Hiking Along that Ribbon of Ridgeline

It's honestly been hard for me to find forms of exercise that really get me psyched here in Peru. When I run around my neighborhood I don't exactly have a pristine view of the sierra hills and I am so scared of a dog biting me (I have made a scene so many times of yelling at dogs, telling them to "Regresa a casa"). When it's gross out or feeling traumatized by rabid dogs I do a strength work outs, but that still doesn't cut out. So the next cheapest option is hiking! What's awesome about Cusco is that there isn't a lot of sprawl, which means that there is still lots of open meadows and ruins left for exploring.

Just a few blocks from my house is a park. Actually, I don't know really what to call it. It's nothing close to what I'd call a park. In fact it's what you would put under the category of a community owned parcel of land. Throughout the "park" are little vegetable gardens and LOTS of downhill mountain biking trails. After going through a patch of forest (I've noticed that Peru does not have too many trees, I mean compared to Vermont) you get to these ruins called Pukamarka (or something like that). It's probably one of the best, well deserved views of the entire city of the Cusco and the surrounding valley.

Right before leaving for Lake Titicaca, about three weeks ago, a few people from my program went to a cave called Chacan, also known as the Cave of the Devil. We started at the Plaza de Armas in Cusco and kept going up right past the ruins of Sacseyhuaman and took a left into a small village and kept on going (in the village I thought that I was going to get killed by a llama because it was staring us down really hard. (No spit though!)

Right after getting back from our Lake Titicaca trip a crew (and eating the typical 12 course holy Thursday meal) of people from my program went on a trip up Rainbow Mountain, part of the same range of Ausangate, the third highest mountain in Peru. Since we were going with a guide company so we had to get up early (3 AM but it was fine. Apparently everyone in Peru gets wiped three times in Peru on Holy Friday so I got to escape that) but I ended up getting stuck in my host family's corridor for a solid half an hour and woke up everyone. Just a typical Louisa Jerome incident. Anyway, I wasn't the only one to be stuck between doors. Since we got there late we wended up not going in the main bus with everyone but in the personal car of the owner of the guide company. That was interesting but I could not sleep at all during the ride. We got to the trailhead of Rainbow Mountain at around 9 and there were so many people. So many people that there was a traffic jam of people because some people were scared of getting there feet just a tid bit muddy (no joke, there was squealing going on!) So there ended up being a tour guide but because I'm a bull in a china shop (that's what my parents tell me all the time) I decided it would be perfectly fine for me to walk right through shin deep mud. I got our guide really upset but my feet dried in a timely manner (what'er!) The walk after our first incline (where all the mud was) as through a beautiful meadow with lots of llamas for about two miles.

           

Then things just started getting steep. Our end point was at 16,500 feet so the incline was getting hella crazy, along with my breathing abilities. To get to the top I used my nordic racing mentality strategy- pace and looking ahead at the countless false summits, which if actually works! I did get to the top eventually but the crowds were crazy! I literally felt like I was in Mecca during Ramadan but in South America. The thing about Rainbow Mountain is that it is a new tourist attraction and all due to climate change. Up until three years ago the range was completely covered by snow but then it melted and people found out that, well, it looked like a Rainbow Mountain.
                                            
The area is also considered to be a holy sight for the locals, so at any moment they could cancel all of the tourism. They still make a profit, though, through renting horses to the folks that are having difficulties making it to the summit. Anyway, I had a really solid time and got my much needed endorphin rush. When we were descending the crowds seemed to vanish and all that was left in the meadows were locals riding horses to herd their llamas and sheep. It was quite a sight to see.

Afterwards we had a late lunch and then four of us (we signed up for an overnight trip) headed on a four hour ride to the other side of Ausangate. We weren't given a lot of concrete conversation and actually were told that the ride was going to be two and a half hours but yeah know, want to keep everyone on the edge of your seat. When the two and a half hours were up we were told that it was going to be another two hours. That freaked us out a bit because it was dark and we honestly had no idea where we were (I thought that we were going to die but I knocked some sense into me. Both of the guides that were with us had little kids and wives waiting for us at home, so the likeliness that they wanted to kidnap a group of four American girls was pretty low). The worst part of the whole trip was riding on a rural dirt road for forty minutes but we got to our hostel safe an sound.

A rainbow after climbing Rainbow Mountain

When we woke up in the morning we were surprised to be surrounded by beautiful snow covered peaks in every direction. The other girls in my group were pretty pooped so they hung out in the nearby thermal bathes while I hiked up to some lakes on the side of Ausaungate with our guide, Cliver. It was a solid one on one experience because I was able to learn things about the valley we were hiking in (apparently during the Peruvian-Chilean war there was a battle at the mouth of the valley) or just Peruvian culture (we talked about being possessed by the devil and how Fujimori did good and bad things (all things considered his grandfather helped campaign for him in the 1980s)). Overall I was pretty content with our trip but I don't think that I'd want to go on another guided trip. Much rather would take a risk in taking public transportation from here on out!

I've got around five weeks left here in Cusco and am bound to do more hiking and adventuring. Next week I study my Independent Study Project and will be focusing on the relationship between migration and education amongst indigenous youth.

I ate guinea pig if anyone was wondering (call me inhumane but I liked it!)

Anyway hope you are doing well and enjoying April in the States (definitely missing it right now!)

Way Down South Where Quinoa Grows

I just got back from my last excursion with SIT which consisted of going to Lake Titicaca, Colca Canon, and Arequipa. Overall it was the best one we've had!
On Tuesday we took a bust from Cusco to Puno. On the way we took two stops, first at a pre-Inca ruin called Raqchi, the second was Pukara (got there really late because we got a flat tire (didn't mind because I made a pretty rockin' flower crown)) where there was another pre-Incan ruin but because we got there so late we could only go to the museum.

Pukara

On Wednesday we left early in the morning and went to the famous floating island of Uros (speak Amayra).

Afterwards we went to Taquille where we stayed with host families for three nights. My family was made up of three people. Our guide Cecilio, was my host father, my host mother, Thelma, stayed at home and they had a 9 year old son named Reuben, who became my best friend.

My Taquillean Family

That afternoon I went on a long walk with Reuben to the top of the island where there was an old Incan ruin that apparently used to be an jail (they would bring prisoners all of the way form Lima).
Reuben, for being 9, was the best guide that I could have, and also was just incredibly adorable (acted kind of like an old man). He asked me a lot of questions about the US and I ended up singing the national anthem to him, incredibly off key.

That evening I went with my host family to singing practice for Easter. All of the Catholic masses are in Spanish except for Christmas and Easter, when its in Quechua. There are six communities in Taquille and each one gathers to perform their songs in front of the entire island community.
On Thursday I ended up sleeping for 12 hours (I was super exhausted and did not have any distractions). That morning I walked to a beach on the other side of the island with my host father and learned a lot about the community while on the walk, like that the people there share tasks like building paths.

I also learned about the marriage process on the island- its for five days and the couple can not touch each other or anything- their godfathers need to feed them by the spoonful. One night all of the guests dance for the entire night but the newly weds have to stare at each other for the entire night without touching each other, they just have to stare into each others eyes. That afternoon I went to help feed my families sheep with my host mother and Reuben. It was beautiful. In the evening Reuben and I played cards until we nearly passed out.
On Friday Thelma taught me how to weave. Definitely was difficult but I got used to it after, well, 3 hours. In the afternoon I played cards with Reuben for four hours and learned that he was a super big cheater but it laughed a lot so it was fine. That evening Cecilio invited all our neighbors that were hosting students to learn some traditional

On Saturday we left Taquille. I was crying for a solid hour after saying good bye to Cecilio, Thelma, and Reuben. All things considered when you are walking down a beautiful stone staircase to a beautiful lack and you turn around and tell your friend Reuben how sad you are to leave and have him say that he is just as sad of course you're going to tear up. We went back to Puno and had the rest of the evening free. Went to a cool outdoor market and then had a really crazy grocery store adventure in the afternoon.
On Sunday we went to Colca Canyon which is famous for its condors and for being twice as deep as the Grand Canyon. When we arrived we went to some thermal bathes. It was fun but I can only soak in hot water for no more than two hours.

El Misti

On Monday we went to the Cruz de la Condor which is a viewpoint at the top of the canyon where you can see condors flying over you. It was quite an adventure because our bus got stuck because the road was so steep. We sat around for about an hour but I made the best of my situation by making flower crowns and singing The Lumineers to myself. After a while we had to get a collective bus with locals (some of the passengers took pictures of us, what'er). We drove a few hours afterward to Arequipa, a beautiful colonial city (and the second largest city in Peru) in Southern Peru.

On Tuesday we had class in the morning. In the afternoon I went to El Convento de Santa Cantalina by myself which was amazing. I twas literally a small city within a the large historic center of Cusco.

While in the convent I kept on remembering walking around Sevilla and Cordoba with my friends Claudia and Gabriella three years ago. Definitely had some bittersweet emotions going on.
Overall this trip was the best by far and I feel like it's just going to get better from here on out!