Puno and Lake Titikaka

It has been a low key few days since arriving to Puno.  We made it out of Cusco and boarded our plane to Puno around 11 a.m. for a short flight (less than an hour).  Once on the ground, we embarked on a 1-hour journey to Puno itself.  We went straight to the downtown area where we had a nice buffet lunch and then headed to the hotel for some much needed down time.  Our hotel is across the bay from downtown and is situated right on the lake.  The kids enjoyed the down time playing pool, talking and just relaxing.  Dinner this evening was back downtown.

The following morning we were picked up at our hotel by boat to head out on the lake, first to visit 2 of the 92 floating islands on the lake and then to the largest natural island on the lake.  On the first floating island, we learned how these islands are made by cutting the reed roots into squares and then binding them together. They then lie about 6 layers of reed on top and then houses.  These islands can last about 50 years before they do it all over again.  It was really quite strange to walk on the island, as there was a lot of give under our feet.  We got to play "dress up" and learned about the significance of the pom-pom accessories - signifying whether you were married or not - the bright colors for single, to attract a mate, more drab colors for married (usually black or brown).  We took some photos and were able to look at some of the local wares (textiles and reed boats and mobiles) from the families on this island.  We also learned about the hierarchy on the island where every year they have a new "president" who divides the money earned up between the families on the island.

After our visit, some of us boarded a reed boat to go to the next island which had a store and the local elementary school.  Here we were able to get our passports stamped for Isla los Uros.  After a short stay here, we boarded our motor boat and started the 2-hour ride to Taquila.

One the way, we learned how big the lake is - over 3300 square miles - owned 60% by Peru and 40% by Bolivia.  There are a lot of natural islands with 80% of them being inhabited.  The average temperature of the water is 9 Celsius or around 45 degrees - much too cold to swim in.  It was hard to imagine the size of the this lake.  We even got to see Bolivia.

Once we docked at Taquila, we headed up a very steep walk-way to the main square.  We learned that this island produces some of the finest textiles in the world, having won several awards.  We got to look at these.  Then we walked to the other side of the island for lunch and a demonstration on clothing - and how to tell the difference between ages, married or single, etc.  and even how the wool hats and belts are made.  We also learned about the courting rites of these people.  The girls ask the boys out with their pom-poms and the boys answer with theirs.  Once they decide to get married, they actually live together for about 2 years in a trial marriage before deciding to get married, as there is no divorce here.  We also got to learn about natural washing where they use a local plant to make natural detergent.  It was quite fascinating.

Then it was back on the boat for the ride back to our hotel for dinner and getting packed and ready for our last day in South America.  We have had a great time, but are ready to come home tomorrow. 

Machu Picchu

We made it!!!  After several days of uncertainty with the strike and protests, we caught the train and made it to Machu Picchu Town very late - nearly midnight.  We had to be up at 4 a.m. for breakfast in order to get in line for the bus to take us to the archeological site at 5 to 5:15.  It took about 25 minutes to get up the mountain.  After getting through the ticket line, we started into the site.  It took about 10 minutes of walking uphill on the Inca stone steps and then it levels off and there it is - in all its glory - Machu Picchu.  There are no words that can describe the awesomeness of it. 

In July 1911, Hiram Bingham, a professor from Yale, "discovered" Machu Picchu, although discovered is not quite a correct word, as there was a family living near the site continuously since the Incans left the site.  It was very overgrown with brush, probably keeping it largely hidden.  Bingham built a train going to the site and excavation began.

The site is divided into several sections, agricultural, platforms, guardhouse, Intipunku "The door of the Sun", an upper cemetery and ritual rock, barracks,and urban life.  We learned about the major parts of the city and its significance of each. 

After our guided tour, we had to exit the site and reenter - when one group went to the Sun Gate while the rest went to the Inca Bridge (both parts of the Inca Trail).  Each student got to choose which hike they would take.  After completing these hikes, it was back down the mountain for lunch and some free time in the city before catching the train back to Cusco.  It seems that protestors had once again blocked the trains coming and going from Machu Picchu and we were hoping to make it out.  Luckily, the situation resolved rather quickly and trains resumed running with only about a 1-1/2 hour delay. 

Once back at our hotel in Cusco, they had boxed dinners waiting for us at reception, all our bags already in our rooms and the kids were ready for a good nights sleep to be ready for Lake Titikaka. 

A day of Ruins

We got an early start this morning trying to get outside of the city before the protests started again. 

Our first stop was Saqsaywaman.  This was the Temple of Thunder.  From the top of the ruins, we could see all of Cusco City (the belly-button of the Incan empire).  This was site of one of the major battles between the Incas and the Spaniards, killing hundreds.  According to Incan legend, the Condors came down and ate the corpses. 

Second stop, Tambomach'ay, the Temple of Water.  This was a burial place for the Incas.  It also had some caves in the side of a hill used to leave offerings to the Gods.  It is also known as the fountain of youth, with fountains that are fed by a natural spring and the water comes out at the exact pressure all the time.  They was a signal tower there to communicate with other Incas.

Next stop was Puka Pukara - the red fortress.  This was a lodge along the Incan trail where they would store dried potatoes and meats, which would last at least 10 years.  When the Spanish arrived, they liked the fact that the Incan people knew how to preserve and store food and turned them into slaves.  This fortress also was in constant communication with the Temple of Water.

Our last stop on the Ruins Tour was Q'enqo - the Temple of Mother Earth.  This temple has several caves and a large monolith and was used for sacrifices. 

Cusco has a statue that was given to them by the Muslims in the 1940s, and is called Cristo Blanco.  We made a brief stop there to check it out. 

After lunch, we walked around the city some more and went to the Garecilaso House.  Senor Garecilaso was one of the first Inca historians.  He wrote many different books about the Incas in tribute to his mother and the stories he was told growing up.  His most important work was "Real Commentary" (in English).  This museum was dedicated to him, as well as the Incas themselves. 

Our last stop of the day was the statue of Pachaceteq.  He was one of the most important Inca and there are 2 statues of him in this area.  We were able to walk to the top of the tower and had a great view of the city. 

We have now boarded our train and looking forward to finally getting to Machu Picchu tomorrow.

Cusco

What can I say about today other than it was eventful.  As many of you may have heard, there is a strike going on in Peru.  They are fighting to get higher wages.  They had escalated their protests, blocking streets, attacking vehicles (not people), marching through the city chanting, yelling and screaming, setting off firecrackers, etc.  Well, we got to experience it all first hand when we were leaving our hotel. After getting in our vans to go to the next hotel to drop luggage off, one van was able to pull away before the protestors reached them; however, the other was quickly surrounded first by protestors followed by the police with their riot gear.  While we were never in eminent danger, it was quite the experience to be that close.  In the end the only causality was the van tire which was slashed by a protestor. 

Once situated in the hotel, we headed to Temple of the Sun which was an Incan.  Later the Dominicans came and tore down much of the temple and built a cathedral and monastery on the site.  We learned about the Triology of the Incas - Condor (representing the Gods and the over world), Puma (representing all living things and the present) and the Snake (presenting the dead and underworld).  There were also three rules for morals: Help your neighbor, pay your taxes, and work for the Gods.  The three morals - don't lie, don't steal and don''t be lazy and finally the three worlds.  The Triology is also represented by the three doors going into the temples.  We also learned about some of the dualities of the Incas, for example, male/female, sun/moon, gold/silver.  It was interesting to see how these two worlds (Incan and Spanish) collided. 

From there we headed to the Cathedral of Cusco which took over 94 years to build.  There were 11 different chapels in the church - ranging from from very rich to very poor.  The most expensive chapel has a Jesus made out of Agave.  When people would pray to him, they burnt candles which have discolored him.  They thought this was a miracle and he now has more than 1000 different outfits that get changed every Thursday.  Also they have a painting of the Last Supper in which Judas was painted depicted as Pizarro. 

For lunch we went to a local restaurant for a buffet which all the kids seemed to enjoy.  Apparently they loved the sushi. 
Since the strike had closed most of the local business, our guide found a market that was through a "small door."  After spending some time here, we headed back to hotel to figure out what the evening would  hold for us. 

Before dinner, we went to chocolate factory here.  We learned how the Peruvians make chocolate (much the same as Ecuadorian).  We sampled some coca tea and chocolates and chocolate jams.  We walked through some other parts of the city, heading to St Blaise Square where there was an artisan market and the Hilario Medivil museum.  He was known for his depiction

of women with extremely long necks representing llamas.  We also got to see the Twelve Cornerstone on Hacun Rumiyoc The stone is important because it fits perfectly between the other stones.  Some people also believe it represents the 12 kings or the 12 months of the year. 

Welcome to Peru, Cusco, Sacred Valley, Pisaq

We had another early start this morning to head back to the airport to continue our flight to Cusco.  Upon arrival, we were met by our guide and started our journey into the Sacred Valley to visit the market, as well as the Pisaq Archaeological Site.

At the market, we were told that we had to try the empanadas - which everyone agreed were really good - fresh cooked and only $1 Sol (equals about 30 cents).  We then had time to practice some more of our bargaining skills at the market where you could find just about any souvenir you could have wanted from bracelets to leather work to blankets, sweaters, t-shirts etc.

After the shopping fix, we headed to the Pisaq Archaeological site where there are some Incan ruins.  We learned about how they built terraces in the mountain to use for farming, as well as to protect them against erosion.  Some of us made the additional walk to the top so we could take in the view, which was amazing.  We have saw one of the largest Incan burial grounds.  The highest ranking Incans were buried near the top of the mountain with silver and gold and other treasures, while more common Incans were buried lower with pots and the like.  When the Spaniards came to Peru and discovered these ruins, they started looting them for their treasures and destroying them.  Then about 20 years ago when Peru wanted more tourism, they were giving away relics from the graves to tourists .  Now they are trying to preserve the site, but most of the damage has been done.  Still magnificent to see.

On the way back down the mountain we learned how the local in this area dry potatoes by lying them out in the fields in cloth for about 3 days and then they can store them for quite some time and re-hydrate them when ready to use.  This is the time of the year when they do most of the drying and even used the local soccer field for that purposes, upsetting the local soccer players.

After settling in the hotel, we headed to dinner where we were entertained by some local dancers who performed traditional dances for us.  We are now back at the hotel getting rested for another full day in Cusco with a city tour. 

Peru Bound

Today was another early start as we headed to the airport to begin our journey to Peru.    From Baltra airport we headed to Guayaquil, where we were met by a local guide for the day who gave us a tour of his city during our 6 hour lay over.  

We left the airport and headed to downtown where we had a huge lunch and then headed to Parque Simon or more commonly known as Iguana Park because of all the land iguanas that have taken up residence there.  This park was built around a statue of Simon Bolivar representing his defeat of the Spanish freeing 5 South American countries, Columbia, Ecuador, Venazuela, Boliva, and Peru.  

From there we continued on to the riverfront where we saw several statues of the Presidents of Ecuador and a rotunda representing the countries of South American.  We also walked around old Colonial Guayaquil, which is now like an artist district, very quaint.  

Then it was time to head back to the airport to check in for our flight to Lima and for our Peruvian adventure to begin.

Back to Santa Cruz and the beach

This morning we headed back to Santa Cruz Island.  Most of the kids who were sick yesterday were feeling better today and after lunch, headed on a walk (about 2.5 miles) to Tortuga Bay.  I stayed behind again with the sick students (this time 4 different students).  In the bay, the students were able to see black-tipped reef sharks and the beaches were lined with marine iguanas and more sea lions.  Some students attempted to snorkel, but the water was too murky to really see anything.  Some students were exhausted from being sick and just took a nap on the beach and others just played in the water.   

I am happy to report that everyone was feeling much better by dinner and everyone ate a good meal.   After dinner we had about an hour for some last minute shopping in the Galapagos before heading to the hotel to pack and get ready for our departure for Peru.  

Volcanos and Tears

This shall be a day that lives in infamy for us.  The day started out great - we headed to the Sierra Negra volcano where we embarked on a 3 mile trek to the volcano's cauldron.  We made several stops along the way learning about different plant life.  We tried guava right off the tree and saw the plant that is used to make scopolamine (a sedative) that is now longer legal to be grown near the city.  

Once we made it to the cauldron, the place where all the new lava is, we had a spectacular view - according to our guides, it was one of the best views they had seen in a while - perfectly clear skies.  After taking in the beauty for a while, it was time to head back the hill - and that is when things started to go downhill.  It seemed that our group had managed to get a stomach bug that started displaying itself.  We went to a farm for lunch, where more of the students started feeling a bit unwell.  

We got back to the hotel and made the decision that I would stay back at the hotel with 3 of the students who felt they would not be able to make the bike ride to Wall of Tears.  They rest of the group headed out on their adventure.  A couple of students fell off their bikes, others starting feeling unwell, but they all made it to the wall and learned a little about it.  Once back at the hotel, more students were sick.  I ran to the store (which was just around the corner) and practically bought them out of crackers and Gatorade.  

With that, it was time for bed and had our fingers crossed for a better day tomorrow.   

Isla Isabela

We had another early start today as we headed to Isla Isabela, the largest of the Galápagos Islands.  We got to the pier and caught our water taxi to take us out to our private speed boat to take us on our 2-hour ride across the bay.  Once checked into the hotel, we headed to the tortoise breeding center where we were able to see how they are breeding these tortoises and the different types of tortoises that reside in the Galápagos Islands, dome-shelled or flat-shelled.  They had different areas for different ages.  We even got to see some research specimens that showed the different gestational ages of the tortoises.  After touring the facility, we took a short walk to the marsh area where flamingos have taken up residence, as well as other birds and lizards.  

After lunch, it was time to tour some of the smaller islands in the Bay of Tintoreras, where we saw sea lions, Galápagos penguins, Blue-footed boobies, pelicans, iguanas galore and of coarse sea turtles and sharks.  We took a short hike around one of the Islands, which is referred to as "an Hell on Earth" because it was formed of volcanic rock and can be quite treacherous.  It was breeding season for the iguanas so there were a lot of Baby iguanas everywhere.  

Next it was time to check out what was under the water and again were split into 2 groups for snorkeling.  We all were able to see giant green sea turtles - and all I can say is WOW - you cannot imagine how big these creatures are until you are swimming with them.  We could see more sea lions and some of the group were even able to swim in the channel with the wire-tipped reef sharks.  After nearly an hour of snorkeling, it was back on the boats to head back to town for dinner and bed, another big day was waiting for us.

Goodbye Mainland.- Helllo Islands

This morning we had to say good-bye to mainland Ecuador and start our journey in the Galapagos Island.  We boarded our flight and were on our way to Baltra, one of the islands in the Galapagos archipelago which only serves now as an airport - having once housed a US military base.   Once we have all cleared customs and inspection, we grab a public bus to take us to the pier to catch a ferry for a short ride across the water separating Baltra and Santa Cruz Island.  Our day sure felt a lot like "Trains, Planes and Automobiles."  

One first destination was the Primicias Ranch where we got our first look at the Giant Tortoises of the Galapagos.  We were split into two groups with separate guides and took a walking tour.  We learned about the tortoise and how they survive in the Galápagos Islands.  We learned that part of the way the age the turtles is by their shells and the amount of ridges that are in them.  The older they get, the smoother the shell is.  It is pretty amazing that these creatures can live for a year without food or water.   We talked Lonesome George and how he was the left of his species (although they did keep his DNA) and they estimate he was about 140 when he passed away and also talked a little bit about Harriet, who died at the age of about 175.  The new mascot of the Islands is Super Diego who, in tortoise years is relatively middle-aged, at just over 100.  Most of the tortoises we saw were fairly young, only between 70 and 80 years.  

We had lunch at the ranch, which was a choice between chicken or swordfish, which the kids all seemed to enjoy.  From there we made our way to our hotel to check in and said good-bye to our guides until dinner.  After getting settled into our rooms, we took a short walk into town to walk around and check the area out and do some shopping.  There was even a school parade that we were able to watch.  Different kids represented different South and Central American countries and were doing local dances.  From there, we made our way to dinner and then back to the hotel to get packed and rested for another big day tomorrow.