Onward and Slightly Upward

The night before we started the Inca Trail all three of us slept terrible. The room was hot, and at one point I woke up from a dream where I had woken up at 8 am with the sun streaming through the window and our bus long gone. It was actually only 1:30 and we will had three hours until we needed to get up. Finally 4:40 came, we got up, ate, and waited in the still dim streets for our bus. As the bus began the ascent out of Cusco, Jim and Lauren became more and more excited and the volume of their voices rose.

About half-way through our bus ride we stopped for a snack alongside the road. The bathrooms were closed, so we took turns standing guard and running around the building to answer natures' call.

Finally we rolled up to Km 82: the start of the Inca Trail. After standing in line to check-in and standing under signs for photos, we finally crossed the river and began!

The first half of Day 1 was easy because the trail was only 'undulating' (as our guide said), yet hard because it was only the first day and Jim kept stopping people to take more photos (it wasn't until Day 3 that I finally took the camera away from him). We all became super excited during lunch as we ate the hot soup, beef with fries (lomo saltado), and cooked vegetables. This first meal was just a sampling of the wonderful ones to come! After a quick afternoon nap we continued on our way. Towards evening the trail pointed steadily up, so we stopped for frequent breaks on the stone stairs (yes! built by none other than the Incas themselves!) Eventually we stumbled into our camp as the sun started to dip behind the mountains. Much to our pleasure, cookies and popcorn with tea or hot chocolate greeted us in the food tent. Our sleeping tent opened out on the mountain range; we could see the ice glaciers on top of the higher mountains from the door.

That evening in the eating tent we shared stories of one of the favorite places we had visited. People named places from Hawaii, Argentina, Africa, and Asia.

White Jesus

Okay ... it's been a while since we posted and a lot has gone down: our friend Lauren flew down to hike Machu Picchu with us, we explored Cusco, the royal Inca city, and I finally figured out that "machu" only has one c ...

Lauren flew in to Cusco after a grueling 19-hour trip from Nashville at 7am last Wednesday morning. We explored a little and took some long power naps, but our first big adventure was on Thursday--our last Inca Trail warm-up hike, the hike to White Jesus.

The night before, we'd seen a giant statue of Jesus illuminated on one of the hills outside Cusco and we all thought the same thing--"we need to hike to Jesus."

The next morning, we started walking in what we thought was the right direction. Along the way, we saw some school children goose-stepping in eerie resemblance to a certain fascist army and a soda delivery truck half-way tipped over on a cobblestone street and only propped up by some wooden poles.

Eventually, after getting directions and drinking some hot chocolate on a patio overlooking the city, we found the staircase that said "Cristo Blanco"--white Jesus. We started climbing and about 12 steps later we stopped for our first break--climbing steps at 11,000 feet is no joke.

During one of our breaks, we stopped to watch a man carving tiny statues out of serpentine stone--with a bent fork because he didn't have any machines! Needless to say, we picked up some incredible souvenirs and photos.

Soon after our encounter with the statue carver (okay, maybe they were idols), the stairs ended and a maze of narrow dirt paths emerged. We started hiking alongside two engineering students from Finland, who knew as little of the trail as we did, and we were all soon in the middle of the bushes on the mountainside. We chatted for a while and found out they were visiting Cusco just for a few days on their way to Chile to visit a factory for a project.

Eventually, we all decided it was best to keep going up, with or without a trail. We helped each other scramble up 3-foot ledges and avoid pricker bushes until we were almost at the top--when we found a trail parallel to the one we'd just made ... oh well

We spent some time taking pictures with the giant white statue of Jesus and found a much better path on the way down that let us get home before the afternoon rain started. We were ready for the Inca Trail

The Adventures at Suyai Wari

After yet another overnight bus, Jim and I arrived in Cuzco at 6:30 am. It took some time, but after going to another bus terminal and taking a taxi, we arrived in time for breakfast at Suyai Wari, an organization devoted to helping the natives properly use their resources and improving their community. Our arrival happened to be the same week as the reforestation week, so we have spent many hours marking the locations for the trees and digging the holes. That sounds straight forward, but we are in Peru, so it can´t be that easy. And it isn´t. After spending an afternoon marking hole locations in a field, some locals came and complained that they didn´t want the trees there. In the end we had to abandone that field. Another day someone filled in about 10 of the holes we had dug. This turned out to be ok, however, because we had dug them too close to a water line. On yet another day the shovel broke, leaving us with only two picks. The shop in town fixed the shovel, but we managed to break it again, so finally we bought a new one. We also had to buy a new pick because Superman was digging a hole, went to pry out a rock, and broke the metal prong. After that show of strength, Superman wasn´t allowed to eat anymore oatmeal.

Because Superman (Jim) and I both speak excellent English, we have been helping the English teacher at the local school. We help the children say the words properly in the textbook examples. In one class I also taught the kids the names for relatives. The director of Suyai Wari, who speaks very good English, had us fill in for him at the after school English class he teaches twice a week. While we enjoy being teacher at the after school class more than helping at the school, the after school class is difficult because the students are all different levels. We are trying different styles of teaching to ensure the students learn something. As of now we have discovered the students grasp a concept better if they can see a physical action such as, ´I sit on the chair´ or ´He walks around the room.´

High Altitude Island Hopping

Probably because we were getting sick of buses, Jim and I decided to mix it up a bit and take a boat to some islands on Peru´s Lake Titikaka, the world´s largest high altitude lake. Not surprisenly, buses were not a transport option to the islands.

The first islands we stopped at are the very famous and very touristy floating islands of the Uros tribe. Back in the days of the Incas, the Uros tribe made their islands out of roots and mud tied together with about six feet of reeds stacked on top to escape the Incas. The reeds are continually decaying, so the natives have put on a new layer every 20 days or so. The women who showed us around their island wore bright clothes of yellows, oranges, and pinks. When Jim asked them why they wore such bright clothes they answered, ´Oh, because the tourists like them.´

To come to the next island, we rode the boat for three hours, during which we talked, read, and slept. Upon landing, we were met by our host dad, who escorted us to his house for the evening. Our meals all consisted of quenwa soup, potatoes, and vegtables becuase the natives only eat food they can grow on the island. Meat is very rare because it has to come from the mainland, a long boatride away. In the evening we climbed up to the top of the mountain, and then after dinner we dressed up in native gard and went to a party of other grincos dressed up in native gard. We managed to get a family photo before we took off in the morning, a task we thought might not happen because the 4 year old son was constantly running away from his parents and us!

We boarded our boat just past 7 and went to another island. At this island the natives actually wore colorful clothes because that was the custom, not because tourists liked them. Our boat met us on the other side so that we could walk half-way around the island. Just before we boarded we were taken to a restaurant to buy lunch, even though it was only 10:30. We decided to split a dish because of the time and the tourist price we were being charged. When Jim asked them why the lunch cost so much, the guide said because the food had to come from the mainland. But our food consisted of grains and vegtables grown on the island and, or all foods, fish. Considering we were on an island, Jim and I think it very unlikely the fish came from the mainland.

The Adventures of a Peruvian Bus

We kicked off our Peruvian bus adventures with a cool 48-hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to Tacna Peru with one of Argentina´s top bus companies. The first class floor, where we decided to get seats since the ride was so long, had its own steward, dressed in dress clothes and a tie, who made us tea and gave us cookies at random hours of the day. The half-dozen movies were remarkably good and our fellow passengers, a retired couple from Lima, bought us apples after ours were confiscated at Chile border and offered us their spare room whenever we pass through Lima again.

Then we were dropped off in Tacna, Peru´s southernmost city, and our Peruvian bus adventures began. The two señoritas at the front desk gave us directions to the ATM and then when we arrived to board the bus and the waiting room was crowded, they invited us to sit behind the desk with them. We chatted with all of them, I think there were four, for a while, and then the truth came out: one of them thought Seth was cute and wanted to know if he was single.

We played along for another 10 minutes and then boarded the bus. By this time Seth had managed to communicate the idea of "blowing kisses" between his human Spanish dictionary, yours truly, and some expressive pantomime. There were various giggles at this display as we boarded, which escalated to an entirely new level as the bus pulled out, with Seth¨s window in full view of the front office.I´ve never been to a Justin Beiber concert, but I have a feeling the ensuing shrieks that attracted the attention of everyone on the bus, are probably akin to the noises made by similarly-aged girls at such concerts. The analogy is even more apropos since Seth´s still uncut hair is starting to resemble that of young Beiber.

The bus ride was a little cold, but not terribly awful except for the incredibly monotonous movie about British fighting Zulus. We arrived in Puno around 3:30 am, spent a few hours on a hotel floor, and shoved off for a 2-day tour of the indigenous islands. Upon our return, we acted on the suggestion of one of our fellow tourists and asked to pay for 2nd class but sit in 1st class.

Once again, the señorita was very friendly and gave us the desired upgrade. She also had lots of questions about our lives and home ... including whether or not we were single. In retrospect, it may have turned out better if she had been less effusive. The bus was hands down the worst bus we´ve ever ridden in--the seats did not recline all the way, the leg rests were too short, the seats were too narrow for first class, the gears screamed every time we hit 3rd gear and the toilet hole dumped directly onto the road.

Surprisingly we slept a little bit and haven´t been too tired in our first day working outside Cusco. We laid out a field for reforestation and tomorrow we´ll start digging holes. We´re looking forward to our 2 weeks in this area, which should give us enough time to prepare for the next bus ...

The Wedding Feast

Please don´t think the only thing we liked about the wedding at the Tribe of Issachar was the food. I actually think the tribesmen, if that is an appropriate term, would approve of the characterization of their ceremony as a "wedding feast." They try to mimic the book of Revelations in their wedding ceremony, with the groom playing the role of Christ and the bride that of the church. The marriage supper of the Lamb is a celebration feast that celebrates the victory over the forces of evil.

We were helping make up plate of appetizers when the groom arrived, clothed in white and accompanied by three companions, also wearing white robes. After mingling for a few minutes, the groom took his seat on his emerald throne, formerly the easy chair in the music room, and the festivities began. First was a skit where Christ, played by the groom, spoke of his longing for his bride to overcome her adversaries. His companions, who turned out to be the Apostle John, the prophet Daniel, and Abraham. After a while of recallining biblical prophecies, a messenger arrived to say the bride was ready.

We all moved over to the platform the stood about 6 feet off the ground. After a few words from one of the elders, the groom yelled for his bride and she came running out of the house and up the ramp to meet the groom.  The bride and the groom had been separated for a week and the excitement in both their faces and demeanors overshadowed any corniness potentially inherent in this type of bridal entry.

With the bride and groom now firmly holding hands, something they did for the rest of the afternoon, the dance of the overcomers was performed. Most of the community members participated in one of their traditional dances, specially prepared for the occasion. A few representing evil, clustered in the middle. They wore black hooded robes, each painted with a different sin--rebellion and love of money are the two I remember. Different statements were hurled between the twirling circle and the miscreants wandering in the center, but the good finally triumped and the black hoods were left lying on the ground as we moved off for the rest of the dances.

The bride had a dance for the groom and the groom likewise. The children also had a dance and after a few more appropriate words, we moved the tables onto the dance circle under the shade of the giant tree and the feast began. Everyone was served a giant tender piece of lamb along with potatoes and bread baked the day before by yours truly. In the interests of full disclosure, I measured the flour and then cut the dough into little pieces, but I see that as an essential part of the baking process, hence "baked by yours truly." On the subject of disclosure, both Seth and I were offered a second plate, which we accepted with great eagerness. Eating only beans and rice for the week previous made us very grateful and appreciative for any sort of meat--and this lamb was exceptional, so it was easy to find room for all the lonely pieces.

After the dinner finished, the bride and groom both sang songs to honor their parents, with parts in Spanish, French, and Russian to express their different ethnicities. The bride´s parents had emigrated from Ukraine and Keli´s mother was French, so he learned that as well as Spanish growing up in Argentina. After this, they said their vows, which were more of a free and sincere expression of what they believed they were doing by making a marriage covenant with the other and were married.

The craziest part was that we accompanied them to their new house on the property and sang a song as they closed the door. Seth and I couldn´t believe it--but since they were married ...

Here Comes the Wedding

To provide some variety, we are writing this post together.

For the first time in two weeks, Jim and I actually do not have a job to do. This is because everyone is practicing dances for the wedding due to take place this Saturday. All the members of the community are running frantically around trying to make the grounds look more beautiful and beginning to prepare the food for the feast. Both Jim and I are psyched about the feast because so far, we know there will be nine lambs, not to mention various desserts, appetizers, and who knows what else. Jim and I have moved lots of dirt because heaps of dirt don't look good in photographs. Today while driving the two-wheeled tractor Jim lost control changing gears and drove it into the hedge. I jumped off the trailer and proceeded to try not to laugh. It did not help that there was a weird neighbor (who was sneaking up to scare us) talking in Spanish very quickly. He had seen the maneuverer and was probably trying to tell us how to drive. In the end we probably scared him more than he scared us.

Fortunately in the midst of all these misadventures, we get lots of snacks. Most of the men start working around 8:30 and continue until past midnight. Even 12-year-old-Issachar (jokingly referred to by the other children as "Is A Car") was up putting up lights until 2:20am last night! Needless to say we don't stay up quite that late helping out, but when the night shift starts after dinner, we usually help out until at least a few snacks have been served. On one memorable occasion, Inhemia (that might be how you spell his name, which means "Comfort of God" in Hebrew) was explaining what I was going to do in Spanish when the snack arrived. He abruptly switched to English (which he only shouts) and said "now drink mate and eat cookies!"

Yesterday we made a 5 benches out of new wood and old metal from defunct park benches. I'm not going to lie--they turned out pretty well. As we put the finished benches outside the workshop, all sorts of people would stop to try them out and say "Que lindo!" (which means "how beautiful") and thank us profusely. The traffic became so noticeable that one of our 12-year-old sidekicks suggested we start charging admission!

The custom at the Twelve Tribes is to not allow the bride and groom to see each other for week before their wedding. The guy with whom we share our house, who is the groom, had someone take the screen off his window because the house door can be seen from the bride's window. Jim even macheted a path through the hedge (not the one he drove into) for the groom. Now he will come flying through the window and land with a loud thud on the floor anytime, regardless of whether or not it is pitch black.

We have heard of several other wedding customs that sound very interesting. Before we write about them, however, we are waiting to see them so that we don't judge to quickly.