A Week at Home

My thoughts at work and home have consistently been wandering to my experiences in Peru. It is extremely hard for me to be back and involved in the day to day of my New Jersey life. I miss the pace of Peruvian life. People work hard attempting to sell their crafts, sweeping the streets, sowing the fields, and building their houses. There’s a peacefulness that settles over their towns that we do not have here. I remember being on the train to Machu Picchu and as the train passed by within feet of the mud brick homes in Cuzco, mothers stopped hanging their laundry, kids stopped playing, dogs stopped chasing each other, and men stopped farming to watch. The train must pass their homes several times a day and yet they take a minute out of their day to watch. The train passes through at the foot of the Andes, past villages and fields, where people just stop. I remember a farmer stood up in his potato field, wiped his brow, and watched as we passed. One man and a boy, possibly home from school on summer vacation, stopped the plow and watched the train. Some of them were possibly in awe of this great beast chugging through their farmland. They watch in amazement and with open arms, maybe the way the Inca welcomed the Spanish conquistadors.

One thing that amazes me is that people are still reading my blog. I really appreciate all of the readers and especially everyone who has been commenting and leaving questions for me. I would like to address a couple of these questions here.

Tyler from the school asked: "Was the hike (on Mt. Machu Picchu) very steep on your long, long, long way down? Did you have a fun time in Machu Picchu?"

Thanks for asking Tyler. Yes, the hike was very steep. I was glad that I had brought an adjustable walking stick from home with me. Even though I walk and hike on a weekly basis, I was not prepared for the hike down Machu Picchu. What's really amazing is that most native people can complete a downhill hike like that in under 30-minutes. I had a lot of fun at Machu Picchu, especially as a photographer. Every hour brought a different type of weather element, lighting situation, and unexpected natural elements like rainbows. Did you know that there are caves at Machu Picchu too? It was fun to discover them as we walked through the ruins.

Emma from the school asked: "Was it fun to collect water samples? How long did it take? Machu Picchu sounds really beautiful. Would you visit it again if you could?"

Thank you for posting Emma. My favorite experience on the trip was having the opportunity to help collect the water samples. I'm just glad I didn't have to put my own hands in the water. I was able to see a side of Peru that as a tourist you would not have the opportunity to see. Just about every water source took us through real neighborhoods and even some people's backyards. It only took about 15-20 minutes to collect water at each source. However, I know Elaine and Diana spent several hours doing further testing back at the hotel at the end of the day.

Machu Picchu was very beautiful. It is one of my favorite places in the world. Someday I hope I can go back and try climbing another mountain or maybe even hike the Inca Trail which brings you right into Machu Picchu by foot instead of by train. It's funny you should ask this question because I asked a similar question of the group before I left. I asked, "Would you return to Peru again or was this a once in a lifetime trip? If you did return, what would you want to see and why?" If you would like to listen to individual responses from our group, please click on the title of this blog entry (A Week at Home) and it will bring you to the recording.