Dear SMA Peru Group,
I arrived in Ollantaytambo yesterday afternoon, and woke up to the train coming through this morning. From where I'm sitting right now, I can see a "nevado," or a snow-covered peak, which you'll see a TON of on the plane from Lima to Cuzco if it's not too cloudy. I can also see the Ollantaytambo ruins on the side of the mountain, and nearly every mountain is covered in the subtle horizontal lines which indicate pre-Incan terracing (they were among the first humans to figure out how to cultivate steep mountainsides). If the lines are more pronounced, that means the terraces are still used for farming today--and the vast majority of them are.
I look forward to seeing all of you again here in just a few days, and I know it's going to be the adventure of a lifetime for you. Ollanta is a lovely little town, and you'll quickly learn to recognize the regional dress and faces of the Quechua who have lived here for thousands of years, since long before the Incans. You'll be surprised, too, by how many similarities the Incans, Quechua and Aymara (mostly found farther south) have to the indigenous found all over the Americas, including the U.S. They are an earth-based culture with deep roots in the land and a sense of how to live off of and with it--a sense most "modern" cultures could really learn a lot from. And although many indigenous cultures were crushed and dominated by the arrival of the Spanish (or, in US terms, the British and the French), their rich cultures have more or less survived the experience, though most have lived in more pronounced poverty as a result. Luckily for all of us, the Spanish never found Macchu Picchu, though they built huge churches and other structures on top of Incan foundations all over Cuzco (the Incans actually invented some of the first earthquake- proof walls on the planet, and the Spanish were smart enough to use them rather than knock them down--though the result is that the Spanish walls sit on top of Incan ones--an interesting metaphor for cultural and religious domination).
Everything is green--foggy but not rainy--and I definitely recommend packing LAYERS so you can adjust to the temperatures (when you're in the sun, a fleece is way too much--but when you're in clouds or it's dark, you'll need that fleece). I've seen one mosquito, but it was too cold to bother biting me. Remember that you'll want to use your
(PREPARED) water bottle for everything unless you're sure the water you're getting is bottled--and that does include brushing your teeth (remind me to tell you stories about people who were lazy with water and what happened as a result!). And yes, when you see a trash can next to a toilet, that means you can't flush the paper--most of Latin America (and, frankly, most of the world) is not equipped with wide enough plumbing to handle it, so you'll get used to throwing used toilet paper in the can instead. Mind you, it's often taken me weeks, once home, to break the habit of dropping toilet paper on the floor next to me, expecting there to be a trash can!
Don't worry if all this feels scary--every one of us, even the most
experienced travelers, have that twinge of nerves before we head out.
That fear means that you're challenging yourselves, that what you're doing is important and new enough to be a little scary. And please remember that you're better off packing less, even if that means you have to buy something you need down here. If you leave with the feeling that you've forgotten something monumental you'll need, don't worry--we ALL feel that way every time we travel, and I've never once forgotten something that couldn't be replaced outside the U.S.
Safe travels, enjoy your little glimpse of Lima, and I look forward to seeing you all on Friday in Cuzco.
Jennifer
