The day before we left Villa La Paz, the doctor said that one new female volunteer would be arriving. A few hours later he said that he just remembered that there would be two people because the girl was bringing her cousin. He asked us to squeeze an extra mattress into the storage room and scrounge together some sheets and pillows. At around 23:00 I opened the doors to four girls, all looking excited and eager to be there. I called the doctor down and he greeted two of the girls and acted as if he could not see that there were four people. It was quite a funny moment when he caught on that there were four, and he almost fell over. The doctor is quite an organized man and does not enjoy surprises so Tyson and I quickly took over and said we would take care of the sleeping arrangements. Everyone cuddled close that night. The next day we gathered our things and snuggled the babies for one last baby hour. It was difficult to say bye to the kids, they were very sweet and followed us around all morning right to the cab.
We arrived to the bus terminal early and checked in. It was a very nice station and we were instantly more at ease about the trip. We met up with a friend of my cousins who kindly took us to another town called Miraflores to show us around a bit. It is a very cosmopolitan area with a chili's, starbucks, burger king, Tony Romas ribs and more American stores. He took us to an authentic Peruvian place for lunch. We had two Peruvian dishes that I cannot recall the names but they were delicious. One was a dish that reminded me of Japanese sashimi but with a lime dressing and onions and corn. The second was seasoned rice topped with fish and a pesto type sauce. Both plates were huge portions and it was so nice to eat fresh food after being at the Villa La Paz for a week. The dishes were about 30 soles each which sounds like a lot compared to the cost of food here but when we convert it it only comes out to about $12. It appeared to be quite a popular place because the cue to get a table was hours long.
Our new friend also kindly took our excess baggage that we couldn't bring with us on the train. So we only grabbed one change of clothes for the three days.
We took a cab back to the bus station where we had to take out more cash from an ATM (we have not been budgetting very well) and hopped on the most amazing bus I have ever seen. Leave it to Tyson to book the best of everything. Huge soft seats that recline into beds, TVs at almost every seat showing the latest movies, blankets, pillows, cup holders and earphones! It's a two level bus and we were not seated next to each other originally but we managed to trade our way closer. The sights on the way were beautiful. Water and mountains and hundreds of little towns full of tiny huts that people live in with no cars. We did take many pictures along the way but it does not do justice to the beauty of Peru. What a different way of life. We also got very nice meals on the bus ride. The only problem we ran into was that they mentioned several times during the safety video that we were only to URINATE into the toilets on the bus and number two's were not allowed. Well this proved to be difficult since Tyson and I were both suffering from digestion issues. Needless to say we broke this rule and thankfully never got caught. I also have to say I would never wish 24 contnuous hours on a bus for anyone.
Throughout the trip we regularly brought up the kids and how much they would have enjoyed the bus ride. We miss them a lot already and I see myself going back there. I reccomend anyone to take a trip to the home and spend some time volunteering with the children.
After the bus ride we took a quick taxi to the main taxi station called Pavitas. From Pavitas we shared an unofficial taxi (official taxis are more expensive) with an Argentinian couple who were extremely late for their train. I'm unsure if it was this fact or if this type of driving is typical for Peruvians but the bus ride to Lima was nothing compared to this cab ride. The driver was weaving in and out of traffic in pouring rain up the side of a mountain. There were several times I closed my eyes because of course if I can't see it, it's not happening. He drove us to a place call Ollantaytambo which is a big tourist place and everything was quite expensive. This is where everyone has to catch the train to Aguas Callientas. We had some extra time so we hiked up a mountain that looked to be Inca ruins. It was quite magnificent, but the air is a lot thinner here and I was definitely feeling short of breath. Tyson was either being brave for me or really didn't feel anything. Most people take pills to relieve the symtoms of high altitude but we toughed it out. Then we went for a nice dinner and had pizza and a chicken burger. We bought a backpack full of snacks and hopped onto the train. As we were on the train we heard what sounded like gun fire but Tyson says it was just a baseball-sized rock. Immediately following the bang we looked up at the window above us and it was smashed.
We are now at a hostel in Aguas Callientas. We will climb up the mountain at 5am tomorrow morning and head back to Lima the next day. I hope it will be worth the 48 hour journey to get here."If we are not happy and joyous in this season for what season shall we wait"
We arrived to the bus terminal early and checked in. It was a very nice station and we were instantly more at ease about the trip. We met up with a friend of my cousins who kindly took us to another town called Miraflores to show us around a bit. It is a very cosmopolitan area with a chili's, starbucks, burger king, Tony Romas ribs and more American stores. He took us to an authentic Peruvian place for lunch. We had two Peruvian dishes that I cannot recall the names but they were delicious. One was a dish that reminded me of Japanese sashimi but with a lime dressing and onions and corn. The second was seasoned rice topped with fish and a pesto type sauce. Both plates were huge portions and it was so nice to eat fresh food after being at the Villa La Paz for a week. The dishes were about 30 soles each which sounds like a lot compared to the cost of food here but when we convert it it only comes out to about $12. It appeared to be quite a popular place because the cue to get a table was hours long.
Our new friend also kindly took our excess baggage that we couldn't bring with us on the train. So we only grabbed one change of clothes for the three days.
We took a cab back to the bus station where we had to take out more cash from an ATM (we have not been budgetting very well) and hopped on the most amazing bus I have ever seen. Leave it to Tyson to book the best of everything. Huge soft seats that recline into beds, TVs at almost every seat showing the latest movies, blankets, pillows, cup holders and earphones! It's a two level bus and we were not seated next to each other originally but we managed to trade our way closer. The sights on the way were beautiful. Water and mountains and hundreds of little towns full of tiny huts that people live in with no cars. We did take many pictures along the way but it does not do justice to the beauty of Peru. What a different way of life. We also got very nice meals on the bus ride. The only problem we ran into was that they mentioned several times during the safety video that we were only to URINATE into the toilets on the bus and number two's were not allowed. Well this proved to be difficult since Tyson and I were both suffering from digestion issues. Needless to say we broke this rule and thankfully never got caught. I also have to say I would never wish 24 contnuous hours on a bus for anyone.
Throughout the trip we regularly brought up the kids and how much they would have enjoyed the bus ride. We miss them a lot already and I see myself going back there. I reccomend anyone to take a trip to the home and spend some time volunteering with the children.
After the bus ride we took a quick taxi to the main taxi station called Pavitas. From Pavitas we shared an unofficial taxi (official taxis are more expensive) with an Argentinian couple who were extremely late for their train. I'm unsure if it was this fact or if this type of driving is typical for Peruvians but the bus ride to Lima was nothing compared to this cab ride. The driver was weaving in and out of traffic in pouring rain up the side of a mountain. There were several times I closed my eyes because of course if I can't see it, it's not happening. He drove us to a place call Ollantaytambo which is a big tourist place and everything was quite expensive. This is where everyone has to catch the train to Aguas Callientas. We had some extra time so we hiked up a mountain that looked to be Inca ruins. It was quite magnificent, but the air is a lot thinner here and I was definitely feeling short of breath. Tyson was either being brave for me or really didn't feel anything. Most people take pills to relieve the symtoms of high altitude but we toughed it out. Then we went for a nice dinner and had pizza and a chicken burger. We bought a backpack full of snacks and hopped onto the train. As we were on the train we heard what sounded like gun fire but Tyson says it was just a baseball-sized rock. Immediately following the bang we looked up at the window above us and it was smashed.
We are now at a hostel in Aguas Callientas. We will climb up the mountain at 5am tomorrow morning and head back to Lima the next day. I hope it will be worth the 48 hour journey to get here."If we are not happy and joyous in this season for what season shall we wait"
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