Tuesday November 10: The Sacred Valley Part 2

We departed the Center for Traditional Textiles to another small village in the Sacred Valley where we stopped at a chicheria where chicha, a traditional Andean corn beer is made. We walked to a small building with a courtyard where we were greeted by a woman who is one of the master chicha makers in the region. We assembled in a small dark room with benches, surrounded by old brewing equipment and a variety of interesting artifacts. Miguel translated for us as the woman explained how she makes chicha, the famous corn beer. Our rules for sanitary consumption of food and beverages were momentarily suspended as we sampled the chicha- both the plain corn beer and the strawberry flavored. Interestingly, chicha is served in huge glasses! Chicha used to be fermented with saliva but our chicha was fermented with a barley mash. Like it or hate it (it tastes like sour beer), it is one of those things you must try when in Peru! We roamed a bit around the courtyard and saw the "guinea pig" enclosure where they raise their cuy for food.

Tuesday, November 10: Bound for Cusco and the Sacred Valley- Part 1- The Center for Traditional Textiles!

We said goodbye to Lima and headed out in the early morning to the airport to catch our flight to Cusco. With apprehension about the effects of the high altitude, some of us started altitude sickness medications. Our 1 hour flight took us over the Andes and landed us at one of the top 25 highest altitude airports in the world.

Flying over the Andes toward Cuzco

As we disembarked and walked to the baggage claim to retrieve our luggage, we began to experience that out of breath feeling from the 11,152 ft altitude, about 2 miles high! At the airport we met our local Cusco guide, Miguel, who joined us, along with our national guide, Juan Carlos, for our stay in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Miguel speaks Spanish, English, and Quechua, the indigenous language of the Andeans. Both Juan Carlos and Miguel are extraordinary guides, so proud and knowledgeable about the history and culture of Peru. We couldn't be more fortunate to have these two wonderful Peruvians guide us on our trip.

As we drove out of Cusco, we saw a lot of unfinished construction in the city (we saw this in Lima as well). We learned that when a couple builds a home, they don't finish the second or third floor until other family members move in (such as married children) as a finished house gets taxed at a much higher rate. So some people build their homes with an unfinished second or third floor knowing someday their children may move in to the upper floor, then they finish it. In the meantime, there are a lot of buildings with rebar sticking out!

As our bus descended toward the Sacred Valley so we could get acclimated before we go back up into the high altitudes, we caught glimpses of the Andean countryside. Lots of fertile farmland surrounded by mountains.

Views from the bus window as we descended down into the Sacred Valley.

One very interesting feature seen on the center of roof tops of homes and businesses in the Cusco area are little ceramic bulls, often accompanied by small water jugs and crosses.  These bulls, called Torito de Pucara, are not just roof decorations. They are significant to the homeowner as they are often placed on the roof of a new house when it is blessed and is believed to bring economic well being to the family by honoring Pacha Mama (Mother Earth). The bulls represent happiness, wealth, and fertility. The water jugs also represent fertility and the cross shows the mixture of Catholic and native religions.

Bulls on the roof

Nilda Canallaupa and the Center for Traditional Textiles 

Our first stop after leaving the city of Cusco was in Chinchero to visit  and have lunch with Nilda Canallaupe at the Center for Traditional Textiles, an NGO founded and directed by Nilda to preserve the textile heritage of the Andean people.  As a native of the village of Chinchero, Nilda shepherded her family's sheep and took a keen interest in weaving. By the age of 14, she was presenting her weaving at the Smithsonian Institute and the American Museum of Natural History. Nilda went on to the University of Cusco, the first in her family to attend college, and spent a semester at U Cal Berkeley studying the history of textile art. She has presented at Harvard, Cornell, Brown and many U.S. universities and museums and is considered an international expert on Incan textiles and culture.

Peru has a rich history of textile art.  Traditional Andean weaving is used for both ritual and utilitarian purposes. The intricate patterns of weaving  honor Pachamama (Mother Earth) and connect people to animals and the natural world.  In the Andes, weavers pass on their knowledge through person-to-person communication, watching and practicing as their elders weave. With today's modern society, there has been great concern that the more than 2,000 year old Peruvian textile traditions could be lost in a generation. Nilda reached out and garnered support to start the Center for Traditional Textiles, a weaving cooperative (fair trade) and school for young girls. Wearing traditional dress, the Quechua-speaking women  learn and pass on the Incan techniques and patterns of weaving and also learn to market their work. Several older women teach the younger girls. Nilda is a shining example of how indigenous people can fully engage with world markets as an entrepeneur and still remain true to their ancestral roots.

 We arrived at Nilda's center and were warmly greeted by her.  Her smile is as wide as a rainbow and she has such sparkle in her eyes! A truly remarkable woman!

David and Page with Nilda

 We walked around and observed the women in the courtyard weaving and spinning their own yarn with drop spindles. I noticed how they did not look at any patterns- the patterns were in their heads and called out to each other on the double looms. It was also a social activity- one could see that the women enjoyed each others' company as they wove and spun.

We also noticed how beautiful their hats and long braids were. Their hats could even be turned inside out and worn with a different color. We also noticed several women carrying their babies wrapped in colorful swaths.

Nilda then invited us into the Center's dining room where a traditional lunch was prepared for us. Nilda presented the "Andean Chicken"- roasted guinea pig, or cuy, as the Peruvians call it! I thought about my cute little "Powder Puff" I had as a child and how she used to oink at me when she was hungry. And now I'm eating what I once had as a pet! Most of us tried it and agreed it tasted a lot like turkey dark meat! We also had soup, potatoes, potato tortillas (the favorite at our table), fava beans and corn, a carrot medley,  and lupine stew. All the ingredients were locally grown and the table cloth was a fine example of their weaving.

Roasted cuy- guinea pig!

After lunch Nilda and her women gave several demonstrations of weaving, spinning, yarn dying, and different ways textiles are used. Joyce and Mary tried their hand at yarn dying using natural materials.

After the demos we walked through the Center's store and many fine products were purchased, made by the women and their families. The quality is much higher than one can find in the cheaper, mass produced items in the markets and each item came with a tag that had the picture of the weaver, her name, and background. This visit was one of the highlights of our trip.  Click here to learn more about the work Nilda has done to preserve Andean weaving. After taking a group picture, we said our goodbyes and our new Andean weaver friends tied friendship bracelets onto our wrists. Onward to our next experience as we moved from textiles to learning about traditional music.

Monday, November 9: Health Care and Economics of Peru

Visit to the Hogar San Francisco de Asis

Today our mission in understanding trip was devoted to understanding the health care system in Peru and the state of Peru's economy. After a lengthy bus ride through the traffic congestion to 30 miles in the outskirts of Lima in the town of Chaclacayo in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, we arrived at the Hogar San Francisco de Asís, funded by the Villa la Paz Foundation, a hospice for destitute and sick children.

 Villa la Paz translates into House of Peace. The founder, "Dr. Tony", was in the U.S. on a fund-raising mission for the hospice, so we were met by a lovely young woman from Iowa, named Liberty Wickman, a recent college graduate who is volunteering at the hospice.We were struck by her generosity, compassion, and sense of service as she explained the important work of the hospice and the volunteers who dedicate their time and talents to help the children. Liberty has an interesting blog titled Journey of a Nomad that chronicles her many travels. She has also authored a book, available through Amazon.com titled Feeding Elephants, Friends, and Parasites- The Journey of a Nomad.

Liberty Wickman

Handprints of the children who have stayed at the home

The founder of the Villa Paz Foundation and its hospice, Dr. Anthony Lazzara, is an evangelical pediatrician from Tampa, Florida.  He left an academic position at Emory University in 1983 to serve his church by attending to the poor children of the developing world. The home is called Hogar San Francisco de Asis (St. Francis of Assisi Home) and receives sick children whose parents cannot afford to buy them required medicines or treatments to restore them to health.  Although Peru provides health care, a major expense is the aftercare and many families from the rural areas cannot afford to stay in Lima while their children recuperate and purchase the needed medications. The children live in the home and receive all necessary medications, food, and other needs without charge. Many of the children are there for corrective surgeries such as cleft palate and other facial deformities, severe burns, club foot and other limb deformities as well as illnesses such as chronic diarrhea, malnutrition, tuberculosis and chronic respiratory diseases. There is a full complement of nursing staff to care for the children 24 hours a day as well as cooks, teachers, and other ancillary personnel.

We held babies, played with the toddlers, and made many new friends. What a powerfully moving experience, cuddling with William, playing with Melita, holding Maria. The language barriers disappear when you're looking into the eyes of a child. Please consider visiting their website as you decide on your charitable donations this year - all donations go directly to caring for the children. We were pleased to learn that People to People gave the hospice a $900 donation on behalf of our delegation while we were there. The foundation is a U.S. registered non-profit and donations are tax-deductable.

Holding and playing with the babies

A particularly poignant moment was when this older boy, with severe burns, was following us around as we played with the babies and toddlers. He wanted attention too. The Penas, who spoke fluent Spanish, chatted with this boy and soon they embraced in a big hug! Then Jim Ahern found a ball and they had a great time playing ball in the courtyard!

Some of the children were bed ridden with full leg casts. We went upstairs and read books, colored, and played with them. This little boy with two full leg casts was mesmerized by Joyce's iPhone!

It's unique experiences like this that People to People trips provide that turn us from tourists into travelers with opportunities to interact with sick and healthy, rich and poor, indigenous people and modern urbanites, students and teachers, and all kinds of people in this fascinating, diverse world.
After this heart warming experience and the satisfaction of knowing that our $900 donation will go directly to these children's care, we headed back toward Lima. As we passed through the town of Chaclacayo, we saw many small businesses including this one for the veterinarian in our group- Dr. Stacy Hare!

Lunch at the Jose Antonio Restaurant

After another long bus ride (seems things are really spread out in Lima) we arrived for lunch at the lovely Jose Antonio restaurant, looking forward to sampling more of the wonderful Peruvian cuisine! Not only is the Peruvian cuisine fabulous, we also noticed how Peruvians pay attention to the decor of their restaurants. The Jose Antonio restaurant is in a former hacienda, decorated in the authentic Peruvian colonial style with original artifacts scattered throughout the dining areas.

The Jose Antonio Restaurant

The lunch was delicious. Of course we started with the obligatory pisco sours! The salad was fabulous- it consisted of some type of molded Peruvian mashed potato with spices filled in the center with tuna salad, topped with chopped egg and accompanied with avocado slices. I am definitely going to try and duplicate this on my food blog! This time we got to try the classic Peruvian beef dish, lomo saltado. Lomo saltado is made with marinated strips of beef stir fried with onions, tomatoes, and spices and served with rice containing choclo, the extra large Peruvian corn kernels.

Exploring Seaside Lima on Our Own

After lunch, we had two options: stay and explore the Lima area around the hotel on our own where you could walk to the Inca markets, the park, or stroll along the coastline. Or, visit one of Lima's universities. Walking along the coastline in Lima, one comes upon the Parque del Amor (Lover's Park). Here you see a huge statue of two lovers embracing each other in the center of the park, and from what I heard from those who were there, several Peruvian couples were duplicating the statue in real life! The park is surrounded by lovely walls of mosaic tiles inscribed with romantic quotes. Parasailers flew in the background and one practically collided with David, Stacy, and Kyle when he misjudged his landing spot. Another one of the interesting sites was the "cat park." Kennedy Park, in the heart of the Miraflores district, is home to over 100 stray felines. No one is sure how they started populating the park but their numbers have grown over the years and some are left there as abandoned pets. They are cared for by an anonymous group of "guardian angels." They peacefully laze in the midday sun and seem to be more active at night.

Parque del Amor

Some of the cats in Kennedy Park

More views along the Lima coastline

Visit to Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya

While some of us stayed at the hotel and explored Lima on our own, others went to visit a university in Lima. We arrived at the Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, a private Jesuit university in Lima with just under 1,000 students. They offer a wide range of graduate and undergraduate programs. As we gathered in the courtyard awaiting our host, we noticed this STEM poster. We also noticed the students looked like they could belong on any campus in the U.S. with their jeans, cell phones, and ear buds plugged in. Several were playing volleyball in a courtyard around the student center.

We were met by the new dean of the school of economics who had the look of a quintessential ultra-cool college professor. With his colleague who teaches sustainable tourism, we were led into a small lecture hall where he presented a powerpoint lecture on Peru's economy. After Brazil and Chile, Peru is the 3rd largest economy in South America and 39th in the world. Peru has made great strides over the last decade, reducing their deficit with conservative economic principles. Their main exports are minerals, textiles, agriculture, and fish meal as well as bringing in a lot of income through tourism. Their main trading partners are the U.S., China, European Union, Brazil, and Chile. They are strongly impacted by economic situations in the U.S and China, clearly part of a global economy.

Notice the Apple Mac Air!

After the lecture we had opportunities for Q&A and then headed back to our hotel for an evening on our own. Many explored the unique and famous gastronomical delights of Peru. Stacy and Kyle had the penultimate gastronomical experience. They went to IK Restaurante, one of the top 5 restaurants in Lima, and had the exquisite 12 course tasting menu which was a combination of gastronomy and art! Others tried different restaurants in the area. David and I enjoyed dinner at the Punta Azul, sharing an appetizer of fish wontons with ginger sauce, grilled octopus, risotto with yellow pepper cream and shrimp, and a seafood paella. One thing we noticed is that Peruvians tend to go to dinner at 8:00 or later. At 8:00, the restaurants fill up quickly; before that they are rather quiet. After dinner it was time to pack up and get ready for an early departure to Cuzco.

Stacy experiences the penultimate Peruvian cuisine!

Dinner at Punta Azul

Monday Nov. 9: Villa la Paz and USIL University

This morning we visited the Villa la Paz, a hospice to gain a better idea of the realities and shortcomings of Peru´s public health system. We learned about how efforts from individual doctors, with help from the private sector, try to overcome these shortcomings.


Lunch was at the Jose Antonio Restaurant where we enjoyed a variety of Peruvian foods. Check out the video of this amazing restaurant.


In the afternoon we visited San Ignacio de Loyola University. Visit their facilities with the opportunity to see the school and talk with the staff about a variety of issues including the higher education system in Peru, what type of elementary and secondary science curricula and instructional materials do teachers use and do they have national or regional mandated standards, what type of professional development opportunities do practicing science teachers have, and what are the requirements for professional development and how do the universities prepare elementary and secondary teachers to teach science.

The San Ignacio de Loyola Educational Organization has over 40 years of experience in the field of education, specializing in all levels of teaching, from early childhood education at Colegio San Ignacio de Recalde through graduate studies at the USIL Graduate School. In addition, it has excellent strategic alliances, both nationally and internationally, in addition to a number of exchange programs that enable our students to be educated as innate entrepreneurial leaders and the driving force behind our country's sustainable development.

Sunday Nov. 8, 2015- Exploring Lima

The morning started off with a short briefing from our guide, Juan Carlos, and logistics of our mission from trip leader, Page Keeley. We then boarded our bus for a visit to the Larco Museum.  As we drove to the museum, we enjoyed the "coastal route" with glimpses of the beautiful Pacific Ocean. At first glance we could have been in southern California, seeing the number of surfers catching waves. Juan Carlos explained to us that surfing is Peru's number 2 sport, after volleyball, and although soccer is very popular, Peru's team does not do well. Peru has produced several of the world's champion surfers and although the origins of surfing are typically associated with Hawaii, the first Peruvian settlers tried to "ride the waves" to fish since ancient times.

The Larco Museum was started by the Larco family in a large, beautiful hacienda dating back to the 7th century which they purchased to house and display their private collection. The beautiful structure is a fitting site for over 45,000 pieces of art going back through 3,000 years of history! When one thinks of the cultural history of Peru, the Inca come to mind.  This museum highlights not only collections from the Inca, but also many pre-Inca cultures dating back to more than 2,000 years BC.

Juan Carlos explains the history of the Larco Museum

We were struck by how lovely the bougainvillia was growing around the museum

The visit began with a private "behind the scenes" showing of the archived, catalogued antiquities. Thousands of Pre-Columbian pottery figures and vessels were arranged by theme- gods, people, jaguars, fish, llama, birds, frogs and so much more. We were privileged to be guided by two of the archeologist/curators from the museum.

thousands of archived artifacts

Just a few of the thousands of Pre-Columbian pieces

 It was fascinating to learn how they uncovered the "stories" in each piece, sometimes taking more than 10 years to figure out the pieces of the puzzle. Careful observation of each piece reveals something about the culture of that time. For example, if you look at this stone sculpture you will see a series of lines on the face which reveal an elderly person. The wide pupils are an indicator of dilation from hallucinogenic drugs taken by the shaman or priests of that time. So this was probably the bust of the high priest.

The pottery, textiles, and metallic art contain representations of the 3 worlds the cultures believed in: the upper world which is represented by birds; the middle world, inhabited by humans and represented by cats; and the underworld where you go after death, represented by serpents. For example, our curator pointed out each of the 3 world representations in this burial shroud. We gazed in awe at amazing ancient textiles including a poncho made from fine feathers.

The Inca also had an amazing system of record keeping using an elaborate, complicated system of knots and colored strings called quipus . The simple or compound knots and the size, color, and distance from each other detailed crop measures, thefts, debts, and other accounting data.

The Inca were amazing metal workers. Gold, silver, and copper are abundant in Peru and the beauty and durability of the metals give them an almost divine quality. As representatives of the gods, the elite Inca wore them and took them to their graves for use in the afterworld. We saw headdresses, beads, chest plates, enormous nose plates, funerary masks, and even shirts adorned with gold discs. 

Pre-Columbian metal work in silver, gold, and copper

Separate from the main house is a small building housing the gallery of erotic art with myriad vessels portraying the sex lives of ancient Peruvians and their animals. While it may seem "pornographic" to modern culture, fertility was very important to ancient Peruvians and is portrayed in these pieces.

A few of the many pieces depicting fertility and sex

After the museum visit, we had a lovely lunch at the Museum's beautiful outdoor patio garden restaurant. The Museum's restaurant showcases the flavors and products of Peru. After the traditional welcome drink, the pisco sour, we enjoyed a grilled asparagus salad with a mustard sauce, sea bass, Peruvian potato, and a passion fruit dessert.

A toast to Peru with our pisco sours!

Asparagus is a major export of Peru. This perfectly grilled asparagus was so fresh and delicious

Sea bass is a popular fish in coastal Peru

Almost too pretty to eat!

This afternoon we toured the center of Lima, including The Plaza Mayor, where Pizarro founded Lima, and we took in a few street scenes.

Plaza Mayor

We visited the San Francisco Convent (cameras were forbidden) where we also went down into the catacombs- a network of interconnected underground tunnels housing thousands of bones and skulls in ossuaries. The walls, arches, and ceiling of the catacombs were made of bricks with mortar made from lime, rocks, shells, and egg whites from the eggs of thousands of sea birds nests on the coast. The mortar was extremely strong and survived several earthquakes. Who would have imagined making mortar from eggs! We glimpsed at the massive 17th century library that houses more than 20,000 books and parchments dating back to the 15th century. The books and parchments could only be looked at from a distance as they are so fragile.

Next we visited La Cathedral, which dates back to the 1500's and is considered a masterpiece of Spanish colonial architecture. Pizarro is said to have carried the first log for its construction. Here Pizarro's remains lie in a mosaic covered chapel near the entrance to the Cathedral. However, it was revealed in the 1990's upon analysis of his headless body that the remains belong to someone else. It was clear from the tone of our guide that Pizarro is not revered by the Peruvian people, particularly because of his brutal conquest of the native people.

Pizarro's remains

Each of the 10 side chapels are devoted to a different patron saint. It is interesting to note how in Peru, depictions of the Virgin Mary always show her in triangular dress. If you take out her head and neck and look carefully, her dress depicts the Andes mountains, a subtle way for native Andean artists to include their culture in Christian art.The carved choir chairs are one of the great works of Peruvian art.

Side chapels

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Exquisite woodwork

 As we rode back to our hotel, we caught a glimpse of the Huaca Pucllana, an adobe and clay pyramid in the Miraflores district along side the coast. Lima was once a city covered with these ancient adobe pyramids and construction sites around the city continually uncover new sites. There is so much undiscovered archeology in Lima that one cannot excavate for buildings in Lima without having an archeologist on site.

Driving by one of the pyramid sites (photo a bit blurry as taken from the bus while moving)

Dinner  this evening was at Cala- a beautiful seaside restaurant, perched over the cobble beach with the soothing sounds of the Pacific waves in the background. We started with pisco sours, followed by the traditional Peruvian ceviche with red onion and Andean corn, a delicious Peruvian seafood paella, and a lovely dessert with cherimoya fruit. It was a long day!

Pisco sours

Ceviche

Peruvian seafood paella

Dessert with cherimoya (custard apple)