Llamas, Inca Kola, and a little taste of home in a far away place

Our Sunday morning started bright and early, as we got up and headed to the market to buy lunch for the day.  At 7 we met with our tour guide Carmen,  who would lead us around Machu Picchu. Thankfully,  the sun was shining in bright blue skies,  tummies were fairly settled, and everyone was hydrated (or well on their way). Our first adventure involved standing in line for nearly an hour as Carmen worked to get us round trip bus passage,  a consequence of our changed plans. No matter! The sun was shining and Catey was able to finish outlining our awesome UW PT sign.

Once our tickets were in order,  we hopped on a shuttle bus and began the trek from Aguas Calientes over the mountain to Machu Picchu. To say the road had a few switchbacks might be the understatement of the century,  the ride was quite... exciting... especially when two buses met along a narrow curve and head to decide which one got to back up!

According to Carmen,  they are not allowed to widen the road due to the environmental impact. We made it up in one piece and were ready to explore!  We had four objectives for the day: learn about Machu Picchu,  take an amazing panoramic picture while rocking our PT sign,  work Inca Kola into a picture, and the cause championed by Abby (though really,  we all wanted to) get a picture with a llama!

Our tour guide Carmen was incredible!  We learned all kinds of things about Incan history,  mythology and lifestyle while touring the ruins. It felt like we had to keep pinching ourselves because we couldn't believe we were really there! We stopped for lunch,  then headed back in to hike up to the ledge where most people get the famous panoramic view, a little disappointed that there had been no llamas grazing down below.  After a heart-pounding climb we made it, and got our sign picture.  We also discovered what PTs do when they get to the top of a mountain: squats,  planks,  stars,  tree pose...

Two items of our list and we decide to finish climbing up to the Gatehouse and maybe toward the Inca Bridge if we had time.  And sure enough what do we see when we get to the top...?  We may or may not have spent the rest of our time trying to convince llamas to be in our pictures,  but it was worth it.  

In a small world moment, we even realized that the one American we chatted to was from Seattle (actually Kent, which Catey and Jessica thought was pretty cool) and Catey saw her shirt twin wearing a Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon shirt.

Our items all checked off the list,  we headed back to the bus, just as the rain stated to fall. One bus, train and mini bus ride later, we arrived back in Cusco,  where our host mom Rossana was waiting with our evening snack,  then off to bed.

Stay tuned for more,
Jessica

Peruvian Jungle and the Famous Hot Springs

After our short but quaint stay in Ollantaytambo (thanks to Rosanna, our host mom, for saving  us after a quick change in plans and making accommodation arrangements with a cousin of hers who owns a hostel in Ollayantaytambo), we headed out early to catch the train to Machu Pichu. I like to think of this train as the Machu Pichu version of the Polar Express, totally magical with traditional Incan music, coca tea, and breathtaking views of the changing landscape as we entered the Peruvian jungle. We arrived at Aguascalientes a short hour later, which is essentially the entrance point into Machu Pichu. We took the opportunity to explore before we met up with our tour guide Jesus (including of course including a necessary stop at the only French bakery in town).

The afternoon consisted of trying to get train tickets for the return ride back to Ollayantaytambo, returning about 5 times to the ticket office with expected requirements (I think they changed each time), lunch of some traditional Peruvian dishes, and then a hike guided by Jesus around  the backside of Machu Pichu where many Incans used to walk through to transport supplies for construction. After a trekking for an hour through the jungle, rain and all (we assured Jesus several times the rain was the least of our concerns, since we all live in Seattle), we arrived at Mandor where there was a plethora of beautiful flowers and plants in a conservatory as part of a government project to protect the remaining flora. On the way back, Abby and I caught a glimpse of a rainbow nestled between the mountains for a few seconds, so amazing.

Our stay in Aguascalientes wasn't complete without a visit to the famous hot springs. So after returning from our hike, cold and damp, we all gathered our gear and walked up a few blocks to the hot springs anxiously awaiting a jacuzzi like experience and relief from the cold weather we had all day. Report was that the hot springs were less than warm, maybe tepid at best, with some natural minerals and colors in the water giving it a cloudy appearance. With that said, I decided to hold off, but news was that Abby has a niche for synchronized swimming.

The rest of the evening was consumed with dinner of pizza (it's always interesting to try pizza in other countries) and a UW Physical Therapy sign making party back at the hostel to take with us for our visit to Machu Pichu the following day (major thanks to Catey's awesome drawing skills). More to be continued on Machu Pichu by Jessica....get ready!

-Corrin

Inauguration and a Little Improvise

This post begins with Celeste. The woman who helped organize our volunteer trip and co-founder of Manos Unidas. She graciously invited us to the inauguration of Manos Unidas' new project: Phawarispa, which means 'we run together' in Qechuya.

We arrived early to set up chairs, decorate the walls, and do any prep work we could. Celeste gave me her camera for the event and I attempted to be a photographer - she will have to let you know how that went! I believe the photos will go up on the Manos Unidas Facebook page. The inauguration itself started with the national anthem, had multiple speeches from professors, the founders, and a traditional Incan ritual with the breaking of a pot full of chicha.

There are three programs for students within this new location: one for adolescents 13-17 y.o, one for young adults 18-25 y.o, and one for students with severe disabilities. The adolescent program focuses on activities of daily living like laundry, cleaning, making the bed, toiletries, self-care, etc, as well as social skills and prevocational skills. The young adult program targets housekeeping, restaurant services, sustainable gardening, and looks to incorporate livestock care in the future. Intentions of this program are for students to gain skills for a job that will support sustainable living. The final program for students who have severe disabilities gives a place for them to continue their studies and improve social and life skills.

With the explanations provided, speeches given, and Incan ritual completed. We all toasted with wine and made sure to serve Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) first. Following the good cheers, we toured the grounds, rooms, and were served a snack at the cafe by some of the current students.

Our tour guide for the weekend met us in the cafe, and then we were off on an adventure to get our tickets changed for Machu Picchu. We could no longer take our original route because of strikes people are throwing. With a long walk to a currency exchange, we stumbled upon Incan ruins that were found under the streets in Cusco as they were being dug up for a construction project. Like the continuation of a dream, we took a quick taxi ride back, packed up, and grabbed a crazy cab ride with all of our bags. We were running red lights, honking to the tune of traffic, and ended up stopping in one spot for ten minutes with a driver insisting he takes us the whole way, only to move 20 ft. When we got out of the car, it was the wrong station with the workers insisting they are the only bus stop in the area. Good thing our tour guide was across the street waving at us from another station!
Our van to Ollantaytambo was comfortable, but the lady trying to book seats was a little insane. She was insisting there were four seats when we had two left in the van, furious to be leaving with open seats, was totally aggressive and asked to calm down by another passenger.
The rest of the ride was smooth.
That's if a smooth ride still includes not following any laws of traffic or lines on the road. :) We made it to our city and the power was out! Recorded another captains log in the dark (I think Corrin has audio of it). The power came back and we explored the town to find alpaca and guinea pig pizza among other things. Then more socks. Liz needed them. Annnnnd a wet floor, flickering light, some unknown bugs, and a few beds later, it was time to sleep.

Alright! Enough. Jessica and Corrin are going to write about Saturday and Sunday. Which were magical, breath taking, and amazing.

I'll get back to you about 9/8/14 adventures soon! Off to a village tomorrow.

All my love,
Catey Lynne

Therapy, donations, home visits, and 3 ill tummies

Started the morning off with some yummy breakfast: a thick purple corn type drink called Api and bread with melted cheese. Then we headed to school with our 5 suit cases full of donations! Had to take a taxi to make the trip. Today was physical therapy day at school and we worked with 6 kiddos on everything from rolling to sitting to prone head control and sit to stands. The therapist does an excellent job with the kiddos and there was some great exchange of ideas between Jessica (our peds therapist) and the therapist at the school. The kiddos are so adorable and their smiles and laughs all warm our hearts.

After therapy, we sorted through all our donations and categorized them for the school teachers. They were so excited when they walked into the room and got to pick things out for their students. For every toy they picked, they had a specific kid in mind. It was so cool to see how excited and grateful they were for all these new toys. They are so creative and so passionate in their work. We also brought things for specific physical therapy use, such as kinesio tape and a therapy ball. It was a good feeling to see the excitement and know the good use these toys will bring in the future.

After spending time at the school, we headed back home for lunch. In the afternoon, Jessica, Liz, and Abigail had the opportunity to do a home visit with one of the kids from school. He lived in a 3 story home with about 21 stairs or more. He was on the 3rd floor with his caregiver, and keep in mind someone has to carry him up all those stairs!! I believe he's 10 years old and he has a lot of extensor tone so I just imagine how hard it must be to carry him up and down those steep stairs everyday! He is fortunate enough to have had the same caregiver everyday for the past 3 years, and who was taught exercises by the school physical therapist. We were really impressed by her skill and let her know she was doing a great job. It was evident that she was very caring of the kiddo in the way she treated him. He recently completed attending hydro therapy 3 times a week, and was going to start a new type of physical therapy about 2 times a week. We were really impressed that he was getting all this great care outside of school. We also learned that he has a wooden type stand up frame which he uses daily as well as some AFO's, however, those he had not been using.

Once we returned home, it was nap time for almost everybody. Unfortunately, 1 Husky had to miss a whole day of fun recuperating, 1 had a rough time the night before and was feeling a lil icky, and another started feeling ill in the afternoon and was out for the rest of the night. They are being really well taken care of by our sweet host mom, and hopefully by tomorrow, everyone can feel super! Especially because we have Machu Picchu coming up on Saturday!!

We ended the night with some cool cultural history from our host dad and some translation of this history by Jessica for Catey. It was a great night, and now it's time to sleep. Zzzzzzz....(host dad told me to write that haha :) )

Buenas Noches!
Liz

Caballos, Cristo, y Cusqueñas

Captain's log, 3rd of September, year of our Lord 2014. Local time: 20:42.

In the early hours after breaking our fast the party set out into unknown territory without our local alliance. The transportation proved to be easy enough to master and we successfully arrived at the locale of education. Splitting into two groups, we were successful in observing and assisting the local profesores with the young offspring. The time passed quickly and soon we reconvened for sustenance at our local abode.

At the suggestion of our knowledgable and most caring host and hostess we embarked upon an afternoon to further our Peru adventure. The following sequence of events then occurred: getting dropped on the side of the road in the mountains (12,000 feet), horse riding, exploring Incan temples, invitations to discotecas (denied), meeting Christ, taxi rides from our scorned suitor, and celebratory Cusqueñas in an Irish pub. We returned safely to our local homestead upon one of our party falling ill. She will regain strength soon and will gain comfort from coca tea and bathroom gatherings over the ceramic (Peru) throne.

Photos to follow for the sake of posterity.

Captain out.

-Abigail Smith.

¿Cuánto Cuesta?

Today was our first official day at Manos Unidas. Know that I wish I could share what it feels like and everything that we were able to do, but nothing can capture the energy, love, or type of pull that the school has on you. It's that pull that sinks deep into your chest and awakens something you didn't even know was there. It's the way a child can smile at you and a piece of you melts away. It's motivating someone to stand for a hug, when you're not sure who is getting more out of that interaction.

Working with the local PT today looked like an observation with a Q&A session and multiple translations for yours truly (still working on that Spanish). Thursday sounds like it will be more hands on time now that we have a greater understanding for the therapy goals of each child. We were able to see around 7 patients and then help out in others ways around the school. I have a newfound appreciation for SLP therapists after trying to help feed a young girl with specific guidelines provided from an SLP eval. Let's just say it is harder than you would think! (To any of my friends in SLP - don't worry! I helped mostly with head control.)

Celeste graciously gave us a tour of the school so we could see other areas and classrooms, and then we took a lesuirely walk home for lunch. Rosanna spoiled us with a customary local dish that was delicious! I believe Liz or Abby took a picture and it is floating around somewhere. Eventually you might get to see it. :) it was a special chicken and cola with rice. Yum!

We took the afternoon to explore Cusco a bit more, smooshing into another small taxi to bring us to the plaza again. Let it be known that today was much harder to hail a taxi. Usually they are honking at us and making their presence known, but we must have gone at a busy time! Everyone already had passengers. Eventually, we were able to make it further into town and explore an artisan area. The local crafts and clothing are nothing short of beautiful and I'm sure we all wished a few times that we had space to bring more things home. It is amazing what people can make! Also, worthy to take note here that I appreciate traveling with people who actually speak Spanish. There was a point today where I asked how I much I cost versus how much an item cost. Yep. True story. Please feel free to laugh and know that I was not given a monetary answer. :) Thankfully, the lady helping me out also gave me a brief Spanish lesson and a laugh. I was able to trade some French in return.

With that, we headed back for dinner and a night in.

Buenas noches
- CLW

Coca Tea and Taxis

Here we are! 24 hours of travel later, we made it to our host family's apartment. Rosana and Lucho have been so sweet to us; they had smiles, food ready, good stories, and a place to rest. After visiting for a bit, we all crashed for five hours to try to catch up on our lack of sleep.

Lunch time was followed by an orientation from Celeste and our tour guide for Machu Picchu. It was a good check in about cultural customs and expectations as well as an overview of the itinerary for our trip. You'll hear a synopsis soon enough, but this trip is going to be packed and go by far too quickly!

Today we learned a couple of things:

Coca tea is a lifesaver at high altitude! No headaches for us. :)

Also, all five of us managed to fit into a car slightly smaller than a Toyota Echo as a taxi into town. I think there is a picture somewhere of how we all managed to squish in the backseat. Haha

We walked around the plaza for a bit tonight (sunset is around 5:30) and there are so many amazing sites to see! We found the 12 sided rock... After walking past it three times and asking for directions. Whoops! 

Off to bed to sleep a bit before an early morning at the school tomorrow. Manos Unidas, ready or not, here we come!

- Catey Lynne