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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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