Peru: Monday

This would be the appropriate time to thank everyone for their travel advice, the wet wipes, extra TP and over the counter meds came in handy. Also, Megan I took your advice and practically wore my camera as a necklace. Julianne, I said hi to Machu Picchu for you.

(Stairs in Plaza de Regocijo, Cusco)

(Obviously, I can't get enough of these blue doors. I just think they are so stunning, Cusco)

(I love the street signs here, a new sign on a crumbling building, Cusco)
Having finally adjusted to the time zone, we slept in and enjoyed our breakfast before heading out for the day. To get into Chinchero and Ollantaytambo you have to buy the boleto turistico or tourist ticket. This gets you into 15 sites around Cusco, museums, ruins and cultural experiences. I had Steve get an international student card before we left and that saved us 50% on these plus our Machu Picchu tickets plus it pretty much paid for all the stuff we did the next few days in Cusco.

(Inside the Museum of Cont. Art, Inca Wall in gallery)

(This is the fundamental struggle for balance, indigenous person, driver's license, do you think his real name is Franklin? Museum of Cont. Art, Cusco)
We started the day in Cusco at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The building was beautiful, a government building with a courtyard, fountain and open galleries. Some of the art was really fascinating, focusing on the traditions of the people in modern mediums. This museum also had no toilet seats in the bathrooms. Adventures everywhere!

(Open galleries at Museum of Cont. Art)

(Museum of Contemporary Art, people associate the rainbow flag with gay pride, this is the city flag of Cusco which confuses many travelers looking for a good time. Our tour book said that people are often disappointed in the gay scene in Cusco, I thought that was funny, what a mistake to make!)

(There was an interesting installment piece, this clown leading empty birdcages and Steve)

(During our jaunts we found some bookstores-shocker, us in bookstores? This is what they all look like, single books lined up on parade, Cusco)

(The colors of Peru are astounding, everywhere there is something for the eye to catch, houses in San Blas, Cusco)
Next we headed over to the Cathedral. This huge building is actually 3 churches put together and was insanely beautiful and intricate. Alas, no photography allowed. We accidentally hired a guide to tell us about the significance of the different altars and the workmanship. I say accidentally because you just kind of assume they are included in the ticket price and then at the end they tell you they get a tip of at least 10 soles. Oh well, $3.33 for a lot of information, it was worth it.

(The Cathedral, huge and looming, Cusco)

(Steve above Cusco, taking a break on our hike to Sacsaywaman)

(Street graffiti, girl screaming, Cusco)
After the cathedral, we trekked up to Sacsaywaman (pronounced Sexy Woman). The climb was exhausting and we are sweaty enough in the pictures to prove it. Sacsaywaman sits above Cusco on a hill, it was a fortress city, protection for Cusco. Like most of the other ruins in the area, it was partly destroyed by the Spanish to build buildings in Cusco.

(Sacsaywaman, it was huge and very impressive, they say it is more precise than Machu Piccu in construction)

(Me standing in an immense doorway)
I couldn't believe the sheer size of the stones, totally huge. And very precisely fitted together. In the pictures you can see how intricately they worked each piece into place. Really very mind blowing. The place was huge and we didn't hire a guide but we had our books to read about it. It was hot so we didn't stick around too long. Suffict it to say, the walk back down to Cusco was much more enjoyable.

(Us in Sacsaywaman)

(Beautiful construction, look how rounded they shaped them so they would fit together)

(look how tiny I am in comparison with this stone, I'm just happy I wasn't one of the original builders.)

After that hike, (which was only about a mile uphill but the altitudes and warmth are the things that got us) we went back to the hotel and took a nap.


(Heading back down from Sacsaywaman. Notice the gutter is in the center of the street)
Included in the boleto touristico was a cultural performance of singing and dancing, Peruvian style. The dances and costumes were bright and fun. It reminded me a lot of performances we had seen at BYU but instead of white students, we got real Peruvians. The music was played by a live band dressed in traditional costumes too. The hall was filled with other tourists so I didn't feel totally lame taking pictures.

(Dancers at cultural center, Cusco. I know it is blurry but I love the movement)
After the show we headed back up to San Blas to a restaurant we had read about in our tour guide, Macondo, named after the mystical town in Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude. The restaurant was definitely my favorite place we ate. Totally charming and funky, the tabletops were glass with hundreds of random candids underneath, the napkins were made out of denim and we had our own candle on the table. The place felt like a boutique. It actually sold fashionable alpaca wear too. The food was delicious. We both had alpaca dishes, Steve had an alpaca steak with a yummy white wine and mushroom sauce and I had Alpaca Casserole which ended up being a thin piece of alpaca served under a sauteed onion and tomato concoction. The flavor of the meat was mild, kind of like a combination of pork and beef. The texture was softer than beef.

(Yummy Alpaca dinner. Oh and that spiral metal thing above my plate is the napkin ring, totally cool, and every table has little pots with salt and pepper in them-I looked for some to bring back but we ran out of time)
Eating in Peru took some getting used to. Not the food but the time it takes. They don't rush you at all. You know how you go to Chili's and they bring you your check but they say "Take your time" when they really mean, "Hurry up so I can get more customers in here." Well in Peru, they don't bring the check and if you sat there long enough, they might not ever bring it. Seriously, you have to ask for it. Steve and I had two theories to explain this. 1: they don't want to seem rude. 2: they want you to stay in their restaurant so it looks like they have business. A lot of the places we ate, we were the only customers. There are just so many restaurants. I started getting really annoyed at being held hostage especially when the whole family was watching tv in the same room since the dining room and kitchen were often very close. It was different and even though I am going to miss the cosy places to eat and the food, I am not going to miss the weird feeling of eating with someone watching over your shoulder.

(La Merced, convent, Cusco)

(Cusco at night as taken from our hotel's courtyard)

Thoughts-Revised for Lori

I know you're probably all dying for more Peru pictures but the fact that I only got through 200 of them and it took me hours, you'll just have to wait. If you really want more though, Steve put up a bunch on facebook. Okay just one more for now. Andes Mountains as seen from Machu Picchu. I was in the clouds, THE CLOUDS. And not in an airplane. It was beautiful the way the misty water clung to everything for hours into the morning.

So back to normal life. As much as it stinks to be at work while the sun is finally shining in Utah, I am happy to have a routine again. But I don't even have a chance to mourn my vacation in that I have about a billion things going on right now.

First, not officially "a thing going on" but some thoughts on all the tv I've caught up on.

-Really, Jen? Really? You couldn't hold it for 5 minutes to finish the race. I guess it just wasn't worth a million dollars! Pee your pants, its a million dollars!

-I'm sad Allison is gone, I wanted it to be Danny. I'm over Danny. That wasn't singing, it was screaming. And I know this is from last week but Adam, muahaha you're in the bottom 3!

-Kill Jacob? Are you crazy John Locke?

Enough tv, so I am beginning two big projects this week that I have wanted to do for awhile and I'm pretty excited about.

First, I'm doing a garden this year. Vegetable and flower. There is a plot of ground on the side of our apartment complex where someone had a garden last year, that girl has moved. So about 2 months ago I dug it all up and started prepping for a garden of my own. I'm doing lots of different vegetables. Tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, zucchini, basil and onions. I also have a few different types of flowers. I'm crossing my fingers I can get this to work, I've never attempted anything like this before. This weekend, Steve and I are buying compost and I'm going to do the final preparations for planting next week. I have my starts hanging out on the kitchen counter, raised from seed just waiting to be out in the sun. So far I have had good luck, its crazy how simple it is to grow things. I am dreaming of fresh tomatoes from the vine.

(Photo courtesy of kellymccaleb but my starts look the same)

Second, I am making a quilt. I have tons of fabric. Its ridiculous really. Its almost a burden in a way. So how can I use all my scraps and by use, I mean not throw away? I am making this quilt. I think it is gorgeous.

But instead of focusing on red, orange, and yellow, I am doing more colors-like all the colors. I am holding to the white though. I love the contrast of white and bright colors. Not only will it be nice to have a project, a big one, but I will also be simultaneously purging the craft room. So today while I'm at work, Steve is washing and drying my newly refound fabric. I will be rotary cutting away as I watch the Hell's Kitchen finale tonight. Go Danny!

Click the link here for pattern and instructions on making this quilt.

P.S. I am so happy that almost every show that I watch will be ending within the next few weeks. During the winter, I feel I can dedicate time to tv but once summer hits the last thing I want to be is a slave to a black box in the house.

Speaking of summer, does anyone have any fun Memorial Day plans? I just realized its around the corner, got to get planning.

Peru 2009: Sunday

(Urubamba Valley headed towards Chinchero)
Sunday we woke up feeling a lot more rested but since the time zone thing was still a little off we ended up waking up at 5:50 instead of 6:50. We had our free breakfast and watched tv until our tour of the Sacred Valley left at 8:15. You would be surprised at how much English tv they had available. We really didn't watch tv at all except at night when we crashed into the hotel, exhausted but not really ready for sleep. And since the night life in Cusco is pretty limited if you're not the the drinking and dancing type, X-Men 2 with Spanish subtitles and Lord of the Rings dubbed in Spanish it is.

(Church in Urubamba)
Our hotel arranged for a tour of the Sacred Valley. I had done a little research and found out Sunday was the day to go as the best markets were in full swing. Our company came and picked us and another couple from the hotel up and dropped us off in the Plaza de San Francisco for about 45 minutes. Just as we were about to give up hope of ever getting anywhere, two tour company representatives with walkie talkies appeared and took us by taxi to our bus. It all seemed a bit unorganized but the rest of the day went by with smooth sailing.

(Carved cactus in Pisac Markets)
Yes, we were in a typical tour bus full of other Americans and Canadians. Our tour guide, Freddy (although Steve and I thought that couldn't be his real name as we were in Peru) spoke English and referred to us as Ladies and Gentlemen. In fact, it seemed he used that phrase whenever he got stuck with an English word, the equivalent of our using "umm." We heard it a lot.
(Wall, Urubamba)
We headed out into some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen. Beautiful mountains, stunning blue skies, sprawling multicolored fields, it was gorgeous. We stopped a couple of times for hurried photo ops.
(Mountains in Urubamba Valley)
Peru is so interesting. As we were driving through the countryside, we saw people working in fields, hanging laundry to dry and making adobe bricks and then all of a sudden a cow herder would reach into his pocket and pull out a cell phone. This duality of old vs. new, Modern vs. tradition was one of the reoccurring themes of our trip.
(Fruit Stand, Pisac Market)
Our first main stop was the Pisac Market in Pisac. This market was huge. Literally row and row after vendor selling blankets, alpaca sweaters and scarfs, food, knick knacks, hand forged silver jewelry and paintings. It was a lot of fun. Steve helped me learn some useful phrases like "Voy a pensarlo." The best part of the market definitely was the produce area. We bought some corn on the cob, the biggest kernels I have ever seen which they eat with salty cheese instead of butter. I also bought a slice of watermelon, it was so fresh and delicious. The whole market was so bright and colorful and bustling. We bought a few souvenirs, I got a pretty rose quartz necklace and a painting, Steve bought a color traditional plate and an instrument from a man originally from Colorado who could play Hotel California on a pan flute.

(Bowls of Colored Powders, Pisac Market-taken in secret since the vendor wouldn't let me take one for free)
The next stop was lunch in Urubamba. We were dropped off at this beautiful garden buffet. The food was okay, typical buffet, quantity not quality. Although I enjoyed a sweet potato salad and this great pork dish the best. I also tried my first fig and dehydrated potatoes, a common dish in the region because the dehydrated potatoes store so well, I thought they were gross.

(Bag of Onions, Pisac Market)
The next stop was at a place called Descanso, or I rest. There we learned about corn beer, that's right, they make a local beer out of corn. Everyone got a taste, we didn't try it though. The building also had a guinea pig pen with about 100 pigs in it, a local delicacy, more on that later.
(House, Pisac)
The next stop was Ollantaytambo this huge fortress city from the Incas. The complex was an agricultural center and also very importantly placed in the valley. It sits on the cusp of three different valleys, one leading to Cusco, one to Machu Picchu and one to the Amazon. It was the first ruins we explored and Freddy our guide told us some fascinating facts about the buildings. If you look at an Inca city you can easily spot the temples and palaces by the perfect rock placement and the smooth walls. Large stones, perfectly smooth and placed, the best work for the best buildings. Buildings made with smaller stones were residential or granaries. They were also originally covered in plaster and painted. The trek around this place was exhausting, I am so glad I had started getting back into shape before this trip even as it was we were gasping for breath.

(Steve and I in Ollantaytambo)
During our trip we learned a lot about the Spanish Inquisition and the horrors and terrible things they did to the Incas. It was very sad. I bring this up because on this particular spot, they tore down parts of Ollantaytambo to build their own buildings and churches. You could see stones from the fortress in the churches in the city below.

(Me in Ollantaytambo)
Our next stop was Chinchero the highest city in the Sacred Valley at 13,500 feet. Here I really felt the elevation. We visited the small town and the church. The church was another example of the Spanish influence, Catholicism forced on the Inca. All throughout the building were classic Catholic elements mixed with a belief in the sun, earth and moon.
(steve and I in front of Chinchero Church, Chinchero)
There was also a small market and here Steve and I saw our first street food. Overall the food in Peru was excellent but we were a little disappointed in the lack of street food. We had three perfectly cooked meat kabobs with one potato on the end, I had no idea what kind of meat it was. They were so yummy. I also bought a bag of popcorn made from those huge kernels, it was almost like kettle corn, sweet and crunchy.
(Steve and our street food, Chinchero)
After Chinchero, we headed back to Cusco and went to bed.

(Church, Urubamba)
Sorry I have been having trouble getting the picture consistent, my computer screen at home is a lot bigger than mine at work so I have been trying to find a happy medium so you can see the whole picture)

Peru 2009: Friday and Saturday

(viva Peru, hillside above Cusco)

I have thought a lot about how to approach this blogging on the trip. Logically day by day makes the most sense but I hate that it is going to be backwards on the blog format because naturally day one will come first and then will be replaced by day two and so on. Then I thought about doing categories, then I thought about just showing all the pictures and letting you to demise on your own what they were. Don't fret for me, all this introspection took place within minutes. Day by Day it is.


(Plaza de Armas, Cusco)

We left SLC on Friday, got to LA and then scrambled to find our terminal, check in and board our flight to Lima within 90 minutes. As soon as we stepped up to the LAN counter in LA, not only was my English obsolete but they told us the flight had already finished boarding. Racked with horror, I couldn't breath, luckily we quickly realized we were talking about two different flights to Lima. We made it on time.


(San Blas, Cusco-neighborhood where we stayed)

I have never flown further than New York, maybe 5 hours at the most. I couldn't believe how sweet the plane was. We each had our own tv screen with current movies, tv shows and classics as well. You could even play battleship, solitaire and listen to the new REM album. The flight went well except poor Steve sat behind someone who insisted on being in full recline all 8 hours while he sucked back his Heinekins. I watched Marley and Me and Live Free or Die Hard.


(View from hotel room)

We had a tortorous 5 hour layover in Lima from 12:00 -5:00 am which included me trying desperately to sleep while laying on the ground, luggage straps wrapped tightly around arms and legs, gleaning any warmth from my pashmina I could. Its crazy what you learn just from one travel experience. Lesson learned: double check all options before immediately booking cheapest flight at top of list.

(Classic Cusco, white walls, terra cotta roof, blue doors)

We made it to Cusco at 7:00 and our hotel sent a driver to pick us up. Immediately I was struck with two things while driving for the first time in South America. Pedestrians do not have the right of way and all the stray dogs. Dogs everywhere. And not just mangy dogs, some cute ones too. The kind middle class america loves and cuddles.

(Our hotel courtyard)

Our hotel was amazing. We stayed at the Hostel Amaru (named after Tupac Amaru, an indigenous slave who led a revolt against the Spanish and who was later killed in the Plaza de Armas, also Tupac the rapper took his name from this guy). Our room was bright and clean and totally better than I thought it was going to be. Big windows with great views of the city and a nice tiled bathroom. We checked in, ate a complimentary breakfast of yummy fresh bread and jam, and went to sleep.

After napping for 4-5 hours and showering, we headed out into the city. The first day we did some errands, exchanging USD to the Nuevo Sole, found the internet, bought boletos turisticos and then just walked around getting oriented.

(Me and Plaza de Armas)

Cusco is an incredible city. All white washed walls, terra cotta roofs and newly painted vibrant doors and windows. The recent influx of tourism in the last decade has created a surge of restaurants, hotels and unfortunately tons of people trying to sell you things on the street. If you say "No, Gracias" they ask you "why not?"

The city was the capital of the Inca Empire in Peru. The bases of all their old temples and palaces still remain. When the Spanish arrived, they tore down all their sacred buildings and used the foundations to build churches. So it was interesting to see the old mixed with the european influences.


(Typical street in Cusco, narrow and flanked by stairs)



This is what most of the food we ate was like. Thin steaks or chicken, white rice, french fries and some type of salad. Starch. Yum.



The first night we ate at this pizzeria right around the corner from our hotel. The pizza was amazing. It had ground beef, fresh tomatoes, basil and was very very good. While we were eating, Eminem and Beyonce serenaded us. P.S. Can you see how tired I look? I just looked through this post again and man I look beat.

We made it with Flying Colors and 8 hour flights...

I know everyone always says they are excited to be back in the United States but I'm not. I loved South America and can only wait patiently for our next trip or Steve gets assigned to teach a study abroad once he is a professor.

I do have to say I am excited not to be traveling anymore. After 48 hours without a shower, two fog/smog delayed flights and very very tired feet. I am happy to be home in my bed.

I have 1100 pictures to sort through and then the trip will be almost annoyingly displayed all over the place. So just hold tight until I get home from work and catch up on all my Tivo'd shows.

Just some ramblings...

-I am so happy that Allison was not kicked off American Idol. I would have been seriously angry with the people of America if she had been. And Kris Allen's performance practically won me over, I loved it! I feel like finally the last two people that I didn't like are gone. See ya Lil and Anoop. Going forward I have no idea who is going to win besides the inevitable (and still kind of creeping me out) Adam. Sigh. Too bad I won't be able to vote for Allison next week-not like I am a voter or anything...

-Happy (Post) Earth Day! I would like to give a shout out to my mom for making Earth Day an every day event. So here's to the woman who was using homemade grocery bags and sorting out trash/recycling/etc into the 6 different cans beneath our sink for years before Hollywood thought it was cool to be green. Mom, always the trend setter.

-I'm wearing shorts today! I love spring-well, I love a good warm spring, not this sham of a frigid spring we've had thus far.

-The Beehive Bazaar is next weekend and I'm only a little bummed that I couldn't participate because of our trip. If you are in the SLC/Provo area, you need to check it out. Even Steve liked it last fall.

Sorry, I didn't realize the poster would be so obnoxiously huge. But you should check it out anyway because I said so.

And finally, we're off tomorrow! Have a great week everyone!

Seven Days 'til blast off...

I've been MIA for a week. But I've been busy with my one and only craft show of the season and preparing for our trip.

We did nothing for easter. Well, we BBQ'd- Gallegos Family Tradition.

In exactly one week we will be standing in the SLC airport, pointed towards Peru. I almost cannot believe its already here. This week I freaked out a little so I built an excel spreadsheet itinerary-I love my nerdiness and I feel a lot better/prepared. We have all our arrangements made (flights, trains, hotels, tours, buses) and confirmed so there should be nothing to worry about. But, if you have any international travel tips, I would love to hear them! Leave me a comment.


Plazas de Armas, Cusco. Photo courtesy of bigzwillis actually it looks like he took the same trip we are going to so if you're interested, check it out.
Have a great weekend everyone!