Encounter With the Homeless Boy

During our last night in Cuzco, I experienced something both horrific and incredibly saddening. This experience probably moved me more than any on this trip. When leaving a restaurant where our group ate dinner, my friend Alex and I rounded the corner of the dark exit stairwell leading from the restaurant and nearly tripped over a sad little homeless boy with his head buried between his legs. I assume he was trying to sleep, and when he looked up, his eyes were quite glazed and bloodshot.

He looked incredibly tired; his pleading eyes bore into my sole, as though begging me not to harm him because I was so much bigger and older than him. He couldn't have been more than eight years old as he tried to do the best he could to survive the streets of Cuzco. In his hands lay an album of paintings and he wore a backpack (presumably with all his belongings). It's likely that he tried as best he could to sell the paintings to tourists during the day to make a living in his frugal attempts for survival.

As Alex and I walked away, I felt compelled to help this poor child. We decided to walk back and talk with the kid to try and find out about his situation. When we approached him, his head was buried between his legs, as though trying to shut out the cruel world. Alex said: "Amigo." The child did not respond. After repeating several times, the kid still didn't respond and remained with his head buried between his legs, as though appearing asleep to us and pretending to himself that we weren't there and something bad was NOT about to happen to him. I wonder what when through his mind as we tried to talk to him. Did he fear that he was about to be kidnapped? Did he think we were going to hurt or kill him?

Finally, I said "Amigo, tengo dinero para ti," meaning "Friend, I have money for you." He finally looked up and his eyes appeared even sadder than when I first saw them, pleading and more exhausted than ever. I passed him a 20 soleil bill and asked him where his parents were. He told us that his parents were at his house, but didn't say anything more. I think he told us about his parents at home as a deterrent, attempting to protect himself by making the subliminal threat that if we were planning to hurt him, his parents in his house would have something to say about it. What parents in their right mind would let their eight year old child sleep in a dark stair well, late on a Sunday night? I know some parents abuse their children, but it only seems plausible that this child was orphaned and homeless.

Since this kid was not about to divulge information, it made it hard to help him any more than by simply giving him money, hoping that it would in some way it would make his life better. When we walked away, he returned his head returned to between his legs and curled up on a stair, near the corner.

A sadness came over me, and I felt stronger than ever that child poverty and child homelessness are some of the most evil and terrible sicknesses that wreak havoc upon this world. What a cruel world! What is more horrifying is that there are many more children in similar or worse situations than the little Cuzcanian boy. Many Americans are not aware of this, or are aware, but look the other way. It is quite sad, and this experience helped open my eyes. I hope other students experience something similar in their lives; something that moves them this much; something that compels them to help others. Not to sound hackneyed, but child poverty must stop! If everybody who has something extra to give helps out a little more, it can stop!

Inca and Coya

We've seen so many amazing things lately, I hardly know where to begin. Of course Machu Picchu was spectacular, definitely something everyone should see at least once - the artistry and determination embodied in it is amazing. We arrived there early in the morning and got to watch the sun slowly rise above the mountains surrounding the city, brilliantly outlining the peaks to the East and spreading rays across the valley. No wonder the Incan people worshipped the sun! I wish that we could have spent days not only in Machu Picchu but in each individual ruin as well that we've visited: there's so much to explore.
There's also a lot of cathedrals around - not surprising. The Spanish were definitely aiming to impress, with huge gold shrines featuring many statues and elaborate wood carvings and paintings everywhere. However the effect is somewhat spoiled, at least for me, when I realize that those perfect stones that make up the columns of the church were taken from Incan palaces and temples. One more amusing example of the two cultures colliding we've seen was a famous Peruvian painting of the Last Supper, on display in the one of the main cathedrals in the Plaza de Armas, in which Judas looks like Francisco Pizarro and the main dish on the table is guinea pig.

Machu Picchu

I don't have the right tools to describe this city that we visited yesterday, so I won't try. You can look at the photos and see that everything people say about Machu Picchu is true. All I'll say is that it's easily the most spectacular physical setting for a city that I've ever seen.

If the site were a grassy slope instead of a large mysterious stone city it would still be famous, and well worth visiting. It makes me want to go back to school and one of my original interests, archaeology - it seems to me that there's a thousand questions not yet answered that each could make an archaeologist's career.

My first research question would be, why are there three rows of niches in the agricultural terrace walls on the west side of the city? What a day to see it - we talked with another group in Cuzco today who said their guide was amazed by the weather yesterday - said they only get about 30 days a year like this.

More Jungle Stuff

Another fun part of the jungle trip was the canoes (it helped that we never saw an anaconda big enough to knock one over, as we were warned we might). One morning while we were staying in the jungle we hiked up to a lake and watchtower, did some exploring, and then paddled back. As we moved along - often more drifting and scraping along the banks than paddling - we got to see the jungle from a whole new angle. The taller trees were set back from the bank and at times it was very bright and sunny and peaceful, with all sorts of flowering bushes lining the sides. At one point we saw what can only be described as a flock of colorful butterflies swirling over the mud. It reminded me of the arboretum at home - except far more vivd.

The Sacred Valley - and back in time to Monkey Island

We just returned from an excellent long day, touring the amazing Sacred Valley. Inca ruins from Pisaq to Ollantaytambo; llama/alpaca/vicuna/guanaco farm; weaving cooperative at Chinchero.

But let's try to catch up by going back to 8 May, Saturday afternoon, when we took the little boat across the Madre de Dios river to Monkey Island to see the several species that take refuge there. Personnel from Eco Amazonia sometimes purchase monkeys from local folks in markets so that they can set them free, or almost so, on Monkey Island; their offspring are placed on the mainland forest. We saw several species: the long-limbed black spider monkey, squirrel monkey, saddleback tamarind, and two kinds of capuchins. Very interesting to see them tear around the profusion of vines and tree branches. Got caught in a brief downpour, wonderfully refreshing given how hot and sweaty we'd been since arrival. Then back across for a good dinner and a really good starlight boat trip, described by Samantha in her post.

Life on the Wild Side

I have to admit, during our days in the jungle home base was such a nice lodge that it was hardly the wild side . . . until you looked out into the courtyard and saw macaws in the trees or gigantic grasshoppers on the window screens. The variety and sheer volume of the plants all around was amazing. One of the highlights, though, was a big beautiful skyful of stars - the very first night, our guide took us out on the river to go star-gazing. Some of the constellations were familiar, like the Big Dipper, but most of them were completely new. Just moments after everyone had managed to quiet down and focus on the sky, we were rewarded with one of the brightest shooting stars I've ever seen. And, when my neck got tired of looking up, there were those same stars relfected in the water below - magical!
Oh yeah, and we saw caimans and monkeys and tarantulas and turtles too. Though of course, because we went fishing, the only fish we saw was a tiny little one not big enough to fit on the hook. But somehow, I was okay with that.
I'm sure there will be more on the jungle later . . . for the moment, I'm off to get breakfast!

Back from the Jungle

So we emerge from the rainforest, all in one piece and ready to see Cuzco and environs. We had a really terrific experience at the Eco Amazonia Lodge for three nights/four days. We flew from Lima to Puerto Maldonado, via Cuzco, where we stopped briefly. Rather spectacular views of the Andes as we climbed into Cuzco; glaciers, many lakes of otherworldly blue-green from glacial melt. Incidentally two of the best landings I've ever experienced by our Star Peru pilot; smoother than silk in both Cuzco and PM. Easy airport transits, and we were met by our guide from Andean Land Explorers, Carlos Vasquez Salas, and later by his brother Albino and their colleague at the lodge, Victor. After a short time trotting through the streets of Puerto Maldonado (a bustling little gold rush town at the junction of the Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers), buying last-minute supplies (rubber boots, ponchos, etc.) we piled into a long, narrow wooden boat for the hour-plus trip downriver to Eco Amazona Lodge. Weather was very hot and humid; probably high 80s, which is what I expected. Along the river we saw many small boats with gold dredging equipment - they scrape the river banks and rinse the earth through thousands of gallons of water, eventually using mercury to concentrate the gold, with predictable effects to the water quality and surrounding forest. The fish from this enormous river are too toxic for people to safely eat (although we saw plenty of people fishing).

We were met at Eco Amazonia, reportedly the biggest of several jungle lodges in the region, by the administrator Rodolfo Berger and his ridiculuosly adorable 8-week old pup, Alco. Rodolfo gave us the rundown about the place and explained that Eco Amazonia had been granted a concession to manage 10,000 hectares of rainforest in an ecologically sound fashion. The lodge, with several large main buildings and dozens of wooden bungalows, only features electrical power for two hours around lunch and four hours from dinner until 10:00 p.m. Food was simple and excellent; lots of rice, quinoa, local vegetables, chicken, some loma beef. We had lunch then climbed into the boat to cross the river to Monkey Island, the subject of our next post.

elegant dinner in lima

So they say that Lima is the culinary capital of South and Central America. Well, after this evening's meal I would have to agree. We went to Alfresco in Miraflores. According to tripadvisor.com, it is rated #85 out of 275 restaurants in Lima. #85. It was unreal. So tasty. I had this incredible flounder/shrimp dish with a thyme/butter rich sauce. Jeff had ceviche. I don't even like ceviche, but I tried it and it was so great. Cheryl had a peppered tuna on potato pie. Did I mention this place is rated #85??? It was SO GOOD.

So, I'm signing off, but Jeff wanted to have me remind everyone that we are heading into the Amazon jungle for the next four days, so we'll be off the grid. More blog posting on May 10th!

Cheers,
Mark

First Post

Well, for my very first post ever, all I can think of to talk about is the pigeons. Every plaza, every courtyard, is brimming with pigeons. They seem to particularly love sitting on the heads of the statues of saints surrounding churches. The only thing I think I've seen more of today has been bones - all organized and categorized and even arranged artistically in the catacombs, especially skulls and limbs. It was pretty amazing, and also pretty weird, walking through the underground tunnels where, as our guide put it, "if you get lost you end up as part of the exhibit." Above ground, the fruit vendors make a fun exhibit of their own, selling peeled oranges and pineapples slices wrapped in napkins. For dinner a group of us trooped over to what turned out to be a pretty nice mall right over the beach. The nearness of the ocean made up for eating at a restaurant that was basically a Peruvian Denny's! It was fun. (I'm sorry, Dad and Caitlin, no sand yet - but I'll have more chances later!) Overall today has been quite an adventure, definitely exciting enough to merit running on about six hours of sleep. I'm looking forward to the jungle tomorrow, too - even though an early flight means sleep deprivation once again!

Lima

After a long travel day yesterday, May 5, we all arrived at the tidy La Paz Apart Hotel around 0100. Even at that hour the "melody of Lima" surrounded us --- constant sharp car horns blasting away. Exhaustion brought sleep rapidly despite the serenade.
Today we toured Lima. In particular, we went to San Francisco de Lima, a monastery built in the 1600s. Because Andalusians were coming to Peru from recently Moorish Spain at the time, the monastery features wonderful tilework, a courtyard with gardens and fountains and arches. As has always been the way among Catholic institutions, wealthy influential Lima families contributed artwork and financial support to the poverty-vowing Franciscan friars in return for the privilege of having members buried under the monastery's floors. Centuries later in the 1950s the monastery was in need of funds and decided to open up those graves, scramble the bones and create ossuary "catacombs" for the touring public. The monks broke down walls and made low narrow tunnels among the dark opened burial sites so ticketed visitors (even a bunch of Westminster Griffins) could indulge in gazing with guilty curiosity at the fate of all mortal flesh, peering down upon eerily lit dust and bones. We wondered what became of all the piles of finger and toe bones, ribs, vertebrae, pelvic and arm bones. The artistic fathers arranged almost only femurs and staring skulls for display. Anyway, those generous families of the early colonial period have ended up paying twice --- once during their lives as patrons secure in the hope of sacred burial, and now again as the objects of tourists' grim fascination.

First Day Tour

We just returned from our first day's tour of historic central Lima. We drove to the Plaza de Armas/Plaza Mayor and walked around -- a busy, crowded, exciting scene, including lots of Andeans in traditional garb in front of the Presidential Palace. Didn't get into the Cathedral, which was disappointing, but the San Francisco Monastery complex was terrific - wonderful vernacular art demonstrating the fertile cross-pollination of Catholicism with indigenous American beliefs, thousands of colorful Sevillean tiles (and lots made in Lima), and the gloomy and disturbing catacombs: the bones of a reported 70,000 people, many carefully arranged in concentric circles. Then to the Inquisition Museum, fairly cheesy but evocative, and an excellent lunch at the Hotel Bolivar (Birthplace of the Pisco Sour! as they tell you in seven different ways) and back to the hotel. Lima weather exactly as advertised: 70 degrees, humid, always looking like it's about to rain but never does.

LOTS of cops everywhere, well-armed, and everyone we talked to was friendly and welcoming. Plenty of high-pressure tourist pitches for maps, jewelry, food, etc., but entirely to be expected given where we were.

Arrival

We're safely in Lima, after a long but mostly uneventful day via Denver and Atlanta. I read up most of Mario Vargas Llosa's Death in the Andes, played a couple rounds of trivia, and watched "The Hurt Locker" (good) and "The Men Who Stare at Goats" (mostly incoherent, but amusing) as well as a bunch of old Offices and 30 Rocks. Three minor travel crises already: one person walking off with someone else's passport (nearly stranding the latter in Salt Lake), one person trying to leave a boarding pass at currency exchange, and one person walking off with someone else's bag in Lima (which we'll have to fix tomorrow). Students are fired up to be here and excited to get out and see what needs to be seen. We're nicely housed in La Paz Apart in Miraflores - landed at about midnight, worked our way through a long but fairly fast customs and immigration line, and piled into three vans provided by the hotel; drove south along the coast, with big white rollers coming in under a hazy sky. Tomorrow we head off to historic central Lima with our guides from KaySAC - we'll see the Plaza de Armas, Lima Cathedral, San Francisco church complex, including catacombs and Inquisition museum, and lunch at the Bolivar Hotel, reputed birthplace of the Pisco Sour.