Never letting go of Peru: Part 1

This next entries will focus on three themes of the wondrous country that is Peru. Those being the lost city of Kings, Cusco, a brief journey thru the eyes of Lake Titicaca and the Uros Floating Islands (see Bri's separate posting) and last, but certainly not least, the mecca of all, the pinnacle of our trip: exploring Machu Picchu in it's grandeur.

As Briana discussed in the last feature, we were acclimating ourselves from the beauty and prestige of the Andes, coming in from the voluptuous north of Chile via bus travel. With all its history, you could study the Andes region for countless hours and still not be able to comprehend how intense, at your face, and comforting it is to view. It stretches farther than you can imagine. Our journey brings us to the humble Valle de Sagrado, or the Sacred Valley. I knew little coming into this trip about this area and was so curious in the coming weeks of our departure from Chile to the north about what exactly everything here was going to look like.

The lushest, most massive green hills rolling with acres of corn, quinoa, potatoes, beans, etc. This is a true definition of the culture that the locals, the village people, have erected and lived with for centuries. I was amazed coming in from Cusco about how many villages exist here. I've scanned thru maps countless times, but it does not complete the picture in my mind of what these places look like. I'm amazed and pleased at the same time at how progressive things are in these areas. The villagers are the warmest people you'll cross paths with each day walking up and down the hills to get to and fro. Our stay is on a shamanic temple house just above in the mountains of a village named Coya. The town is much smaller than well explored and tourist crazy, Pisac, the next town over. Our walk involves a hike each day or so down into the village in order for us to explore neighboring areas that have a bit more in the means of entertainment, food, etc. But Coya is surrounded by plentiful hikes, rolling greenery and a rapid rushing river. The only thing i recommend is staying far away from the dogs. Few are friendly here...

The myriad of taxis, "collectivos", and buses plow through these villages on a rapid, constant everyday basis, attending to the locals, the tourists, anyone they can pick up and drop off in immediate fashion. Most will drop you off at the next town even if there destination is further and almost all will travel to Cusco. It takes just under an hour to head up the mountains and back into the big, bright city. The drive is bumpy, windy, and at times seems long as you're wrapping around those hills. But for the money, it's worth grabbing a collectivo(5 Soles) and suffering with the altitude. The change in altitude is minimal though so it's more getting accustomed to the high elevations in general. Do as the locals do: macerate a wad of Coca leaves in your mouth for awhile and you'll be just fine.

Cusco: at night or by day, i'm flushed with appreciation for this city. No other place does it better. Okay...Maybe it's second to Lima. At least in food. But you will find pure bliss here. I guarantee you a good time whether it's for drinks out near the plaza de armas, bartering for the best prices at the San Pedro Mercado or other friendly bazaars, planning your next touristy destination or just enjoying a quick bite to eat at one of the many, MANY awesome restaurants. I was floored by the San Pedro Mercado, a place where you can experience most of the artesinal crafts, alpaca wear, food and drinks. As you walk around the streets near this large structure, you'll discover other shops labeled, "Artesinal..." as well. Everyone who can sell something, will sell something to you. Whether it's a hide tunic made of alpaca or sheep's wool, a deck of playing cards with machu Picchu pictures, fresh Gouda and parmesan cheese, coca this and coca that, delicious fruits and veggies, all of it exists here. The colors in the crafts and clothing represent different themes in the ever powerful Andean culture.

Pinks, yellows, bright hues of green or blue, all these colors define something specific about these people and there time spent on Pacha Mama(Mother Earth). Some of the ideas or meaning may alter a bit as you travel from place to place, too, but the sole purpose remains true to these people: believing that they are here for the Earth, to embrace it with love and nothing less. Sadly, i have witnessed examples of that being insulted by way of constant pollution nearly everywhere i look. The notion to recycle anything here seems vague. Especially in the smaller villages. I've discovered one place that holds a bottle collection tank in town, but i don't know much more about their system. To bring a positive light, on our way back out of Cusco one night, i noticed a woman adorned with city worker clothing, on the clock grabbing trash on the outskirts of town. These people start at ungodly hours probably everyday as I've noticed and If these surrounding municipalities are doing one thing right, it's that they are constantly trying to battle with cleaning the streets.

But pollution is still a huge example of what the country needs to continuously work on to protect its land. I was extremely broken hearted to see on our way into Cusco the first time, how much these villages out in the hills and mountains pollute the earth. Glass, paper, plastics, food scraps, everything just thrown into sections on the outer edges of towns. I am bewildered and disappointed. It struck me more than ever before, like i have never viewed pollution in epic proportions such as this case. Not back home, surely not. But Cusco presses on with a growing effort to achieve positivity through cleanliness, sustainable practices and a promising green thumb. You'll see this example through several restaurants as they push for better ways in conjunction with heavy traffic that fumegates the air with pollution everyday. Taxis, busses, moto-taxis, it's all an eye sore for this town, but i get the sense that will always be the case and it most certainly reflects in other places ala Peru. That doesn't mean you can't spend a good night's sleep here and enjoy a wonderfully prepared organic salad, pizza or anything else locally crafted. To my surprise, olives and grapes(not just pisco) are thriving here. The wines, as we've experienced lightly, are getting hits and rave reviews all over. Typically, great wine will come from just south of Lima. Olives follow suit. Green or black, they're all tasty, succulent and full of flavor. I highly recommend you not leave Cusco, or Peru for that matter, without getting your grape and your olive on.

Some places i suggest checking out: Cicciolina and sister restuarant, Bacos-Bistro style with exemplary looking plates that prove satisfying to the mouth, great pisco sours, decent wines by the glass, should be top 5 places to dine ala Cusco.
San Pedro Mercado-gift shopping? this is the place to find anything and everything reasonably priced. Some might disdain and reccomend shopping in Pisac for better prices but i don't find it to be much different.
Museo de Pisco-for some of the finest piscos, wines, small bites, this upscale room looks like the place to be for an evening fully served with mouth watering drinks
Los Perros-a hip bar with one room after another stuffed with captivating art, paintings, and comfy seating for a great meal. Go for the burger here...
San Blas district-luxurious architecture, the Meeting place coffee shop: a non profit joint, offering organic coffee, baked goods, tasty soups and breaky with donations that support local proceeds
Museo del Inca-tease your desire and curiosity of the country, the Andean culture and it's history, etc.
Hospedajae Recoletta Touristica-we stayed here more than once and really enjoyed it. Good wifi, a game/entertainment room, decent beds, walking distance to plaza de armas and other places to explore, but far enough from the noisey sectors of town. Depending on the season, book ahead. Ask for Javiar.
Cusco's official textile shops-this is the place to check out how everything is handmade. Andean women adorned in the traditional wears hand knit as you look in awe at the amazing rugs, clothing, bags and hats. Also inside are museum rooms that explain the culture and its tying into with knitting.

Uros Islas: Part 2

The wind blows fiercely  at the door of the reed house. I wonder if the thatch roof will keep us dry. Lightning cracks through the darkness, reflecting off of the great Lago Titiqaqa, and floods the inside of the house for only a brief second. I run outside to see our host, Ruben, dragging a large plastic tarp out of the reed house to our right. He is pulling it towards the catamaran, a doubled up reed canoe with a top observation deck. Traditionally, reed boats were made solely from natural material and had to be rebuilt every 6-8 months. Now, hundreds of plastic liter and 2-liter bottles are wrapped in sheets of plastic with reeds as the exterior. These boats can now last as long as 7 years.
These tall reeds that grow around 4-6 meters, are the lifeline for the people of the Uros. Not only are their houses and boats made of them, but the islands are actually created from the root systems of these reeds. The roots are hollow and filled with oxygen, which gives the soil buoyancy. On top of the soil, dried reeds are cut and placed criss-crossing each other for many layers. Because these small clusters of "islands" are living, they decompose and every fifteen days are replenished. A boat guide, Julio, explained to us that during dry season, especially before the use of solar panel electricity (brought as a gift from infamous former president Fujimori) he watched several islands go up in flames. I haven't see one person yet who is a smoker on these islands, and I can imagine with good reason. They joke that if you don't like your sister (or her new husband) you can just cut your part of the island off. Some islands are very close together and look as though they were just severed from one another. I nearly stepped off of the edge of one and into the lake when looking for the "bathroom." Each island is about the size of a suburban plot of land. On our current small island, there are 7 small one room huts. We sleep on foam mattresses that are piled high with blankets, and thankfully since the temperatures drop below freezing this time of year.

What on earth possessed us to stay on this island? It is not the norm to stay on Uros, more likely is to stay on one of the bigger (non-reed) islands. The lake is enormous, stretching between Peru and Bolivia. As much as we would have liked to visit the other side of the lake (and get to some great areas in Bolivia) a hefty tax is imposed on US citizens. More than it would have cost for most of our visit there. Puno, the mainland point on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, is in many ways a typical South American port town. It features unflattering industrial areas, an enormous market place, a plaza de armas, rows of artesans selling the same brightly colored knitted goods (all baby alpaca of course, but now I know the real difference, and it usually involves quite a few more soles), knick knacks, and tourist friendly restaurants. The altitude is about 1000 feet higher than Cusco. Luckily bus travel helped me to acclimatize more quickly. The traffic is thick, unsightly, polluting both in exhaust and sound. The moto-taxis are a wonder, dodging cars left and right. My favorites have ironic decals on the back plastic windows. The coolest, they think they are bat-mobiles.

Julio, did not leave the islands until he was a young adult. His first experience in Puno, at age 11 was terrifying for him, he tells us. So many cars, and traffic. "And worst of all," he says, "people didn't look at you and say good morning." We also have felt this shift many times during our trip. Julio and Ruben both speak Aymara as their native language, but quickly learned Quechua and Spanish from family while growing up. Once in school, they learned English, and some French. Inter-island trade is the primary reason to leave your island, or group of islands. People from Uros bring fish and sea birds, often dried, to market to trade for potatoes, onions, and other vegetables that can be grown on the larger islands. I watched Ruben's family prepare the fish that his father had caught earlier that day and lay them out on wooden boards to dry. Uros has a matriarchal society, and while the structure is still somewhat of a mystery to me as to how it is organized with so many islands, it was clear who was in charge.

~Briana