Today Emma and I went to a museum to see Juanita the ice mummy, a little girl who was sacrificed by the Incas over 500 years ago and who's body was almost perfectly preserved in a glacier until 1995.
In 1995 one of the many volcanoes surrounding Arequipa errupted, the hot ash melting the snow, ice and glaciers on the surrounding mountains. This revealed Juanita and 2 other sacrificed children who were discovered by two archaeologists. Juanita, named in honour of the archaeologist who discovered her, was 12-14 years old, and was thought to have come from a royal or noble family in Cuzco. She was sacrificed to apease the mountains which the Inca believed to be Gods.
Because of the icey grave in which she lay burried for so long, she is perfectly preserved, with hair, finger nails and full facial features. She also has all her organs intact. She is kept in an ice box and is really a rather fascinating sight.
The museum tour included all the 'offerings' which were burried with the children and explained the traditions and history of human sacrifice and the Inca culture. It was very interesting.
Friday, 27 May 2011
Monday, 23 May 2011
Colca Canyon Trek
Colca Canyon is the second deepest canyon in the world, at 4160m it is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and is conveniently located about 2 hours outside of Arequipa. This weekend I went on my second ever trek, to the bottom of the canyon... and up again the other side!
Day 1.
Pick up from the house was at 3am, ridiculously early. We drove around picking up the rest of the group before arrive in Chivay 3 hours later for breakfast. There were 10 of us in the group, a Swiss couple, an American couple, 4 young lads from London and me and Emma. Emma is another volunteer at the orphanage, she's from London too and talks like they do in Eastenders. Our guide was a guy called Luis, whose parents were born in the valley, he was an excellent guide.
After breakfast we drove another 2 hours to the Cruz del Condor, a lookout point where Andean condors like to hang out. We saw lots, they're huge, up 1m tall with a 3m wingspan!
Then we continued another hour to Cabanaconde, the starting point of our trek. We saw some files that live in holes they burrow in the earth, and then we set off in the burning sun, for a 3 hour down hill hike to the bottom of the canyon. We went at a fairly fast pace and by the time we got to the bottom we were all grateful of the chance to cool off in the Colca river that ran down the mountain from glaciers up the mountains.
The problem with reaching the bottom was that we now had to start climb the other side, across the river and up a very steep rocky path. We continued for another hour then stopped for lunch in a beautiful little village consisting of about half a dozen buildings. After chilling out in the restaurants gardens for a while we carried on up hill to the next village where we would stay the night. Our accomodation was a small family run hostel in a tiny village, there were a few outhouses (converted into rooms) around a dusty courtyard and a kitchen with chickens and guinea pigs running wild (both were livestock, not pets.) The room was 4 stone walls, a tin roof and a few beds, the view was fantastic, overlooking all the mountains and the valley.
Day 2.
We set off after breakfast at about 9.30 and the walk was easy, 2 hours mainly flat across the mountainside. We stopped and tasted cactus fruit, it was really sour, like eating a lime, and a fruit called tuna fruit, which fortunately did not taste like tuna. Luis kept stopping to show us plants and stuff, we saw a killer tree that had acid inside the bark and burns you if you touch it, scary, we saw a cactus which is used to make tequilla, and some aloe vera plants. Our destination was an "oasis" down by the river; it was stunning, tropical flowers, hammocks, crystal clear swimming pools, palm trees, and of course- a bar. It was great, we swam, sunbathed, drank, played cards, went and explored the river, and basically just chilled there all afternoon. There was no electricty at the oasis so by 7pm it was pitch black, we ate tea by candle light and then stumbled to our rooms with our torches.
Day 3.
We were up by 5am to start the biggest challenge of the trek, the almost verticle 1200m trek back up the mountain. It was dark for the first 45 minutes and it was really hard. The first half an hour was probably the worst, I was still half asleep and it was really tired. But after that my body pretty much got used to the pain and the lack of oxygen and I set myself a steady, albeit slow, pace. Imagine walking constantly upstairs several hours. Thats what it felt like. It got harder the higher we got because the oxygen in the air got thinner and the sun was coming up, but I even surprised myself - I didnt stop other than to drink water. I even took over people who had set off before us! The average time from bottom to top is 3hours, I did it in 2 and a half. I'm immensely proud of myself because it was really difficult, and compared to how much I suffered on the Lares trek I did much better. Inspite of this I finished last in my group, but then again I was up against a bunch of 19 year rugby players who ran up the damn mountain. On a personal level, I did my best. Exhausted and sweaty we continued on back to the town of Cabanaconde where we had breakfast and the chance to look around. Its a small place that clearly survives on the trade of passing trekkers, but nonetheless was a pretty little place, with a nice centre square and an old church. The hard work was over - no more walking - we got back on our bus and headed back towards Chivay, the capital of the Colca Valley.
Day 1.
Pick up from the house was at 3am, ridiculously early. We drove around picking up the rest of the group before arrive in Chivay 3 hours later for breakfast. There were 10 of us in the group, a Swiss couple, an American couple, 4 young lads from London and me and Emma. Emma is another volunteer at the orphanage, she's from London too and talks like they do in Eastenders. Our guide was a guy called Luis, whose parents were born in the valley, he was an excellent guide.
After breakfast we drove another 2 hours to the Cruz del Condor, a lookout point where Andean condors like to hang out. We saw lots, they're huge, up 1m tall with a 3m wingspan!
Then we continued another hour to Cabanaconde, the starting point of our trek. We saw some files that live in holes they burrow in the earth, and then we set off in the burning sun, for a 3 hour down hill hike to the bottom of the canyon. We went at a fairly fast pace and by the time we got to the bottom we were all grateful of the chance to cool off in the Colca river that ran down the mountain from glaciers up the mountains.
The problem with reaching the bottom was that we now had to start climb the other side, across the river and up a very steep rocky path. We continued for another hour then stopped for lunch in a beautiful little village consisting of about half a dozen buildings. After chilling out in the restaurants gardens for a while we carried on up hill to the next village where we would stay the night. Our accomodation was a small family run hostel in a tiny village, there were a few outhouses (converted into rooms) around a dusty courtyard and a kitchen with chickens and guinea pigs running wild (both were livestock, not pets.) The room was 4 stone walls, a tin roof and a few beds, the view was fantastic, overlooking all the mountains and the valley.
Day 2.
We set off after breakfast at about 9.30 and the walk was easy, 2 hours mainly flat across the mountainside. We stopped and tasted cactus fruit, it was really sour, like eating a lime, and a fruit called tuna fruit, which fortunately did not taste like tuna. Luis kept stopping to show us plants and stuff, we saw a killer tree that had acid inside the bark and burns you if you touch it, scary, we saw a cactus which is used to make tequilla, and some aloe vera plants. Our destination was an "oasis" down by the river; it was stunning, tropical flowers, hammocks, crystal clear swimming pools, palm trees, and of course- a bar. It was great, we swam, sunbathed, drank, played cards, went and explored the river, and basically just chilled there all afternoon. There was no electricty at the oasis so by 7pm it was pitch black, we ate tea by candle light and then stumbled to our rooms with our torches.
Day 3.
We were up by 5am to start the biggest challenge of the trek, the almost verticle 1200m trek back up the mountain. It was dark for the first 45 minutes and it was really hard. The first half an hour was probably the worst, I was still half asleep and it was really tired. But after that my body pretty much got used to the pain and the lack of oxygen and I set myself a steady, albeit slow, pace. Imagine walking constantly upstairs several hours. Thats what it felt like. It got harder the higher we got because the oxygen in the air got thinner and the sun was coming up, but I even surprised myself - I didnt stop other than to drink water. I even took over people who had set off before us! The average time from bottom to top is 3hours, I did it in 2 and a half. I'm immensely proud of myself because it was really difficult, and compared to how much I suffered on the Lares trek I did much better. Inspite of this I finished last in my group, but then again I was up against a bunch of 19 year rugby players who ran up the damn mountain. On a personal level, I did my best. Exhausted and sweaty we continued on back to the town of Cabanaconde where we had breakfast and the chance to look around. Its a small place that clearly survives on the trade of passing trekkers, but nonetheless was a pretty little place, with a nice centre square and an old church. The hard work was over - no more walking - we got back on our bus and headed back towards Chivay, the capital of the Colca Valley.
By this point our lovely guide Luis had left us in the hands of his colleague, Marco. Marco was an idiot, a cross-eyed fool with the greasiest hair I´ve ever seen covering his entire face. He made Emma get on a separate bus to the rest of the group, inspite of the fact that there was a spare seat on our bus. This lead to me having a huge argument with him. For half an hour we argued, in Spanish, and he failed to give me one good reason why he wouldn´t let Emma on our bus. Eventually when I told him I would be complaining about him, he conceded and agreed to pick up Emma in the next town. This was the first argument I´ve had, and won, in Spanish and I was rather pleased with myself and my linguistic abilities. Looks like my degree has paid off for something afterall.
Arguing aside, we stopped at a view point which overlooked pre-Inca terraces in the valley, they´re over 1000 years old and are still used for farming by the people living in the valley. We then stopped in the town of Maca, a purely tourist town where I paid 20p for an eagle to sit on my head. After that we went back to Chivay, for a dip in the natural hot springs. It was lovely, hot volcanic water and a waitress brought drinks over while we were in the pool.
Lunch was an all you can eat buffet for 20 soles (less than a fiver), the food was excellent, the Londoners and I had a jelly eating marathon, getting through about 25 jellies between 4 of us! And best of all - they didn´t charge me! I sat there with my money out and everything, waiting to pay and they didn´t come round to me. An honest person would have owned up... I am not an honest person.
On the drive home we stopped to look at llamas, alpacas, volcanoes and glaciers. And finally arrived back in Arequipa at about 6pm.
Brilliant weekend.
Flora Tristan Magical World of English
The charity I´m volunteering is called TNT (Traveller Not Tourist) and it has two projects; the orphanage where I work and an English after school club. On Thursday I went up to the school to see what it´s like and to offer an extra pair of hands.
It´s miles out of Arequipa, about an hour on one of the lovely ´combi´buses, right at the foot of the volcanoes. There´s such a contract in Peru between the city centres- which boast huge colonial mansions- and the outer city suburbs which are little more than shanty towns. The area where the school is is the latter of the two, the roads are unpaved and the houses nothing but stone and corrugated iron roofs. The school is great though, unlike the orphanage, it is entirely run by TNT and was built and painted by past volunteers. The classrooms are really cheerful and colourful and the children seem to enjoy it. The English lessons are free and open to everyone, the ages range from about 4 to 20 and are they taught by the volunteers. After class the volunteers run playtime where the children play games together in a local playground.
It was really nice to be able to go and see the other project, it´s obviously hugely successful and all the students seem to really enjoy it.
The School with the volcano El Misti in the background
Playtime
Playtime
One of the classrooms
All the teachers/volunteers outside the school
Friday, 20 May 2011
Santa Catalina Monastery, Arequipa
I have been in Arequipa for 3 weeks and realised that I've seen nothing other than the orphanage, the house and the main square. So today, my day off, I went and visited the monastery. It's a huge monastery in the city center that was opened to the public in 1970, it's very beautiful, all courtyards and flowers and little rooms and mini doorways built for tiny peruvian nuns. It's still used and the nuns still live there in another part thats not open to the public. We saw the big stone ovens where they cook, these old pots where they wash their clothes, and various bedrooms, prayer rooms and such. I went with two of my fellow Brits who are living here in the house, Ric and Philippa and we had a right laugh, there was even a cute little cafe that sold excellent carrot cake. It was a nice day
Friday, 13 May 2011
To All My Sponsors
To all the amazing people who sponsored me
We raised £800!!!
This is so much more than I thought I would be able to raise and I was so overwhelmed by how generous people were, even people that dont, or that hardly know me showed amazing generosity and it´s really a beautiful thing to be witness to. This works out at over 3,500 nuevos soles (the local currency) believe me that goes a LONG way over here.
The money is going to be spent toward building a new orphanage as the current one is small, old, and rented and the landlord wants the property back. Building a property purpose built for the children will be much more comfortable and practical, for example the current building has no garden, the children play on a tiny patch of roof where the laundry is dried and the rubbish is put out. It also means more stability for the orphanage, owning their own property means they wont have to worry about being evicted again.
I just wanted to say a huge huge THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored me, no matter how big or small your donation you have made a difference.
And for those of you who didn´t sponsor me, it´s not too late. Go to http://www.travellernottourist.com and you can buy a brick for the orphange for £10. Or you can get in touch with me and send me the money and I will make a donation on your behalf.
Below are some photo´s from the orphange:
Sick sick sick
The past 48 hours I have been sicker than ever before in my life. It's been horrendous. I started with stomach cramps yesterday afternoon, then I spiked a fever and got really tired. I got in bed wearing 3 jumpers, my sleeping bag and my blankets and I was shivering so much my teeth chattered, although my skin was burning to touch. I stayed in bed for a whole 24 hours in a weird semi concious state, being violently sick and reluctently dragging myself to the toilet every couple of minutes. It was horrible. Tara, one of my house mates was sick with the same thing just a couple of days ago and she saved me by giving me some of her medication and some rehydration fluid that doesnt taste too great. I eventually got out of bed at 3 and moved onto the couch where I spent the afternoon watching films. I managed to eat some bread and keep it down, and I'm starting to feel human again although my whole body aches from the effort of puking so much. Not a great way to spend my day off. Being sick makes me really want to be home so I can get hugs and be looked after. Bleurgh :(
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Fun Coordinator
On Tuesdays we have a weekly volunteer meeting where we cook, eat, and drink together, formally introduce ourselves to new comers and talk about events, problems, and general household business. They're very fun meetings. As 6 people have left the group and 4 new people have arrived there were several roles to fill, and I volunteered myself for Fun Coordinator. Im now in charge of making sure people have fun! For organising events and outings and stuff for the other volunteers. Awesome.
To show willing in my new role, I went out after the meeting and got hammered with some of my housemates. We first went to bar and had cocktails, then to Deja Vu, one of the main gringo clubs. It was Tuesday so there werent many people there but we still danced. I ordered a pitcher of vodka lemonade thinking people would want to share but no one did and I ended up drinking it by myself. I pulled a tall German guy who's name I can not remember and then got burgers from a lady on the corner of the street at 4am. It was rather excellent.
My first week in Arequipa I didnt go out, didn't even drink so it's nice to be back on form again. Coordinating fun!
To show willing in my new role, I went out after the meeting and got hammered with some of my housemates. We first went to bar and had cocktails, then to Deja Vu, one of the main gringo clubs. It was Tuesday so there werent many people there but we still danced. I ordered a pitcher of vodka lemonade thinking people would want to share but no one did and I ended up drinking it by myself. I pulled a tall German guy who's name I can not remember and then got burgers from a lady on the corner of the street at 4am. It was rather excellent.
My first week in Arequipa I didnt go out, didn't even drink so it's nice to be back on form again. Coordinating fun!
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Transport!
You know how in England cars have to pass an emissions test for their MOT, to reduce the pollution they emit into the atmosphere? Well in Peru that does not exit. In most of Peru the majority of vehicles on the road are taxis (70%) and buses (28%), private cars only count for about 2%. SO many taxis. And none of the above have any filters on the exhausts, walking down the street I often cough and gag because of the pollution I inhale every time a car goes by. Arequipa is Peru's second biggest city and there is a lot of traffic. Apparently, when you head out of the city to the countryside you can see the layer of smog that permanently covers Arequipa, and they say the sun here is so strong because the ozone layer is damaged from all the pollution.
On a similar note I feel I should mention the buses here, or the "combis" as they are known. Forget every image of a traditional bus you may be harbouring. They're nothing alike. Inner city buses in Peru are the size of old VW camper vans, cheaply kitted out with tiny rickety seats that struggle not to fall apart under your weight. How many people do you think you could comfortably fit into a VW camper van? 5? 6?... Try 20! Here the general rule is fill the bus to its absolute maximum capacity, with people dangling precariously out of windows, and then add another 10 passengers. You literally have to squeeze yourself into the bus, pushing your fellow commuters even further out of the windows theyre dangling from. And if youre taller than the average Peruvian, in other words, if you taller than 5ft3, you'll find your neck bent double and your face squished against the ceiling as you try your best to crouch, squat and stay upright simultaneously. It's most uncomfortable and highly dangerous. And this is the means of transport I have to use daily to get to and from the orphange where I'm working. On the brightside its only 15p per journey regardless of how far you go, which compares quite favorably to the £4.10 you pay to get into Manchester.
On a similar note I feel I should mention the buses here, or the "combis" as they are known. Forget every image of a traditional bus you may be harbouring. They're nothing alike. Inner city buses in Peru are the size of old VW camper vans, cheaply kitted out with tiny rickety seats that struggle not to fall apart under your weight. How many people do you think you could comfortably fit into a VW camper van? 5? 6?... Try 20! Here the general rule is fill the bus to its absolute maximum capacity, with people dangling precariously out of windows, and then add another 10 passengers. You literally have to squeeze yourself into the bus, pushing your fellow commuters even further out of the windows theyre dangling from. And if youre taller than the average Peruvian, in other words, if you taller than 5ft3, you'll find your neck bent double and your face squished against the ceiling as you try your best to crouch, squat and stay upright simultaneously. It's most uncomfortable and highly dangerous. And this is the means of transport I have to use daily to get to and from the orphange where I'm working. On the brightside its only 15p per journey regardless of how far you go, which compares quite favorably to the £4.10 you pay to get into Manchester.
Thursday, 5 May 2011
White Water Rafting!
I went rafting down the river Chili today, absolutely loved it! Brilliant, excellent, fantastic experience. I went with two other volunteers from the house, and there was a Peruvian couple with us too. We got kitted out, wetsuits, river boots, helmets and very unattractive red track suits, we had out "training" on land then got onto the river. Its classed as a 3/4 river, 6 being the most extreme kind of rapids that you can raft on. It was so much fun, going over rocks and down mini waterfalls. I sat at the back with the guide, who kept grabbing onto me so I didn't fall in. Nice man. The water was cold and we got soaked. The scenery was beautiful too, we were in a valley with mountains on either side, and at the back, as always, there was the stunning snow capped volcanoes. I've decided everything looks prettier when there's a snow capped volcano in the background.
As well as todays little adventure I'm really enjoying living here, and living in the house with all the other volunteers. I missed out on the living in halls at uni so it's kinda new for me and I really like that there's always people around to hang out with and do stuff with. And we've been doing lots as a group too, for example on Tuesday we had our weekly volunteers meeting, and we all had a meal together then sat around chatting. Then yesterday we all went out to a restaurant in the plaza for tea. 22 of us! It was a gringo invasion! We had a nice meal then went out for drinks at Wild Rover, I think that place is going to become my local, it's a hostel that has a cool bar and drinks offers (cocktails 2 x 12soles - thats £2.50!) So I'm really getting on with everyone and its a really nice atmosphere. I think it's going to be a fun month!
As well as todays little adventure I'm really enjoying living here, and living in the house with all the other volunteers. I missed out on the living in halls at uni so it's kinda new for me and I really like that there's always people around to hang out with and do stuff with. And we've been doing lots as a group too, for example on Tuesday we had our weekly volunteers meeting, and we all had a meal together then sat around chatting. Then yesterday we all went out to a restaurant in the plaza for tea. 22 of us! It was a gringo invasion! We had a nice meal then went out for drinks at Wild Rover, I think that place is going to become my local, it's a hostel that has a cool bar and drinks offers (cocktails 2 x 12soles - thats £2.50!) So I'm really getting on with everyone and its a really nice atmosphere. I think it's going to be a fun month!
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Arequipa
So yesterday I arrived in Arequipa, in the south of Peru, where I shall be spending a month. My nightbus from cusco arrived at 6 in the morning and I had to wake up my new landlady to let me in, she wasn't too impressed and just showed me to my room then left me to my own devices. I'm living in a house shared by 13 other volunteers, nationalities include Dutch, Belgian, South African, Australia and American. Disappointingly there are only 2 males in the house, and 1 of them is here with his girlfriend, unlucky! The house is great though, really big and funkily designed with staircases all over the place. It's in a seemingly good neighborhood too, all the surrounding houses are fancy and have big secure gates around then, it's the Worsley of Arequipa. Theres a big garden too with a HAMMOCK! It's a total suntrap, what more could a girl want? I'm sharing a room with a girl from Belgium, it's a decent sized room and I have half a wardrobe! I actually got to unpack for the first time in ages! There is a downside however, the place is infected with bed bugs which have already bitten me to shreds! And my bed is rock hard, not at all comfortable, but ah well, at least there's hot water, I'd choose a month of warm showers over comfy beds any day.
I went for a walk into the city center, which is about 15-20 minutes away. The central square is lovely, the cathedral over looks a big green square with a huge fountain in the middle, and behind it you can see the snow cappedd peaks of the three giant active volcanoes, it's impressive looking!
I sunbathed, got to know my new housemates and did some shopping during the day, and in the evening, my first evening in the house, all the girls wanted to watch a film. The house has quite a big collection of films, amongst which we found one labled "PORN". Ultimately we ended up watching it, out of mere curiousity of course, and we were crying with laughter at how bad it was. It was a good ice breaker at least.
Today (Monday) was my first day at the orphanage. It's called Casa Hogar Luz and its about half an hour away on the bus from where I live. It's ran by 5 amazing ladies who live there in a tiny room and care for the 17 children 24 hours a day, they literally dedicate their lives to the children. The orphans are really young, the youngest is only 4 months and the majority are under 5, they're so loving, I guess they're used to seeing new faces all the time and so they form attachments to new people really easily. I already want to adopt most of them. My work there involves playing, teaching, feeding, cleaning, washing, changing nappies and putting babies to bed. And anything else they ask me to do. I'll be working 5 days a week, with wednesdays and thursdays off, and its 5 hours a day, either 8am - 1pm or 1pm - 6pm. It's hard work, I have so much respect for the women that work there.
So to sum up, so far so good in Arequipa, I think i'm going to enjoy my time here.
I went for a walk into the city center, which is about 15-20 minutes away. The central square is lovely, the cathedral over looks a big green square with a huge fountain in the middle, and behind it you can see the snow cappedd peaks of the three giant active volcanoes, it's impressive looking!
I sunbathed, got to know my new housemates and did some shopping during the day, and in the evening, my first evening in the house, all the girls wanted to watch a film. The house has quite a big collection of films, amongst which we found one labled "PORN". Ultimately we ended up watching it, out of mere curiousity of course, and we were crying with laughter at how bad it was. It was a good ice breaker at least.
Today (Monday) was my first day at the orphanage. It's called Casa Hogar Luz and its about half an hour away on the bus from where I live. It's ran by 5 amazing ladies who live there in a tiny room and care for the 17 children 24 hours a day, they literally dedicate their lives to the children. The orphans are really young, the youngest is only 4 months and the majority are under 5, they're so loving, I guess they're used to seeing new faces all the time and so they form attachments to new people really easily. I already want to adopt most of them. My work there involves playing, teaching, feeding, cleaning, washing, changing nappies and putting babies to bed. And anything else they ask me to do. I'll be working 5 days a week, with wednesdays and thursdays off, and its 5 hours a day, either 8am - 1pm or 1pm - 6pm. It's hard work, I have so much respect for the women that work there.
So to sum up, so far so good in Arequipa, I think i'm going to enjoy my time here.
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