Testimonials and Questions

What did you think of the trip? What do you want other people to know? Or if you are thinking about this trip, what do you want to know? Write a comment below!!!!

Day 10 and Trip Review

Welcome home!!! Welcome home for most I should say. This is being written in an internet cafe in Mendoza (this is Ted writing). I am experiencing a little bit of Latin time...meaning that my plane leaves sometime....just not when it was scheduled nor has there been any advisement of when it might take off. That said, with ash preventing it from leaving, I think I may just take a bus.....

So the last day. Different people did different things. As for me, I travelled with Jess to drop off donations for the group helping the street kids. I had a great meeting there with Elvira (the Directora of Development Tours' non-profit partner in Peru) and discussed the possibility for future projects, including some more possibilities for volunteer educators. As it turns out we already have volunteers from NAIT (many from the group are ready to go back already). And anyone from NAIT reading this...there are LOTS of opporutnities! Email me at tedn@nait.ca

Most of the group took time to relax and even shop. Some people slept after a number of very full days!!!

The follow up to this will be a number of things.

1) More Development Trips!!! Just ask Bev Bruyere (Bev I hope you don´t mind me dropping the name) beverlyb@nait.ca . I heard rumblings that she and her husband are ready to go with Jess, our mighty leader, to Rwanda in April 2012.

I am also wanting to take a group of students down to Peru in May as well. If anyone reading this is interested or wants to help out please let me know!

And yes, I am also putting in a plug here for my friend and Development Tours owner Jess Rothenburger. The experience he offers is one of a kind....you won´t come back the same person as when you left.

2) A NAIT - Peru Connection There are a lot of opportunities for educators in Peru for NAIT teachers to volunteer. I have had some great conversations with groups in Peru regarding what they need and where we can help. I will be upfront....NAIT folks can expect to hear from us! If you have any interest at all email me at tedn@nait.ca

3) Permanent NAIT Projects Some of the business instructors (Irene, Gerta I am looking at you) are thinking of ways to get involved by including NGO education into our program. Is there an opportunity to have an ongoing Peru project that our students can take part in?

4) Photo Page I poromise to set this up as soon as possible so that everyone on the trip can share their photos.

In the meantime, I am going to do a Testimonials/Comments post after this. PLEASE those on the trip if you could leave a couple of sentences regarding your experience, either positive or negative, for others to read. And those whom have been following along please leave questions! I know I am curious and I know that Jess would love the feedback.

Thanks for a great trip folks!

Days 8 & 9 - Chasing Tail and Getting Burned

Hello all! It is the morning of Day 10 and this is Ted. I had the chance to sleep in today but instead have chosen to write. Which is to say, I am awake after being in bed since 9pm last after having done battle with a pork sandwich I bought on the street. Yes, even I can see my obvious downfall in the words "bought on the street". Pork 1 - Ted 0.

So the last two days have been a descent out of the mountains as we wrap up our tour. I am not the only person whom has felt ill. There have been a variety of symptoms and maladies as people battled colds, sinus trouble and lingering altitude sickness amongst other things. Once again though, the spirit of adventure is alive and well in this group. Very few times is there even any sort of complaining. Most people seem determined to battle through. They (to quote Arrowsmith in the inexplicably-overlooked-by-Oscar movie "Armageddon") don't want to miss a thing.

Day 8 saw us pack up from Chincero. No snow which is perhaps a good sign! We visited the local ruins with Puma before heading down in Cusco. A lot in the group expressed that they were able to get some altitude relief when we reached Cusco's lower altitude. The rest of the day was spent individually exploring Cusco and getting in some shopping (something that members of the group have been reluctant to do....and when I say reluctant I mean that people are perhaps buying extra luggage to fit all of their new treasures). For me, as I think for many in the group, it was a nice time to reflect a bit on the trip and what we had seen over the last few days. It has been a lot packed into a short period of time!

That night we all got together to go to a dinner theatre in Cusco. It was our last meal to spend with Puma and Revelino as they would head back to Chincero while we took off for Lima the next morning. Usually I don't go for these things, as I find them a little corny, but there was something about this one that I really liked. They did all sort of dances from around Peru. Included in these was an afro-latin dance where the women wear a tail-like cloth and the men try to light it on fire with a candle. I wish I had paid more attention to that part...but  I will tell you about it later. It is the woman's job to with their hip movement stop the man from doing this (and even put out the flame if possible). After a bit the roles are reversed and it becomes the man's job to get the hips-a-going and the woman's to light them on fire.

It would have made for a great picture or even a great video. So why haven't I posted a picture of it? Well, it is hard to take a picture of the show when you are IN THE SHOW!!!!! I was sitting and enjoying this when down into the audience the women came and low and behold before either of us knew it, Zane and I were in the show! Try as we did, neither of us was able to light the tail on fire. And I have to hand it to Zane, he managed to last longer than I did before getting our tails lit on fire. Our group was laughing hard and gave us a huge cheer as we left the stage. The show ended and some people hit the town while others hit their pillow.

Day 9 and back to Lima. We went to the airport, said our last good byes to Puma and Revelino before boarding our plane and descending into Lima.  The afternoon was down time, with people going to shop, visit some of their favourite places in Lima before meeting at Cafe de la Paz in Parque Kennedy for dinner. This was of course where I had my ultimately fatal meeting with the pork sandwich I had been longing to find since arriving in Lima.

For me, I had one more meeting before catching up to the group at the restaurant. I met with Vanessa, whom had talked to us earlier in Lima, and her colleague Toni from Ankay. They are an organization which finds scholarships and support for kids whom otherwise wouldn't be able to go to college. They are both very passionate and inspiring individuals. This is what the dedicate their spare time to. I had a very interesting conversation with them about the possibility for volunteers and help from not only me but NAIT. I was energized by listening to them and discussing the possibility for further educational collaborations.

I arrived late to dinner for which I took a razing from the group. But as I shared the possibilities of my meeting for NAIT instructors the rest of the table (at least at my end) also became energized. The chance to come back and help in a teaching capacity, to donate equipment, to start up scholarships....I knew  that when I thought about organizing this tour with Jess that we were going to attract people who wanted to help, to get involved. I was not let down. A warning for NAIT colleagues reading this - you are about to receive some super energized instructors, people passionate about coming back and lending a hand. I am committing to follow up, which is going to include awareness campaigns and with any luck in the years that follow we will start sending students and instructors here to make a difference and to have the same sort of life changing experience that a lot of the group has had. Stay tuned, while today is the last day I feel though it is the beginning!


And that brings us to today. Day 10. We will be soon getting ready to go home. For me that actually means heading south to Argentina and visiting my "framily" (friends who are like family) there. I look forward to it, but I will be looking forward to getting back to Edmonton/Canada to share the adventures of this trip in person with all of you!

Day 7 - Let it Snow! Let it Snow1 Let it Snow!!

Jimbo attacks our snowman

You must be kidding me….you must be freakin’ kidding me….snow? SNOW!! I did not come all the way from Edmonton for this!!

We woke up to a very un-Latin American experience…a blanket of snow covering the ground. We also woke up to a very Latin American experience – no power and no hot water. In retrospect perhaps it was Canada giving us a quick hello on Canada Day.

The sense I got from the group today was of a bit of frustration with the circumstances. Understandable after having not slept much having had the physical pains of adjusting to altitude and especially not being able to have a hot shower after climbing Machu Picchu! The last one in particular got to me (and perhaps was a minor annoyance to anyone whom had to sit or stand beside me). It is also not unusual to come to the end of a week away and begin to want the comforts of home. This trip (every trip I seem to have a different one) it has been my variety of socks and reliable internet!

That said, there is still a spirit of adventure with our group that can’t be quashed! With the snow and lack of power in the city our itinerary had to change a bit. It didn’t look as though we were going to start at 10:30 as planned. I thought people were going to be glad for the extra rest. But by 10am people were gearing up and asking what was next on the agenda…what were we going to see today?

While we waited Gerta and I (with the help of an American guest at the hotel) built a snow man. Culture shock for the dogs at our hotel who wouldn’t get near it. The exception was one small pup who was brave enough to go tug at its scarf. By 11am our itinerary was back on track and we headed to Puma’s house again.

There we were greet by what felt as though it was all the women in his extended family! They gave us a wonderful demonstration of how many of the Peruvian tapestries that we will be bringing home are made. They showed us how the yarn was died, spun, put on a loom and then crafted into different textile goods. They explained how the designs symbolized the region and the different beliefs there. They also told us how the colours used often reflected the artisans mood (note to boyfriends and husbands – their mood is reflect in the motif so best behave!) Most of us were amazed at the quality of their work.

We then got our chance to BUY some of their wares. Dangerous! I believe a lot of money was spent. Most, though, felt though they had to restrain themselves from spending more! We stayed to enjoy a special improvised Pachamanca lunch – improvised because cooking in the earth and snow covered ground don’t tend to mix. Again, the “give it a try” spirit seem to prevail…I think everyone tried the guina pig and most even enjoyed it!

After lunch was a special shaman ceremony. Puma, in addition to being a good tour guide, is a shaman. We gave an offering for prosperity. The group found it interesting how candy cars and houses made up part of the offering. We all received a blessing from him which ended with him blowing tobacco smoke on our head and watching as it lingered then left. Despite Jess’s worries everyone left safe!

The afternoon was one for relaxation. In the evening by chance we all ended up sitting by the fire and enjoy each other’s company. A good way to end a good day.

Day 6 - Machu Picchu!

Overlooking Machu Picchu atop Wayna Picchu

Today was EAR-LY!!! The group even joked even that it was in fact still night-time of the day before….3am tends to feel like that. Why such an early wake-up? Well here is the story.

Wayna Picchu is the mountain in behind the famous Machu Picchu postcard shot. But, only 400 people a day are allowed up, 200 leaving at 7am and another 200 at 9am. As the permits are first come first serve , working backwards dictates you want to leave on the first bus at 530am….and in order to make sure you get on that first bus you want to line up at 330am. This is a vacation some might say? Waking up to make a 330am bus?

I have to hand it to our group. There really is a spirit of adventure here. People aren’t here to be bystanders…they want as much of the experience as they can get. People are constantly pushing past mental, physical and emotional comfort zones to try new things. This has been the case with food, trying new language, new customs. In this case, the hike up Wayna Picchu is fairly demanding. But people in our group wanted to challenge their limits and in fact did. From a personal stand point, there was inspiration to be drawn from seeing this spirit amongst the people I was travelling with. Some people surprised themselves by making it to the top. Others did the same by even trying and going as far as they could. I was reminded that often it is the journey and not the destination that matters.

Donna taking in the view of Machu Picchu

Well maybe that is only partly true. I mean it is Machu Picchu…this destination matters!! Those of us whom climbed our way on Wayna Picchu were in awe of the views from the top. We enjoyed what felt like a hero’s welcome back to the base as the rest of the group whom had “slept in” until 630am was waiting and greeted us with applause. Onto the main Machu Picchu tour.

There is so much to this scared temple that I don’t know where to begin. The shape and the spirit of the condor was definitely present. The weather showed us a bit of everything. Again, those whom you know on the trip can either share with you their particular experiences. With any luck, they will also share those here online in a comment or a “guest” post (ask me about how to do this). For me, it was when passing through one of the energy filled temples. I am not one to believe in mystic powers, but as I found myself scooting through the narrow crevasse of the temple, my head then my chest started to fill and tingle with life. It was amazing.

Perhaps the last personal reflection I will share today is one where I took a moment for myself.  Yes it is a group blog in a sense, but permit me this moment of personal indulgence. Often when travelling with a group it is easy to forget to take time for oneself and one’s own spirit.

The tour was finishing up but I knew I still had unfinished business. In Machu Picchu the Incans believed it was more important how you left the place than how you arrived. I turned to one of our accompanying guides (who went by “Son of the Sacred Mountains” and with whom I had become very easy friends with over the course of our journey) to ask for his help. As the group turned for the exit I asked my friend if he wouldn’t mind taking me to the astronomical temple. I felt though I could not exit properly without paying it a visit.

I felt it wouldn’t be proper because of my trip with my father to Machu Picchu 10 years previous. To make a long story short, our experience was a shared one, shared in way that perhaps can be done only by a father and son. And the astrological temple, with it amazing mathematic precision, was a place we had both admired a great deal. Our tour hadn’t had a chance to visit it. Not going there felt wrong.

I told my new friend this story as we went up. When we arrived at the stone marker which delineated not only north, south east and west but also our precise latitude on the globe, he suggested we close our eyes and put our hand on the rock to feel its magnetic energy. In doing so I thought of my Dad, honouring the man he is and the journey we had shared 10 previous. In silent reflection and accompanied by my new friend, I then felt that I could make my proper exit of Machu Picchu.

Guy and Jenn ready to conquer Wayna Picchu

So a quick lunch and onto the train. Tired legs and tired eyes. We arrive back at Ollantamytambo and boarded our bus. Our group had but one request….no more climbing! Puma indulged us at our next stop and assured us that at the Ollantamytambo ruins we would not have to climb the stairs of the step terraces in front of us.

On the bus and to Puma’s birthplace Chincero. Up and up and up and up.  By the time we arrive we were higher than we had been even in Cusco. We stopped quickly at the hotel and then all went to Puma’s house for dinner.

And what a dinner it was! Soup, trout, quinoa, vegetables, mango, pisco sour…gang what am I missing? I personally thought the soup was amongst the best I had ever tasted. Anyone in the group care to give their opinions? At 830 we piled back into the bus and headed home. It was a long day and merited the sleep in we will get tomorrow!

The Altitude Didn't Affect Us at All

Day 5 - Following the Incas

Zane unaware that the female condor is about to take off

Another day full of adventure….this entry is actually going to be posted one or more days after it is written. But I (Ted) wanted to get this down while it was fresh in my head! As I write this I am seated in a hotel below Machu Picchu. That will be for tomorrow.

So today we got up a little later than usual. Most people were looking a little bit better than the day before, having adjusted to the altitude. As with a lot of trips of this nature, the original adrenaline high was beginning to wear off. People were starting to settle into a routine.

Puma met us at the hotel. For me at least I find his energy very interesting. He is charismatic yet calming at the same time. He gathered us up on the bus and started us along our journey from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (the Machu Picchu base). We stopped at one of the many Incan posts along the way, chosen not only for its physical location but for its magnetic properties. Some of us swayed with Puma as we felt the magnetic energy.

Next was an amazing stop at an animal sanctuary. They had “recovered” animals that ranged from parrots to pumas (recovered from a Lima nightclub where they were drugged so people could take pictures of them), to alpacas and llamas. The most impressive of all were the four condors. We all watched in awe as these animals with their 10ft gave us a brief flight demonstration.

Puma telling us about the terraces at Pisco

We carried on into the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We learned of the paths the Incas used (religious, social and military), saw ancient burial grounds and started our acquaintance with the three sacred animals of the Inca - the condor (symbol of the divine), serpent (inner spirit or the “inner world”)  and puma (manifestation of the physical). Puma, our guide, showed us all of the ways in which the Incas reflected the important symbols in their architecture.

On the way there were nicknacks of all sorts for purchase. We have become accustomed it seems to vendors rushing our bus before we even have the chance to get off!! Bargaining galore and deals to be had by all. Lunch was next. Donna in particular was happy to finally get her Peruvian rice and beans! We also had a chance to stop by a local “chicha” (corn liquor) maker to find out how this sacred drink was made…and of course sample a little bit!

Leilah and Puma waiting for chicha

We arrived Ollantamytambo to catch our train at 4. It took us out of the dry Scared Valley and towards the lush eye of the jungle…Aquas Calientes! A long day of travelling and an early morning awaiting meant most of the group grabbed food and hit the sacks…next day was early up to Machu Picchu!!