Pick Axeing my way through Pisco, Peru

Buenos Noches!!
It has been a full week since I have last blogged but that was because i was too busy digging trenches and clearing rubble! Kevin and I spent 7 days in Pisco, Peru volunteering at Pisco Sin Fronteras (Pisco without borders). In 2007, Pisco was hit with a 7.9 magnitude earthquake that pretty much rocked their world. Locals Piscoans have NOTHING... and when I say nothing, they actually have less than that. Their life is about everyday survival and there is just enough of everything for them to get buy, never extra. I learned so much in those short 7 days...

First off, I learned how to dig a 80 cm. deep by 35 cm wide trench and to pix axe my way through concrete foundations. Pisco Sin Fronteras is an NPO that provides reconstruction to locals who need help rebuilding. However, it is a catch 22 because we can only afford to help those who have the money to pay for materials. The way it works is we go in and do work on their property and they have to pay the government for materials. These materials are not granted without the proper evidence that work is being done. I found this a little unfair because right down the street from these people are families of 7 living in either tents or bamboo made houses with blue tarps. Water and electricity are also not a promise everyday, many dinners are candle-lit. However, PSF does have a Miracle Fund Project where they try and raise donations in order to fund an entire new house for locals living in sticks and tents. Kevin and I are going to try and get some donations together for PSF because as we walked around Pisco, as the only gringos (South American term for white person) people knew who we were and what we do. They had nothing but gratitude and thanks for us. It truly was an amazing experience.

On a brighter note, we left Pisco on Sunday for Cusco. As we headed an hour South to Ica, to catch a long bus ride, we thought this should be an easy trip! So follow me when I say we left Pisco at 4;30 pm to start out journey. We took a bus, Royale Class of course for $35. The guy said ¨solamente diez y ocho horas¨- meaning only an 18 hour ride, so of course we were excited about this. We got on the bus, laid our seats back which turn into beds-these royal class buses are like first class airplane seats. PRETTY AWESOME! Anyways, to start off, we left an hour late, but we rode over night, slept for 12 hours and arrived in Arequipa, Peru at 9 am for our transfer. We had an hour before the next bus to Cusco but this turned into 2 hours. So at 11 am we boarded for Cusco, little to our knowledge we went through 2 other cities through winding hills at really scary heights. At about 4:00 pm we found ourselves in Puno, Peru which is 8 hours from Cusco. We were pretty confused so I walked around the bus looking for someone to ask.. of course no one was there when I needed him. They take us to the bus terminal and tell us this bus is out of service now and we would need to take a different bus. They put us on an Economy class bus and sent us off on a 7 hour bus ride with no bathroom and no heat! SWEET.

So now we are at 6;15 pm on MONDAY...22 hours so far...
1 hour later we pull over in Juliaca, Peru and they make us get out in the rain and change buses so that they can fill the bus. So we squished in with local indigenous people (really awesome actually) and we finally made our way to Cusco. We arrived in Cusco at 2am on Tuesday
So... I ask you to please do the math and ask me how much I enjoyed this 30 plus hour ride!

But alas, we are in Cusco and we went on a glorious horse back ride through the Andes today!

We are off to Aguas Calientes tomorrow morning which is the city of Macchu Picchu.

Until after my climb..