Lost in the desert

Never have I been to a desert before. Nor have I thought that there would be a desert in Peru. However, this maymester trip gave me an opportunity to experience something unforgettable, miles upon miles of sand.

Desert view

A few hour bus ride brought us out of Lima to the little town called Huacachina in the province Ica, where the desert is located. As soon as we arrived, we were split into two groups and hopped in the buggies that were ready to take us on a roller-coaster-like adventure through the sand dunes. The moment the buggies took off, I could feel the warm desert wind and flying sand on my face (and in my eyes because I was too careless to bring sun glasses), but the excitement of climbing and dropping with skilled buggy driving made it all worth it.

The Buggy

At our first stop, we had the opportunity to take in the view (and tons of pictures) of the endless sand dunes touching the clear late afternoon sky at the horizon. Our second stop was at the peak of one sand dune where our buggy driver handed each of us a sandboard. Never having sandboarded before, I was both excited and scared about the height and about what would happen. Clutching at the strips and lying with my belly on the board, I was pushed off from the peak. My hair started flying, my feet were drawing lines along the sand hill and with a tiny bump, my first sand sliding ended with a safe and sound landing. It was in fact more exciting than scary, so we all tried several times more.

Watching the sunset in the desert

Covered in sand from sandboarding, we took off on the buggies again to see the sunset. Watching the sunlight dyeing the sky with different shades of yellow on a desert land was romantic. Nevertheless, the oasis we saw after the sunset was perhaps a more spectacular scene, with a quiet small lake surrounded by banana trees and houses. As night arrived and the moon came out, I was lost in the beauty of the reflection of light on the surface of the oasis.

Oasis at night

"No, Gracias"

     This has probably been the most utilized phrase of the trip for me, thanks to the various markets we’ve visited as well as the street venders. If you took too long of a glance at someone’s table or perhaps asked the price of something, next thing you know, they’ve put a hat on your head, you have a llama in your hands, and a necklace or other various jewelry items on. This is barely an exaggeration, as we’ve all hopefully learned how to better navigate the markets and barter for prices by now. However, it is very easy to fall into the trap of looking too long and having a saleswoman tell you how great everything is and how she'll offer a great price, "just for you!"

     Outside of markets, just about everywhere in Cuzco will have you passing by men and women selling paintings, hats, gloves, llama keychains and more. A walk to the central plaza will include no fewer than 5-10 “No, gracias” responses, and after getting one early on (because who can say no?), you’ll learn to turn down women dressed in traditional clothing who take pictures with you and their lambs for tips.

     One interesting case was when a few of us were eating empanadas at a local café in the evening and a girl in a school uniform who was probably in elementary school came up and tried to sell us pens with llamas on top and various finger puppets, not backing down when Profe told her how he already owned plenty. She ended up coming back a total of 5 or 6 times, always right after the waiter went back inside, with various goods to sell and didn’t give up until the moment we left. This is not a rare case at all in Cuzco—after school and finishing homework, so many kids come out to try and sell to tourists, which is something that would never fly in the United States.

     I have to admire the tenacity of all these venders, and the first few days especially, it was very hard to not feel guilty when trying to walk quickly past on your way to wherever you were headed and avoid having to say “no, gracias” many more times. All of us have gotten better at this over the past week and a half in Cuzco, which is definitely a plus as there’s no end in site to constantly being sold to!

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

Ever since I was young, I have been fascinated by mountains—not just the beauty and danger posed by the most formidable ones, but by what they represent. To some it is a challenge, an obstacle to be conquered and overcome. To native Andean populations, it represents a connection to the Earth and their God. Mountains are very spiritual things, that are often brought offerings and have histories crisscrossed with ceremony, sacrifice and significance to the locals. They represent either the origin of people or where they go to when they die, and as many of them are active volcanoes to this day they still inspire spirituality in the local populations that live on and near them. Some of this spirituality may have had to do with the fact that at incredibly high altitudes, such as at the tops of the highest peaks in the Andes, the lack of oxygen even for people adapted to live at altitude causes an almost dream-like state. Reality and fiction are blurred together, possibly giving it some of the religious and spiritual power mountains hold in local culture.

One of the towns we visited this past weekend, Maras, has a mountain that features prominently in its story of the origin of its church. Another mountain, which happens to be the tallest in Peru, is the destination of a famous sacrifice of an Incan girl. Sacrifice was a significant part of the Inca way of life, not just in the form of offerings but in human life. One way the Inca displayed their power was by marching someone through the entire empire, in this case a young girl whose mummy was found on the mountain hundreds of years later, and sacrificing her body at a final destination. Along with the body, found in 1995 by an American anthropologist and his climbing partner, were food, textiles and statues, part of the religious ceremony of the sacrifice. This journey across the empire gives great insight into Inca power and the role mountains played in its display. This journey was punctuated by a series of rituals, the culmination of all sometimes taking over a year. This sort of display is crucial to the unification of the Empire. Different from European empires whose power stemmed from military might, a lot of Inca power emanated from culture, religion and ritual. The journey of the girl five centuries ago and her eventual death represented the reach of the Inca empire and its control over the sacred land. In this case, the mountain signified the end of life, and seeing them in person as we journeyed across Peru, I can understand the importance and spirituality gained from the majestic peaks.

Más Chicha Por Favor

The town Maras appears to be an old colonial town stuck in the past, but it really has its own unique character and appeal. During our stay not only did Jesúsa teach us how to make a traditional Chicha from scratch, but I also had the opportunity to accompany Almicar to pick up a fresh pitcher of Chicha for our group to taste. On our way, Amilcar taught me the way Chicha is purchased and sold within Maras. Since Chicha is not only best when fresh but also takes nearly three days to make, residents of the town purchase their Chicha from neighbors. Houses signal that they have fresh Chicha to be bought by hanging some sort of colored plastic bag or banner at the end of a long stick outside their home. Most homes use the color red to signal fresh Chicha!

            Amilcar took me to a home in the village he has never bought Chicha from, yet the interactions between himself and the owners made it seem like they had been friends for years. Rather than treating me as a foreigner (which I obviously was), the homeowners extended their kindness to me as well. They welcomed me into their home, asked my name, and even invited me to sit and drink Chicha with them at the table. This type of social interaction was foreign to me, yet I found the high levels of respect and friendliness residents of Maras have for one another to be inspiring. In the United states it is nearly unheard of to walk into a stranger’s home and be greeted with open arms. My experiences in Maras led me to believe that this type of neighborly kindness is what makes it unlike other places I have been within Peru. On top of that, it makes Maras feel like a close knit community which I also felt part of during our short stay.

Sometimes Non-Alcoholic Drinks Win

     As much as I loved being able to test out the wonderful cocktails, milkshakes, juice mixtures, etc. in Peru, they definitely weren’t always the call—especially when adjusting to new heights (literally) and being slightly wary of all the new food and drinks. Luckily there were a few drinks that could always be counted on:

      Chicha morada: though I can’t say I’m much a fan myself, I did enjoy the opportunity to help make our own Chicha morada in Maras when Profe, Adaiah and myself came back from the hike earlier. This drink is made from purple corn, and sugar and lemon are added to taste (we needed a lot of sugar when making ours).

Chicha Morada

     Another great thing is how they can mix tropical fruits into various smoothies and juices—my favorite being mango, maracuya and pineapple from La Gran Fruta in Lima.  Lemonade, sometimes with added flavors, has also been a staple on many menus here.

Bebida de La Gran Fruta

     Though not a Peruvian place, myself and many others on this trip have also made various runs to Starbucks for the combination of familiar taste and the best WiFi around. In Lima I asked what was different about my Chai Tea compared to in the U.S., and the barista replied that they don’t use straight milk, they add cream to all their beverages as well, which makes them that much tastier. I also have become a big fan of the Dulce de Leche Frappuccino when in dire need of sugar and caffeine—if only this were offered everywhere in the States!

Dulce de Leche Frappuccino

Las Bebidas del Cielo (But actually, the agua brand was Cielo)

     Two wonderful things about Peru are that 1) they really know how to make some good cocktails and 2) that the drinking age is 18, so even upcoming still-20-year-old me could try some of the concoctions. With a bottle of water (because free water isn’t a thing in Peru) costing close to the price of any other drink, it was more than necessary to try some Peruvians favorites.

     Our visit to Tacama, the oldest vineyard in South America, led to many purchasing a bottle of Albilla d’Ica after a tasting, and that was just the start. On this trip we also encountered the Machu Picchu, a deliciously fruity, layered drink. We also had the opportunity to learn how to shake up the perfect Pisco Sour while in Lima, a drink some liked more than others, but was extremely refreshing and is the national drink of Peru.

Albilla d'Ica

El Machu Picchu

Un Pisco Sour

    

     In Cuzco I’ve also had a few great finds: the first was the “Adult” milkshakes at Papacho’s (whose food was equally amazing), which was basically the milkshake version of a piña colada and costed the same as their non-alcoholic milkshakes—bonus! We also had the opportunity to hit up Happy Hour at Paddy’s Irish Pub (the highest altitude Irish pub on the planet!) and try their Vodka with various juices (my favorite was piña) as well as the Peru Libre, like a Cuba Libre but with Pisco instead of rum. To top it off, we found Mango Daiquiris that were unbelievable as well.

     Moral of the story: any mix of alcohol with fruit will be worth your while in Peru.

Mango Daiquiri

"Adult" Milkshake