TGIM! – Thank God It’s Monday!

Thank God it’s Monday!” They say that any working mother who has not experienced this feeling, her children are not adolescent.”   On the contrary, I am always excited and looking forward for another Monday to spend time with the Pumamarca kids.  Mondays personally liven up my day!

Monday, January 19: At 9.30 am, I heard someone knocking on the door – it was Thomas, our designated taxi driver and takes us to the school daily.  Thomas is quiet and coy and you would seldom hear him talk.  But he drives like speedy Gonzales.  And I wonder where he gets that level of energy – could it be from the ballad songs that he plays from the taxi radio?

“Good morning Class, today’s English lesson is on Partes del Cuerpo (Body Parts), Mark, Alex and myself started the week in the school by conducting the English lesson for grades 3 & 4.  We recapped the session with the song ‘head, shoulders knees and toes.’  It was no surprise how the kids loved and learned the song so fast.  The kids’ excitement peaked up as we sped up the singing.

Monday afternoon was also my first time to assist the Social Worker to perform Lucia’s physiotherapy.  We started off doing  massage therapy and attentively took the instructions from the Social Worker.  I worked on Lucia’s cold but sturdy hands whilst my co-volunteer Alex worked on her still face.  This was followed by a speech therapy where Lucia had to identify images from the flash cards, which were made up mainly with 2 syllables.  We also assisted in massaging her back, arms and  legs.

Tuesday 18th of January:  All 4 volunteers were back on board.  Vanessa returned last night from her 4 days Inca trek in Machu Picchu.

My favorite class, grades 3 & 4 of approximately 25 pupils had us again for an Art Class.  This time we did “animal mask- making.”   With the help of Alex, we formed the face of the mask by using a round plastic container on a hard cardboard.  I then found a box of tissue paper and pulled out the piece from the middle to form and shape ears.  It was the perfect shape and size. A t the end of the creative art production, the pupils chose their favorite animal image and colored in the mask.  It was another great production line.  It took the class a good hour to finish their mask.  This activity has allowed me to see the diverse artistic abilities of the kids.

Towards late afternoon the seasonal rain hit the town. We all ended up staying  in the house and were able to catch up with some work including lessons planning.

Wednesday 19th of January:   Nico from Ultimate Tours joined us at Pumamarca School. This was the first day of planning to build the 3rd Greenhouse for the program.  So I got myself a shovel anticipating that it would be the easier tool to lift than the peak axe.  Whilst Rufino (the maintenance staff), Nico, Alex and Mark did the digging for the foundation, which was 40cms in depth x 28 cms in width, I shoveled to scoop the dirt.  Needles to say, construction was not my best asset but I happily worked for nearly 2 hours scooping some pieces of dirt with multiple break-times. Everything that was built in the school was done without any machinery.

Peru’s Challenge aims to build 6 Greenhouses.  The Greenhouse, including Chicken Coop and Wood fire Oven, are some of the sustainable projects that help supply fresh fruits, vegetables, eggs and bread for the school kids. In addition, these projects also help the community to generate income.  In one of the Greenhouses, the vegetables and crops were planted 3-4 weeks ago, and are now ready for harvesting.  The 6 Greenhouses are expected to produce hundreds of healthy foods on the table.  Peru’s Challenge plans to approach tourist restaurants in Cuzco to direct sell the harvested vegetables.

After lunch, Mark and I joined the local community spectators, young and old, in celebrating San Sebastian Festival in the midst of the seasonal afternoon rain.  This is one of the most famous celebrated festival events in Peru. Group dancers from nearby communities joined the festivity parade around the San Sebastian Square and showcased their folkloric dances.  It was a very festive day for the community. ‘Chiriuchu’ (guinea pig, chicken, tortilla, cheese and corn) was the delicacy prominent in most eateries/restaurants.

At nighttime  there were endless fireworks competitions and  exhibits. I must admit that the night ambience was more fun.  I enjoyed seeing all sorts of food carts/stalls on the street alleys and the main square.  There was so much food to choose from that you could smell the tempting aroma of local foods everywhere.  I love this sort of festive events, and the Peruvians certainly know how to be festive!

Thursday afternoon, 20th January:  This was my first time to visit Quilla Huata, Pumamarca’s neighboring community of around 130 families. The condition of the roads to Quilla Huata was worse than Pumamarca.  We forgot about the rocky road as we were entertained by the stunning panoramic view of the neighboring towns of San Jeronimo and San Sebastian. The moment Alex, Jane (Peru’s Challenge founder), and myself arrived at Quilla Huata, Alicia and Yaquiline (and her sister Anali) cheerfully greeted us.  All of them attend Pumamarca School.

Friday 21st January:  Alex and I did our routine classes – Art Class at 10.10am until 10.45 then followed by a P.E. class

Saturday 22nd of January:  This was our second leg of the weekend package tour.  We left the house at 9:45 am bound to Sacred Valley, the heart of the Inca Empire. The valley is known for its Inca ruins as well as its magnificent landscapes and scenic mountains.

Traditional outfit/hat from the town of Chinchero

Our first stop within the Sacred Valley tour was to the charming village of Chinchero. This is where I witnessed native women demonstrating step-by-step the process on how to dye the wool using the natural dyes produced and to make a traditional washing detergent from all sorts of local plants.  Chinchero is almost 400 meters higher than Cuzco and to no surprise I started experiencing  a throbbing headache and altitude sickness.

Arlich, our informative tour guide, then took us to another nice walk through a narrow cobbled streets leading to the main square and to a big sacred rock.  A spiritual group meditating or conducting some spiritual prayers were present in this place.  On the other side of the square was the Inca terrace steps.  And on the upper level you will find the Chinchero Church. It was a nice little colonial church with numerous archaic paintings on its front door as well as its interior walls and ceiling.

We  convened for lunch at Tunupa Restaurant Pisac – a fantastic restaurant with great food buffet selections combined with a relaxing and breath-taking view.  We were all seated on the balcony and enjoyed watching and listening the Peruvian duets performing Beatles music translated in Peruvian.  The best piece they played was a Peruvian version of one of Andrea Bocelli’s songs.

Our last stop for the day was Ollantaytambo – an Inca fortress located on the mountain peak of the Sacred Valley.  I almost gave up while gauging the steepness of the mountain.  Contemplating whether to hike or not, I remembered one of the books of Janine Shepherd ‘Never say Never.’ And in  a snap of a second I was encouraged to hike all the way up.

It was nearly 6.00pm when we arrived at Royal Inca Hotel, located in Pisac.  It was a quiet one-hour drive from Ollantaytambo as everyone was exhausted.  When we walked into the circular entry of the hotel the first thing that I noticed was the little chapel (believed to be built in the early 1600s).

Sunday, 23rd of January:  After having fruits and an omelet for breakfast I started exploring the hotel and was enamored by its surrounding  view of the mountains and valleys.

Our first stop was to the Archeological Park of Pisac.  We did a lot of walking and after 3 hours I realized that we went through a long stretch of rocky and narrow pathways as well as steep stoned built stairways.  Its compact ruin formations, water cascades, multi-storey dwelling houses, bathing areas, numbers of small and large size sun gates and stone-works, complemented the steep paths and stairs I had to endure.

The long and winding walk was indeed strenuous.  Thankfully, I chewed some coca leaves like the Incas before the start of the long walk and I must say it helped me a lot.  We finally reached the bottom of the bustling Market of Pisac village at 2.15pm with a very hungry tummy and tired legs.  I am sure the Incas took the same remedy for energy boosters.

We knew exactly what we need to get so we gave ourselves half an hour to wander around market stalls of merchandise, and fresh fruits and vegetables. I also noticed that prices were relatively high in comparison to Cuzco’s. And walking away with a bag of bananas, mangoes and avocado only showed that I have been deprived from shopping.

After all the hikes we did, we all deserve to enjoy a Peruvian buffet lunch at Dona Clorinda, located next door to Royal Inca Hotel.

My next weekend tour will be Machu Picchu and looking forward to share that experience with you.

For more details and information on Peru’s Challenge, go to www.peruschallenge.com

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