Machu Picchu

Oh man! There is so much to say because I have done so much this weekend and I don’t even know where to begin. I spent over 50 hours in a small van, round trip and I would have to say that seeing that sunrise at Machu Picchu was well worth the sore butt. When I decided to go in this trip, I knew that I was not going to be able to go because of how long the trip takes and from the mere fact that we only had two days off for travel and the trip would have taken five to six days, but it was Independence Day this week so all the placements were closed Monday thru Wednesday so I jumped on the opportunity.

We left on Friday and stayed for a night in Nasca before heading out to Cusco the next morning. Cusco is a huge tourist city, with lots of small side streets and when you think you see a small shop on the street it ends up being a tunnel leading to rather large markets. It was like a never ending maze of treasures and just plain fun, mostly because all of us enjoyed the guilty pleasure of being a tourist. We also spent an hour in this HUGE market in the Sacred Valley. It was so big I think that I maybe went through ¼ of the place and I just walked around without much stopping. The jewelry was so beautiful at this market because it was all made of silver and precious stones, and I have to say I am the bargainer of all bargainers. It is almost not fun shopping here sometimes because the women follow you around calling you madam and trying t guilt you into buying just anything from their stand.

After the market we went to feed and pet llamas! My roommate Alice ended up naming most of them and we learned that they are more than willing to get in your face so that they can take the food from your hands haha. I also tried Alpaca that day, it tastes a lot like a really rough gamey steak and some people were comparing it to venison. They gave us free Pisco Sours at the restaurant and they are really good, its really hard to describe how they taste I will have to make them for you all when I get home. I even tried chicha, which is a fermented corn beer that is traditional to Peru. It was very sweet, which is common to a lot of the food and drink here. Ketchup is sweet here and even pizzas taste a little on the sweet side.

We spent one night in Cusco before heading up to Agua Caliente (get it? I stayed in Hot Water hahaha), which is the small town were you can take a bus to get to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is absolutely amazing! We woke up at 5:30 in the morning so we could beat the crowds (even though it is always kind of crowded) and we were hoping that we would get to climb up the giant peak that lies behind the ruins but there was already a line of about 400 people waiting so we had to scratch that off the list. Instead, we decided to walk part of the Inca trail so that we could still see an aerial view. The rocks were so slippery from three days of rain before so the hike was a little tricky, but I can’t begin to describe how beautiful it was. Machu Picchu lies just above the mist in the mountains, everything is so green, and the colors of the ruins shine almost gold when the sun first hits these massive rocks that are carved to fit so tightly together that a piece of paper couldn’t fit through the cracks. The ruins are so extensive that you don’t feel crowded or cramped by the other tourists if you go early and there are all kinds of interesting rooms, each with their own special significance to the Incans that lived there.

I also wanted to tell you guys this funny story from last week, I felt bad I only wrote really sad stuff last week that I completely forgot to tell you guys. Anyways, this woman in the obstetricians office hands me this half blown up yellow (the second smallest) exercise ball and this box with this Oliva Newton John looking lady on it with exercises and signaled for me to go upstairs to teach these two really pregnant girls some exercises. People that pregnant really shouldn’t be rolling around on a flat exercise balls but I did what I could because it’s their custom and I didn’t want to offend. So, I get up there and one girl speaks only Spanish and the other only speaks Quetuchan (I know I bombed the spelling on that) which is the language of the Peruvians ancestors. Needless to say we were quite the group, me rolling around on this flat ball showing them exercises, and all of us trying to use these hand gestures to communicate! I think it was the most fun time I have had at the clinic so far! Haha! Well I wrote a lot… sorry… I will let you all go! Miss you and talk to you soon!
-Caity