Our 15 days living and volunteering in Ollantaytambo have come to an end and for this entry I´m going to do something a little different.

As we were some of the initial volunteers with the Casa Hogar Del Sol NGO and may want to give future workers an idea for the work available I´m going to first list out what we did as far as labor during our stay and then later, what we did for fun, on time off, etc. Their main project is to create Cuylandia aka Guinea Pig Land , a long-term small business opportunity for the communities of Pacuarbamba and Ancapachar that suffered massive flooding in January 2010. Believe it or not, Cuys-Guinea pigs form an integral part of most rural Peruvians´ diets as they have for 1000s of years and Cuylandia is to be a training center, classroom, and pen, for the communities to learn how to raise and sell Cuys for profit. The project is in its construction and planning phase but has gotten a strong response from community members. We still haven´t tried eating Guinea pig yet but I hope to before the end of the trip. The meat is said to taste like a mix of pork and chicken? Here goes:

  1. Moved, transported, and stacked 1000´s of hand made adobe bricks (made of local mud and straw and weighing 45 lbs each) via wheel barrow, moving truck, ¨fire lines,¨and sheer strength for Cuylandia walls.
  2. Helped erect the Cuylandia wall with local workers using the adobes, mud, and other tools.
  3. Assisted local man with forming 250-300 adobe bricks to rebuild his flooded home.
  4. Visited local Pacuarbamba Elementary School two times and taught one initial English class for 90 minutes to 12 students ages 6-9. Volunteers will teach English at this school every thursday afternoon and play with the kids of course. Students speak Spanish and Quechua.
  5. Contributed apprx 1000 Soles or $330 to the project over the 15 days.
  6. Wrote 3 blog entries on the Casa Hogar del sol web site at http://www.mysmallhelp.blogspot.com/ Check them out.
  7.  Went to Urubamba, nearby bigger town, to purchase water and other supplies.
  8. Cleaned volunteer house.

 

Non Volunteer Activites during my time:

  1. Won trivia night at unnamed secret english bar (prize: Swiss Chocolate and free beer) vs. many other American volunteers with the awamaki organization.
  2. Put up with 48 hours withouth electricity the first weekend we arrived. I guess power outages are not uncommon here but this was the longest in years. So dark! and kind of a fun way to get to know a town.
  3. Learned what it´s like to have food poisoning. I spent literally all day and night the 4th of July in bed puking and sweating but after about 24 hours felt good as new if a little weak. I think it was from eating a little of uncooked salad and will be more careful in the future. I don´t remember ever being this sick in my whole life. I´m glad that I wasn´t in a hostel or hotel and had my own room and comfy bed for this. At least I was able to hear some fireworks…
  4. Attended 2 going away parties for British friend of the organization Kirstie in Ollanta and Cusco. Celebrated by eating out, dancing to live music and then bad dance music at discoteques, and chatting.
  5. Toured the great Ollantayambo Incan Ruins the day of the Ollanta Raymi festival June 29. The ruins normally cst $30 each but got in for free. The fiesta and reenactment celebrates the towns founding story of great warrior Ollanta leading people to battle and winning the heart of the Cheifs daughter in pre-Incan times. Actually reminds me of the White Bear Lake story a little bit.
  6. Hiked to the Salineras salt mines nearby and wached the community´s ancient method for harvesting salt. Still in use today and delicious. Also hiked to smaller Incan ruins (don´t remember name) outside Ollanta.
  7. Applied to graduate assistantship with school of Public Health at University of Minnesota.
  8. Met and got to know many great Ollantino guys and gals and other international volunteers at the volunteer house and in the community, especially through the NGO´s leader Leander. Many locals our age work as guides for the Ollanta ruins, Macchu Picchu and others. Many study English and Tourism in School.
  9. ¨Cooked¨many meals in the volunteer house kitchen and drank lots of tea! Does making ramen, grilled cheese, or mac n´cheese count as cooking?
  10. River Rafting the Urubamba with KB Tambo tours also owned by a Minnesotan.
  11. Practiced beauboup Spanish with other workers and local friends and through reading. Still not at where I´d like to be though. Many locals also like practicing their English on us.
  12. Manuevered the public transportation system and hitchiked a lot. Most days we had to catch ´combi´ buses to the Cuylandia work site or other towns. These are basically 12 passenger vans that they fill to the brim 25 people not being abnormal with tons of produce or baggage or whatever on the roof. No seat belts, no personal space, but quite cheap.
  13. Ate Anticuchos 5 times- skewered and marinaded beef hearts with spicy sauce. Delicious and don´t really seem skechy at all. Drank Chicha- home made corn beer only once for fear of the water that they use being contaminated.
  14. Fished the fast flowing Urubamba river for trout once in the peruvian style as our friend Christian taught us. We tied fishing line around a 20 oz plastic bottle to use as our pole and then used worms on a hook like usual. Christian actually hooked a little trout and we all had bites. Not really recommended as river is nasty, sort of an open sewer drain for whole valley but fun nonetheless.
  15. Visited internet café too many times!

 So there you have it. I´m really glad we spent some time in Ollanta getting to know the town and many people. Much better than playing the tourist like we´ve felt for much of the rest of our trip. The town itself is gorgeous with ruins looking down into the valley from mountains and hills on both sides. Also the old town is one of the remaining examples of Incan City planning wih running water flowing along three of the main streets, huge Incan double doorways, and interior patios and gardens.

Lastly, I think we´re going to have some type of fundraiser party, pub crawl or event for Cuylandia when we get back in Sept and you all are invited.

Next up: Lake Titicaca and Bolivia.

Go Twins,

Dan Henry