For the past two weeks we have been at SSCY working with the children and doing a lot of gardening. Overall it has been a very good experience that we are enjoying, although it has not been without its challenges.
Starting with the positives, we have very relaxed days there, starting with meditation, breakfast, then gardening (we´re currently working the earth so that we can plant in a new shade area that was recently built). Currently, the garden includes quinua, lentils, carrots, chamomile, mint, young fruit trees, alfalfa, corn, strawberries, peppers, onions, lettuce, brocolli, kale, and radishes. Also, there are composting toilets which have been fun to learn about.
Around 2:30 a bunch (around 20-30) energetic children show up and we all have a yummy meal together, after reciting a mantra. Then we get to try have to children listen to us and do the activities that we plan. This can be very challenging, as there is little discipline with many of the children, but we are learning a lot from it. After the children leave we have the place to ourselves for the rest of the evening and can cook, read, or just enjoy sitting there. There also is an outdoor bread oven that we tried using once. It didn´t turn out too well because we couldn´t get it hot enough, but we might try again.
On the negative side, the place is rather disorganized. This is primarily a problem when it comes to the children, who, as I mentioned, don´t listen very well. Also, after a few days of hanging out with some cool volunteers they left and were replaced by others who we didn´t mesh with as well. The past week there haven´t been any other volunteers, which has been too bad. We will spend one more week at SSCY and hope that some other fun people show up!
After we are done with this volunteering stint we are going to do a bit of trekking in the Sacred Valley. We will do one hike from Lares to Urubamba, which will probably take between 3 and 5 days. Based on the topo map we have, it should be a beautiful hike through valleys and on top of mountains. After that trek we will spend probably 5 days going to and coming back from Macchu Picchu (we will walk about 18 miles between Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes to get to and from Macchu Picchu to save about 70 USD a person).
This Thanksgiving will be a different one, especially if no other volunteers show up at SSCY. However, we will still eat lots of food, be thankful for LOTS of things, and have a good time. We will be thinking of all of you that we love so dearly!
Peace and love,
Megan and Kyle
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Ayacucho to Cusco and Sembrando Semillas con Yoga
Well we have been failing you friends and family as it has been another 10 days since our last blog. Again there is much to catch up on so lets begin with Ayacucho:
Ayacucho is an old Spanish colonial town tucked away in the Andes and hench not so accessible to tourists. To get to or from Ayacucho, some seriously terrifying dirt roads must be taken. Imagine you are on a nice big charter bus, only its actually not in that great of condition and the road you are driving on is barely wide enough for it. Sitting up so high on the bus, you often can´t see how far the wheels are from the edge but instead get a nice view of two or three hundred feet down the side of a mountain, and any rivers or streams will just be driven right through. Nine hours of this and you have survived the trip from Huancayo to Ayacucho. Needless to say, mostly only grungy backpackers and local Peruvians make it here.
Luckily, for all the trouble, Ayacucho was much nicer than Huancayo. It is a relatively laid back town that is much more artisinal than industrial. Full of nice parks, old cathedrals, and colonial era casonas, the city boasts a lot of vibrant color as well. Ayacuchans also know how to celebrate - every day we were there some parade or celebration was going on.
A sweet little side trip we were able to take from Ayacucho was a visit to the town of Quinua (yes, like the grain). It is an artisan community about an hour away by combi in which you can visit the local ceramic workshops and barter for your souvenirs. We didn't leave with anything, but it was quite interesting to see how the process is done around there.
After five days in Ayacucho, we took the dreaded bus to Cusco. What was supposed to be 18 hours in transit ended up more like 22 and the roads were more of the same. The good (?) part was that a lot of this trip was in the dark, so however bad the roads were we couldn't really tell. Cusco has so far been very different with all the tourists (more than we've seen anywhere yet), but it also offers a lot we haven't had access to yet. For one, there are a multitude of vegetarian restaurants here. Our favorite, Prasada, is a little hole-in-the-wall one woman operation. Almost anything on their menu can be made vegan and you can get a nice lentil patty burger with parsley pesto and won-ton fries for 5 soles (less than $2 US). We also had access to a kitchen in our hostel for the first time since Lima, and even though it is a massive hostel (130 beds), we were usually the only ones cooking.
One of the most vaulable things we did in Cusco was make a visit to the South American Explorers Club where we were able to get loads of great information in English. They also sell topographic maps of Peru and after discussing different hiking options with one of the volunteers there, we got a nice one of the Sacred Valley where we hope to tackle a lot of trails and see a lot of Incan ruins.
As of right now, we have officially moved into our first volunteering gig at Sembrando Semillas con Yoga. It is a yoga sancutary that works with local kids located in the hills above Cusco proper (about 30 minutes away by combi). The organization offers free classes to children that include: yoga, environmental awareness and recycling, English, Quechua, and nutrition. In our previous 4-day budget, we will get housing 7 days a week and three square (vegetarian) meals a day Monday through Friday. The other great thing is that there were tons of other volunteers when we got there - we were worried we might be the only ones. We got there Friday evening so we got to meet the kids, but haven't had to do much yet as we get weekends off. Tomorrow will be our first day working on projects and teaching children so we are both very excited about that. We won't have internet up at SSCY but will most likely come down on the weekends to do some blogging. Having a great time though! Until next time.
Megan and Kyle
Ayacucho is an old Spanish colonial town tucked away in the Andes and hench not so accessible to tourists. To get to or from Ayacucho, some seriously terrifying dirt roads must be taken. Imagine you are on a nice big charter bus, only its actually not in that great of condition and the road you are driving on is barely wide enough for it. Sitting up so high on the bus, you often can´t see how far the wheels are from the edge but instead get a nice view of two or three hundred feet down the side of a mountain, and any rivers or streams will just be driven right through. Nine hours of this and you have survived the trip from Huancayo to Ayacucho. Needless to say, mostly only grungy backpackers and local Peruvians make it here.
Luckily, for all the trouble, Ayacucho was much nicer than Huancayo. It is a relatively laid back town that is much more artisinal than industrial. Full of nice parks, old cathedrals, and colonial era casonas, the city boasts a lot of vibrant color as well. Ayacuchans also know how to celebrate - every day we were there some parade or celebration was going on.
A sweet little side trip we were able to take from Ayacucho was a visit to the town of Quinua (yes, like the grain). It is an artisan community about an hour away by combi in which you can visit the local ceramic workshops and barter for your souvenirs. We didn't leave with anything, but it was quite interesting to see how the process is done around there.
After five days in Ayacucho, we took the dreaded bus to Cusco. What was supposed to be 18 hours in transit ended up more like 22 and the roads were more of the same. The good (?) part was that a lot of this trip was in the dark, so however bad the roads were we couldn't really tell. Cusco has so far been very different with all the tourists (more than we've seen anywhere yet), but it also offers a lot we haven't had access to yet. For one, there are a multitude of vegetarian restaurants here. Our favorite, Prasada, is a little hole-in-the-wall one woman operation. Almost anything on their menu can be made vegan and you can get a nice lentil patty burger with parsley pesto and won-ton fries for 5 soles (less than $2 US). We also had access to a kitchen in our hostel for the first time since Lima, and even though it is a massive hostel (130 beds), we were usually the only ones cooking.
One of the most vaulable things we did in Cusco was make a visit to the South American Explorers Club where we were able to get loads of great information in English. They also sell topographic maps of Peru and after discussing different hiking options with one of the volunteers there, we got a nice one of the Sacred Valley where we hope to tackle a lot of trails and see a lot of Incan ruins.
As of right now, we have officially moved into our first volunteering gig at Sembrando Semillas con Yoga. It is a yoga sancutary that works with local kids located in the hills above Cusco proper (about 30 minutes away by combi). The organization offers free classes to children that include: yoga, environmental awareness and recycling, English, Quechua, and nutrition. In our previous 4-day budget, we will get housing 7 days a week and three square (vegetarian) meals a day Monday through Friday. The other great thing is that there were tons of other volunteers when we got there - we were worried we might be the only ones. We got there Friday evening so we got to meet the kids, but haven't had to do much yet as we get weekends off. Tomorrow will be our first day working on projects and teaching children so we are both very excited about that. We won't have internet up at SSCY but will most likely come down on the weekends to do some blogging. Having a great time though! Until next time.
Megan and Kyle
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
From Lima to the Amazon to the Andes
Well we have been putting off our posts for too long. We´ve been in Peru for almost two weeks now and a lot has happened since Lima. After about two days in the Peruvian capital we got a bit tired of the big city scene. With about 8 million inhabitants, Lima is like Los Angeles at twice the density. So we got on a bus to the town of La Merced in the Amazonian Basin. The nine hour bus ride took us through the slums of Lima and some of the poorest villages we´ve ever seen. It was quite the eye opener.
The town of La Merced is not exactly a tourist destination; nobody speaks any English and there are no white people. Let´s say we stood out a little bit. Of course we didn´t come here for the white people, but really La Merced was intended to be a waypoint on the course to the first farm we would be WWOOFing at. Once in La Merced we were finally able to call the owners of the farm, whom we had previously been in email contact with. We learned that our more recent emails had gone to their spam folder, and they thought we weren`t going to volunteer with them anymore. Essentially, they weren`t able to accept us anymore, and we would not be going north of La Merced. We were, however, able to take a tour into the Amazon from La Merced and see a waterfall there. On the way, we got to wade in the stream, do some rock and vine climbing, and slide down a waterfall like a waterslide.
After some time on the internet trying to decide where we we would go next we chose Huancayo, which is between La Merced and Cusco and is in the beautiful central Andes. The city is 10,650 feet above sea level and way off the beaten tourist path. We stayed at a wonderful hostel there and also really enjoyed the historical and natural attractions. We were in Huancayo for 5 days and visited very interesting geological formations, called ¨Torre torre,¨ went to a beautiful city park with intricate rock work, visited two different sites with pre-Incan ruins, went to a large church/monestary, and figured out Peru`s complicated public transportation system.
Here´s a quick crash course in what we´ve learned about Peruvian transportation. Our first challenge was the ¨combi.¨ This could be any bus or van driving around the city and nearby towns with the toll collector hanging out the side door, shouting out names of destinations we couldn´t understand. As far as we could tell, these are basically private operations (anybody who can retrofit a van) whose goal it is to cram as many people in a vehicle as possible and take as many detours as possible to be assured of doing so. And if your destination comes sometime before the end of the line, god help you in figuring out where to get off. Most of where we went to around Huancayo required one or more combi rides.
The second thing we learned was the ¨colectivo¨ system. Basically its like a combi, but a taxi. If you flag down a taxi to take you somewhere, it may cost you let´s say 8 soles. Now if you´re willing to wait around for 6 or 7 minutes and let the driver cram as many people as possible into a taxi (nine is our current record), it will only cost you s/1.50.
After another 9 hour bus ride, we arrived in Ayacucho last night. So far the town seems very laid back and we plan to spend a few nights here before continuing on to Cusco. The internet is not so reliable here, but hopefully we will put another post up before another 10 days goes by
Megan and Kyle
The town of La Merced is not exactly a tourist destination; nobody speaks any English and there are no white people. Let´s say we stood out a little bit. Of course we didn´t come here for the white people, but really La Merced was intended to be a waypoint on the course to the first farm we would be WWOOFing at. Once in La Merced we were finally able to call the owners of the farm, whom we had previously been in email contact with. We learned that our more recent emails had gone to their spam folder, and they thought we weren`t going to volunteer with them anymore. Essentially, they weren`t able to accept us anymore, and we would not be going north of La Merced. We were, however, able to take a tour into the Amazon from La Merced and see a waterfall there. On the way, we got to wade in the stream, do some rock and vine climbing, and slide down a waterfall like a waterslide.
After some time on the internet trying to decide where we we would go next we chose Huancayo, which is between La Merced and Cusco and is in the beautiful central Andes. The city is 10,650 feet above sea level and way off the beaten tourist path. We stayed at a wonderful hostel there and also really enjoyed the historical and natural attractions. We were in Huancayo for 5 days and visited very interesting geological formations, called ¨Torre torre,¨ went to a beautiful city park with intricate rock work, visited two different sites with pre-Incan ruins, went to a large church/monestary, and figured out Peru`s complicated public transportation system.
Here´s a quick crash course in what we´ve learned about Peruvian transportation. Our first challenge was the ¨combi.¨ This could be any bus or van driving around the city and nearby towns with the toll collector hanging out the side door, shouting out names of destinations we couldn´t understand. As far as we could tell, these are basically private operations (anybody who can retrofit a van) whose goal it is to cram as many people in a vehicle as possible and take as many detours as possible to be assured of doing so. And if your destination comes sometime before the end of the line, god help you in figuring out where to get off. Most of where we went to around Huancayo required one or more combi rides.
The second thing we learned was the ¨colectivo¨ system. Basically its like a combi, but a taxi. If you flag down a taxi to take you somewhere, it may cost you let´s say 8 soles. Now if you´re willing to wait around for 6 or 7 minutes and let the driver cram as many people as possible into a taxi (nine is our current record), it will only cost you s/1.50.
After another 9 hour bus ride, we arrived in Ayacucho last night. So far the town seems very laid back and we plan to spend a few nights here before continuing on to Cusco. The internet is not so reliable here, but hopefully we will put another post up before another 10 days goes by
Megan and Kyle
Sunday, October 16, 2011
The Adventure Begins
Whoa. As of about 24 hours ago, Kyle and I are finally in Peru. We stayed last night and will be staying tonight at a hostel in Lima, which has been a great place to get our bearings. Today was quite an interesting day, though. Let me tell you, getting a cell phone in Peru is about 15 times more difficult than in the US, which was not aided by our non-fluent Spanish.
Also, in case you were wondering, embassies are not open on Sundays.
After much wandering around Lima today, we did make some progress, however. We have a bus ticket booked for tomorrow morning heading to La Merced, which is in (or near?) the Amazon. It is also near Oxapampa, where our first WWOOFing stop will be. We´ll be spending a few days in La Merced exploring the wilderness (which I am sure will be much more beautiful than Lima...); we are very excited about this next step in our adventure.
Adios!!
Megan y Kyle
Also, in case you were wondering, embassies are not open on Sundays.
After much wandering around Lima today, we did make some progress, however. We have a bus ticket booked for tomorrow morning heading to La Merced, which is in (or near?) the Amazon. It is also near Oxapampa, where our first WWOOFing stop will be. We´ll be spending a few days in La Merced exploring the wilderness (which I am sure will be much more beautiful than Lima...); we are very excited about this next step in our adventure.
Adios!!
Megan y Kyle
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Waiting and Listening
Kyle and I have been waiting *patiently* to hear back from farms in Peru--I think Kyle is being more patient than I am!! We have contacted a total of 5 farms thus far, of which there are a couple that we would like very much to go to. The ones we are most excited about are artist/eco-village type communities. We contacted the farms a few weeks ago, so hopefully will get some positive responses soon.
As we wait for news of where we may be headed, I have become greatly encouraged by all of the wonderful information friends and strangers alike have provided us with. Luckily for us, my parents are friends with many travelers, and we have been able to glean some useful information from them. What I think has been the most wonderful for me, however, has been how happy strangers are to talk about their experiences and share any advice they have. Today at work, for instance, a couple overheard me mentioning to a friend that Kyle and I would be leaving for South America in October to work on organic farms. Upon checking out, they asked me about our travel plans, and suggested places to go, including El Bolso in Argentina, which they said was a nice artistic community with lots of farms (we will have to look into this). I am very thankful for all of the positive first-hand responses we have received--it is helping to make up for the anxiety of waiting to hear back from farms!
As we wait for news of where we may be headed, I have become greatly encouraged by all of the wonderful information friends and strangers alike have provided us with. Luckily for us, my parents are friends with many travelers, and we have been able to glean some useful information from them. What I think has been the most wonderful for me, however, has been how happy strangers are to talk about their experiences and share any advice they have. Today at work, for instance, a couple overheard me mentioning to a friend that Kyle and I would be leaving for South America in October to work on organic farms. Upon checking out, they asked me about our travel plans, and suggested places to go, including El Bolso in Argentina, which they said was a nice artistic community with lots of farms (we will have to look into this). I am very thankful for all of the positive first-hand responses we have received--it is helping to make up for the anxiety of waiting to hear back from farms!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tickets and WWOOF membership purchased
We have officially bought our airfare to Lima!! We will be flying out of LA on Oct. 14th (still not positive when we'll fly to LA, but that's not as big of a deal). We also bought our membership to the Chile WWOOF organization, which gives us access to all of the Latin America independent WWOOF countries, including Peru. In a few days, once our money gets processed, we'll be able to view and contact all of the farms in Chile and Peru!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Planning, planning, planning
As we get closer to leaving for our much awaited trip, Kyle and I have been reviewing and revising our plans. It currently appears that we will fly to the LA area around Oct. 1st and visit Kyle's family for a bit before flying out to Lima, Peru on Oct. 7th (Kyle's birthday! what a great present :D). The first places we might go in Peru are Lima, of course, and then Cuzco and Machu Picchu. I can't wait to start WWOOFing either, although we are currently unsure where our first WWOOF site will be.
Not only have we been researching travel plans, but also travel safety, etc. There's a lot of things to consider regarding this! Information is starting to come together, though, which is exciting. Kyle also flies up to Alaska in less than a week, so we'll be able to plan things together more easily.
We're also starting to get some of the remaining gear that we need. Our tent is on its way here (should get it any day now) and I'm pretty much set on all of the main gear I need. Kyle still has to get a bit, but it looks like that'll be happening soon.
Not only have we been researching travel plans, but also travel safety, etc. There's a lot of things to consider regarding this! Information is starting to come together, though, which is exciting. Kyle also flies up to Alaska in less than a week, so we'll be able to plan things together more easily.
We're also starting to get some of the remaining gear that we need. Our tent is on its way here (should get it any day now) and I'm pretty much set on all of the main gear I need. Kyle still has to get a bit, but it looks like that'll be happening soon.
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