August 1 Last Day in Cusco

At breakfast, we received word that our first scheduled lecture had unfortunately been cancelled. This gave us some unexpected extra free time to check out various city sites of our own choosing. One group headed for the San Pedro Market, a place recommended by Moises, one of our guides at Inkaterra. He had described the believed-to-be Viagra-like powers derived from frogs and this market as a place where these products were made. Naturally, curious minds wanted to know more, so they went to see for themselves. The less adventurous among us stayed in town and enjoyed some last-minute shopping.

Later in the morning, we returned to the hotel for a demonstration of Peruvian dances, presented by dance instructor Violeta Contreras. Clicking heels, clapping hands and natural rhythm were in large supply as she taught us a sampling of these dances. Among them were: the Marinera (a sensual dance in which the man and woman act a play of love and seduction); the Festejo ("the synthesis of different genres of AfroPeruvian music that disappeared during the 20th century"); the Huaylarsh (a vigorous dance for young people, in which they play and liberate themselves from the responsibilities of the daily work); and the Turkuy (which interrelated Christian and indigenous elements and "is inspired in one of the most common folkloric characters of colonial origin in the Andes").

Perhaps the highlight of this session (for some of us, at least) was attempting to play the zampona, the Peruvian wooden piped instrument. Award-winning composer Rene Contreras introduced us to his song, Muyuy (Borders) and we all tried very hard to follow his lead. Even though the notes were clearly marked on the zampona, being able to sound them was an entirely different story. It's all a matter of how you position your lips. Those of us who played wind instruments at one time or another had a distinct advantage!

Following both these interactive cultural sessions, we had lunch on our own and then a leisurely afternoon.

That evening, we dined as a group for the last time. Cuy (guinea pig), ceviche and alpaca were among the gastronomic delicacies on the buffet at the very popular Don Antonia Restaurant in downtown Cusco. Accompanying dinner was an exclusive presentation by the group, Arco Iris. Not only did this ensemble dance and play native songs but they also included a number of American pop songs in their repertoire.

Returning to the El Dorado Hotel to relax and pack for the next day's flight to Lima, we were shocked by the sound of fire alarms and the sight of smoke! Everyone rushed down the stairs and assembled in the lobby, as the hotel management tried to extinguish what turned out to be an electrical fire. Unsuccessful in the hotel's attempts, the Cusco firemen were called to the scene. After their arrival, we heard glass breaking and could still see and smell smoke for about an hour. Fortunately, guests were able to return to their rooms, except for Lianne and Carol B. They were sent to a nearby hostel overnight, since their room was next to the scene of the fire.

Gail -- Teacher/Media Specialist -- Cleveland, OH

July 31 Sacred Valley

Today we all got to sleep in and rest our tired bones from Machu Picchu. Having climbed more stairs than I ever thought possible, it was a welcome break.

We continued our exploration of Inca ruins by visiting the Sacred Valley sites of Ollantaytambo and Sacsayhuaman. The thing that strikes you the most are the sizes of the boulders used in the construction of the walls and buildings. The sites were constructed without the use of the wheel so it's even more impressive. These rocks are HUGE! The workers would bring the rocks from quarries that were not always near by, and would even re

July 29---Cusco

Today we had to leave our lodge, Inkaterra, which welcomed and warmed us for the last two days. We took a boat ride on Madre de Dios river, stopped by at the butterfly farm and took the plane to Cusco. What a change in scenery!

Cusco is a vibrant city full of tourists and locals who try to sell their wares to them. We had a short tour of Cusco with our new guide, Edy. We visited the old sacred Inka site which was destroyed by the Spanish and on top of it a Catholic church was built. Only a strong earthquake of 1951 allowed scientists to discover, underneath plastered wall, the original Inka stonework. According to descriptions made by Pizarro's soldiers, the walls of Inka temples were covered by gold and silver with many offerings of precious stones and metal objects in the niches. The stonework itself is amazing! Inka polished the stones so it is impossible to put a knife between them and often you can't even feel where the stones are connected when you touch them.

The other signature style of the Inka's architechture are the trapezoidal arches and inward tilting walls. We saw an amazing 14 angle stone that looks as if it is being bent. The ruins that we saw belong to former temples of the Moon, the Sun, the Stars, the Rainbow and the Thunder. According to early descriptions, there was a garden where all the trees, bushes and animals were made of gold and silver. After the Spanish invasion, all the riches of the Incas were either sent to Spain or used as rich decorations for Catholic churches and cathedrals.

We had a chance to visit the most important cathedral in Cusco with several richly decorated chapels and sacristy. Our guide pointed out that local people often view Christian symbols as representations of old Inka gods. For example, the statue of the Virgin Mary could be interpreted as a representation of Pachamama, Mother Earth, and the figure of the black Jesus, as an image of Wizacocha, god of earthquakes.

By the end of the tour, we felt overwhelmed with information. Some of use spent the rest of the evening shopping at the bustling Plaza de Armas, but many returned to the hotel early to pack and to get ready for another early morning wake up at 4:00 a.m. to go to Machu Picchu. A big day tomorrow!

Galina
Wooster School
Danbury, CT

July 27, Sunday, into the jungle

Up at 4 AM, breakfast, leave on the bus at 5AM to the Juliaca airport at 6, for the flight at 7 to Cusco, transfer to fly to Puerto Maldonado. We are changing zones from Alpaca caps, sweaters and scarves to T shirts, from cold grey by the ocean to sunny green, lush jungle.It was 85 F when we landed. We were joined by Natalie Arsenault, director of the Hispanic Center where we started at the University of Texas, Austin. She came along to help us focus on our curriculum projects and enjoy the jungle and Machu Picchu, which is next.

Continuing the total care of the Fulbright travel we were met by a representative from our lodge, the Incaterra Reserva Amazonica, in an open bus at the airport. We had a short stop at a butterfly farm before we got on a launch to ride 45 minutes down the calm, muddy yellow and very wide, Madre de Dios River. The lodge is only accessible by boat.

Lunch was ready and again, gourmet delicious. Spencer Elvis, our waiter, was devoted to our dining happiness. We settled in, discussed our projects with Natalie, then after dinner took a boat ride up the river to see by flood light what goes on on the banks of the river at night. We saw several caymen on the shore. Who knew that sometimes they bury their heads in the mud of the bank leaving their large behinds exposed. We thought it was plastic and a joke until it moved.

This lodge is heavenly in design with double occupancy cabanas by the river, mosquito nets, one light bulb in the bathroom, kerosene lanterns at night, and birds, birds, birds. And stars, stars, stars. It is delightful. Another wonderful day for some lucky teachers from the USA.

Carol B., ESOL teacher, Springfield, VA