Sure, it's fun to ride horses in the Andes, to see salt mines that have been mined for 800 years and Moray, an Inca ruin where it is believed they experimented with agriculture. It's also pretty amazing to hike up a very steep hill to some other Inca ruins that are fairly infrequently visited because of the steep hike. But that felt a bit like vacation. Today, the real adventure began.
We started the day by eating the corn cake we helped prepare by peeling the corn. It was pretty much cornbread, much to the disappointment of our children. If you call something cake, it should probably have frosting on top. This didn't. Then we took our still damp clothes off the clothes line hanging in our hotel (we were told they would be dry and returned to us yesterday evening), and took the 2 hour drive back to Cusco. Cusco is a beautiful city by colonial standards. I'm sure we will talk more about it in the future. But it is still a city and we are not exactly city people so this is all a bit overwhelming.
We arrived at our fully furnished apartment and felt both pleasure and dismay. The view is fabulous. We are up on a hill overlooking the city so this is spectacular. We have 3 bedrooms. Having spent the past 5 days together 24/7, this feels like a palace. There are reasonably comfortable couches and wifi fast enough that I was able to download a book for Anna to read and will probably be able to post a few photos with this entry. The best surprise of all is that we learned the family we have been corresponding with in preparation for coming to Peru lives in the apartment right above us! This is divine intervention, in my opinion. We met up with them on the street (I recognized them from their blog) and had tea. We needed the tea because it is really quite cold. Kind of like camping in March, I'd say. Only with a roof. Anna and Zadie are both six and they held hands walking up the hill together. Best friends in 3 minutes. I loved it. August is 12 and told Cole a bit about school. We have a date with him tomorrow to meet the local boys and play some street soccer. Raisa, their mother, drew me a map to show me where we can get delicious bread and gave me a few meal ideas. Having this family above us for the next 3 weeks will be a true blessing. They are wrapping up their time here in mid July and returning to New Hampshire.
The dismay came when we looked at our "fully furnished" kitchen. There are two small frying pans and a small pot. Plenty of mugs and utensils. But that's about it. Raisa had the landlords buy her a big pot to cook soup. I have emailed the previous tenants, who were also helpful in our planning, to see what they bought, left, and the landlords took. Maybe we can get some of that back? I have now been to the supermarcado twice. The first time to get some food, the second time to get a pasta strainer, a cutting board and a mixing bowl. We also need to buy some sort of a lamp for Anna's room because the light switch is so high on the wall that she can't reach it. The lamp they have in there has loose wires coming out of it and we are nervous she will electrocute herself in the middle of the night. Aaron got a nice, quick hot shower in. We were told to make them quick because the hot water heater is run off gas and if you take a 30 minute shower you will run through the gas very quickly. He was quick. So Anna and I got in and had a lovely 1 minute of warmth before it turned ice cold. She already had shampoo in her hair and I felt dirty enough that I needed to finish. As she was shivering afterward, she told me she will never take a shower again. I spoke to the landlord in my very best Spanish and learned that the gas ran out. She said she has replaced it so hopefully showers will be warmer tomorrow. Meanwhile, Cole hasn't bathed in 4 days!
It is all a bit overwhelming. Tomorrow we start school which will be further overwhelming. We are struggling through, poco a poco, and remembering that adventures are not ALWAYS fun. In the end we are fed, sheltered, and together. We watched the US tie Portugal in the World Cup and have a soccer date for tomorrow. Life is pretty good.
Salineras.
There are about 5000 pools. The largest can produce 180 Kg salt every 15 days!
Anna was very comfortable on Pasquelino, her beatiful horse. She's not sure if she prefers the arena or trail riding better. Trails are pretty bumpy but the scenery is better.
To prove we can all ride a horse. Aaron was on Gobernador (the governor) and I was on Trueno (thunder).
Moray
The temperature in the lowest circle gets up to almost 100 degrees. Archeologists have found seeds here for tropical plants which indicates the Incas used this as a way of experimenting with different foods in non-native environments. Pretty amazing.
No comments:
Post a Comment