Ayla's Adventure

When Life Gives You Choices

aylariver — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:16:00 GMT

Making decisions. Each and every one of us makes decisions every day. Whether it be what we want for breakfast that morning, what shoes match with our pants or what to do to fill our day. We pick and choose these things: hoping, praying our decision will make us substantially happy for the time being. But what happens when it comes to making the bigger decisions? The more life altering ones? Different scenarios flirt with our minds and play tug-o-war with our heart. One moment everything seems perfect if you choose option A, but in a split second you could feel the same way about option B or even option C. As humans we tend to ask our friends and family what they think we should do, placing the responsibility in their hands. Why? Why leave your decision up to someone who doesn't know how you are feeling or what, deep, deep down you truly want to do. Why not trust your gut and go with what you believe will truly make you happy. Because that, would be too easy.

Coming to Peru I got the same reaction from everyone. "Wow, that's amazing. You are going to change so much, what a great thing you are doing." Support all around. Not a bad thing to have. But what would happen if I chose to end my "adventure" early. If I came back only having had volunteered at an orphanage for two weeks and worked at a bar for the last 3.5? Of course there's the common, "oh how was your trip? It's okay you came back early, we only want what's best for you. Blah blah blah". But some people would think I gave up, others maybe I'm in a way selfish? Selfish for just wanting the comfort of my old lifestyle back. Selfish for not trying harder to find a new volunteer opportunity to put my all into. My opinion, this trip was not worth it. Not worth the money, the time, the disappointment I feel in myself as well as some will feel in me also. Maybe I haven't given it my all but that was my decision right? Anyways I'm in a predicament. 22 out of the 24 hours in my days here I want to come home. I have a plan and goals when I get back and it seems like it will work out just fine. The other 2 hours of my day I want to stay. Find a new volunteer job where the language is not an obstacle and where I will please all of whom I told "I'm going to Peru for 6 months to work at an orphanage". Why not? Why not stay the full six months and achieve my lofty goal? I could sit here and write a list of pros and cons of leaving and staying and ask for comments below on what I should do, but in the end it comes down to me and what I want, so why is it so damn hard to choose? And why am I writing this on a public site where people want to share their comments and love and support with me. Because that's what us humans do. Yearn for others to make the tough decisions for us. So please, do share. What would you do?

Journey to Another Journey

aylariver — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 10:18:00 GMT

Cusco is a terrifying. Beautiful, captivating, fun yet terrifying. Walking around I clutch my bag so tightly my knuckles turn white. Never, in this city, can you be off guard. The men here are also very different then in the United States. No filter when it comes to talking to young woman. Again, guard is always up.

Living at the hostel is an adventure all in its own. I have learned that young travelers LOVE to party. Its something new every night. My first day living here I met Claudette. A Brazilian English teacher on vacation. We connected right away and have been doing everything together. Eating, dancing, exploring. My new best friend :) I particularly like the hostel because I get to meet amazing people each day. And each person with a new story, a different life, a separate culture. Lots of Europeans. Not so many North Americans.

It's truly incredible how each new person you meet somehow, from that point on, is intertwined into your life in some way or another. Whether it's a story they tell you that you never forget or a lesson they unconsciously teach you, that person has added to the different strands that make you, you, even if you remember some people more then others.

So far my favorite thing about Cusco is the live music. Claudette and I should be labeled the Goddesses of discovering local bands. Every night we wander and end up finding a great live performance to be apart of. It is so inspiring watching people perform in small, local places and be completely content doing it. Even if the venue is no Madison square garden. On Friday night the Milhouse (hostel I'm staying at) had a band playing at the bar. They played a bunch of Jimmy Hendrix songs and left me speechless after each one. I also ran into my Canadian friend Michael who I met last weekend! Him and his friends were staying at the Milhouse a few more nights between journeys. I was so stoked to see him again (the others were asleep already). Towards the end of the show the band invited anyone who sang or played guitar to come join them on stage. I had mentioned to Claudette that I sing, so she pushed me up to the band. They played No Woman, No Cry by Bob Marley which I only know the main verse from. I was shaking so badly but sang my heart out anyways. I'm a Peruvian star now ;) After their last song the bass player came over to me with a beer, I kindly rejected the drink but got to talking. He invited Claudette and I to his next venue a little later. Needless to say we gathered Michael and Claudette's friend and adventured over to our next event of the night. We ended up at a bar where there were pretty much only locals. The new band was playing some sort of African tribal music. A little unexpected but hey, when life throws you a curveball, gotta go with it right? Needless to say I danced my gringa ass of like there was no tomorrow until my hunger was too much to bear. While putting my sandals on to go grab food, one of the older men at the show came over and took my shoe and tried to put it on me himself. I kept asking him not too but this did not sway his perseverance to get my shoe on. He then started kissing my foot which made me want to throw up (I hate feet and despise people touching them). Finally, after shooing the man away Michael and I escaped to go hunting for 2am street food. After what seemed like an eternity and a can of Pringles we stumbled upon a woman making burgers/sandwiches on the sidewalk. Egg, chicken, burger, little crunchy things that looked like fun size French fries, lettuce and onion = best sandwich that has ever made its way into my mouth. It might of have been the fact I would have eaten a dead bird off the side of the road at that point, but I'm convinced it was a sandwich sent from above. Thus, concluding my first Friday night out on the town.

Free. The word free is my absolute best friend right now (bread comes as a close second), sorry Claudette ;) Living on a budget is not something I'm used to, but this trip is all about learning and growing so I'm trying to embrace my daily allowance with open arms. The Milhouse had a free walking tour on Saturday morning so I decided to go. Can't resist the word free right? I learned all about daily life and more recent culture. I also learned that last weekend I ate cow heart. Hmmm, who would have known the woman grilling meat outside the club was serving people cow heart... Saturday night Claudette and I went to a bar again to see a band that was covering a well known Brazilian band, Manu Chao. Yet another phenomenal performance. The after show, not so much. The lead singer kept trying to dance with me, and after following me into the bathroom to make me Salsa with him, I decided it was time go. Claudette and I then went to the Temple (same club from last weekend) and I danced until my heart practically collapsed. I think I will stay in for most of my nights here now. It's a very different scene and I find it hard to enjoy myself with the constant glare of men and groping that I receive. I love the dancing and the live music but it's not the same when it's uncomfortable to move your hips or close your eyes and get lost in the essence of a song.

Sunday morning I ran into Michael and Lindsay as they were checking out and heading to breakfast. I tagged along and said my second goodbyes. Good luck you guys in all your adventures and have fun surfing! On the way back to Milhouse I ran into my new friend from Holland (who for the life of me, I cannot remember the name of) and we went to the market in Pisaq, a village about 45 minutes from Cusco. After dinner with Claudette and our new roommate, Cynthia, a French translator traveling from Canada, I ran back to the hostel and made them turn on the Broncos vs. Chiefs game. I was the only North American at the bar and everyone was making fun of me for liking such a "boring", "confusing" sport. It is also a big insult to call it football, I HAD to say North American football or I was reprimanded. The Broncos slayed, which was great for my Colorado pride. I played a few rounds of blackjack with Claudette and our other Brazilian and Holland friends.

I applied for a different orphanage today and find out tomorrow if I get to volunteer there, keeping my fingers crossed! I got a job at the hostel as well and will start working at the bar. It's nice because I get my room for free and get to hang out with the staff, who are really cool. Things are all falling into place and I'm just going where the Peruvian wind is taking me.

Thanks everyone for your support and keeping up with my blog, it means a lot. I promise once I find a computer with a USB, pictures will be uploaded!

The Essence of Dishes

aylariver — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 00:14:00 GMT

Dishes. They have a life cycle. Clean, then dirty, then clean again. During these past few days I have been in complete control of the Niños del Sol dish life cycle. In the kitchen we retrieve these clean dishes from their solitary confinement and force them into everyday life. Chopping, soaking, cooking. We use them for what they are meant for. And then? They get tossed into the kitchen sink, yearning for a bath so they can go back to being clean and content. Dish after dirty dish I scrub and rinse and dry, guiding them back to their original place on the shelf. Boy do I hate dishes. But that's my job here, the human dishwasher, and I have come to terms with it. So much so that doing dishes now puts me in a state of tranquility. A state of safety. So it goes.

Monday:
*I washed dishes
*I peeled 334 snap peas for the soup that day
*I sorted through a 3 pound (rough estimate) bag of corn, separating the big kernels from the small kernels
*I temporarily lost sanity and sang a song to the little kernels of corn about how they were just little guys...
*I organized books (Children's books, young adult books, coloring books, science books etc.)
*I picked lettuce and kale for the kids lunch on Tuesday

Tuesday:
*I folded a weeks worth of clothes for 22 children
*I filled up the water filters
*I chopped Kale for the soup
*More dishes
*I helped serve lunch
*More dishes
*I went with the children and Avishai to an organic garden they are helping out at, run by three recent college graduates, and learned how to make compost (this was actually a lot of fun and the garden is breathtaking!)
*I got my hair braided
*I helped serve dinner
*Surprise! More dishes
*I watched some sort of Japanese anime translated into Spanish with English subtitles that turned into an anime porno...probably my strangest experience thus far

Wednesday:

Today I will go into detail. Not just about dishes don't worry. This morning when I woke up and went to join Avishai and Viviana for breakfast, Viviana wanted to speak with me. She feels it would be best if I look into other volunteer opportunities throughout the valley because having me at Niños del Sol is not turning out how she thought it would. She told me that if I want to take a Spanish immersion course in Urubamba (the next village over, 20 minute drive) we could reassess the situation in two weeks, when the course is over. Viviana told me the staff and the kids all really enjoy having me around but she feels it is too hard since my Spanish is not fluent. She also feels as if my coming here to volunteer was a bit pushed on her since I already had a plane ticket. I just want to say, thank you Viviana and Avishai for taking me under your wings and giving me a beautiful place to stay. May the force be with you and Niños del Sol.

I went to Urubamba today to inquire some information about the school that offers classes as well a host family to stay with during the two week course. Spanish class, 20 soles per hour. Minimal requirement, 2 or 3 hours 5 days a week, 10 days in total. Host family, 45 soles per day, 14 days. On my way back to Calca I pondered this. It is pretty expensive for two weeks of living when I am here on a tight budget so I looked into other options as well. So far, I have a job offer at the hostel I stayed at last weekend, there is an organic farm that takes in volunteers just up the road from where I am now or there is another orphanage in Cusco and Spanish is not a requirement. Decisions, decisions. Technically I have four options if you include Niños del Sol but I feel a bit unwanted and to put it bluntly, it seems as if I got fired. I will keep you up to date on my decision which should be finalized tomorrow.

I went back to the orphanage upon returning to Calca and had a spectacular rest of my evening. I had an English class with a few of the children (whose pronunciation and memorization is astounding) and helped prepared dinner. After dinner, dishes. After dishes, Soo Bahk Do! The kids LOVED this. I taught them all a few self defense moves and hopefully tomorrow, no one has broken wrists, gorged out eyes or swollen ball sacks...I don't want to leave on THAT bad of terms. They truly are a good group of kids and I wish them the best in their future endeavors. Come what may, I think they have a great support system and the ability to reach the stars.

The only thing I can do through all this is keep a smile on my face and try my very best each and every day. What more can I offer? Shit happens. So it goes. Life continues and the clock keeps ticking. A wise traveler said, "traveling isn't traveling if plans don't change." Every thing happens for a reason and whatever this one might be, I'm sure it will be worth it. Thank you everyone for all your support throughout my adventure, I truly appreciate it. So it goes right?

Peace and love for now,

Ayla

Cusco, Food Poisoning, The Temple, Canadians

aylariver — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 23:44:00 GMT

Yesterday was my first day off since I got here (besides the day I arrived) and I wanted to make it memorable. And by God, it was!

I took a bus from Calca to Cusco which is about an hour or so ride (3.50 soles). The bus ride is stunning and it passes through some very cool places that I would love to check out in the future. After I got to Cusco, I took a taxi (4 soles) to the hostel that Avishai and Viviana recommended, The Milhouse. The Milhouse is a hostel meant for young backpackers who want to stay a few nights and days in Cusco as well as get to know fellow travelers (31 soles for one night, less the second night, third night ect). I was very surprised at how nice and clean all the facilities are and how friendly the staff is. They have two huge courtyards with ping pong tables, hammocks, wifi and they have a full bar on the top floor with free shots and a DJ after 9pm.

I checked my things in, made my bed and went out to explore the oh-so-famous Cusco. It is a lot more touristy here then in Calca, but it was rather comforting to meet people that spoke English and see <familiar> faces. I went to the market, and walked around the main plaza. I was so overwhelmed with things to buy because I wanted EVERYTHING ;) but I managed to walk away with two souveniers for Kiara and Nolee (15 soles). In the main plaza it was interesting because there was a Starbucks and a McDonalds. I knew that McDonalds was global, but Starbucks??

After walking around I made my way back to the hostel. I sat down at the computer for a minute to check my Facebook and email and a few minutes later a guy sat next to me. He asked me a few times how to do certain things on the keyboard (Ex. in order to get the @ sign you have to press ALTGR Q even though it shows the @ sign on the 2...) and we began talking. He then invited me to get dinner with him and his friends. We all met up and went to go find a place to eat.

They are all visiting from different parts of Canada, two of them (Marco and Ali) arrived on Saturday and the other two (Michael and Lindsay) got to Peru two weeks ago but took a bus from Lima to Cusco and stopped at all the different towns along the way, so they arrived in Cusco yesterday as well.

We decided to try a little place in an alley lined with different restaurants. We got seated upstairs and I got a 3 course meal plus a drink for 15 soles. The tomato soup I got was so disgusting I gagged whenever I took a bite, so everyone took one for the team and helped me finish it. I had phenomenal papaya juice and for my entree a dish of Alpaca meat, onions, french fries and rice (wayyyyy better then the soup). We had the cutest waiter too. He was a tiny elderly man with a hunch back. We all felt so bad for him because everytime he brought something up he had to go up a rickety spiral staircase, but he started to skip to and from the food when serving us, it was so cute I just wanted to squeeze him and never let him go.

After leaving the restaurant we stopped and got a thick tea called matte and headed back to the hostel. We went to the Canadians room, played some catch and decided to check out the bar. The bar is a long skinny room with two flat screen TVs, a fuzeball table, a pool table, a deck that overlooks Cusco and tables to sit at. The Canadians played some pool and after the most boring game I have ever had to watch, we just sat on some benches and a few of us danced a little. We aquired a few new people as well, an Austrailian (Nikolas) and a Texan (Sid). Sid was not my favorite person to be around. ALL he talked about were drugs, tattoos and the jungle. One of his many stories (which were all very hard to believe) consisted of him partying so hard one night that his friends forgot about him on the roof of the place they were staying. They couldn´t find him until the next day and he was so sunburnt he could barely walk. This little adventures of Sid´s reminded me of a movie I once saw...oh yeah, THE HANGOVER! He also lectured me about how I shouldn´t be sober anymore because drugs connect you with the earth and nature and I can´t be against certain drugs if I haven´t tried them. Oh Sid, may you find peace and prosperity with your sunburnt self, high on Peoti in the jungles of Peru.

Later, the bartender asked if we wanted to play Flip cup. Everyone said yes, so I just played with water in my cup. After the game, the bartender came around saying we all had to pay 2 soles for playing the game. I thought that was pretty lame he told everyone they had to pay after the fact we had already played the game, but, since I hadn´t dranken any of the beer (which is what he wanted money for) I refused to pay. He was not too happy with me, but what can I say, I ain´t no ordinary gringo who is going to give away all my soles because someone says too. Thats right, this little gringa shall not be messed with.

After flip cup we had recieved a flyer to go to a club\bar for its 1st anniversary. Everyone got in for free because we had Milhouse wristbands but it was so dead inside! There were tons of people and this fantastic band playing classic rock songs in English, but NO ONE was dancing! So Lindsay, Marco, Michael, Ali and I went right up to the front where the band was playing and started dancing like there was no tomorrow. People were looking at us like were crazy but we couldn´t of cared less. After the band packed up and the typical N.American pop songs came on, thats when everyone started getting down. We all danced for 2 hours straight (minus my 2.5 minute bathroom break). It was a really cool club though because they had a trapeze artist and a unicycler that was throwing people animal balloons. We were all wiped after our intense dance off of 2 hours so we decided to call it a night, although before heading back to the hostel we grabbed some fries and McFlurries at good ol´ MickeyDs.

All in all it was a great weekend, even though I got pretty grotesque food poisoning, sorry hostel roomates, I couldn´t help it...). I´m so grateful to have met Lindsay, Marco, Michael and Ali and hopefully we stay in touch. They have all the pictures from that night, but once I get them, I will post them!

Peace and love for now,

Ayla

Photos: My Front Porch

aylariver — Fri, 8 Nov 2013 10:56:00 GMT

One Hell of a Day

aylariver — Fri, 8 Nov 2013 10:25:00 GMT

Feeling homesick is the worst thing about traveling. It keeps you down, you cry...alot, and all you can really think about is home. This is what I have been experiencing since the second I got here. Crying myself to sleep, waking up with crust on my face from the tears, being sad and sick to my stomach, just wanting to go home so badly I would get a flight today if I had too. Thankfully, everyone I have talked to who has traveled alone and/or for long periods of time have gone through this, and the best part? It actually gets better (although when feeling it, it is hard to imagine). I believe today was the beginning of that sickness slowly dying off and hopefully not returning for the rest of my trip. I can't say missing people like my mom, sister, Cole and others will ever change but at least crying over them every night will.

Today when I got to the orphanage I went through the normal routine of helping with lunch and with the household chores. When the kids returned from school I was feeling pretty down still but decided, I am done with this awkwardness and feeling sorry for myself so I started a conversation with some of the girls at my table. Although it consisted of broken Spanish/spainglish, we all had a pretty good idea of what the conversation was about. They were asking were I lived, how long I would be there, if I had a boyfriend or husband (they think I'm much older because of how tall I am), where my mom is, if I had any siblings etc. I asked them about school, classes, their ages and sports they liked to play. After learning a little bit more about each other, Ada (12 years old) asked if she could braid my hair. I was so honored because just last night, Viviana was telling me it was weird they hadn't asked to braid my hair yet. After Ada completed two gorgeous French braids she and Soledad went elsewhere (I tried to take a picture of them, but it is not easy to take a picture of the back of your head, no mirror or no other person. Needless to say, no picture). Then the chef, Benni, brought a huge bag, filled with at least 100 corn, to start taking the kernels off in order to store them for the future (The corn here is very hard and not really used for eating like in the US and the kernels are the size of my thumb nail!). Four of the boys came to help with the process. I haven't really had a chance to connect with any of the boys yet, besides José when we played basketball, so I decided to make a game out of the project. I grabbed five equal sized pieces of corn, handed one to each of the boys, and shouted "rapido" and started flicking the kernels off as fast as I could. The boys followed and it then became a new race every time we had a new piece of corn in our hands. It was hilarious and a HUGE meets afterwards, but totally worth it. After I swept and was saying goodbye to everyone, Ada and Soledad asked where I was going. I told them I had to stop at the market for food to make dinner and then I was going home. They asked if they could join me, which I was ecstatic about, so we left, got ice cream (shhh) and went to the market. They held my hands the whole way which warmed my heart so much that the children are finally warming up and don't really care about my Spanish skills (Which day by day are improving immensely).

I have been feeling so alone at the orphanage. As if no one wants me there and that I am more of a burden then a help. Many times since I have arrived the thought of leaving has put a smile on face, so today was a huge stepping stone and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. What I want more then anything is to hang out with the children, talk to them, play and laugh with them, so having that happen today made these past few days worth every tear and every thought of loneliness. I'm so grateful to be here and be able to be a part of this orphanage so I hope to have more days like today!

Peace and love for now,

Ayla

The Market

aylariver — Thu, 7 Nov 2013 10:19:00 GMT

Sorry for my last entry, I posted it from a computer at an internet café so I was not entirely sure how to use the Spanish keyboard and had a time limit so it was a bit rushed. Anyways I have gone back and fixed it up if you have a chance.

Yesterday when I arrived at Niños del Sol, the chef, Sylbea, asked if I would escort her to the market. It was my first time going to the market but it most certainly will not be my last. The market is absolutely stunning! All the colors, fresh foods, inticing aromas, what's not to like? I was in awe because all the food that the people have set up at their stations is grown by them and is organic. It is insane how different food looks when it's not filled with GMO's, pesticides and God knows what else. The carrots here are the size of my forearm! I am also a GIANT compared to everyone. I have to duck to get into most places, (the children have taken a liking to calling me 'the happy giant'). And I must say, I am still in shock at how inexpensive all the fresh, organic food was. All I could think was "jeez how much would this cost at a farmers market in the US?" Now I have started a new tradition. Every morning before I go to thr orphanage, I will try and stop at the market to get a fresh Piña (pineapple) smoothie, and the best part, it costs 2 Soles!

Since my Spanish is not as fluent as I would like it to be, it's hard to communicate with everyone because the only people that speak English are Viviana and Avishai (and hey are not always at the orphanage to translate). Because of this difficult language barrier my days are spent mostly folding laundry and chopping vegetables for the children's lunch. Although it's safe to say this is not as fun as other things I could be doing, I know that once my Spanish improves as well as my relationship with the kids, things will begin to get a lot more interesting. Viviana says I will be able to start teaching the kids English, taking them on day trips to go hiking or explore other cities and maybe create a play with them to show off one day. Today was not too boring, after lunch I got to go play basket (what they call basketball) with José (14 years old). It was quite funny because when Viviana asked if he would like me to join him at the park, he blushed and ran into his room, saying he cdidnt have a basketball or couldn't find it. Apparently he's the shyest boy out of all of them.

Today it was also great because I found the holy grail of gringos! There is a volunteer program that a man runs for people all over the world to come and stay and learn the art of organic farming. I met the group of people that will be here for a while like myself. They are all early to mid 20's and speak both English and Spanish. It is so nice to finally have made some friends and have people to go adventuring with on the weekends.

I would be lying if I were to say I wasn't homesick, or that I feel very lonely and out of place, but I know that these things take time to adjust too and if I give up now I will regret it for the rest of my life. As a great Mr. Cole Byron told be through a sobbing FaceTime call, "Every experience, no matter good or bad, is worthwhile, and it separates what is important". It helps a lot to know I have so much support from my family and friends.

Peace and love for now,

Ayla

First Days

aylariver — Wed, 6 Nov 2013 01:31:00 GMT

My first day in Calca, I went to go wander the town and see where I was going to be living the next six months. Calca is a dream come true. It is not a known tourist destination so I am the white face around for now. There is a long dirt road from Viviana´s home into the main part of town or ´the plaza´. While walking down the road everyone I passed said Hola and had a smile on their face. I passed a group of children playing futbol and as I walked by they all started to laugh. The youngest boy then started chasing me saying Hola gringo. This has now become the neighborhood kids favorite thing to do whenever I walk into town or am on my way to Niños del Sol. I have at least 8 kids chase me to the end of the road laughing and saying hola gringo, hola gringo! It makes my day. Today, as I was walking to check in at the orphanage a older woman stopped me to say Hola. She didn´t speak a lick of english but told me how beautiful my sweater was and how much she wanted it to calm her freezing body. It was my favorite sweater but now it is safe to say, it is keeping an elderly woman warm and safe.

As for the orphanage and meeting the children, what a trip. The children are between the ages of 6 and 20 and all of them are there by court order because their parents have either passed away or abandoned them. There are 12 girls and 9 boys, all of whom have contagious smiles and unbelievable strength and happiness considering their conditions. Viviana is the new director of Niños del Sol because the other woman who was in charge prior, passed away. The orphanage moved into a new home about 3 weeks ago so for the next month it is all about fixing up the home and making it a little more livable. Viviana and Avishai are looking for a new home because the one they recently moved into is too small and not in the best condition.

My work at the orphanage right now consists of getting there at 9am (the children have school from 8am to 2pm Monday through Friday) and helping the workers clean up and prepare lunch for when they get back from school. At 2pm when most of the kids return we have lunch, talk about their day and clean up. The food here is phenomenal. I have not had one meal, so far, that I have not enjoyed. It is a lot fun helping prepare the meals as well. After lunch most of the older kids go play soccer at the field nearby and the younger kids stay behind and do their homework. So far, most of the children have been shy towards me, but Viviana said this is normal. They are so used to volunteers staying one or two weeks then leaving and never speaking to them again. I hope to gain their trust and friendship and let them know even after I leave I plan on keeping in touch. I have made some impressions though. Soledad (6 years), Rubpert (7 years old) and Fernando (10 years old) all have taken an interest in me. Soledad loves teaching me new spanish words in exchange for english words and Rubpert likes to hide and go seek. Fernando just likes to sit with me at lunch and ask me 100 times in english, Ayla, what is your name.

My time has run out on the computer, I will post more later!

Photos: From Crested Butte to Calca

aylariver — Mon, 4 Nov 2013 05:17:00 GMT

Getting to Peru

aylariver — Sun, 3 Nov 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! Thank you for taking interest in my journey. I will try and post at least once a week so be sure to check back for new entries.

To start things off, never assume that your flights are going to be on time. I knew from the beginning that my ticket was too good to be true, but I had high hopes. My first flight was from Denver, CO to Miami, FL. I left DIA at 7:50am and arrived at MIA around 1:15pm. After that I was suppose to be on my flight to Lima, Peru at 4:03pm and arrive at the Jorgé Chavez Airport at 8:45pm. From there my plan was to stay the night at a hostel near the airport and be back at Jorge Chavez for my 5:30 am flight from Lima to Cusco where Viviana (the director at the orphanage) had arranged a taxi driver to meet me and take me to Calca, Peru where I will be living for the next six months. Upon my arrival in Miami I discovered my flight to Lima had been delayed from 4:03 pm to 11:15 pm. I went through security again to reach my gate and waited 10 hours for my flight. To top things off, the terminal I was assigned to was a primarily Spanish speaking division, so while in Miami I felt like I was already in Peru. i had a reservation at a hostel in Lima that I would no longer be needing since my flight got in at 4:30 am and my next flight was an hour later so I called to cancel and it cost me $25 (I didn't end up having to pay since it was an uncontrollable situation but I went to the airlines and complained anyways, in return I recieved a $20 voucher to good ol' Mickey D's). Finally around 10:30 pm I boarded my flight. If you ever fly to South America I highly recommend Taca airlines otherwise known as Avianca. I felt as if I was flying first class, free new release movies, pandora, games, excellent food and not to mention the woman I sat next to was great (Ashraf, if you read this, good luck on your trip and all your future travels).

Arriving in Lima was when the homesickness really started to kick in. No familiar faces, different language, the smell. I was nervous on top of it all which didn't help. We got in around 4:30 am and by the time I got my luggage and re-checked it in, I had missed my flight to Cusco. I wouldn't have cared except Viviana had arranged for a taxi to meet me when I landed at 7:50 am so he could take me to Calca and I had no way of reaching her or the taxi driver to let them know I was running late! The travel agent got me a ticket for only 30 minutes later, so all I could do was pray that he was still waiting for me (that's what I get for not traveling with a cell phone, bad idea).

Thankfully, when I got to Cusco, the man Viviana hired was waiting outside with a sign for me.

The drive from Cusco to Calca is one of the most breathtaking things I have ever seen. The mountains, the villages, the insane (but surprisingly safe) taxi drivers who pass whenever they feel like it and if another car is coming it just swerves a little towards the edge of the road; the numerous amounts of stray dogs and overall the stupendous views that leave you speechless. The taxi ride was great, lasted about an hour and only cost me $30 (I gave him $50USD or $100SOL because he waited all that time).

Getting to Viviana's I was not sure what to expect, but I am confident to say I already feel at home. Her house is beautiful and so colorful on the inside. She has roosters and ducks which live right beside my bedroom and the room her and her husband have given me is unbelievable. I am very excited to meet the children tomorrow and explore the town a little later on today. I know my stay here will be something unforgettable and although I'm already homesick and have to get use to some changes, I look forward to everything coming my way.

Peace and and love for now,

Ayla