Women Outbound Worldwide and Peru – May 2004

 A Celestial Start to Our Journey

On May 16, 2004, my sister, Heidi, and I started our great adventure to Peru.  We flew from Toronto with Air Canada to Sao Paulo, Brazil, flying time of 10 hours.  Our connecting flight would be leaving the next day.   We spent the day exploring the old town where we browsed and enjoyed mixing with the local people.

Early morning saw us again at the airport for our 5-hour flight to Lima.  The morning was clear and we were able to get a bird’s eye view of the jungle.  We happened to be sitting on the right side of the plane when it flew over Lake Titicaca – the highest navigable lake in the world.  What a strange sight – to see the Andes mountains rising towards the heavens and there, almost at the top is a deep green-blue color of water.   This view will always stay in our minds.

Lima…City of History, Splendor and Spiritual Ceremony

Arriving in Lima, we were surrounded by agents selling hotel rooms in Lima.  Heidi and I settled on the area of Miraflores, a suburb of Lima.  Miraflores is considered a safer area and this is primarily where most tourists end up staying.   Our hotel was in walking distance of the Main Square, the Indian Market and some wonderful old cathedrals.  We spent the evening taking in the sights and ended up in a lovely sidewalk café for dinner.    

We had arranged a city tour of Lima, which took us through the historical areas of Lima, the walking tour of main square, the old Cathedral, famous for its splendid altars covered in gold leaf   and it many artifacts of Lima’s history and art. The monastery has under gone restoration and behind some of the walls Fresco paintings were discovered.   It has always amazed me that there really is still so much more to find that brings us a link to the past.    There are two sites that really stand out for me on our Lima tour.  Heidi thinks I am strange, but here goes….underneath the monastery are the catacombs, where important saints and priests were buried and below them were the common people.   Their belief was that to be buried here was to be closer to God.  The other site is the Institute Cultural Pucllana.  This site was once a garbage dump.  In 1985, the city decided to clear the land and provide a new park; instead they discovered bones, pots and a village site.   In the center of this sixth century old ceremonial site was a small grave where a woman lay.  She was between the ages of 18-40 and it is believed that she was sacrificed in one of the Inca ceremonies.  Sacrifices, such as this woman, earthenware, and other articles were given as a thank you to Mother Earth for using the land.  As I stood by her grave, I could not help but wonder about her and her life.  Perhaps we once had a connection somewhere in the universe.  One thing for sure, I am really glad that this type of sacrifice is no longer used!  

Mythical Cusco and the Sophisticated Incas

Saying goodbye to Lima, we flew to Cusco, a city of myth and legends, historical sites, narrow streets and people from all over the world who have come to see Machu Picchu.

After arriving at our hotel, we were immediately given tea made from coco leaves to help us acclimatize.  Due to the location of 3250m, the altitude sickness is something to be wary of.  It was recommended that we rest and not do anything strenuous for the first day.   Both Heidi and I looked at each other and thought, how strenuous can walking and sightseeing be!  Little did we realize that the only flat part of the city is the main square.  From there you walked up through very narrow streets in order to explore the other areas.  Believe me, we did take it easy.

Our Peruvian guide, Edgar, took us to three main sites near Cusco.  Tambomachay, Kenko and Puca Pucara and Sacsayhuaman.  The Inca society was very sophisticated.  They never built before they found water; they built in three levels and usual towards the hilltop.  Sacsayhuaman is probably the most well known, as this is where the summer solstice festival is held.  Over the centuries, communities from all over come to join together in the celebration of giving thanks to Mother Earth for her fertile soil and for the water in the ground and to Father Sun for helping the crops grow.  They would celebrate the past harvest and to pray for a better one this year.   Edgar shared with us his stories and his passion about his country.  His stories brought the mind to imagine the pomp and pageantry that happens on or around June 21^st.  

We traveled to the Sacred Valley where we stopped at the Ollantaytambo Fortress or Shrine.  The shrine was never finished.  It is an amazing archaeological site located on the imposing hillside overlooking the town.  It contains huge rocks that no one knows how they were put in place or how they came to be at this site. I have realized that all the historical sites are impressive and massive and were, in part, all used for worship of the earth, sun, and water.  It is astonishing to realize how long they have stood in time. It seems that the Inca society believed in having large spaces between the steps of the shrines or had very long legs.  Neither Heidi nor I are tall, and it took us longer to climb the stairs.  The total of stairs one way is 170, as I counted them coming down.

Experiencing The Power of Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu was our next stop.  We managed to get out of bed at 4:00 a.m. for pick up

at 5:00 a.m.  We were transferred to the train station and by 5:45 a.m. the Inca Railway train left Cusco for Machu Picchu.  The trail travels through terraced patchwork landscape of typical Andean crops.  The railway then follows the river though the Urubamba Valley where wild orchids, bromeliads, fuchsia and impatiens plants hang from the rocky outcrops along the rail line.  We reached the town of Aguas Calientes, which is surrounded by the high, green mountains that cradle the famous lost city, where we boarded a bus that follows the windy road to Machu Picchu.  As we traveled I happen to look at a certain angle and there it was, Machu Picchu.  My first thought was, ‘it looks just like the postcard.”

An Opportunity to Explore and Meditate

After our amazing tour of the Holy City of Machu Picchu we were able to explore on our own. Both Heidi and I felt the need to explore our own way.  She chose to find a spot where she was able to meditate and feel the power and the beauty of this site.   I needed to hike to the area where the famous picture of the city was taken.  Climbing up the huge staircase was a challenge as steps were high and my legs were letting me know that they did not like the steep steps.  After about 15 minutes I reached the spot.  It was as it should be, haunting and beautiful.  The surrounding mountains were covered with thick forest vegetation and as I sat with the sun on me, I felt the spiritual wonder of this place.  It is hard to explain the feeling and sense that I got sitting here.  There were other people around, but showed respect allowing people to enjoy the still quiet and peace.  Coming down through the maze of stonewalls; we had both encountered patches of red wild orchids growing from the rock.      

Heidi and I both felt the power of Machu Picchu.  Each person feels it differently and for each of us, it holds different memories.  

Meeting the People of Peru

We decided that on our last day at Cusco, we would enjoy the marketplace and search for treasures to bring back to our families. We were told that when we wanted to buy something, bartering was expected.  The crafts are beautiful and often one of a kind.  The weavings and sweaters made from Llama wool made we wish I had a bigger suitcase.   Women in the market areas wore lovely, bright dresses, all with different colored hats.  Each color of dress and hat shows the area of the region in which they live.   We bartered with the women and men; an age-old amazing ritual…they know how far down they will go in price and we know that we want the best price possible.  Both parties would be shaking theirs head while quoting and saying ‘too much’ or ‘not enough’.  We had some great laughs and conversations with the local people while bartering.   It seems to me that women and men, shoppers and sellers, all over the world, want the best deal possible.   I heard someone say perhaps it would be easier having fixed prices, but think of the fun and of the interaction that would be missing. 

On this particular day, a small boy, about 10, came towards us to sell postcards.  Heidi was wearing her Canada flag.  We told the boy, that we had bought cards.  His response was “ok, I came and see you tomorrow”.  He then looked at the Canada flag and said, “you are from Canada, and the capital of Canada is Ottawa.”  We could not believe what we heard!   I’m not so sure that a lot of children his age, in other countries, would know the capital of Peru.  

A Jungle Journey with a Peruvian Friend

Our last stop in our journey of Peru was to Puerto Maldonado, the Amazon Jungle area. We were both excited about another adventure.  After our flight landed, we were driven to the river, where we were transported by riverboat to the start of the trailhead for the Sandoval Lake Lodge.  We hiked 2 miles through secondary forest* until we reached a small canal where we boarded canoes and paddled through a flooded forest of 100-foot tall Mauritia palms.

Heidi seemed to be the lucky one here, as every shower she took she had a great supply of warm water and a toad would join her every now and then.  I, in turn, was not as lucky with the water, but at least I did not have to share my shower with a toad.

Our 4 day, 3 night stay was filled with excursions of the lake to see the Macaws and the monkeys    We had daily treks through the jungle in search of monkeys, hummingbirds and we learned about different trees and shrubs that grow in the forest.  Meals at the Lodge were indeed a surprise, 3 course meals at lunch and dinner.  Our guide, Marlena, spent the 4 days with us and she fascinated us with her knowledge of the Jungle.  During meals, we learned about her family, her customs and culture and of what she would like from her life.  We shared our thoughts and ideas with her and when we left, we were leaving behind a friend.

*After years of destruction decay in the jungle forest, local people replanted areas of the jungle; these areas are known as secondary forest.

Memories Galore

We left Peru with many wonderful memories.  We miss the marketplace and the bartering for our goods, the spectacular views of the Andes Mountains, the spirit of Machu Picchu and the amazing jungle, but most of all we miss the gentle people of Peru. The people that helped us out in finding a street on the map, the people that assisted us in our tours and the people that showed us their country with such passion and warmth.  We can hardly wait to come back!

When we travel we meet people that change us in such little ways, ways that we may not even realize.  We discover that we are all very much alike; most of us have passion in what we believe in, we all have family and we all have dreams.

 Our Peruvian guide, Edgar, said it quite simply;

“Do not come to criticize our ways, do not come to change our culture

Come to enjoy what we offer, come to learn and discover

Then we can work together to make a difference”.