COUNTRY: Peru
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Building
WRITTEN BY: Ollie Lotz
So here we are, at the end of it all. Admittedly, the here now stretches across continents, but psychologically all of the international volunteers are tumbling through the implications of our release from this project.
Before the farewells, let's get to the jungle. Half the volunteer group jumped on a customised five day tour of Parque Nacional Manu. As you'd expect, the focus of this trip was landscape, wildlife, and oh so much shrubbery. Think Jurassic Park meets The Jungle Book with 10 bugs per square metre thrown in. Being natural scholars, the volunteers learned from the guide Jerman that there are three broadly different types of jungle in the Amazon: cloud forest, rainforest, and lowland jungle, which stretches through Brazil.
To imagine the first, just plonk Scotland's weather on a mountainous jungle. Then between the next two it's a matter of intensity: hotter, more humid, more bugs, wildlife, thicker canopy... So what? Well, we saw monkeys-- Lanky Spider monkeys, cute white Capuchins, and acrobatically ambitious big black ones.
A couple were so fat that it's a surprise the branches could hold them. Sometimes they didn't, but don't worry, we didn't see any get hurt, so it never happened. We also went "ornithologising", largely made possible by Jerman's eagle eye. Apart from a fallen binocular eye piece, highlights include the Andean Cock of the Rock, a predominantly orange bird with a fringe to make Fonzie blink, a surviving prehistoric relative that was closer to a balding Bond villain than a pterodactyl, and two camouflaged owls hidden behind trees from a moving car. Myles, one of the other volunteers made the observation that the male birds seemed to be more visually appealing than the females, though, in terms far more blunt.
The volunteer group danced through a Coca plantation with an assortment of crowd pleasers. Pumba made an appearance, but suffered a bit of teasing from the monkeys, a sloth and child were just hanging out, and a guineau pig the size of a wombat did a remarkably good impersonation of a British general for the half an hour we were there. Apparently, it takes 300kg of coca leaves for 1kg of cocaine, but we shouldn't let that shape our judgement on the plant. Jerman loved to remind us that it has 13 other alcoloids.
Eventually, the volunteers got to their lodge just in from the Madre de Dios river but shortly began our hike up the mountain. It was the sort of temperature where you sweat in the shade. Now imagine climbing an overgrown dirt track up a mountain. if that doesn't clean your pores out, nothing will. We then helped our jungle man finish off clearing the campsite with machetes. No injuries, but a lot of fun, 3 fishing spears and a staff. At night the bugs multiply. As you might expect, there is some interesting plant life around there. One type of fern coils in itself for about 20 minutes when touched for defence. There is also a white type of moss that you shouldn't touch, because it slowly starts to grow inside you and, eventually, hijacks your brain. He said it directs bugs to fly into trees, spreading the moss.
On the way down from the mountain, the volunteer group took the opportunity to get in touch with our wild sides. Tarzan was on to something, vine swinging is incredibly fun, but watch out for that tree! Next up was a visit to the Ox-Bow lakes. Devika should carry the memory of that romantic raft ride to her honeymoon. We were too many for one bundle of tied logs, so Myles landed the job of pushing them both along using a long stick and a shallow riverbed, vaguely reminiscent of a venetian gondola.
Other things that may tickle your fancy were the streams of leaf cutter ants that made use of the walking trail, the walking trees, which selectively grow their roots to approach water, and the giant bull ants. Jerman warned us against their bites, "You will cry like baby for 24 hours. Once, they bite me on the finger. After 20 minutes, I want to cut it off. I cried like a baby...for 24 hours."
Just to speed things along I'll summarise the rest. We camped on the beach, had a bonfire, tried our hand at fishing, and raced the sunrise to see the parrot clay licks. Birds flock to these cliff faces for the salt, minerals, and purifying effect that allows them to continue eating plants laced with latex. I guess because every detail needs to be exciting, we had some difficulties driving back on the last day. One of the many waterfalls that cross the road was particularly boosted by the heavy rain, and had us stumped for about 4 hours. Finally, a rusty banana-ute helped us pass, and the rest of the journey went smoothly.
Back to school, for the last time for the volunteers. The wall was finished, tiles and all. Well, our section at least. The greenhouse needed a few more touch ups, but the beams have been added and the plastic roof replaced. Overall, the kids were amused and enthused by our efforts. The amount they actually learned is questionable, but they seemed very appreciative of it all through the final days. My very own stay in Dr. Vic's villa prevented me from attending the farewell ceremony, but it sounded like a mixture of the school's anniversary, with poetry and song, and our welcome in reverse, with a ridiculous number of hugs. However, the dances were to modern crazes like reggae and pop music.
Now for the miscellaneous. It strikes me that I haven't before mentioned either the Limonada or Empanada scales. The former uses precise scientific principles to quantify the quality of anything from food to a forehead slap, while the latter is a measure of price that puts any purchase into the proper perspective, namely, how many empanadas you could be enjoying instead.
And how is everyone's spanish after 3 months of practice? As you'd expect, the results vary. You can do a lot in 3 months. Can. Maybe you should try out some Shakira translations when your little ones return. Myles' album is now up for pre-release orders. It features his timeless best, 'Grace the Green Turtle,' 'Mr Bull,' and that classic jungle hit, 'I like-a-bum scratch.' Extremes of temperature drive us to various states of plain weird, which may be what led Julz to her exasperated final quote of this series, 'Please just sit on my feet already!' Friday saw the group celebrate Devika's birthday in the time tested method, cake and clubbing. It went down a treat.
The day has come, Salkantay. 5 days of trekking, truly magnificent scenery, high-altitude nudity, blisters, backpacks, broken tent zips, a 22 person role-playing game, and the most visited site in South America to tip it off any chance of not being the climactic end we'd hoped for. Although the first day was spent following a road, the volunteer group got more than enough interesting trails by the end of it. The second day saw us climb the Salkantay Pass up to the highest point 4,600 m, and pay our respects to the mountain, who is itself a god, by adding a stone from the bottom to the many cairns.
Then the trail turned from gravel to dirt and mud as we descended into the semi-tropical jungle below. Over the next two days we walked up and down trails to Aguas Calientes, crossing waterfalls and log bridges all the while. Clemence more than compensated for Phoebe's silence (Penny's friend that accompanied us). He never failed to emphasise the relevant aspect of nature we were experiencing, whether it be beauty, cold, slipperiness, etc., as well as posing philosophical questions so deep that they defy grammar, "Dayum nature, who is you?"
At the hot springs on the third day Anna's cast came off, bringing home its inscription, 'YOICO' (You're only in Cusco Once). Finally, on the fifth day we climbed the stone staircase up to Machu Picchu for the 6am opening. We even raced the cloud up to the watchtower for that perfect shot before the ruins were overrun. Almost. We arrived to a complete white-out. Luckily, it only lasted about ten minutes, allowing us to snap those classic shots and then continue to abuse the opportunity from a perverted sense of obligation. As Walter had predicted, the colourful range of errors on our entry tickets made no difference, Afghanistanis and all. "This is Peru."
Walter took us on the standard route through 'Mapi,' the site's affectionate nickname, before the last goodbyes and tips. This included the sun temple, in which he expanded upon the significance of the Andean cross. Beyond the realms of life and death, dominance of Inti, four regions of the empire, symbolism of Cusco in the centre, and three most sacred animals there's also the key virtues, and commandments. Sometimes it seems like they just keep adding things on. Apparently, the Inkas perfected long term building work, with mortarless stone structures resistant to earthquakes. After 500 years it all seems to be holding up pretty well.
The problem is sporadic and poorly marked restoration attempts. The sundial, charged with natural energy, suffered the harsh realities of our modern world in 2000, when a falling crane knocked a chunk off during the filming of a beer commercial. However, the Spanish royals retain their rightful place at the tippy-top of this infamous tree, having removed a rock column from the central plaza a couple of decades before so that their helicopter could land. 1st impressions are everything.
And then here we are. Farewells to family and Cusco itself. There were tears, but-shhh, it doesn't need to be said. We exchanged gratitude for generosity, openness, promises to write and return in the not too dauntingly distant future, and one last hug.
Without further adeu, I release you. There is no more.
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