COUNTRY: Peru
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Construction
WRITTEN BY: Kathy Pan
It´s been 3 weeks now, and despite the occasional shortness of breath, we´re settling into the altitude nicely. Also, despite some upset stomachs, our bodies seem to be settling in as well. Although the results of recent trips to the clinic are still pending...(Please don´t be scared off from Cuzco!)
School update: construction is going well. We finished sanding down the front gate as well as the front outer wall, and we got to start painting it, which was a lot of fun (and mess)! We´ve also started plastering the oven wall and finishing up mud-layering the walls of the chicken coop.
Teaching has been going extremely well. Now that the kids know us better and we know them better (with almost all of their names memorized ;D), classes go more smoothly, and we´ve had some really great, creative lesson plans. The kids are so adorable and friendly, it´s very hard not to love them.
Our recent weekend (and afterschool) adventures have been absolute highlights of our trip though.
Here are short impressions of...
Sacred Valley: a tour of Pisac, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero is a full day of shopping and Inca ruins. The shopping is comparatively cheap and had heaps of variety, and the Inca ruins are expectedly impressive.
Lake Titicaca: extremely beautiful, extremely peaceful. Riding on the slow-chugging (running on the motor of a car, we´re told) boat and walking around the islands, the water stretches out endlessly and the clouds hover close overhead. The floating islands (only Uros, NOT Armantani or Taquille) are very cool. Puno´s Yavari boat museum is also worth a visit.
Machu Picchu: one of the most amazing sights ever. Mind-blowingly awesome, absolutely lives up to the hype. The Incan human history is fascinating. Huaynapicchu is a tough and scary climb, but totally worth it. But the rain can be a damper.
White water rafting: lots of rapids, lots of fun. The water can be dirty though, so it´s worth finding somewhere further away from Cuzco.
Quadbiking: a little intimidating at first because the surge is powerful and it feels easy to fall off/slippery, but it´s loads of fun, the improvement is fast and the scenery is beautiful (Sacred Valley).
Bungee jumping: insane and exhilarating. Makes for an entertaining video but sore neck, and we´d happily go again! (But maybe in a year or so...)
Horseback riding: amazing fun and beautifully picturesque, but a helmet wasn´t required and we had to hold on for dear life. When a horse got scared...ouch.
And now it´s our last week. Sports carnival, Christmas party, our final days here with everyone...but let´s not think about that until we have to.
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