Cuzco

Machu Pichu

 I had to take a picture of them in the morning b/c they were so cute. I also had to wake them up b/c I was too excited to wait any longer to get to Machu Pichu. From Aguas Calientes you catch a bus up the hill to Machu Pichu. It is a very windy road and takes about half an hour. Of course, Machu Pichu was beautiful and amazing.

 The kids favorite part was playing in the dirt at the end.

Getting to Machu Pichu

I have no idea how the incas got themselves to Machu Pichu. It is way out of the way and takes a lot to get to and I live in Peru. Arequipa is only an hour plane ride away. Most people take the bus which is I think 10 hours.  We left early in the morning around 8am. When we arrived in Cuzco we caught a cab to Ollantaytambo, which is an hour and a half away. We could have taken two buses, but once again we chose the easiest and fastest way. Creed did not sleep very much the night before, nor did I, so we were glad we made this decision. He was able to take a little nap on the taxi ride. The driver was nice and asked if we minded if we swung by and picked up his wife to join the ride. We were able to practice our Spanish as well. Jason is very  impressive with his conversational skills. 

This is Creed and I on the plane.

Here they are in Ollantaytambo. Where we grabbed lunch before getting on the train.

Here they are on the train. It was the kids first train ride and they loved it. It was so much fun and the scenery was amazing. You can only get to Aguas Calientes (the town at the bottom of Machu Pichu) by train or walking. There was no way I was taking a four day trekking trip with the kids. The train was only an hour and a half. There was a gorgeous river with huge boulders in it the whole way. As we approached the town there were more and more mountains. The kids also loved the little table between our sits and we were given a snack on the way.

Here is Aguas Calientes. It is a tiny town in the middle of the mountains. It is very touristy and many half done buildings. I think we got there around 3:30. Long day and the kids did great. We ate dinner and were in bed by 6:30. Luckily it was dark and the kids were exhausted.

The Mother's Day Program

The Mother's Day Program at the kids school was so cute. Unfortunately, my kids were sick. They got sick and missed school on Wednesday and Thursday and I just took them for the program. Poor things had not slept well and still had their colds. The teacher called the day before and asked me to bring them. I wasn't too worried about them being sick since everyone in Laney's class had been sick and assumed a bunch had in Creed's too. We do not know for sure because he does not tell us when someone is not in school. There was lots of dancing and poems. They did great and actually did not cough the whole time we were there. Creed's class dressed up as monkeys and did a cute monkey dance. However, the plastic banana that I spent hours looking for never showed up. They must have changed the plans.

 Laney's class was very well organized and followed the teacher great. Laney's outfit was a jean skirt and jean jacket. She was adorable.

There was some nice 80's songs (they love american 80's music here) and a english song as well. I love how the kids get smiling face stickers in their little english classes for doing so well. Anyway, the song did not exactly make sense. It is if you are happy, happy, happy clap your hands and then if you are sad, sad, sad, nod your hands. During the sad part they clap their hands behind their backs. Not sure what nodding hands is. They made little gifts and the school gave us a little something to eat afterward. It was so cute. I took the kids home to continue being sick.

For Mother's Day they were starting to be on the mend. They helped Jason cook me eggs for breakfast. I hear Jason say "be careful with the eggs Creed" and assumed correctly that one had been dropped on the floor. They gave me some pretty chocolates which I enjoyed thoroughly. After breakfast Laney went into her room and made me a beautiful mother's day craft.

She is so resourceful and loves to create things. She wrote feliz dia mama as well. Her writing is really improving as she practices. She kept asking Creed what he wanted to make me and when he said nothing she responded that it is mother's day and he should. He was more than willing to give me lots of hugs and kisses, but did not want to make anything. I enjoyed church, while Jason stayed with the kids since they were still coughing. No need to contaminate the kids at church. Jason and Laney worked on a little dance for me while I was gone.

I was so excited that I understood most of the sermon. We enjoyed a nice lunch where I finally had chupe de camarrones. It is a shrimp soup that they are known for here with enormous river shrimp. They are finally in season and the soup was amazing. It was a wonderful day.

Dia de la Madre

Mother's Day is a big deal here. It is talked about for weeks and the kids have been practicing their dances and poems for months. The big program at school is Friday. I cannot wait to see it. They are so excited and are trying to keep their stuff a secret. I spent all afternoon yesterday looking for the clothes they needed for Friday. I also had to find a plastic banana. Which is rather hard to find. I looked forever and talked to many store owners in the process. Each one just sent me farther down the street. I finally found one, but it was in pack with other plastic plates and fruit. I was tempted to just give him a real banana to take to school with him. I bought the whole thing and figured the kids have few toys and would enjoy them. Plus, they were pretty cheap. I think by the time we leave I will have figured out where to buy most things. I got them their clothes and now I need to buy some gel for their hair. We were instructed to bring them dressed in very specific clothes with gel in their hair. They love the details in things, which I do not care that much about.

Today I went to their classrooms and the kids asked me questions about being a mom. Well, the teachers mostly asked the questions. Creed kept talking over the teacher with wondering what was in my purse since he could see that Laney's teacher gave me chocolate. Creed's teacher kept asking me how sad I felt when my kids got their clothes dirty and how much work that was for me. She also asked me if I was happy when he ate all the lunch I packed and sad when he did not. Nothing like a little guilt to enforce things. It was kind of funny. I will write more after the big fiesta on Friday. Have a Happy  Mother's Day.