A Day in the Life

October 18, 2014

Our first Cusco excursion was usually scheduled for Sundays. Since Bill had so many willing participants, he made the arrangements for the 'house clients' to all get in a van and go out on Tuesday. Bill calls this tour 'A Day in the Life' and it was created to give tourists a view of how life works for the average Peruvian. I'm pretty sure you won't get this experience anywhere else.

So ten of us piled into the van. We left Cusco city limits via some crazy roads. I'm not sure how anyone learns their way along through some of these roads and the construction detours. Along the way, Bill filled us in on the process of earning a driver's license. He told us that everyone fails the first time, but always passes the third time. I guess you're lucky if you get your license on the second try. Apparently this just earns more money for some Peruvians at the DMV. Along our route, we stopped for some streetside fried pork rinds. Bill bartered the cost down as he was fully aware of the 'true cost' of the treat. Then he called the lady 'Mommi'. I asked about this as the woman selling the food had called him Poppi as well. He said it was just something they do here. I guess when you really think about it, it sounds kind of creepy.

Our first stop was about an hour after we left. Just along the side of the road there were a few people making mud roofing shingles that are used all over Peru. We got out of the car and visited the couple who were cranking these out. Dirt is delivered to their property, then the main guy knows exactly how much mud to take and adds water to a metal slab that has the shingle dimensions set. The couple worked together in sync and cranked out one shingle after the other. Bill said they work ridiculous hours from like 3 a.m. until about 8 pm. They were happy to show us their work.

Then we drove to a nearby town called Andahuaylillas where Bill and Nicole worked and lived for a few years. It was a lovely town with a church that people come from all over to see and it is no wonder. The Church of San Pedro is known as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas. It was finished in 1631 and much of the ceiling, walls and alter are covered in gold leaf. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside. I can't seem to manage to embed a link to one picture but you can search for more copywritten pictures or here is one nice image site. http://www.go2peru.com/destinos/large/cuzco_andahuaylillas_wmf2.jpg The church was just refurbished and it looked glorious. Hard to image that this unbelievable church isnin such a remote spot. It was pretty amazing.

Bill took us around the town and showed us some local spots including the town's communal oven. The town residents can come here to drop off meat and have it cooked. We saw some local artisans including a silversmith who proudly displayed a poster of Bill Clinton purchasing some of his work. There was also a small museum boasting Incan skulls and one that was so different looking that National Geographic just came down to do a piece on a theory that it is alien like. The show is to air next month I believe.

Nice views in front and in the background.

The best part of the tour was our trip to Guillermore's house. He and his wife (whose name I sadly cannot recall) have an adobe home in the mountains. We went there to have lunch, see his property and experience how the typical Peruvian lives in this area. This was a very special experience for all of us.

They were very happy to show us everything. Of course Maeve and Liam loved the house and farm animals. They had kittens, a dog, cows, donkeys and of course, guinea pigs. The children ran all over the property exploring. Bill's five year old son is familiar with the area and family. He easily switches between Spanish and English and made a great translator for the kids. Guillermo set up an earth oven in the ground to cook potatoes. While they cooked, we would visit his fields and help even the ground for more efficient irrigation.

The walk to his field took about 10 minutes. The views on this sunny day were astounding. There were only two proper tools for the group, so I don't think we were of much help. We walked around, kicked apart some of the large dry dirt chunks and tried our best to make some areas flatter. It was super hot in the sun. We had to put our other layers on our heads and necks for protection.

The incredible view on the way to the field

We were served large beans (like fava beans) and cheese outside as an appetizer. We knew guinea pig was on the menu for lunch. Guillermo's wife had one dried out in the oven and she freaked out the kids when she pulled it out. We would not be eating the ones running around on the floor as most of them were pregnant. Seems there was only one very busy male.

Our lunch began with a traditional delicious quinoa soup. Then Guillermo's wife served the white and sweet potatoes that were cooked in the ground. They were served on a folded tablecloth and placed on the table. We peeled them with our fingers (very hot though, so it took a while) and ate with our hands. There was a spicy sauce for dipping. I'm not sure exactly what was in it, but it was creamy and had some cilantro. Finally, the guinea pig was served. Fortunately, Bill had let our hosts know in advance that the kids and I were vegetarian so we were not served it (phew). Michael did try some. The Peruvians enjoy it because it is quite lean. I think the most surreal part was watching the others eat guinnea pig while the 20 or so live ones crawled along the floor at your feet. I wanted to say, here's your cousin, run...

After lunch the children, went out to play with the kittens. Guillermo's wife showed the children the donkeys and asked if they wanted to ride them. No surprise they were stereotypically stubborn and didn't want to move much. She returned and the adults had some type of tea and chatted in the kitchen. Bill translated as the curious couple asked questions of each of us. They wanted to know when the single visitors planned to marry and they asked us how long we had been married. Guillermo's wife had a mischievous smile as she grilled Sean (the only single male with us). We discovered that the couple has four adult children all of whom attended university. This is very unusual for a family in this area. The two younger girls visit every weekend and help out around the property.

Guillermo and his wife are justifiably proud people. They are hard-working and good-natured. We were honored that they shared their home and food with us. This was an unforgettable experience for all of us.

Cusco

October 15, 2014

We finally made it to Bill and Nic's B&B - our next home for the week. They are two expats who left the States to help out in Peru. They started working at a school about an hour from Cusco. Now they have four children and a hen named Tomasito along with their house in Cusco where they run their B&B.

Cusco is over 11,000 ft. high in altitude. People usually start in Cusco and stay a few days to adjust to the altitude on their way to Machu Picchu. Altitude can affect people in different ways, so it's best just to give yourself time. I had a headache for the first 24 hours, after that, I think we were all fine.

We spent our first couple of days walking around the city. We found the main spots, the Plaza de Armes and the churches. It was overcast, and you never knew if or when it was going to rain. We got caught in the rain our first day and it didn't really let up until much later. After that, we didn't have too many problems with the rain. We were advised to dress in layers because you just never know.

We visited two good places for lunch...Jack's and Paddy's. We hit a lot of the local spots in historical Cusco for our meals. All of them were good.

I think the best part about Bill and Nic's place was the people. Bill was incredibly helpful with all things Cusco. He helped purchase our Machu Picchu tickets (apparently you can't buy children's tickets online) and he arranged some pretty unbelieable excursions. He had some great guests as well. I have to give a shout out to Whitney and Ashley. They were actually on our flight to Cusco from Lima and then we all ended up at Bill's place. We all worked through our tourist adventures together. They are two intelligent, adventurous girls who enriched our stay.

You can hike to the Incan ruins in the background.

Liam playing Hide and Seek with Bill's daughter

Another Delay

October 9, 2014

We had to book a separate flight from Lima to Cusco. We didn't do this in advance because we were unaware of the distance. It was the flight or a 21 hour bus ride....we were flying. The flight was nowhere near as inexpensive as the Cuenca/Quito flight for a similar distance. We could get that one for about $35 per person. The Lima/Cusco flight was almost ten times that. We later found out it cost about 1/3 less if we had bought the tickets in Peru. Another lesson learned.

I guess no one would be surprised to find out that our flight to Cusco was delayed indefinitely. We sat in a smaller waiting area downstairs from the other gates. There were only four gates there and one set of bathrooms. During such delays, the kids usually played games on their ipads to kill time. I did my usual people watching. Then Maeve panicked and ran to the bathroom. We've all had our share of 'travel tummy', but this was different. She returned saying she didn't know where her ipad was. I couldn't believe it. She had taken it with her to the bathroom (I know....why?) and had placed it on the toilet paper holder and left it there. Of course, 30 minutes later, it was gone.

It's difficult not go into a mom lecture mode. I did let a few comments fly expressing my disappointment...why was it taken to the public bathroom, $500 down the drain, etc. You know it doesn't help, but it was upsetting and hard to control. We looked around. I had been watching people come in and out of the bathroom. There wasn't much traffic. I saw one old Peruvian lady in traditional clothing go in the bathroom and come out quickly. She would have had no time to use the facility. I became skeptical and disappointed in myself too for thinking of that possibilty.

Michael suggested we talk to security. I asked an agent by the gate and he sent me upstairs. We used Liam's identical ipad for a visual reference. Maeve was clearly upset. Fortunately, our flight was delayed, so we had time to go upstairs and inquire. We were told that there were security cameras in the area. I was glad about that, but wondered about how realistic that was and how long it would take to review any such tape.

My Spanish has improved, but not to the point I can explain a missing ipad well. The security agent found someone who spoke English. Then the 'telephone' game began. One agent spoke to another, then another, etc. I was told I could cross security to go to an office, but Maeve was not allowed to come. She had to sit there and wait in anguish. I was sent to yet another security officer who told me in broken English that someone had turned in something similar. I wanted to believe it, but I had to remain calm and realistic. Who returns an ipad found in a big city airport bathroom in a foreign country?

I stood and waited while the man went to the office. He came out with an ipad with a small white paper taped to it. It looked like Maeve's, but again I was cautious. My heart was pounding. I asked if I could open it up. He gave me the ipad and fortunately I knew Maeve's code to unlock it. YES!! It unlocked and I went to show him the pictures to prove it was ours. Of course all of these animated girl model images popped up and it took me a bit to find real pictures. I just unlocked it again and showed him I knew the code. I was incredibly relieved and thankful that someone was honest and turned it in.

Now it got interesting. Once someone submits a lost object to security and you claim it, a whole tracking system begins. None of this was done on computer. The security agent brought out a book. He was required to enter a description of the item, the information of the person claiming it, etc. He wanted my passport to record my identification number. It was with Michael downstairs at the gate. I did have my Illinois driver's license. It proved who I was and the agent seemed satisfied. He filled out the forms and then I actually had to be fingerprinted. I had to place my print next to my signature. I was happy to comply with any request.

Maeve was elated to see that I returned with the ipad. I couldn't wait to show the boys downstairs when we returned. My skepticism vanished and my faith in kind acts was restored. Some delays are simply a blessing.