Cuenca-Loja-Lima-Cuzco

Breathing heavily as we ascend Cuzco`s steep, narrow streets has become our daily training circuit before the 4-day Inka Trail hike which starts tomorrow. At 10,200 ft (about the height of South Sister) Cuzco is one of the world`s tallest cities... and one of the most unique at that....

... but before we disclose it`s many wonders, we should describe the long, haggard trip that brought us from Ecuadorian highlands down the deserted coastline of Peru. Cuenca, Ecuador`s most colonial city, was our first stop after Rio Verde. The three rivers dissecting its heart and mountains (yes, MORE mountains) rising from all sides presented an intresting contrast between the red-roofed, heavily populated city. We stayed just long enoug to visit two archaeological museums (one with an Incan site, Pumapungo, in its backyard), see our first Ecuadorian soccer game (Cuenca vs. Macara... and a tie....), and dine with a special friend from back home, Jaclyn, who`s been teaching at an orphanage for the past two months.

From there we began our trying trip south through Loja and across the border. The 32 rushed hours of bus travel in 72 hours didn`t leave us much time for the paramo, Ecuador`s southern highlands reminiscent of Eastern Oregon. Crossing the Peruvian border at 4:30am went smoothly, and we continued another 19 hours down the coast time Lima. The bus – complete with coche camas (car-beds) and meals – broke down at 1am, and we were crammed into an ¨economic¨ bus for the remaining 13 hot hours. The incident was actually a blessing in disguise; it delayed our trip just long enough to see the sunrise over Peru´s Sahara-like desert that meets the vast, blue Pacific.

¨We were, in fact, traveling south along the desert coast... to our left loomed the great dry fingers of the Andes. To our right, the caps of great Pacific roller far out to sea flashed silver in the same moonlight. This was the edge, a thin line betwen two great emptinesses: the ocean and the mountains... things magnificent in themselves, yet unnamed ans uncelebrated, only the fringes of what lay out of sight. It is the feeling that what lies within vision is only just the beginning of what waits beyond.¨
-Inka Cola
Lima greeted us with ocean breezes and scorching sun, and brought us full-circle back to the coast. We reunited with the waves after 3 months of highland/jungle travel, and reflected on our journey from the hostel´s quiet backyard. Its sheltered courtyard shut out the noise of the 9.2 million locals and tourists sipping Starbucks and downing Happy Meals while shopping in the expensive botiques of Miraflores.

Cuzco´s shops, on the other hand, are lined with hiking boots, backpacks and tents. Women offer cheap massages on every street corner (a deal we may be hard-pressed to refuse after the hike). And you can`t leave Cuzco before layering yourself in colorful alpaca sweaters, scarves, hats and socks that occupy every third tienda. The city`s homes are built entirely of tiled red roofs and whitewashed walls, and surrounded by slithering, snake-like hills spotted with eucalyptus forests. A few jagged white peaks loom in the distance. We saw these same mountains up close on our plane ride from Lima, peaking through the clouds like immense giants dominating the heavens.

Known as the capital of the Inca empire, there are multiple ruins throughout and near the city. It is quite common to walk out of a restaurant to have your vision bombarded by gigantic stones (some are 5 x 2.5 meters and weigh over 120 tons) cut so precisely you cannot put a knife between them. The Spanish, rather than toppling the stonework, built cathedrals and monuments right on top of them. It wasn`t until an earthquake in 1950 broke some of these colonial buildings and exposed their ancient foundations once again. Aside from the historical and religious significance, the town is truly beautiful. Cobbled streets and tiny corridors give a labyrinth-like impression, and just when you think you may never find your way out, you arrive in an open plaza, complete with fountains and a cathedral.

Check out these photos now, because there will be plenty more after Machu Picchu:
http://picasaweb.google.com/clapoma/CuencaLojaLimaCuzco
Sending our love! See you soon!

Vida Verde - Life in Green River

The alarm rings at 6:30 am and we hit snooze, once….twice…three times before we finally roll out of bed and hustle to get dressed – breakfast was the usual fried eggs and rice, so we didn`t miss much by ¨sleeping in¨. Our last day at El Placer (the school we`ve appropriately named ¨el zoologico¨) has arrived. We should have worn pads under our clothes to prepare for the borage of students who nearly held us captive at the end of the day. ¨No se vayan – Don`t leave!!!!¨ they pleaded.

We could have never predicted how a small town teaching experience would be. The teachers were kind and fairly helpful when it came to disciplining the students, who treated us like most students around the world treat substitute teachers. Having received no grades from us whatsoever, the incentive was personal for each child and depended on their individual motivation to want to learn the language – a skill that could potentially earn them job security in the future. We found the best teaching method was through play, by relating a new language with fun tasks such as mask making, color-by-numbers, songs, useful dialogue and fortune tellers, of course all in English. In the short month we´d hoped to have left the students with a basic knowledge of the language, but primarily attempted to peak their interest while exposing them to a new culture.

Our instincts were right on when we chose to volunteer for a month in Rio Verde. By doing so, we achieved a middle ground between travelling and living, having unpacked our bags and left our Lonely Planet to collect dust in the corner. In exchange, we picked up local friends and a family. We had a home and a job with responsibilities, but still managed to get off by 1 pm, at the latest, to enjoy the same freedom we had before as travellers.

Daily treks down the lengthy trail to El Pailon, with its picturesque ¨Land Before Time¨ feel, irresistibly delicious food, and great company, got us ready for the upcoming Inca Trail hike. Irma and Diego, two amazingly friendly Argentines who ran the restaurant ¨El Otro Lado¨, offered us a second home by allowing us to stay gratis (free) in their exotic cabañas in exchange for lending a hand in the restaurant during busy weekends. Claire took full advantage of the opportunity to waitress in español, while Ryan did his best to avoid taking photos every 2 minutes of the ¨straight-up-Sidhartha surroundings¨. Bonnie would have been in heaven, gardening in an ideal year-round climate and cooking up her famous Chick-a-Curry for an international crowd. Maybe she can take over the lease when the Argentines finish in August.

The longest friendship we had in Rio Verde, having been established on our first visit there as tourists, was with two artesanos: Oscar from Ecuador and his novia (girlfriend) Ruth from Germany. Their caring personalities not only showed through in the custom-made necklaces they crafted for us, but also in the form of generous tidings of homemade strawberry marmalade and garlic butter—which we took the utmost pleasure in accepting. They were such kindred spirits, helping us feel like a big part of their lives even if our stay was short.

Above all, the long nights with these amigos spent storytelling about travels and adventures will remain the highlights of our time in Rio Verde. As the following Oda al Rio Verde states, we`ll be near at heart even with continents between us, and awaiting future visits with open doors.

As for us, we`re on our way south to Peru, stopping off in Cuenca and Loja to take in more mountain scenery before dipping down to the coast for a 20+ hour bus ride to Lima. The grand finale of our journey: the 4-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. See you all soon to do more story-telling in person!!

For more Rio Verde photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/clapoma/RioVerdeII

Oda al Rio Verde

(This is an ode we wrote for our dear friends of Rio Verde.)

Suena la campana y salimos cansados
de un día largo con todos malcriados,
por suerte vivimos en un paraíso
en cual descansar se hace facilito

(The bell rings and we leave tired

after a long day with our crazy students,

but luckily we live in paradise

in which resting comes easy,)

A pasar por la calle saludamos a todos:
los vecinos, los niños y hasta los perros,
no nos hace falta la vista del puente,
(debajo de cual corre agua verde),
las montañas al fondo del mismo color
entre ellas combinan las nubes y el sol,

(Walking down the street we greet everyone,

neighbors, children and even dogs

we don`t miss the view from the bridge

[under which green water flows]

the mountains in the background of the same color

between them clouds and sun combine)

Al Jardin de Eden pasamos mucho,
la tranquilidad nos ofrece descanso,
entre flores y césped sentamos a leer,
dibujamos el paisaje para mejor conocer,

(To the Garden of Eden we go a lot

the tranquility offers us rest,

between flowers and grass we sit to read

we draw the landscape to better know it)

¨Al Baños,¨ nos gritan cuando salimos
aun no saben que no somos turistas,
¨vivimos aquí,¨ hemos dicho cien veces
(aunque no pudimos quedarnos por meses)

(¨To Baños,¨ they yell to us when we leave

they still don`t know we aren`t tourists,

¨We live here¨we`ve said 100 times

[although we weren`t able to stay for months])

Al Pache seguimos para compartir
historias cómicas que nos hacen reír,
las artesanías brillantes y creativas
hechas siempre por manos cariñosas,

(We continue to the Pache to share

funny stories that make us laugh,

the brilliant and creative artwork

is made always by caring hands,)

Como picaflores bajamos al Pailon cada día,
para tomar te dulce y coger energía,
la cascada – orcestra del agua y piedra –
cae sin fin con toda su fuerza,
comidas, sonrisas y muchos amigos
hacen que la subida dure solo ratito,
Diego i Irma nos brindan bienvenidos
y Camila nos saluda con muchos carisias,

(Like hummingbirds we go down to the Pailon ever day

to drink sweet tea and gain energy,

the waterfall -- an orchestra of water and rock --

falls without an end with all of its force,

food, smiles and many friends

make the climb last only a moment,

Diego and Irma toast us welcome

and Camila greets us with caring licks,)

Por la noche pasamos donde dos amigotes
cuyos gatos se llaman ¨mio¨ y ¨frejoles¨,
sobre mermelada de Ruth y papas fritas de Oscar
hablamos del viaje y las grandes aventuras,

(At night we head towards two friends

whose cats are called ¨mine¨ and ¨beans¨,

over Ruth`s marmalade and Oscar`s french fries

we talk of travel and grand adventures,)

Estas amistades nos llenan con alegría profunda
que la distancia entre nosotros dañará nunca,
quedaremos con recuerdos, collares y fotos
cerca en corazón aunque estemos lejos,

(These friendships fill us with profound happiness

that distance will never damage,

we will stay with memories, necklaces and photos

near at heart although we are far,)

No podemos creer como vuele el tiempo
cuando cada día parece un gran regalo,
te despedemos, Green River, sin mucho dolor
prometemos volver con todo amor.

(we can`t believe how fast time flies

when each day seems like a big gift,

we say goodbye, Rio Verde, without much pain

we promise to return with all love.)