Day 3 Morning - Machu Pichu

Reported by Cristian and Laolu

Morning. Hell. 4:30 wake up calls during spring vacation are not what most kids expect. Heck, most kids would be a couple hours into their twelve hour long sleep. When the phone rang in our cozy, relaxing rooms, we found a plethora of reasons not to get up, and only further delayed the wake-up process. With droopy eyes and a sluggish gait, we dragged ourselves to the lobby, and proceeded to board the bus that would take us to the train station. After boarding the train, many us fell into a deep slumber. Most of our minds weren’t even on the destination of the day. Rather, it was to snore our way through the journey. The view outside of the train was awe-inspiring.  From the animals in their natural habitat, to the crashing waves of the Urubamba River as it rushed down to a bank, and even to the lush vegetation as it flourished in the fertile soil of the Andes Mountains, many of us missed this wondrous view on our ascent up the mountain. 



After exiting the train, there was a short bus ride up the mountainside. Despite the treacherous terrain and the rocky roads, we managed to pull through to the top. While at the ticket stand, we got a authentic stamp and walked our way up the short trail. And there it stood, in all its magnificent glory, and we finally understood what all the fuss was about. Machu Pichu, one of the seven wonders of the modern world, was standing in front of us, shrouded by a thick, dense fog that only added to its breathtaking beauty. The view was incredulous, with many of us frozen where we stood, unable to move. It was as if an anchor was holding us down, with Machu Pichu as the ships captain, ordering us to soak up the view. The group of thirty students were then split up into two groups of fifteen. One group was led by tour guide Hamilton, and the other by Freddy. We explored the ancient ruins of the Incans, daring to venture into the sacred temples and lairs including the Temple of the Condor and the humble adobe of the Incan King. 







We trekked up the countless stairs, staring into the empty void below from the side of the mountain. We encountered llamas, and saw the numerous terraces that the Incans were able to cut into the mountain. 



There were different plants from a small botanical garden including the coca leaf, which many associate with the drink Coca-Cola. We learned about the significance of different animals and about the unique culture of the Incans. The Incans believed in the condor as the messenger of the gods, the snake as a representation of the underworld, and the puma as a fierce creature that was a symbol of strength. Contrary to many beliefs, Machu Pichu, which means “Old Mountain“, was a small city for religious people in the Incan culture. 




After exploring the riches and seeing what Machu Pichu had to offer, we hiked down the mountain to grab some lunch. Lunch was composed of various American foods, along with some Peruvian specialties. Some students had burgers, hot dogs, and pizza, while others had emponadas and escalope de pollo. After a hearty, filling lunch, we prepared for the journey back up the mountain to see what else Machu Pichu had in store for us. 

Day 2 Afternoon

Recorded by Roz and Michael

After getting back on the bus from lunch, we traveled to the Pisac market outside in the small town in Pisac. Everyone broke into small groups and went shopping. We tried our hand at bargaining for lower prices. People bought all manner of lovely handmade items, including alpaca scarves,  silver jewelry with precious stones, small trinkets and musical instruments. 

Then we got back on the bus and drove to the Urubamba in the Sacred Valley.   We stopped at a lookout point to take some photos....

On the way, we stopped at a roadside stand and bought roasted guinea pig for everyone to try. It tasted like tangy chicken. 

Then we got back on the bus and traveled to a pottery workshop in Urubamba called the Seminario. We took a tour of their operations and viewed some ancient pottery. We eventually arrived at the hotel. It was like a cute village. After a nice dinner of pasta and soup, as well as some tasty desserts, people played a large game of mafia and soon went to sleep, because we had to get up at 4:30 the next morning!

Day Two Morning

Recorded by Lise and Ose

5:45 AM. Our wake-up calls woke us, at least some of us. The rest of us were awoken by our walking alarm clock, also known as Ms. Maggio. We dragged ourselves down to the entrance of the hotel’s restaurant only to be forced into waiting for our buffet breakfast. Although it started late at 6:15 AM, breakfast was enjoyable. We had a variety of breads, juices (including pineapple and melon). We filled our plates with yellow potatoes, egg, and fried fruit. After breakfast, we clambered into our bus and headed to the airport for our 10:15 flight to Cuzco. After much waiting, we finally all got through security check, although we were held back due to some of our boarding passes being defective. To pass time, we played Chinese Poker and Mao, among other games. Finally, we were called to board a bus which brought us to our plane. Most of us spent the  flight either sleeping or reading, only stopping to eat some crackers and peanuts served by the flight attendants.

 However, after 1 hour and 30 minutes passed, our plane swooped down towards Cuzco, the best city of Peru (according to Jorge, our local tour guide who comes from Cuzco). 

Snow capped mountains embedding the landscape surrounded clusters of mud brick houses,  and as we got closer and closer to the ground, the mud-brick houses grew and flowers colored the landscape. Watching the scenery as we crept closer along with the soothing airplane’s music was completely worthwhile.  After getting off the plane, we climbed onto our new bus where we met our new bus driver, Alex, and we were briefed about our activities for the day. We headed for lunch at a local restaurant up in the mountains where we devoured chairo (traditional Cuzco soup), Al Paca (a llama-like animal), and tropical fruit ice cream. And to top that, the waiters served us superb sweet coca tea which was one of the two best remedies for altitude sickness (the other being shopping).  Local musicians playing traditional flutes, drums, and guitars accompanied our wondrous lunch.  Bottom line, Lunch was freaking AWESOME!!!!

Day One

Day One:
By Shivani and Sophia

Today we embarked on our journey to the mystical magical land of South America. At Newark Airport, we bonded by introducing ourselves and sharing some laughs while waiting for our flight to Peru. At around 2 pm, we took off, kicking off our seven-hour-long flight. 

In the air, we enjoyed two meals and a variety of movies, as well as an absolutely gorgeous sunset. We landed in Lima at around 8:30 pm Peru time, claimed our baggage, and waited to pass through customs and security checks. We met our tour guide, Jorge, and our driver, Henry, who will be with us for the duration of the tour. They’re pretty great. On the bus, we went over some safety guidelines, introductions, and room assignments on our way to the hotel. We arrived at the Embajadores Hotel around 11 pm, got our room assignments that ranged between 1 and 3 people per room, and got settled into our rooms. Most of us were pretty worn out from our flight and just relaxed to get ready for the early start tomorrow. In the morning, we’ll be leaving the hotel at 7am to catch a domestic flight to Cuzco and explore the Sacred Valley.

SERVICE TRIP 2014 TO PERU is about to get underway

 

 

Hello There and thanks for visiting our blog.  The students and I are very excited for our trip in a few hours.  PLEASE check back here for daily updates on our adventures in PERU - Stuy Service Trip 2014!!!