I had to walk around town with my husbands huge slippers on. It was horrible, because I felt like I had clown shoes on.

Anyway, I know the essentials, and I know not to pack too much, and if there is anything else that I need then I will just buy it over there. While I tried to buy certain things this weekend, my husband kept telling me to just buy everything over there. Yes, I have been given permission to shop! (It's not like I wasn't going to do it anyway.)

One of the main things that I do when traveling, is that I wear the bulkiest items along the way. For example, since I will be needing and taking a big jacket and some boots because its cold, I will be wearing those to the airport when we leave, so that they don't take too much space in my luggage. I guess you could also buy those ziplock bags where you can vacuum the air out and make it seem nonexistent, but I don't plan on taking that many things. I will however, be coming back with lots of goodies! 

Just an FYI, although we will be going during the summer, it is actually Winter in Peru, with lows between 30s-40s and highs in the 60s, so yes it will be very cold.

The main tip that we've heard for our trip is to LAYER! Yes, layer your clothes, not only because its cold, but actually by taking a bunch of light weight items, you are not only saving weight and space on your luggage, but you can actually have a lot of variety, and can create a lot of different outfits. I guess, I kind of already knew this from living in San Francisco, where its really cold and rainy a lot of the time. Plus, you never know how the day will change, so it would be relatively easy to take a shirt off and not be so hot incase the day gets warmer. I actually bought those "tourist" pants, you know what I'm referring to, those "explorer" khaki ones that you can unzip to turn into shorts or roll up. Oh yes and those infamous brown walking/hiking shoes. Since, I literally don't own any tennis shoes, aside from my Vans, I just had to get some comfortable "sporty" shoes.

Although, of course I will be a tourist there, I always try to "blend" in as much as I can, which means speaking the language to avoid sticking out. In Mexico, whenever I felt someone eyeing me, I would start speaking Spanish loud enough for them to hear me so that they don't assume I'm "white" because of my light skin. I think its more of the idea of not wanting to feel like an outsider amongst your own people, I can't bear the thought of that. And of course I wasn't really a tourist, because I have family there and was actually living there, so I tried to also not wear any "flashy" or fancy clothing, or just things that would make it obvious that I was from the states. I don't want to be treated different or "superior."

I think this was actually the biggest upset to some of my family there. They expected me to arrive wearing name brands and looking all done up, but instead I am the opposite (not only there, but in real life). It's like they expected me to look and fulfill some American fantasy image that they have, while I just wanted to make sure people don't try to screw me over, harass me or kidnap me or something.

I'm not about trying to make myself seem better than others, or to try to make it aware that I am not one of them and must therefore be treated with some extra special privilege because of my "citizenship." I am there to engage, to interact, and build relationships with people. I am there to experience and learn, and in many ways, I think this is why certain people in our small towns in Mexico have taken a liking to me. Not using or making my privilege apparent is important for me, because I have learned to see the value and knowledge in those around me. Because after all its these people that inspire me; the everyday people and the everyday things that they do force me to look at the world in a completely different way. Because my job as a scholar is to see the worth in others and help give the community the academic acknowledgement it deserves.

I went to the doctor yesterday to see what vaccines I could get, although no vaccines are required for our trip to Peru, (unless of course you plan on going into the Amazon rainforest and other areas of Peru that are not  tourist locations.) I took my immunization records and although I haven't had any vaccines since I was about 14, there wasn't very much I needed. 

It is always good to go to your doctor first, if you have insurance, to see what vaccines they can provide. They can then refer you to a special travel clinic that they may be associated with in order to obtain the rest. Since we will mainly be in tourist locations, such as Lima, Cusco, and travel to Machu Picchu, none of the vaccines are required, only recommended. I will be taking some typhoid pills, which will help me to not get sick from the water and food there. You may also take precautions by getting altitude sickness medication, and surprisingly I found out that Cusco is at a much higher altitude than Machu Picchu, (I figured it would be the other way around.) Anyway, one of the main things that they also suggest, and which is kind of gross, is anti-diarrhea medication. For some reason everyone seems to get it when they travel there, so make sure to stay hydrated, do not drink any tap water, only bottled water, and if getting a drink at a restaurant, ask for it with no ice, because the ice most likely is made with tap water. Also, when eating fruit, it is suggested to eat those that you can peel the skin off, which means that the inside is safe to eat. 

Another tip from my doctor is that if you are entering the rainforest, then it is suggested to take the vaccine for malaria, that is if you plan on staying there for longer than a few days. To avoid mosquito bites and disease, wear long sleeves to cover up and use mosquito repellent. Other than that you should be good and safe.

Oh and they told me to stay away from dogs, to avoid the possibility of getting rabies. But he didn't say anything about llamas! Llamas are a domesticated animal in Peru. I'm assuming the doctor would warn me to stay away from them too, but I plan on petting one or more if possible. i mean, how often do you have the chance to come across a llama?

Drama in the Andes