Puno y Lago Titicaca

This past weekend we went to Puno and Lake Titicaca.  We visited some islands there, and stayed with families.  We actually were only in the city of Puno for about 20 minutes because we ran out of time.

We left last Friday at 7:30a.m.  Well we were supposed to leave at 7:30a.m.  Everything here seems to run on Peru time though, so it's okay when things are 30 minutes or so late.  It's kind of funny, because in the US I am always running late, or so it seems, but here I'm always early, or on time.  Works perfect.  Anyway, we took two Sprinters, aka big vans, and probably left around 8:15a.m.  It was about a 6 hour drive to wherever we went.  I should probably ask someone what the names were of all of the islands that we went to.  We stopped once for a bathroom break in a middle of a field after 3 hours, where there were small buildings, and then we stopped for food after 6 hours at a mall.  From the mall it was another 1 and a half hours until we got to our destination.

This still amazes me.  We see it almost everyday, but I am still amazed by how high up we are.  Puno is actually 600 meters higher than Cusco, I think.  Not sure feet.  So it kind of took a toll on everyone. 

This was our van.  We all seemed to have a good time.  We all slept most of the time, but right near the end we wrote a story, where each person added a sentence, by only reading the sentence before.

This was where we stayed the first night.  We went out on the water and fished with nets.  That was fun.  We were supposed to get up the next morning and help get the fish out of the nets, by some of us didn't make it.  It was beautiful there.  No car horns, or people yelling, just the wind and the birds.  It was really lovely.

This man was making flour from quinoa.  It is a type of grain that is used for a lot of things here.  After making the flour, they made it in to little cookie type things.  I think I was allergic to them though, because my whole mouth and throat started itching that night.

This is how they cooked the cookie things.  The pot on top of the stove has hay and water in it, and they steamed the cookies to cook them. 

This was taken off of the boat.  Sorry for the water spots, they were on the window.

This is one of the islands that we got to visit.  It is made of a bamboo, straw material.  It is called Uros. They are floating islands.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Uro_Islands is a link that explains a little about them.

This was from the last place we stayed.  We got to dress up in the normal dress of the ladies, and then we went out dancing, it was a lot of fun, but by then we were all exhausted.

This is our group, minus a few.  Some got sick and didn't go dancing with us.

This was from the last place we spent the night.  Two of the girls went down near the water and had a Bible study, so I went with them.  It was really beautiful to sit and watch the sunrise there.

We then took a boat to another island, and took a small hike up to the top of the island, and had lunch at the top.  This was the view from the top.  Afterwords, we hiked down the other side, and some people went swimming.  I put my feet in, but it was FREEEZING!!! Probably not as cold as the water in Norway, but it was pretty cold.

I am amazed by all of the flowers here.  Everything actually is so beautiful.  The sky, the clouds, the mountains.  It is all quite amazing. 

Then we left the island and headed towards Puno.  It took probably a good 2 and a half to 3 hours.  It was supposed to only take 1, I think.  So we ran a bit late, but what else it new.  Haha.

This is the first thing we saw when we got to Puno.  I don't know why, but I just thought this was such a cool picture.  I mean these are real people, but it turned out to be a good picture.

So that brought us to the close of our journey.  Well kind of.  This was around 5:00p.m., I think.  They gave us 20 minutes to get some snacks, because we would not be stopping for dinner, and it was a 6 hour drive back to Cusco.  We all grabbed as much junk food as we saw fit, and headed out.  About 45 minutes in, the first van broke down.  I was in the second van, so we saw it smoking and pulled over.  All 23 of us students piled out of both vans and hung out on the side of the road.  After about another 45 minutes they said another van was coming, but the second van would be leaving with whoever wanted to be on it.  So we started on our way again.  After about 4 hours, we were stopped because of a landslide.  It had already happened, and they were trying to clear the road, so traffic was moving quite slowly, and it was down to one lane.  I think we were there for about 30 minutes or so.  Just enough time for the people who needed to go to the bathroom to find a spot on the side of the road.  We finally arrived to Cusco around 12:30a.m. or so.
All in all, it was a great experience.  We got to see some beautiful sites of this country, and experience things I don't think I will ever experience again.  :)

Missing home, but hoping everyone is well.
Love to all,
Emily

People.

I did something when I was in Norway with taking pictures with strangers that I would see on the street or talk with.  I was a lot more social and not so afraid of things back then though.  However, this post will be dedicated to people that have influenced my trip here in South America so far.  Some of the people I only saw once, some I saw a few more times, and some I see every time I go to the center. Some of the photos I am in, and some I am not. (Obviously.)

This man was in the restaurant that I visited every night that I was in Foz, in Brazil.  He was a really friendly man.  He didn't speak any English, but he was just a really friendly face.  He was one of the waiters that would come around with food, and every time he would explain what it was, and tell me to try it.  I think at the time, I just needed a smiling face, and he was one.  I would recommend that restaurant for anyone who travels to Foz.  I can't tell you the name, but I can tell you how to get there.  :)

This is such a sweet man.  His name is Justo (not sure how it is spelled.)  He is from here in Cusco, and this is his little shop.  He is where I buy a lot of my little things, like books, albums, ceramics, etc.  I went last week to where his shop was on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, and he wasn't there.  I asked Christina, the lady that I sit and talk with every week, where he was.  She said he was on vacation, but I saw him on Friday, and asked him where he was, and he gave me a note from his doctor.  He has kidney failure, and has to go three times a week for dialysis.  It broke my heart when he told me that.  He loves to tell stories about the Peruvian and Inca culture though.  So when I am feeling in need of history lesson I go see him, or just to see how he is doing.  He is such a nice man though.  He is not normally dressed like that, but when I asked if I could take a picture with him, he put on a hat, scarf, and grabbed a hatchet thing, and gave me a backpack to hold.  He is such a sweet man.

This is Christina.  She is the lady I go and see about 4 times week.  I just sit and talk to her about life, life in the United States, people in Cusco, and pretty much anything that comes to mind.  Sometimes we just watch Dr. House, aka Dr. Casa.  I buy all of my blankets from her.  I also bought a pair of pants from her.  They are officially my favorite pair of pants, even though I will never actually wear them in public.  She is very nice though, we are able to discuss religion, politics, and my future.  It is nice.

This couple is such a sweet couple.  Her name is Teresa, and I am not quite sure his name.  I just remember I looked and sounded really stupid trying to pronounce it.  (As I do with most English and Spanish words.)  They have take me and another one of the students under their wings.  They just talk about life and anything really that we want to talk about.  I am going to go sometime and Teresa is going to teach me how to knit! They are a very sweet couple though.  They introduced me to their daughter, she is 2 years older than I am, and I think I will go out dancing with her sometime! I am excited.  I told her if she ever comes to the states she can absolutely visit me and Aaron and our families.  :)

I am not sure of this guys name.  He told me a while ago, and I didn't remember, and I talk to him every time I walk to the little market, so I feel like it has been too long for me to ask him his name.  He works at a restuarant that I walk by every time I go to the market, so I see him often.  The first experience I had with him made me crack up, because it was so funny I just walked away laughing.  Here, as in all of the South American countries, it is a custom to give one kiss on the cheek as a greeting.  Well we did the one kiss thing, and then he went in for the other cheek and I was all confused and just looked at him like "What are you doing?" Then I just walked away and laughed.  He always stops me when I walk by and asks me how my day is going.   

This is Rosa.  She is a veryyy sweet lady.  She made me pillowcases.  She told me if there is something that her shop doesn't have, she will find it for me.  She is going to get some mugs for me, because I wanted some that are very colorful, but she didn't have any.  She also told me she would teach me to crochet little llamas.  I don't have any pictures of them, but they are super cute!  Her mother and father both work in the little market there as well.  Her father is a very nice man.  He is a painter, a very good painter.  I don't have a picture of him though. 

Last, but not least, these two ladies are ladies that I see every day.  Abuelita right next to me, she is my host grandma, and Marita is on the right, she is my host mom.  They both take great care of me and my things.  When I was sick, Marita brought me food on a little tray, so I could eat in my room.  They are great, and it has been a good experience living here with them.  They have had students before, so they know most of the emotions we have for being in a new place and how to deal with them.

The next few pictures are just of the people working here in the city.  Enjoy:)

Day 50

Can't believe I have been gone from the States for 50 days.

The other day I was in a car driving down one of the main avenues, and I just came to the realization that I love this city.  The people here are amazing.  There is a little market that is near the Plaza de Armas that I like to go to.  There are two little shops in there that I love to go to and talk to the people who sell things.  Christina is one of the ladies, and she is going to teach me to knit!  Angela and I don't remember her husband are in the other shop, and they are really sweet.  One of my favorite shop keepers, I forgot his name, has been gone for the past week. :(.  Christina said he went on vacation and should be back next week though.  :)

On Saturday we went to Pisaq, and around.  Here are some pictures from our little excursion. 

 These three pictures are from our first stop in Awana Kancha.  It is a llama and alpaca farm.  The lady is spinning the wool into thread.  It was really cool to watch, she would spin the wool as the top was spinning, so it would collect.  It was an interesting process.  Then there is an alpaca (or llama) honestly I don't really know the difference.  The last picture is of a little stream that flows next to the road and farm there.

The next few photos are from Pisaq and Ollantaytambo, I think.  I get confused with what place is which.  It is a beautiful country here for sure though!  The first picture is with the clouds sitting on the mountains, I don't know why this amazes me still, but to think we are literally living among the clouds is kind of a cool though.  The fourth picture is of different levels.  The Incas used them for different things such as agriculture, religious practices, and other things.  The fifth and third of are Inca ruins.  The fifth is a fountain of good luck, you're supposed to dip your hands in it.

 The first picture is of Magda and myself, and the second is with Taylor.  She is from Michigan. 

 

The first picture is from the mountain that we hiked.  Thankfully we went all down hill and not up.  I have no idea how many stairs there were, but before we hiked there, I thought going down the stairs was the easy part.  At the bottom though, I thought my legs were going to give out they were shaking so bad.  It was a great hike though, and I would recommend that anyone who comes to Cusco visit it.  The third is a flower, obviously.  The flowers here are beautiful, and grow naturally everywhere.

This picture is from Ollantaytambo, I believe.  It is Inca ruins, you can hike to the top, and see the Temple of the Sun(?)  I should blog when we go on these trips, because I forget a lot of things right after we get back.

 

The next three pictures are just of the landscape here.  It is so beautiful.  I love Cusco, but I honestly wouldn't mind living out in these areas either.

 Hope everyone is doing well back home.  I am headed to classes, and then off to the square with two of the other students.  Today will be a great day!

My love to all,

Emily

Week 3.

It's been a week full of ups and downs.  On Monday, I was so sick, I thought I was going to have to drop the program.  Thankfully, things started looking up, and I am feeling much better today.  School has been the main user of my time and energy.  However, I do try to go to the Plaza a few times a week.  I love going alone and just talking to the shop keepers.  I've learned a lot just from them, and they are such nice people.  I have yet to meet kids my own age though.  Haha. 
Yesterday we went to three museums; two with art and one that was an Inca history museum.  I have a few pictures from the Inca museum, but the others it was not allowed to take pictures in there.  After the museums, we went and watched classic Peruvian dances.  I have some videos, so I will have to put them up to see.  No time for pictures today, we are heading to the Sacred Valley in 30 minutes, so I should finish getting ready for the day.  I will post pictures tomorrow.
Love to all,
Emily