Completed: 05/31/2015
I was privileged back in 2008 to visit one of the New Seven Wonders of the World as a part of the US Department of State's Summer Language Institute to Harbin, China. I had a chance to tour Shanghai and Beijing before settling in Harbin for eight weeks to partake in an intensive Mandarin learning program. In Beijing, we took a bus down to Mutianyu to see the Great Wall of China, taking a cable car up, walking along the wall, and coming back down on toboggans.
Traveling up
Posing at the top
Looking out onto more Great Wall
In the summer of 2015, I had a chance to travel to South America for the first time as a part of the short-term summer study program which I brought four students on to engage in volunteer service related to their fields of study as well as participate in some educational and cultural activities. We spent a total of 12 jam-packed days exploring Peru, from the city of Cusco to volunteering in the Amazonian jungle to checking off another item on my bucket list, which was to see another Wonder of the World (Machu Picchu). A summary of our the trip, interspersed with photos from Machu Picchu:
Vistadome train with ceiling windows
Getting to try Inca Kola
Friday, May 22, 2015:
Fly HNL-LAX, LAX-LIM, LIM-CUZ. Pleasantly surprised by two meal offerings on flight between LAX and LIM, and a snack box on our flight from LIM to CUZ. LAN Airlines was quite cozy, with personal TV screens on the middle flight.
Typical tourist
Saturday, May 23, 2015:
Arrive in Cusco, greeted by Maximo Nivel representative who happened to be from Maui! Drank coca tea to acclimate to the altitude. Went out to exchange money and buy water. One in our group faring well in the altitude, developing pulmonary edema. Spent night in hospital.
Additional fee to hike this adjacent mountain to see all of Machu Picchu
Part of the Huayna Picchu hike, which is apparently considered one of the most dangerous hikes. I didn't feel the "danger" factor was all that great though.
Sunday, May 24, 2015:
Met our Maximo Nivel representative who would be traveling with us to the jungle. Also met Director at the hospital. Got discharged. Made way back to homestay and hurried to get ready for orientation. Did a walking tour and ended up at Greenpoint, a vegan restaurant, for lunch. Got a set menu consisting of salad, bread, soup, stuffed tomato entrée, fruit jelly dessert, and purple corn drink for only $4 USD! Went back to get ready to head to bus station for 10-hour ride down to jungle. Surprised by presidential suite on bottom of double decker bus. Got into some hysterical laughing frenzy (likely from lack of sleep). Wasn't aware that bus ride would be really windy down, one in our group got motion sickness. Very fitful sleep that night.
Unfortunately, clouds rolled over so we couldn't take a picture, but we did get to see some of Machu Picchu so that was nice
Signed my name in a book to show proof that I hiked Huayna Picchu
Monday, May 25, 2015:
Arrive at Puerto Maldonado. Wished I could have taken the mini motor car to the Inkaterra Office, but stars not aligned for me. Waited at the port for our boat. Took boat to another island, Casa ITA, where we would be staying for the week. Very well-maintained area. Claimed our bunk space with mosquito netting. Headed out on boat to Gamitana Farm on a nearby island to start working. Met two girls training to be police officers in Canada. Worked with them to collect dead trees from the jungle to make into compost. Accidentally messed with an ant nest, got attacked by ants. Hurt when bit, but not that bad. No marks left from their bites. Dinner and night walk to see nocturnal species out and about. One in our group couldn't sleep at night so we had chatted for two hours.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015:
Went over to Gamitana farm. Worked on making compost, sifting twigs and other larger debris from the dead trees we collected. Tilled plant beds to mix with compost to prepare for planting of vegetables. Another group worked to collect plantains, cut them up to dry to grind into flour. Before lunch, visiting neighboring animal sanctuary. The two police officers in training prepared a delicious lunch for our group.
Quarry which sourced the rocks for the creation of this Incan civilization
Wednesday, May 27, 2015:
Continued working on mixing compost and tilled soil. Others worked to clear field for more banana trees to be planted. Later worked on collecting banana tree saplings.
Sixteen fountains that brought drinking water to the people
Close-up of the water system
See the nicely cut grooves
Thursday, May 28, 2015:
Downpour. Completely rained out so spent the day playing FU and Monoperu. Clothes that were handwashed were now sopping wet. Weather cleared in the afternoon. Went on a canopy walk. Two of the students went over to Gamitana overnight and went snake hunting. In the night, rat ate through my backpack, moth flew into my bed space.
Back on the Machu Picchu side, with a view of Huayna Picchu in back
Friday, May 29, 2015:
Headed back to Puerto Maldonado to catch bus back to Cusco. Ride this time not as bad, nice scenery as we were going up. Got kinda sick towards the end. Lady behind us threw up into a bag. Made it back to our homestay.
Saturday, May 30, 2015:
Went out to tour agency for trip to Machu Picchu. Took van ride to small town of Ollantaytambo. From there, boarded train to Aguas Calientes, town at base of Machu Picchu. Ate lunch and visited hot springs in the town. Slept in nice hotel room with hot water.
Condor shaped from stone at the Temple of the Condor
Sunday, May 31, 2015:
Woke up at 4:30am to prepare for our day at Machu Picchu. Ate breakfast in hotel, went to wait for bus ride to Machu Picchu entrance, got into Machu Picchu, did hike on adjacent mountain called Huayna Picchu. Made it to the top, where very misty. Caught some of Machu Picchu before clouds rolled in. Went back to Machu Picchu to meet tour guide Romulo at entrance. Went back in for guided tour and learned some about the site:
-Machu Picchu means "old mountain" and Huayna Picchu means "young mountain."
-Civilization was discovered by someone who has ties to Hawaii by the last name of Bingham.
-Stones used to build the civilization taken from quarry found at the top.
-No mortar used to create structures.
-Area very earthquake-prone (located along something like 7 fault lines), so can see how the stonework has shifted, yet impressively still standing.
-Llamas are actually naturally at higher altitudes, but the government place them at the site since they're a tourist attraction.
-Used an innovative water system (sixteen fountains) to bring drinking water to all parts of the civilization, also had ducts to divert rainwater.
-Machu Picchu is divided into regions for agriculture, for noblemen, and for religious purposes. The temple of the condor was pretty neat.
-There is half of an Incan cross in one section of Machu Picchu. Our tour guide asked where the other half was, to which we couldn't answer. He revealed that when the sun hits, the shadow creates the bottom part of the cross, since it's symmetrical. How clever.
-Fastest record that the Inca trail was completed was in 7 hours (our tour guide took longer, but still awed us with the sheer number of times he's been on the trail and up to Huayna Picchu).
Quite pooped by then so went back towards the exit, got a stamp in our passport, and headed back to the bus to the town. Ate at an overpriced Western establishment, got traveler's diarrhea, and headed back to Cusco by train and then van. On the van ride, heard a Spanish song that we liked the beat of, but didn't know how we would find it back in the US. By the deductive skills of one of the students, did manage to find the song. Turns out it was Enrique Iglesias' "El Perdon."
With our tour guide, teaching him how to shaka
PC: Students who accompanied me on this Peruvian adventure
