Machu Picchu - the best way to say goodbye

I'm assuming if you read this, you know me pretty well. You know my sleeping habits, my inability to be an early riser, my complete distaste for extreme cardio and physical exertion. You know that while I love the outdoors and the environment, I love my coffee and I hate being cold.

Yet, I just hiked to Machu Picchu.

It entailed 5am wake up calls, camping overnight at 4100m above sea level and below freezing temperatures as soon as the sun goes down. After 2 full days of hiking, we had conquered a 4800m mountain and back down to the valley. At one point while we were hiking up, I could hardly breathe due to the lack of oxygen and personal fitness and was stopped on the side of the mountain with Erica. While we are standing there doubled over and wheezing, the porters just flew by us with at least 40 pounds strapped to their backs. I turned to Erica and asked her if she felt like a city girl. She looked up and said "I can't go 10 m without stopping, 20 minutes without eating, I've realised I don't really like hiking and I really really want a Starbucks right about now."

I pretty much agreed. So while it was painful and way past my physical limitations, the scenery and sense of accomplishment after the two days was the best reward I could have asked for. Then it was followed by hot springs and of course Machu Picchu.

If you ever need a reality check, or just to have your mind completely boggled, head there. The mystery behind the town, the culture and the architecture is immensely intriguing. I can't really describe it much better than to say go there. Now. There isn't a doubt in my mind why it is considered one of the 7 wonders of the world.

But now I have to leave Cuzco, one more day in Lima and then back to Canada and reality. It has been a life-changing learning experience, an adventure day after day and a lesson the hard way on how important it is to be bilingual. I wouldn't change the experience, because in both the ups and downs I learned a hell of a lot about people, myself and group dynamics.

I will definitely be coming back to Peru, and South America. After all, I did promise an 11 year old girl I would see her again.

That is, once I learn Spanish.

How do you say heartbroken in Spanish?

Today was most definitely the hardest day.

The mural is done. The roof is up. In Peru, when the roof is done that is when the celebration is, because here a roof means shelter regardless of what may be underneath it. That broke my heart a little. Then Erica had the honors of christening the bathroom with a bottle of champagne. Laughter followed and the tears abaded. Today we didn't really work. Abdias told us to come in but there wasn't any work so we think he just wanted to spend more time with us. Which was fine. A moto taxi came by playing music at full blast so had a dance party in the middle of the street for a good hour, including an organized line dance for all to see (line dancing on a hill is an unbelievable work out.) Such fun times.
And then my heart broke.
We got the kids to sign our shirts and write things down, like numbers and emails and names. Sorry Mom and Dad - 120 Peruvian children now have your phone number. But then there were hugs, and an onslaught of tears. How do you tell two 10 year old girls, Kelly and Carmella, that they are so unbelievably smart and talented and that the world is their oyster. How do you tell them that if they need anything or just a person to talk to, just to call. How do you tell them that you will miss them all and you will be back to check in on them - if you don't speak their language? So you cry and you hug and you tell them that you will be back to check up on them because they are way to brilliant to be stuck in a place like Villa Maria. And I mean it. I will keep in touch however I can because those kids that not only touched my heart but fully stole it deserve so much better than just a shelter over their head and a dirt hill to live on. In the end that bathroom really didn't mean anything. It is those kids that are the heart, soul and hope for the community. If the kids only took a small piece from the last 4 weeks, I'm ok with that - they taught me things about myself I didnt know and affected me in ways I probably am not quite aware of yet.

But now I must put my travelling boots back on and once again say my goodbyes and hit the road.
Tomorrow:
Cuzco!

So I won't see you Minana!

There is this man at work named Apdias. He doesn't speak an ounce of English, means well and is the "contractor" for our banos (bathroom we are building). He is frustrating, annoying and called me Chris for an entire day. Yesterday he had a tiny hole in his shirt right on his nipple. Fantastic. Note the sarcasm. We are pretty sure that even if we could understand what he was saying he would anger us to no end.
So on Wednesday, we made a concrete roof. We put in a wood base, laid out the constructed rebar pillars, tied the rebar ties, made a frame for the entire thing and then hoisted buckets of concrete up onto the roof to pour into the frame. Of course, I spent the whole day on the roof, we all were covered in concrete by the end and I strained muscles that I didn't even know I had. Good day. Sarcasm again.
But it got so much better. Apdias then told us we didn't have to come in the next day because the roof had to dry. Hell yeah I say! No sarcasm there, just pure excitement.

And we took advantage of the day off. We went and sang karaoke on Wednesday night. Oh fun times. We sang all the English songs and the only other table in the place sang all the slow Spanish ballads while sounding like a very small Asian man (their star singer was the tallest Peruvian woman I've seen so definitely not Asian). Thursday brought on Paragliding, which was amazing, beautiful and the best way to understand the expanse of a city of 8 million people. Gorgeous views of the coast line, ocean and Miraflores made it fantastic. We then found a very cool cafe for lunch, which we are going back to today, and then the group split up - some went to the market, others went to the beach.
I went to the beach. Shocked?
We talked to a very friendly surfer man who told us the "hang loose" sign is universal and found out that the beach is where all the young gringos hang out. We carried on, checked out the restaurant we're going to on Wednesday for our project end dinner and then just sat on the beach enjoying the waves and the surfer boys that rocked them.
So that was pretty much Thursday. Awesome day off. Friday I started painting the mural we are giving to the school to commemorate our time there. Jen, Kristine and Leah helped out. It looks so fantastic and by the end of the day we were covered in paint. After bathing in terpentine, we played an awesome game of soccer - round 2! And then headed out to a Peruvian house party of a friend of a friend. Interesting week all around.

The end is getting so close its shocking. I'm going to miss this place.

Wanna Huacachina?

When given a weekend off and the amazing Peruvian dollar, what would you do? How about head to Huacachina?!?!?!
Its just a little town. In the middle of the desert. Situated around a lagoon. Actually, its a magical lagoon. And its on the 50 soles bill. Its more of a mirage really. One of those images that crosses your mind as you are deliriously stumbling through the desert dehydrated and starved. You see a mirage, a beautiful paradise town with a lagoon and circa 1890s architecture. Well, it actually exsists, and that my dear friends is where I spent the weekend.
We started off by hitting up an awesome restaurant for some of the best food we've had yet. This was followed by some random drinks, fish bowls of cocktails and Craig getting chased by dogs then hit on by a very flamboyant salsa instructor.
The next day brought on wine tours full of red wines, white wines and pisco. Pisco is 43% proof alcohol made from grapes. I wouldn't say its delicious - its very similar to tequila in taste and effect. I'm not sure if the next idea was that brilliant, but after the wine tours we went sandboarding. We drove deep into the sand dunes in dune buggies and then boarded down various sand dunes. Unbelievable. The gear wasn't top notch, but if you were to purchase some decent equiptment, sandboarding would be very very similar to snowboarding - and the ride back up to the top of the hill is much much more fun.
After the pretty full Saturday, we woke early and headed for a boat tour of the Paracus Peninsula which turned out much much wetter than we ever expected - but we saw penguins (thats right, Peruvian Penguinos) and sea lions and so many birds that we're pretty sure we entered into Kevin Chubey's hell. There weren't any one legged seagulls Kev, but there was around 10,000 other fully functioning gulls.
So that is the jist of our adventurous weekend. We got to see not only the ocean and the desert but the drive in between. The contrast in Peru is mind-blowing and most definitely leaves you twisting between being amazed by the beauty and culture and stunned by the difference between the lives of those who use the ocean for play, and those who rely on it for life.

Commo te llamos?

What is your name?
Kim
What is your name?
Kim
What is your name?
Kimberley
Ooohhhhhh. Kimberley

Apparently Kim sounds similar to "where" so for the last week they didn't know my name, they just thought I was very very confused.

We played football with the kids today after working. It was so much fun but my grade 4 soccer skills are no comparison to the kids or anyone else in the entire country of Peru. It was so much fun though.
The bathrooms are still being built. I've inhaled more cement than ever ever necessary. enough said on that front.
The kids are awesome, the travel group is amazing, fun and we all get along very well and most people in the town have grown used to 13 very pale people walking around their streets.

Today, when we were leaving six girls climbed through the bus door and sat down. They turned to their friends and said (in Spanish) "Adios, we're going to Canada!" They think thats where we go every night and have no idea how big this world is. They are only aware of the possibilities their little rocky mountain has for them. Most haven't even seen the ocean. It broke my heart as I laughed.

Feliz Dia Mamasita!

Happy Mother's Day!
So just a very quick update - these days are pretty packed. Yesterday we headed to the market followed by the travel agent to book our flights to Cusco for our Machu Pichu trek. Then we headed to the water to go hang gliding but it wasnt windy enough, so we just hung out and had some lunch at around 3pm. Our eating habits are a bit out of whack. Then we headed home and got all dressed up for a night on the town.
Night on the town = most ridiculous fun ever = I don't think I have EVER danced that hard/much. It was such a good night. The whole group went out accompanied by Jorge, our 18 yr old project leader which is a whole other story, and Ronald who works at our hostel and a couple of Jorge's friends. I salsa danced with some very nice Peruvians and one even complemented me on my dancing skills. Can you believe it? HA!
Today I woke up to good news - I am officially graduated! SO excited/relieved. We headed to work for a few hours to finish painting the classrooms so the kids can move in tomorrow for classes. Then we came back to the house, got ready and headed out on the "Mirabus", a double decker bus tour of Lima, which was amazing. This city is a schitzophrenic mixture of architecture and time periods. Absolutely amazing. We are going to have to pick a few of the spots to revisit. So gorgeous.
I can't load photos right now, but once I'm back I will post visuals.
What now? Bed, work, eat, repeat. Until Thursday when things get crazy again!
Cheers!

Dia Quatro

So day four, second day of work. And man are we sore!!! All muscles, joints and appendages are feeling a little strained but very accomplished. On Wednesday we made our way out to Villa Maria where our project is to get the low down on what exactly we will be doing.
The Project:
A school that teaches children business aspects so they can successfully bring money home to their families without resorting to theft or other illegal activities. I have mixed feelings about these goals because these kids aren't presented with a lot of time to simply be kids and have to work to support their family's at as young as 6 years old, but at the same time the families are so poor and in such desperate need of money that the kids will work anyway and learning how to sell their own products rather then resorting to illegal activities is a step in a better direction.
So right now, we are building the 197 kids, ages 3-15, a bathroom. Currently we are digging holes for piping in the designated bathroom areas, which means breaking through 5 inches of concrete with a pick axe and sledge hammer and then digging out 14 inch trenches of dusty soil and boulders. While there have been pick axes weilded in tiny spaces limiting the number of workers in each bathroom, we have also been painting the newly finished classrooms. In a row there is the Principal's office, and three new classrooms, followed by 2 older classrooms and a kitchen area. Three more classrooms are about half built and will hopefully be done within the year.
Sooo,...
Wednesday we got dirty painting and digging and I don't think I've worked that hard in a very long time. The kids came around to see what were doing and mainly to look with curiousitiy at all the white people that have infiltrated their village. This trip is definitely a learning experience - it has been great so far, meeting the kids and seeing/experiencing a different culture but, of course, in a country where 54% of the population lives in poverty, not every experience is going to put a smile on your face.
Even though Villa Maria is only an hour drive from affluent Miraflores, it is one of many barebones communities carved into arid hillsides with no sanitation, self-sustaining infrastructure or water system. For the kids, dreaming big means seeing the ocean - they don't understand how big the world really is and how many possibilities there are. Then I wonder what dreams are reachable for these kids, which leads me to asking if I am doing enough. It really makes you think, and I suggest if you ever find yourself or your kids taking anything in Canada for granted, send them here.
Thursday - pretty much the same as Wednesday - painting and digging until our hands turn into permanent claws. I wish I knew more Spanish so I could talk with the kids, because they are so interested with everything - where we are from, who we are, what Canada is like (they were asking us if we had roads, money, goats, oceans...) and what we were doing. With hand signals and a pocket dictionary I was able to talk for a bit with three girls who snuck up on me when I was sketching, which took the cake as my favorite moment of the day.
I think this entry is plenty long so I will get going and probably write again on Sunday.
So for now, Feliz Dia Mamasita and I will write again soon!

Buenos Dias!

Buenos Dias on Dia Dos.
The Spanish is slowly coming along. It is definitely a necessity here in Peru. Most important are markets, greetings, money and food. Directions are also helpful. Getting lost, not so much. So what have we discovered in the last two days? We're living in Miraflores, a very nice suberb of Lima. The hostel is great - its called Casa Rodas and is run by Mercedes, Ronald and Rosa. Ronald is in his 20s and is pretty fluent in English so there are some hillarious conversations going on back and forth. Yesterday we just got settled and then took a walk through town to find some dinner, came back to the hostel and had a pretty chill night.
Today, the plan was to take on Miraflores and all its glorious sights, but our fearless leader got hit by the lovely travelling food bug and was out of commission for the morning. Bean and I stepped in, with a whole lot of help from our lone spanish speaking groupie. Actually Bean and I did very little other than point in the direction we thought we should be going and stopping people from getting hit by cars when crossing the street. So we trecked on without Erica and took on the market, where Craig, Kristine and I realized we are totally oblivious when it comes to money talk. Quanto: how much? Viente-Seente: s/ 25
Thats about it.
ps. Kev I got you a wicked gift.
Next we headed towards the ocean where we took in the sights of water, surfers and paragliders from a cliff high above the beach. Its absolutely beautiful, with a boardwalk running all along the cliff edge. Breathtaking really.
We got back home, Erica was her usually peppy self again, so we went to the grocery store and got all the fixings for a grand Italian dinner. Spanish lessons followed, complete with a never ending cribbage game conversed in Spanish.
Now to bed, as we are gettig up early tomorrow to head to the project sigh sooo...
Buenos noches and hasta manana (good night and see you tomorrow)!

I Have Arrived!!!!

Just sending a message out to all those who are reading - I have arrived in Lima!
There isn't much to say at this point other than we are here, checked into our super cute hostel and I will write more tomorrow once we go explore a bit.
This trip is going to be very very interesting - colourful characters already!
Adios!

And I'm Off!

One quick last little post before I hoist up my ridiculously full bag and head south. I guess first I should finish packing. Right now I just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the awesome times I had in Toronto and send out a big hug to everyone that came out last night to say adios. I'll miss you guys!
But now I'm off to Peru, where I don't know the language and the sun will hate me.
Sounds like a fun adventure no? We'll see what it has in store I suppose.

I will write as soon as I can. Take care all and keep me updated!!

2 DAYS

Alright. So the sun is shining, its early morn. Happy or sad, I'm feeling torn. All I know is I'm leaving in 2 days. So hug me and hang out with me. Lets find something cool to see. I wanna see what I've missed here in TO. Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane. I'll be back in June again. Oh adventure here I come!

The blog is starting up again!

This is the official re-opening of the "Where in the World is Kim?" blog. During the hiatus, I have been in Toronto finishing off my degree and creating an eco-bridal collection in a whirlwind of excitement, stress and coffee. You can check it out at www.lillynichols.ca if you wish.
But now I am starting up again...
14 DAYS!!!
That's right ladies and gents. In 14 fun-loaded days I will be leaving my home for the last four years and trekking to Peru. Alot of emotions will be packed with my possessions, but I am so excited to help build a school and work with/play with the children that attend there. Very excited.
I will keep the posts as frequent as I can. Its only a 5 week trip, so I should be able to manage alright.

SO....

The countdown has begun.

I am going to stick out like the Grinch at Christmas....