I'm Still Here: Part II

For the full story on my parents first visit to Peru check out the previous post.

     Last week I stopped writing when we arrived at the train station in Ollantaytambo in route to Machu Picchu. We had spent the entire day driving through the Sacred Valley seeing all types of beautiful landscapes and ancient traditions from the Incas and their predecessors. It was really something.

     If you want to go to Machu Picchu and you don't want to, or can't, walk the Inca Trail Peru Rail is the way to go. The train was really nice, the staff was friendly, and the views were incredible. 

Mom getting ready to board Peru Rail. Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu

The route hugs the Urubamba River for most, if not all, of the way.
Big Andean peaks were above us with lots of hanging glaciers.

My Dad is a civil engineer, so the next two photos are required by law.

This is a bridge.

This is a dam.

     

 

     Every day 2,500 tickets are sold for tourists to go to Machu Picchu. It is, hands down, the main attraction in this part of the country, but there are many other things to see and do here. With all of these people gathered in one place there has to be somewhere for them to stay and food for them to eat. Enter the town of Aguas Calientes or Machu Picchu Peublo. It seemed like this town was built to take care of tourists. It was crowded and very expensive. Though I am very happy we only stayed there one night, my parents and I found a great place to eat dinner and listen to local band play some traditional Peruvian mountain music. 

Being a Super Tourist in Aguas Calientes

     We woke up at 4:30am to get on the bus that would take us to Machu Picchu. Even this early in the morning there were many people up and about preparing to take the same trip. We wanted to be up in the park as early as possible to avoid the crowd, but we had to go to the park office in town to pay for our tickets before we could get on the bus. By the time we had paid for our tickets it was about 6:15am and the line for the bus had grown so long it stretched around a city block. We waited for 45mins before it was our turn to get on the bus. 

     The ride took us down the Urubamba River and up an unbelievably steep, one lane road filled with switchbacks. As you round one of the hairpin turns you could look down into the Sacred Valley below and know that if the driver made one bad move the bus, and everything in it, would go tumbling down to the river below. I had to reassure myself that the driver knew exactly what he was doing and the chances of us going over the edge were pretty slim. 

     As we neared the top of the ridge the anticipation started to build. I have always enjoyed traveling, but I have never thought I would get the chance to visit one of Eight Wonders of the World. Machu Picchu is one of those places you see on TV or in magazines and you say to yourself, "That looks awesome! Wouldn't it be great to go there one day!" The first moment I saw the terraces above me from the bus window was really special. It was almost surreal in the sense that I couldn't believe I was actually here.

     

Mom and I getting in line to take the bus to Machu Picchu.

Dad and I further down the line. Still waiting.

     As I said before, 2,500 people visit Machu Picchu everyday during the high season, which is now. To have that many tourists in one place at one time would seem a little overwhelming and kind of horrible, but in the end none of that really mattered. The place is so amazing and the views so incredible  all the people there with you seem to just disappear and we were able to enjoy it to the fullest.

Super generic shot of Machu Picchu, but completely necessary.

     

You have to have one of these photos if you go to Machu Picchu.

Our guide took us to his "secret" photo spot.  The path to get there was narrow with a steep drop. It about did Mom in.

     A little known fact about Machu Picchu. Though American explorer Hiram Bingham brought Machu Picchu to the world, he did not discover it nor was it lost for all those years. A few Quechuan families had been living on the farming terraces of the site for many years. 

     After we finished Machu Picchu we headed back to Cuzco for a flight to Trujillo. It was time to show Mom and Dad I have been living and working for the past six months.

     Having the time to show Mom and Dad around Huanchaco and Trujillo was something I had been looking forward to for a long time. To be living in a place that your family cannot relate to can be quite difficult when you try to explain certain things that go on in your day to day life. I was really happy for them to be able to come and stay at my apartment with me and do the things that I do everyday. 

Dad and I in front of my apartment.

Mom and I by the church that over looks Huanchaco

Parihuela.
It's a stew with every type of seafood you can think of from  this area.

Mom and Dad enjoying breakfast at Chocolate.

While I was buying bus tickets to Lima Dad found the Fiestas Patrias (Peruvian Independence Day) parade.

Another seafood dinner.
Corvina a la parilla or grilled corvina.

Caballitos de totoras.
Ancient type of reed fishing boat still in use by all of the local fishermen.

Chan Chan.
Chimu culture temple that pre-dates the Incan conquest.

Arroz con mariscos (seafood and rice).
Again, they throw all types of local seafood in there.

Dad taking a ride in a moto taxi.

Fishermen pulling their catch out of their seining nets.

     Our time in Huanchaco was great. We visited pre-Incan archeological sites, saw festivities for Fiestas Patrias, and ate fresh seafood everyday.  For the last leg of our trip we took a nine hour bus ride from Trujillo to Lima. Long distance bus travel in Peru is so much different from the States and it is something I really wanted my parents to experience. For 70soles ($27) you can buy a ticket to Lima and sit in height of comfort. I have made this trip many times since I came here and it has always been great trip.

Mom and Dad enjoying luxurious Peruvian bus travel and drinking Inca Kola for the first time.

Pan-American Highway.
The Peruvian coastline is a harsh and uninviting place.
It's also one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Looking east out of the bus window.
Yes, people live here.
Very little electricity and no running water.
Hand woven matting for walls and dirt floors.
Being thankful for what I have is an understatement. 

   
     After reaching Lima, we stayed in an area called Miraflores for two nights before my parents boarded their flight. We had a grand finale dinner at the restaurant Costa Verde which I thought I had photos of, but I guess not.
     I am so very lucky to have the parents I have. They traveled, pretty much, nonstop for two weeks, did their best to speak the language, and tried very bit of weird street food I put in front of them. I am a very proud son and so thankful we were able to share all of these experiences together.



     After my parents departure I had another week of vacation before I returned to work and the second half of my first year of teaching. Life has returned to normal for me, or whatever normal can be when when you live in such a different and amazing place. Below are a few photos of what has been happening over the past few weeks.
     

I play fulbito (kind like indoor soccer) for the teacher's team at my school.
Every Saturday we play in a tournament against other schools from Trujillo.
The love that Peruvians have for this game is unparalleled.

The Town of Huanchaco is ripping up sidewalks near my house.
They don't use any type of mechanized equipment. Only sledgehammers and pick axes. 

This past Friday night we had a going away pizza and movie party at Fleming for one of my students.
We are going to miss him tons!

After eating six slices of pizza, Mr. Jewell was talked into a game of tag with students.
That, probably, wasn't the best idea.