Saludos desde Pisac, Peru! Our family came back down just over a month ago and we will be here until the end of June. The kids and I have not been here since August 2011, but Steve made two shorter trips here in Fall 2011 and Spring 2012. We are happy to all be back here together!
We are now living in our house at Ccata Chacra (pronounced Hot -a - chakra, which means sloped field in Quechua). Everything is going well. Here is a summary of the past month:
March was a super busy month for our family in Olympia, WA and this time I felt overwhelmed and apprehensive about our trip. It was interesting that I felt so apprehensive because every time I have been here I have loved it. I have come to understand that I have a more difficult time with these transitions back and forth than Steve. It is worth it for sure, but it is a lot of work to get everything in order. Many thanks to our friends in Oly who are helping take care of our house! I also realized how attached I was to my busy life in Olympia, even though I knew it was too busy and I needed a break. Even when we arrived, it took me a few days to finally feel like I was ready to be here, but I can honestly say I am very happy to be here!
The pace of life here is so much more sane. We walk everywhere and sleep well at night because of all the great exercise. I spend far less time on the computer or on any electronic device. I have ditched the daily planner, because my weekly schedule is simply not that busy. We are eating healthful and delicious fresh foods that we buy at the markets and cook at home. It is such a refreshing change of pace and a more harmonious family rhythm. I am hopeful that I can take some of this slowing-down energy back to Olympia.
If you are new to this Peru blog, I will catch you up on our property and house here. In 2010, we bought about an acre of land that is 1 km from Pisac. It was a passionate and somewhat crazy decision. One of Steve's and my mottos in life is: "Ask not what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive." So, we feel very alive here and wished to continue a connection to this amazing area.
To get to our house from Pisac, we walk along beautiful Incan corn terraces on a dirt road that is only wide enough for walkers, bikers and moto-taxis (three wheeled motor cycle vehicles that are used for hauling heavy stuff). At the end of the road, we walk up a steep path for 100 meters (only accessible by walking due to some step).. Our property consists of a 200 or so peach trees and other vegetation, flowers, other native trees, etc. There was an original adobe one-room structure which we "remodeled" (to use that term loosely) in 2011. Now we have an adobe house: two bedrooms, one living room/kitchen and one bathroom. The house is beautiful with an entire wall of windows that look out to the amazing mountains around us, including the Pisac Incan ruins, as well as the cornfields below. It is very stunning view and beautiful house, and all Steve's design!
In 2012, Steve left the house in the care of a Peruvian family. Now, that we are back, we are making the house our own. We have been busy furnishing the house and painting. As well, we have substantial projects outside the house: rock walls and patio and building a care-taker/guest house. Steve is mastermind of all these projects and takes it all in stride. We have a wonderful team of workers who have also become our friends who are helping us with these projects.
So, the first two weeks of our time down here were spent getting situated and getting the property projects going. Then, we had the lovely occasion to have my parents, Steve's parents and family friends, Fred and Linda Oswald down for two weeks. The projects continued on with our team of workers, but we switched gears and played hosts and tour guides and took the crew to many of the major Incan ruin sites here in the Cuzco are, Sacred Valley as well as to Machu Picchu. Even though I have visited these sites before, each and every time I see them anew it takes my breath away. They are so majestic and magical!
It was a real treat to go to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu is simply amazing! Definitely one of the 7 wonders of the world! The last time Steve and I were in Machu Picchu was 17 years ago when we hiked the Inca Trail into Machu Picchu. This time, we took the train. This was River and Sage's first time in Machu Picchu, and I'm glad we waited until this year because they were better able to appreciate the site then if they had been younger.
We also took the family crew on cultural excursions that you don't get with a tour. For example, we went up to Viacha, the community above Pisac, to spend the day harvesting potatoes with the family members of our work crew. I should say a few words about these folks. Rodrigo has been working for us since the building project began in 2011. He is married to Angelica who also often works here too. They have two children, Ana and Ronald, and we are the padrinos (godparents) of Ana. (There is whole story about Ana's Andean hair cutting ceremony - corte de pelo- and how we became her godparents in a previous blogpost). Rodrigo and Angelica's extended family members also have been working on our building project. They are all from Viacha, and because we are the godparents of Ana, we are all considered compadres,or family.
The day in Viacha was a wonderful cultural opportunity and lots of fun! We all headed up in shared taxis. Bob and Judy got to ride in the car with the two hens (which would become lunch!). Because this was the first day of the potato harvest, there was a special ceremony to ask for blessings and express gratitude to the apus, the mountain deities, and the potato crop. Each family member and guest was given a cup of chicha, corn beer, and offered the glass up to the mountains and then poured a bit of chicha on the newly harvested potatoes. In the Andes, there is the overarching understanding and appreciation of Pacha, the creative energy that expresses itself in everything: in every mountain, in every plant, in every person. In yoga, we call this Maha Shakti. Everything exists within a relationship to everything else, so it is natural and proper that at the time of harvest, the earth is honored and the potatoes are thanked.
After the ceremony, we got busy in the field and harvested potatoes. An earthen oven was built and we ate freshly harvested, earth baked potatoes with aji (chile) and cheese and caldo de gallina, hen soup. Most of our family and guests hiked back down to Pisac, a beautiful 2 hour drop along an Incan path arriving just in time for sunset.
It was so special to share our home and surroundings with our wonderful parents and friends. If you have an inclination to take a trip down here and visit us, please do! We'd love to see you here!
Now that that our family guests have departed, we are back to our house and property projects and re-establishing a rhythm for ourselves here and reconnecting with our friendships here. As well, since it is Steve's sabbatical, he has several contacts and connections that he is forging and strengthening in the areas of traditional agriculture. Local potato harvests and daily conversations with locals about their farming and ongoing harvest activities definitely count as sabbatical material!
River and Sage are playing their instruments and this month's goal is to get them playing music with locals and learning the Andean music. We have a Mothers' Day date with a local family that are musicians, Peruvian BBQ and music on the new patio. The kids are also into photography, especially River, and the photos you are seeing in this blog post are mostly his work! Sage has returned to Kusi Kawsay School for this month, and River is homeschooling. We just had a Saturday full of Kusi Kawsay anniversary celebrations at the school. Sage danced with his class in full Peruvian cowboy dress. Very cute!
Stay tuned for more updates! Even though I am trying to not be on the computer too much, I am committed to this blog! There are a few pictures included here, and you can see more by linking to my FB page.https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201018750648134.1073741825.1148358209&type=1
Abrazos!
