Reflections from our Peruvian partners

As we mentioned in earlier blog posts, for a large portion of the tour, we were partnered with 5 Peruvian youth from the Yurac Yacu community.  They've written some reflections of their experience with us, and the different activities that we did together.  The posts were written in Spanish and then translated.  We miss Maricris, Javier, Eduardo, Michel and Yesenia greatly and are excited for them to see the documentary of our time together! 

Intercambio Reflections by the Youth of Yurac Yacu

Maricris

English Translation

My experience in Vicos was very lovely and happy. It was my first time going on a trip with other students and staying in Vicos for several days. The most beautiful was to learn about the history of the Vicos residents and how they founded their local guide association. Eight families offer homestays in different places and they work as a team. We stayed with one of the families and they taught us how they bake their own bread in an oven. The next day we went to the house of señora Margarita who taught us how one can cook better. Later we met up with the rest of our group and we spent the afternoon playing and talking. The next day we all had a Pachamanca in the house of señor Julian and had a beautiful moment together.

In our area we should be really united to do a project like, for example, the association of local guides in Vicos. In our area we should also have a union of a local association. We should accomplish this through community discussions, and we could invite the Vicos residents to come and share their experiences for the people that truly want to learn and know about a local guide association.

 Spanish

Mi experiencia en vicos fue muy bonito y muy alegre por que fue mi primera vez en salir con un grupo de estudiantes y quedarnos por unos dias en vicos .
Lo mas hermoso fue en conocer la historia de los vicosinos y como fundaron la asociasion de guias locales solo son 8 familiares que tienen hospedajes y en distintos lugares ellos trabajan en equipo .
En uno de las familias nos quedemos hospedados  y ellos nos enseñaron como hacer los panes en el horno  y dia siguiente fuimos a la casa de la señora Margarita y una vicosina era guia quien nos guio hasta la casa de la señora Margarita  para hacer una cocina mejorada alli aprndi como se hace una cocina mejorada y al medio dia almorzamos y luego nos encontramos con uno de nuestros grupos  y pasamos toda la tarde jugando  y hablando y luego nos fuimos a nuestros hospedajes  y al dia siguiente ya nos encontramos todos en la pachamanca que era en la casa del señor Julian y y todos pasamos un momento muy hermoso .
En nuestra zona debemos ser bien unidos para hacer un proyecto como por ejemplo como los vicosinos  que tienen  una asociacion de guias locales y en nuestra zona tambien debe haber la union de asociasion de guias locales esto se debe hacer atra vez de las charlas que podemos invitar a los vicosinos para que puedan dar charlas a las personas que realmente   quieran aprender y saber sobre la asociacion de guias locales .
Lazaro Roque Maricris 

Michel

English Translation

My Experience

When we arrived at the Quilcayhuanca canyon it was very pretty. Entering the canyon first we went to see cave paintings. From there we continued on together talking about the park and the wildlife. At Cochapampa we ate lunch then continued to where the canyon splits into two. After resting we set up our tents, and ate dinner. We played hide and seek in the dark and told stories before we went to bed. Saturday we went to the lake Tulpacocha. [Due to high altitude symptoms] Juli, Kiana and Joel weren´t able to go all the way. Along the way we talked about the [engineering] projects of the lakes[to prevent floods and mudslides]. We took photos at the lake and returned all together to the tents. We ate lunch, packed up our tents, and hiked out of the canyon to the entrance happily. Vans picked us up and we returned to The Lazy Dog In.

Tourism in the future:

- I would want an association of community and homestay tourism.

- Construction of lodging

- Guiding in the canyons and lakes; seeking support with nonprofits; giving lectures to people that are interested, that have commitment, faith, and time.

Spanish

QUEBRADA DE QUILLCAYHUANCA

MI EXPRERIENSIA

CUANDO LLEGANOS ALA QUEBRADA DE QUILLCAYHUANCA  ERA  MUY BONITO .CUANDO LLEGAMOS ALA PORTADA PRIMERO  FIMOS A VER LA PINTURA RUPESTRE.DE ALLI NOS FINOS  TODOS JUNTOS CONBERSANDO SOBRE EL PARQUE  Y LOS ANIMALES  SALBAJES  I NOS  FIMOS HASTA COCHAPANPA Y ALLI   ALMORSEMOS Y SEGUIMOS  CAMINANDO HASTA  EL CRUSE DE CAYESH.LUEGO DE DESCANSAR COMENSEMOS DE ARMAR NUESTRAS CARPAS LUEGO DE CENAR ENPSEMOS JUGAR LAS ESCONDIDAS  ,NOS CONTEMOS HISTORIAS CUENTOS  YLUEGO TODOS ADORMIR. EL DIA SABADO NOS FIMOS ALA LAGUNA TULPACOCHAEN EL CAMINO NO PUDIERON LLEGAR YULI ,KIANA Y YUEL Y ALLI CONBERSENOS SOBRE LOS TRABAJOS DE LA LAGUNA  LLEGAMOS ALA LAGUNA   NOS TOMAS FOTOS TODOS  Y REGRESEMOS TODOS JUNTOS CUANDO REGRESEMOS HASTA NUESRAS CARPAS  . ALMORSEMOS Y RECOJIMOS CARPAS , ASI RETORNEMOS HASTA LA PORTADA SATISFACTORIAMENTE.

RECOGIDOS POR LOS COMBIS LLEGEMOS A THE LAZY DOG INN.

TURISMO EN EL FUTURO:

YO QUIERO QUE SEA EN EL FUTURO HACER UNA ASOCIACION DE TURISMO VIVENCIAL Y COMUNITARIO:

CONSTRUYENDO ALOJAMIENTOS

GUIANDO ALAS QUEBRADAS, LAGUNAS: BUSCANDO APOYOS CON ONG, DANDO CHARLAS A LAS PERSONAS QUE ESTAN INTERASADOS QUE TENGAN COMPROMISO, FE Y TIEMPO

YESENIA
English Translation

I did a hike for the first time August 1, 2012 with the students that came from Canada. The experience was really wonderful, something marvelous and spectacular. It was a beautiful experience where I learned a lot of things and realized that hiking isn´t a race or a competition but rather to walk together and where each one goes at their own pace, stopping however often and where they wish.

The most interesting part of hiking is to enjoy the places and sights you cross discovering flora, fauna and cultures. The hike should begin slow and without hurry so the muscles can warm up little by little. It´s also important to stay hydrated and you should drink two liters of water for every four hours of exertion.

Our objective with the hike is to learn about ecotourism in a community; to raise awareness about the importance of healthy life styles; and social responsibility with respect to the environment and sustainable development. Hiking helps us discover ecotourism places, relieve stress, lose weight, improve respiratory capacity, and tone and strengthen our muscles.

The future of hiking here would be to search out young people that really have the desire and will to work to form a guide association, and to work together to find new routes, ecotourism places, and one goal would be to raise funds to support this association.

And as always, I thank you for all you do to help us. Thank you for everything.

 Spanish

Yo hize una caminata por primera vez el dia 01 de agosto del 2012 junto con los jovenes que llegaron de Canada .esta experiencia fue muy bonito ,algo maravilloso y espectacular fue una hermosa experiencia en donde yo aprendi muchas cosas y me di cuenta de que la caminata no es una carrera o competencia ,sino es caminar todos juntos y en donde cada quien va a su propio ritmo deteniendose cuantas veces y en donde lo deseen .
La parte mas atrayente de la caminata es disfrutar de los parajes y paisajes que se atraviesan descubriendo faunas,floras y culturas .
La caminata debe de empezar lenta sin apresurarse para que el cuerpo y los musculos puedan calentarse poco a poco .
En esta caminata tambien es importante mantenerse hidratados se debe tomar 2 litros de agua por cada 4 horas de esfuerzo .

Nuestro objetivo con la caminata fue conocer lugares ecoturisticos de una comunidad tambien con la caminata buscamos sencibilizar sobre la importancia de los habitos de vida saludable y la responsabilidad social con respecto a la proteccion ambiental y el desarrollo sostenible .
La caminata nos ayuda a descubrir lugares ecoturisticos , nos ayuda a disminuir la alta presion ,a reducir de peso ,mejora la capacidad respiratoria , fortalece y tonifica los musculos .
La caminata para el futuro seria buscar jovenes que en realidad tengan deseo y ganas de trabajar para poder formar una asociacion de guias de caminata y trabajar juntos buscando nuevas rutas y lugares ecoturisticos y nuestro objetivo seria reunir fondos para apoyar esta asociacion.
Y como siempre agradeciendole por todo lo que hace por nosotros muchas gracias por todo .
Lazaro Roque yesenia

Eduardo

English Translation

We left the Lazy Dog Inn in a group of thirteen: seven Canadians and six Peruvians. We walked ten minutes to the house of señora Nancy, a very nice person who received us with open arms. She was accompanied by the señora Yovana, a colleague of hers from work, who also welcomed us with open arms. We greeted everyone and they invited us into their home and to sit at their table for lunch.

First we had an habas [bean] soup which was very delicious and we all enjoyed it together as a group. Then we had cuy [guinea pig], potatoes, aji sauce [from a Peruvian chili pepper], the food was incredibly delicious. To finish we had a squash desert, another very tasty plate. Everyone in the group enjoyed the lunch. Then we put on some huayno music [typical rural Andean music] and everyone danced. We Peruvians know how to dance to huayno and the Canadians gave it a good try and did it very well. After all the eating and dancing everyone was very happy, we said goodbye to señoras Nancy and Yovana, and returned to The Lazy Dog Inn.

Spanish

Salimos de the lazy dog inn un grupo de trece personas siete canadienses seis peruanos caminamos diez minutos a la casa de la senora Nancy una persona muy amable que nos resibio con los manos abiertos que estaba acompanada de la senora Yobana unacompanera de su trabajo que tambien nos resibio con los brazos abiertos nos saludamos todos y nos imbitan a pasar a la casa nos sentamos todos en la mesa y dentro de un rato nos sirven un almuerzo.

Primero sale la sopa de habas muy rico y lo disfrutamos todos en grupo luego biene el cuy con su papita, su aji una comida pero delicioso por ultimo biene el postre de calabaza un plato muy delicioso disfrutamos todos en grupo de este almuerzo, de alli prendimos una musica huayno y todos a bailar los peruanos sabiamos como hacerlo pero los canadienses lo intentaron y lo hicieron muy bien terminado el almuerzo y el baile todos quedamos muy contentos nos despedimos de la senora Nancy y Yovana y regresamos a lazy dog

 Javier   

English Translation   

Work at Yurak Yacu

During the time of the stay of my friends from Canada and Yurak Yacu, I learned how to work as a team in the garden with the little children [preschool students of Centro Educativo de Yurak Yacu] looking for insects helps us a lot to know about our new world and this way we were able to explain to ourselves and the children, for from them will grow new knowledge.

Nutrition

Give good nutrition to our bodies. With the children I saw the strange sight of all of them quiet and in order! I watched them eat everything but what surprised me was to see the little boy Florentino and how he served full plates of food to his friends and very little to those who weren´t his friends! We should balance children´s nutrition, that they receive their nutrition now while they´re growing.

The Little Gazebo

I really liked working with you my friends. This way we could build our gazebo, but working as a team, with the goal of leaving something as a contribution to the children. In the little gazebo they will be able to find refuge from the sun, rain, be in fresh air, and receive their nutrition. It looks really nice with the school and surrounded by a little garden. They said we wouldn´t be able to plant anything [due to depleted soil quality], but we could, and we helped bring fresh, rich dirt to the garden to nourish the plants in the same way as the children.

I would say that anyone can visit us and help our program of my community, this way we can achieve the progress of our school and garden for the future of our children. I will never forget all your support and I hope that some day you will return.

Thank you,

- Javier

Spanish
                      

TRABAJO EN YURAK YACU

DURANTE MI TIEMPO DE PERMANENCIA CON MIS AMIGOS DE CANADA Y YURAK YACU, APRENDI COMO TRABAJAR EN EQUIPO EN EL JARDIN CON LOS NINOS, BUSCANDO INSECTOS NOS AYUDA MUCHO SABER EN NUESTRO NUEVO MUNDO Y ASI PUDIMOS EXPLICARNOS Y EXPLICAR ALO NINOS POR QUE DE ELLOS VA NACER NUEVOS CONOCIENTOS.

NUTRICION

ALIMENTARNOS BIEN, JUNTO ALOS NINOS ME CAUSO LA EXTRANESA DE VER ALOS NINOS EN ORDEN, LES VI COMER A TODOS PERO LO QUE ME ASOMBRO ES VER AL NINO FLORENTINO COMO EL SERVIA LOS PLATOS LLENO A SUS AMIGOS Y MUY POCO A LOS QUE NO ERAN SUS AMIGOS.

ES ASI COMO SE DEBERIA DE BALANCIAR DE COMIDA  A LOS NINOS DE SU NUTRICION AHORA QUE ELLOS SON NINOS

CHOZITA

ME GUSTO MUCHO TRABAJAR CON USTEDES MIS AMIGOS ASI PUDIMOS CONSTRUIR NUESTRS CHOZAS PERO TRABANDO EN EQUIPO, CON LA FINALIDAD DE DEJARLES COMO UN APOYO ALOS NINOS  EN  ELLOS VAN A PODER REFUGIARSE DE LOS RAYOS DEL SOL, LLUVIA, ESTAR EN AIRE FRESCO Y ALIMENTARSE EN CHOZA.

SE VE MUY BONITO JUNTO CON EL JARDIN E IGUAL COMO BUENA INSTITUCION RODEADO POR UN LADO CON UNA HUERTITA QUE NO SE PUDO PLANTAR ALGUNAS PLANTAS O FLORES, PERO SI PUDIMOSY AYUDEMOS HECHAR UNA BUENA TIERRA EN EL JARDIN ASI NUTRIR ALAS PLANTAS COMO EN EL CASO DE LOS NINOS.

ES ASI LES DIRIA, QUE LAS PERSONAS PUEDAN VISITARNOS Y AYUDEN A NUESTRA PROGRAMA DE MI LOCALIDAD, ASI SE PUDO LOGRAR EL AVANCE DE NUESTRO JARDIN PARA EL FUTURO DE NUESTROS NINOS.

NUNCA LES OLVIDARE DE TODO SUS APOYOS Y OJALA QUE ALGUN DIA REGRESARAN.GRACIAS

                De Javier

 

 

Tour Wrap Up

The Change Your World Alberta Youth Leadership tour has wrapped up for 2012 and it was a huge success! After the homestays in Vicos, we travelled to Chincha to visit Rainbow of Hope for Children education centres and rooftop rebuilding projects, and then onto Lima to visit Cuso International project on youth employment and gender equality/sexual health.  Having the opportunity visit both of these organizations and their partners was eye opening for us and we learned a lot about how to develop equitable partnerships and strong relationships when working in the international development sector.

We are all headed to Edmonton this week to debrief our experience and to start building our presentation for our Fall tour to Alberta schools and community groups.  The documentary is in the editing studio and the premiere will be on September 22nd at the ACGC Annual General Meeting & Evening Affair in Edmonton. This event will also feature activist and pranksters, The Yes Men.  Visit www.theyesmen.eventbrite.ca to purchase tickets!

We also have some short webisodes of our experience on the ACGC Youtube channel, which can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/ACGCNow . Check in regularly for updates!

The Alpaca Pack’s Adventure in Vicos

Welcome back, readers, for another edition of our Peruvian journey. After a terrific stay at the Lazy Dog Inn and a fabulous time roughing it in the mountains, we continued our trip into Vicos. Our Peruvian/Canadian group was separated into 3 groups in order to stay at the homes of our host families. We split up and each fought our own uphill battles (quite literally), eventually leading to our new homes where we stayed for roughly 3 days. During our stay, we became bread bakers, stove creators and really felt like true Peruvians. The first day was our bread baking day. We made over 2 kilos of dough and formed it into fun shapes, such as castles, turtles, stars and donkeys. After an excruciating hour of waiting for the dough to rise, it was stuck into a real old school oven. Once the bread was finished baking, the host family shared what they made with their neighbours; they truly have a strong sense of community. The Vicos community itself is spread far apart from one another due to the need of farming and agriculture space and the community is comprised of approximately 9000 people, but their sense of community still seems a lot stronger than our community bonds back home. Local stories were told at bedtime, and we chewed coca leaves during the day. The chewing of coca leaves is a very social thing; it is done whilst conversing with others. Coca provides energy and works essentially the same way caffeine does in coffee. It allows the workers to have more energy for the day and is activated by a white mineral paste called Cal. * Interesting fact: Miners were once paid in coca leaves.*

The next day comprised of stove building. The stoves are created using rocks, mud and adobe blocks. It was hard work. Some groups worked in the boiling Peruvian sun, others had to work in the biting Peruvian cold that the shadows created. The adobe blocks were a lot heavier than one would expect. Creating a stove was no easy task. We had to create the mud by carrying buckets of dirt to the mixing sites and the adding in water and straw. It took a few hours to complete the stoves, but it was an amazing feeling to complete our project and stand back to admire it. To think that we had the opportunity to build a stove that someone will use for decades to cook their food. It was fantastic.

The third day was brilliant, it absolutely was. It was Pachamanca day.  All the groups came together at one of the three sites, Julian Evaristo’s house to have a fiesta. It was great to be reunited with everyone again.  It was really lonely without all ten youths together in our previous 2 days so we were happy to be together again. A Pachamanca is when you cooked food in the ground using heated rocks. The potatoes, meat and beans were put into the rocks then covered with tarps and dirt. It was delicious. We felt particularly honoured because meat is not a regular food that was eaten and only eaten on special occasions. There was so much food, no one was able to finish their food, not even our big eater, Chance. After the Pachamanca, the dancing, music and fun began. Dancing was literally exercising, there was no end to the sore muscles; those abuelitos could have danced all night if they had the chance. There were also coca leaves readings that we all got done. We’re not sure if we’re believers or sceptics. The girls also had a mini one following them and playing Ring Around the Rosy. It really was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The tourism program that is offered in Vicos really gives an inside look at the daily lives of rural Peruvians and a deep look into their culture and practices. It also provides extra income for the families as well as the community. Seven families take turns hosting and the average amount of times the program is participated in it 1 to 3 times a year. Julian told us that he would really love to have more, but since the program is new and only started in 2001, the idea of staying at host families has yet to really expand. This program was initiated by the community with help from an NGO and brought the idea to them. It is a great form of eco-tourism as well as a great was to preserve the culture of the Peruvians.

Eventually, we had to leave, but with new experiences and knowledge in hand. It seemed that the norm was for chickens and pigs to roam around us at all times, it felt really odd when we returned to Huaraz without any farm animals surrounding us on all sides. It was also Sarita’s (Sarah Carr) birthday, and our last day with our Peruvian friends, so we had a birthday/ good bye celebration at BB Pizza. There were laughs, cake, singing and fun times. Luckily we have the internet so we can keep in contact with the others so we’ll all try to stay in touch. Even with this consoling thought though, the sadness of our new friends behind is still very much prominent. Chance had even given Javier a friendship bracelet, a manly friendship bracelet. We are all so happy to have been able to meet such great people and have learned so much from them. It was a great journey with them and we are all extremely grateful to have been given the chance to interact with such amazing people, all of whom we will miss greatly. After long goodbyes, stretched out hugs, photo shoots and at least one hour of blocking the doorway of the restaurant, we said our final good byes and parted ways. Although good byes are always sad, we’ve taken much from our experiences and our time with the Peruvians and will be looking forward to staying in contact with them.

Quebrada Overnight Hike

[Written: Sunday Aug 5]
Buenos dias! We have just arrived back at the Lazy Dog Inn from our overnight hike in the nearby national park alongside our Peruvian friends. The trip began yesterday morning when we packed up our bags and taxied to the park entrance, about a 45 minute drive from Lazy Dog. The roads were on the edge of the valley, with quite a sizable drop off the side. Talk about nerve-wracking!
  After arriving at the park, we acquired our passes, loaded up the donkeys with the larger bags and set off on the trail. We learned that donkey is “burro” in Spanish, and due to a fun quirk of Spanish called diminutives, we also learned that a small or cute donkey can be called a “burrito”. I dare you to eat a burrito without thinking about donkeys from now on. Once we started walking, we quickly came across a set of interesting paintings on a large rock just off the main trail. Apparently, they were done by ancient people, and they were erased once but mysteriously re-appeared in the same places again the next day.
  About five hours later, we arrived at our chosen location to set up camp. We dug the latrines, set up the tents and ate a well-earned snack. We were able to play some Ultimate Disc® in the beautiful valley as well as some lava tag. I honestly don’t think there will ever be a better location to play lava tag. The rocks were perfectly spaced and wherever there wasn’t a rock there was probably a hard cow pie to use in its place. After a dinner of trout and potato, we played some nighttime sardines (reverse hide and seek), admired the stars, and watched in awe as the full moon rose up over the mountain range.
  In the morning, we embarked on the hike from camp to a nearby glacier-fed lake, about a two and a half hour hike away. Unfortunately, Kianna and Julie headed back partway due to some altitude sickness. However, the lake was breathtaking; we ate on its shores and were able to see some ice break off the mountain and into the water. On the way back from the lake, Gladys (our translator and guide) talked about the governmental system in Peru. Until recently, most of the political power was centred in Lima, the capital. However, about 8-10 years ago, the President separated the powers out more evenly across the country. Today, there are 24 departments (regions) in Peru, all governed by their respective regional Presidents. This is a huge number of provinces which each govern a relatively small area, especially when compared to the huge pieces of land each Canadian province occupies.
  After hiking back to the camp, we ate some lunch, learned a Spanish joke*, tore down the tents and started the hike back to the park gates. We were exhausted but grateful for the experience, and ready to head back to Lazy Dog for one more night.
  Next stop Vicos!

*Q: Que es un pato ase en una laguna? A: Nada!
       What does a duck do in a lake?             Nothing OR swim (nada has 2 meanings in Spanish) :D

It's like every day has two days in it

We’ve had a busy few days! During our debrief a few days ago, Chance said that it felt like we lived 2 days in every 1 day, and we all agree that’s the truth! Today we had the opportunity to work alongside the community members of Yurac Yacu, by helping out with labour for the community centre. It was pretty cool. The citizens have a really good work ethic; it’s amazing because they do a lot of heavy lifting for long periods of time for days. We also  got to experience some great local Peruvian food.  Here’s a quick recap of the past two days.

 On Wednesday, we visited the preschool that is within the Yurac Yacu Community Centre where we interacted with the children and learnt about their day to day activities. Although language was a barrier, we found that just a simple smile was a great ice breaker. The school only has one permanent teacher, Flora, and the students must walk a fair bit of distance on rocky terrain to reach the school. School is a great escape opportunity for the students to interact with other students and learn skills that would better themselves in their future and for their families. Although schooling does come with a cost, it is an investment that many of the parents understand will give their kids an edge in the future.

On Wednesday, we also went on a six hour hike led by our Peruvian friends. They are in training to become guides and were gracious enough to give us a tour of their homeland- sharing information about the indigenous plants as well as sharing myths about the land. The trek we went on took our breath away, not only because of the altitude but that there was such amazing landscape all around us.

We spent Thursday morning helping build a shelter on the grounds of the Community Centre where students would be able to eat their lunch during the school year. Poles were painted, holes were dug, concrete was mixed and poured and rocks were hauled for the floor. By the end of the morning, all the rocks were collected and the poles for the shelter were raised; the only work left was to assemble the floor and construct the roof. During the morning we had the chance to meet some of the women working on construction of the rest of the facility: the café and the guides/porters centre. Julie was christened the eighth dwarf when she was working with a pickaxe. Her dwarf name: Golden Princess Sunshine. Wayne, one of the head coordinators of the project, was generous enough to talk to us after the work was done. He shared insight about what was necessary to turn this dreams into reality. He taught us that, no matter the path you choose, the way to achieve success in life is to connect with people who share your dreams and to turn ideas into reality before they disappear.

Yesterday afternoon, we walked to the house of one of the Lazy Dog Inn’s chefs, Nancy, and experienced an exotic Peruvian lunch. She welcomed us into her home and provided a delicious platter of cui (guinea pig), pollo (chicken), and papas (potatoes). There was also a beet and onion salad and a pumpkin dessert. Guinea pigs are considered a delicacy in Peru, thus referring back to the previous blog post’s title, and are not kept as pets. As a matter of fact, the locals laughed at the idea of keeping guinea pigs as pets. We enjoyed the meal with a drink made from purple corn and lemon juice. We had noticed that the hostesses, Nancy and Yabanna, did not join the guests while eating. Perhaps this was a cultural thing where the host must only host but not sit with the guests. It was interesting to see since in Canada our hosts eat with the guests and have more interaction, rather than just serving the meals. After having thoroughly enjoyed our meal, we danced with the Peruvian kids and our hostesses. It was a lot of fun; even the most uncoordinated dancers were able to enjoy themselves, and not have to worry about being good. There were also small children there and we were able to kick soccer balls around with them for a bit. It was a really great to be able to see the local houses and try new experiences such as eating guinea pig.

Coming up in the next few days we’ll be hiking overnight through the Quebrada in the Cordillera Blanca with our Peruvian friends. Afterwards we’ll be headed off to Vicos to stay with host families in the community. Stay tuned for more updates as we go! Adios, hasta luego amigos!

- Chance, Sarah, Julie, Ross & Kianna

You Need To Have A Lot Of Guinea Pigs If You Want To Throw A Lot Of Parties…

Finally having arrived in Lima we were tired beyond belief and couldn’t have been happier to snuggle into our beds at the hostel.  The next day we took an eight hour drive up to Huaraz past sand dunes, the Pacific Ocean and drove up through the highlands. Despite the hair pin turns and insane altitudes we all did really well on the drive and viewed the most amazing agriculture. We took a lunch break by the ocean and enjoyed the sand beneath our toes. Our drive through the Highlands was filled with so much culture to the extent that we even ate some exotic fruit from a roadside stand. When we finally reached Huaraz we stayed in the Churup Hostel and enjoyed a delicious meal at the Café Andino. Today we took a tour throughout Huaraz and checked out the markets as well as the Pre Inca Museum. We then drove up to the Lazy Dog Inn where we are now staying. We met our 5 new Peruvian friends and enjoyed an amazing meal provided by our Peruvian cooks. Tomorrow we will be getting into a deeper look at International Development by visiting the school funded by Sombrilla as well as going on a hike guided by our Peruvian friends! Look for our next blog post!

-Ross, Julie, Chance, Sarah and Kianna 

In Transit

At the airport in Toronto!