Journey to Cuzco.

I'm excited and daunted by the though of writing and catching up on all that has gone on in the past few weeks. Because this is so long, I will highlight the title of each section in case you want to skip around. After I’m all caught up I’ll try to keep future post short and sweet.

Tarrasa’s drunken nights, the ownership battle over the children.

I'll start with the crazy, drunken, belligerent rages that became a daily event of the homeowner Tarrasa, while Sean was away on the last half of his trip. These rages were never directed at the kids or me but at her husband and family. Tarrasa apparently poled her tendon in her ankle and wasn't allowed to drink while on pain meds for a couple days. Everyone in the house was exhausted with her dramatizing each and every move, while begging for someone to get her a bear and asking me for “cinco soles” 5 Peruvian dollars to buy it. I would just show her my card and say “sorry no soles”.  I think Julio her husband was most fed up. That’s when he gave in and started having her friends bring her liquor to shut her up. Unfortunately all it did was amp her up. The kids and I would pretty much steer clear all day hitting our usual fun spots out on the town. When we were home, Tarrasa’s rages seemed to happen mostly when the kids were sleeping which was great. I didn’t have to shield their sweet ears from the chaos. It normally wouldn’t last long before she would pass out for the night, so it really didn’t bother me much.

Something that was starting to get on my nerves was the holly war ensuing between Cici and Rudy over who had a deeper connection with the kids. Cici won hands down with her laid back attitude, welcoming energy, treats in her pocket and ability to speak some pretty good English. Rudy on the other hand was pretty needy, overbearing, quite obsessive with the kids and spoke no English. They enjoyed playing with her but would eventually get annoyed, and they definitely didn’t bond with her the way they did Cici. Rudy didn't only annoy the kids but me as well. She repeatedly questioned my authority over my own children and would try to under mind my decisions behind my back. I felt like I was dealing with a teenager, let alone a 30-year-old, grown woman graduating collage with a degree to teach elementary school. Maybe it was the fact that she has never had children of her own and so she doesn't quite understand why I would decide certain things. Anyhow, Rudy would catch us on our way out the door all the time and motion to come along. I would gladly except knowing that the extra hands were a great help to me at times and that the extra entertainment for the children was a bit of a break for myself as well but the more I was around her the more I started thinking something is wrong with this woman. For example: During one of our first walks to the bakery, a stray dog, seemingly harmless enough was trotting down the sidewalk. We have Rudy giddy as all get out about being able to push little kids in a stroller (like a race car), something she never got to do until we showed up, and laughing all the way. No problem here right? Well not until Rudy suddenly makes a sharp turn and beelines it strait for the dog, without slowing and with no hesitation slams the front of the stroller, with my child in front, legs hanging out, right into the dogs stomach causing it to yelp and stagger to its feet! To op it off, Rudy then begins to laugh uncontrollably as she turns pushing the stroller away. Ok if this doesn't weird you right out, then you’re probably as chill of a person as Sean is. However let explain my thinking to you. Here a stray dog completely minding his own business is suddenly struck across his stomach by a stroller and my child's legs, causing pain and shock. Who's to say this dog isn't going to react in anger and defense by countering the attack with a vicious bite to my child's legs or body?? Witnessing this from behind left me completely baffled and instantly livid. I reacted with an angry yell "NO Rudy" the only thing I knew she would understand without having to see any body language. Then with Rowen bouncing in the baby harness on my chest I ran to Rudy angrily shaking my head, waving my hands and saying loudly NO, NO, NO!!! My own intense fear of dogs I don’t know could have played a part in my overreaction considering no harm was done and it wasn’t as if she was about to do it again. But at the time my anger felt so justified. Something Sean and I are trying to realize we are responsible for, one not living in or by fear and two, not blaming others for our own actions. We are responsible for everything we think, feel and do. However I’m obviously still far from embodying the ideals we are trying to open ourselves up to. I would say out of every 10 times something happens that would cause me to be angry at someone else, I probably get angry 9.5 times. Leaving a small tiny percentage to when I actually am in the right state of mind to accept Sean’s gentle nudging to remember that others do not control our feelings. It’s already within us and our job to heal, understand and not project.  So these ideals are still very much just that ideals I’m struggling to implement. Anyhow disapproval was obvious and Rudy tried to contain her laughter as we carried on. I was thinking, what is wrong with you? Are you crazy woman? Why was that funny? She behaved the rest of the walk but I remained in aw of her ill judgment. Trying to give her the benefit of the doubt that this was going to be her only cork, I latter witnessed that she had many corks up her sleeve. On other occasions she would give Pax granola bars (the crap ones) when I wasn't looking as I unlocked our door, after she saw me deny it to him, knowing I just bought them dinner. When I confronted her she played innocent and motioned that Pax was crying so she had to give it to him. I shook my head and again said "Rudy I said no". On a walk home she slowed way down behind me and crossed the street to let Pax run on another sidewalk. I told her I didn't want him to run until we were away from these busy streets but she decided she could handle it. When I noticed, I could have let it go, she probably did have it under control, but I wanted to make a stance ad let her know that what I say is what I feel is right for my child, is the only option at least as far as you are concerned, and that you have no right to disregard my choices concerning my children.  I had to cross the street, catch up and literally take my crying child away from her who is now totally upset that he can’t run free here. You should see the way Peruvians drive by the way! Its the scariest crap I've ever seen and I could dedicate a whole blog post to the blatant disregard to pedestrians as well as there being absolutely no point for lines in the road or blinkers because cars drive right down the middle of every street, then gun it to cut every one off to make a turn, and there being no traffic laws, at least non that are in forced. 

Adios beloved Camera & the holly war continues…

One afternoon at the park, Pax was devastated to have to return a toy squirt gun to the owner as we left. We still had about an hour to kill before dinner so I asked Rudy where a store was that I could buy Zara and Pax a cheep squirt gun. She said lets take a taxi. I was tired of walking anyway so we jumped in a taxi. As we continued to drive further and further away, I began to get worried. I asked Rudy, where are we?  Is the cab driver going to far? She smiled and said “No, no don’t worry, I take you to get it cheaper. Don’t worry.” I was almost getting to the point of telling Rudy I wanted to turn around when we finally stopped. Looking around, we were in the ghetto of ghetto's market place. The streets were lined with vendors and packed with people. She said, “It’s cheaper here. Don’t worry when you’re with Rudy its ok.” She pointed across the street to a store and said “here, here” meaning that place. Had I felt our lives were in danger I wouldn't have gotten out, however I was feeling uneasy, I knew Rudy spoke Spanish and we were just feet from the store.  I gave into the feeling that we’ve come this far, lets just get the dang guns already. We got out, buckled Zara in the stroller, Rudy holding Pax (I made sure she knew not to put him down and she agreed) and Rowen, like always, on my chest Moby wrapped. Of course when we got in the store they didn't have any squirt guns so we started strolling down the street further to where we could see kids toys hanging off the walls of a street vendor. As we approached and walked around this place I was shocked at the unsanitary, and totally ghetto conditions this market was in. I couldn't help but whip out my camera to snap a few pics. I had to show Sean what we had witnessed. I cant tell you the multiple health codes being broken here as raw meat was laying out over dirty shelves in the humid heat, dripping blood, fly’s swarming and other raw meats and organs hanging in the sun being sold.  Its like nothing I’ve ever seen before. We soon found a couple little squirt guns for one sole each, which is about 60 cents total. Rudy said she wanted to buy it for them. I tried to say no but she really wanted to which was nice. The kids were thrilled and we headed back to the taxi that I told to wait for us until we got back. I didn't want to get in a cab with any taxi driver from this neighborhood. As we approached the taxi I reached under the blanket I had been hiding my camera underneath. When my fingertips felt nothing but the plastic of the stroller top I began to panic. Whipping the blanket up and frantically searching I checked my bag where the camera carrying case and accessories were safely zipped up, yet sadly I came to the realization that my beloved camera, bought solely for this trip, had been stolen. My heart sunk and then instantly hardened in anger. When I told Rudy it had been stolen she reprimanded me and asked why the camera wasn't in my bra where it should be. True, I should have been smarter, but dang it Rudy why couldn't we have just been normal and gone somewhere close to home. See there goes that not taking responsibility thing again. I know I can’t blame her for my mistake but I'm still angry at her. I'm also still shocked that someone would have had to watch my every move to have seen me hide my camera under the blanket and then follow us around waiting for the perfect moment to swipe it without me noticing.

Man I knew Peru is famous for their swift pick-pocketers in Lima but this really drove it home for me. I remained angry the rest of the way to the grousery store and then home. When the kids finally went to sleep I let it out. I began to cry thinking about what it meant to us when we bought the camera. It wasn’t the nicest camera in the world to a pro, but to us our little Cannon Power Shot was the crème de la crème, wiping about 400 bucks out of our pocket once itself along with accessories like batteries, memory card and carrier were purchased. It was a lot for us especially when your trying to make all the money you can, not spend all you can right before an international move. I thought about how excited I was to use it, learn it's gadgets and capture photos we will cherish for a lifetime. Then when I though about the tight budget we are on and how it will be quite the hit to replace I cried more knowing we probably wont replace it. I was just so sad and disappointed in myself. Those turned out to be some pretty darn expensive squirt guns. I wish I had just told the cab to turn around and paid the fare anyway. The hardest part was when I couldn't stop thinking about the photos and videos I hadn't yet downloaded that are forever gone. The next day I “Googled”, “how to cope with loosing your camera in Peru". Hoping one of the other million people this has happened to, blogged about it and had some fantastic advise for getting over it, steps for realizing its just an object that doesn't define your whole trip, that at least this happened in the beginning before the real adventure shots could have been lost, and maybe even where to get a replacement camera in Peru. I would then go on to blog my findings in a sort of therapeutic way and not shed another tear. Unfortunately no one did blog something like this and cameras are triple the cost in Peru then the states. So having to ship one out would sadly be the totally inconvenient,  time consuming but best rout to take if we even decide we can afford it. Everything I googled ended up all being tips on how to be proactive in order to not get your valuables stolen. Reading that just stung worse, I obviously already dropped the ball. Days past and I realized that I still had my IPhone tucked away in my suitcase. At least I can take photos with my camera phone. They wont be as sharp, quality or as cool as my camera would have done, and my phone has been cracked through the flash, but there will still be a photo as a result. Maybe I can spruce the photos up on the computer.

 After this incident Rudy began to bother me even worse. I was so bothered at her immaturity. Rudy was obsessed with Pax. Always begging for kisses, which he denied and trying to hold him as he squirmed to get down. I would constantly tell Pax "you don’t have to kiss" and take him out of her arms, telling Rudy he doesn't want to be held.  Rudy lost all privileges of pushing the stroller when on the way home from the park, she repeated the same stray dog, stroller incident, but instead to a human trying to fix their bike on the sidewalk. This to me was beyond weird. As soon as she ran the stroller right into the man bent over fixing his bike chain on the sidewalk, she bolted outta there laughing hysterically. Without a single glance at the man or his reaction, she took off. I first ran up to him and exclaimed how sorry I was. He was confused by the incident but said its ok as I then ran up to Rudy and took over on the stroller pushing for good. She knew I was angry as we didn't speak or look at each other the rest of the way home. The next time she wanted to come out with us I allowed her to tag along but relinquished any freedom she had with the kids what so ever. This was obviously bothering her because she continued to challenged my decisions.  I was in no way hesitant in shutting her down and her presence was more of a nuisance then help at this point. When we would arrive home, the tension between Rudy and I was undeniable. The first thing I would do unlocking our bedroom door is tell the children to say "Chow" by, by to Rudy before we entered the room in effort to not encourage her presence any longer.

As Rudy struggled to cling to any bond she had what so ever with the children, she couldn't help but notice the obvious bond they had with Cici even though they spent half the time with her. Rudy would stand by with a smug look on her face as she watched the kids jump in Cici's lap and jabber away. Rudy would try to compete for the children's affections as Cici ignored her every challenge. When Cici would go to work, Rudy would come down stairs and try to thwart my fond feelings for Cici. She would tell me "Cici is crazy and to old to keep up with the kids like she can”. I couldn't help but judge what age she stopped maturing at, that kept her behaving this way. I try to check myself when I notice I'm being judgmental but my anger for her actions over the past week won over the forgiving parts of me and I continued the tension between us. The tension was almost like my safe guard to not let Rudy think I was feeling fond of her again and that she could re-assume her previous privileges with the kids. I'm sure I could have done this a better way but for the time being, it was the best I could muster.

The holly war reached its bloody end on our final walk to the park that we would ever have with dear Cici. Sweet Cici took the day off work because she new Sean would be home soon and this was likely her last time to spend a day alone with the kids and I. As we were opening the gate to depart, Rudy showed up and wanted to come. She gave me a polite “hola” without even acknowledging Cici’s presence.  I could tell Cici was disappointed that she was tagging along but she at least smiled at Rudy and spoke kindly to her as we left. It wasn’t long before Rudy had decided she was in charge of Pax and was off running down the sidewalk with him. I was ok with it because I knew Cici had Zara I could easily take over on Pax if I had to. Not to mention after her last few days of “detention”, I thought by now she would just take it easy and do things my way. Next thing I know Rudy puts Pax up on top of someone’s motorcycle parked in the street. Of course Pax immediately starts pushing and poling levers or buttons. Obviously I don’t want Pax thinking its ok to just climb up on other people’s property and wreck shop. I asked Rudy to take Pax down. As usual she ignored my request so I had to scoop Pax up off it myself as he began to cry. Rudy reached down in efforts to comfort him and take him walking by her side. As they did so Pax began to run. We were nearing the street and I knew, at least I thought I knew, Rudy would pick him up. It shouldn’t have surprised me when Pax went bolting into the empty street with Rudy trailing on his feet. I yelled at the top of my lungs, “RUDY HOLD HIM!” She ushered him back to the sidewalk right as Cici and I were approaching. Rudy was laughing. Seriously laughing like I was being ridiculous. “I don’t care if the street was empty or if you were near by, Pax should never think its ok to run out into the open road,” I said. On other walks she always held his hand or picked him up to cross the street so I was so confused at why now she thought it was so funny to let him take off. I took Pax from her as he screamed to get down again. I put him on top of the stroller and continued on. Cici was bothered as well. She actually let out a yelp of her own when she saw Rudy let Pax run in to the street. As we walked I heard Rudy muttering something under her breath and next thing you know Cici and Rudy are viciously yelling at each other in Spanish. I asked Cici, “What are you guys screaming about?” Cici said “Rudy thinks I’m jealous of her and that I shouldn’t be here”. I turned to Rudy as Rudy began motioning to me that Cici is crazy and rolling her eyes. I stopped everyone and firmly stated “no fighting, or No Park.”  Cici just ignored Rudy’s continued mini rant and we walked about a block further to the park. When we reached the popsicle stand, Cici was excited to buy Pax and Zara the popsicle she had been telling them about. Of course Rudy jumped in telling me Cici is crazy and that the one she’s picking for the kids is no good. It was stressful dealing with Rudy’s insistent arguing and the kids reaching for treats as Cici was paying for the ones she picked out. The kids were thrilled as we reached the bench to eat them. Here in Peru they make this ice cream out of real mango! It was beyond delicious. Anyhow for some reason Rudy kept trying to take Pax away to play alone when clearly he was content to sit and eat his ice cream with us on the bench. As Rudy continued to roll her eyes in unnecessary disapproval of every move we made mostly because it was clear that Cici was the ring leader for this walk, Cici spotted a good friend in the park and went to say hello for a moment. I think she was happy to take a break from being around Rudy. Sure enough as soon as she did Rudy turned to me and started complaining about “crazy, old, Cici” again. I was so fed up that I immediately interrupted her and angrily told her to stop. I said, “I love Cici” as I motioned to my heart. Rudy shook her head and said, “no, no she’s jealous”. It was clear who the completely out of line and jealous one was and I had had enough. Rudy started rating about Cici again and I just snapped. “RUDY STOP, I love Cici, Go HOME”, I yelled. Rudy stopped and just stared at me. I said “Rudy leave” pointing in the direction of the house. She then nodded and said, “You and me go to park tomorrow, No Cici”.  I replied “No. No park with you. Please leave.” Rolling her eyes, she through up a hand and walked away. We were all relieved including the children when she left.

Looking back I feel a little bit bad for her lonely life and angry competitive heart, but its up to her to find happiness and not my responsibility to put up with her shenanigans while we are with her.

I cant believe I've put so much time and energy into explaining the problems with Rudy when I suppose I should have put that time much more into explaining the wonderful days we had with Cici! Cici never had children of her own either, yet her motherly in stinks were right on. I felt safest when she was around and could genuinely feel her love for my kids. Sometimes when she came to our room in the morning before she had to go to work she would hide fruit snacks in her pockets and put on a whole silly charade for the kids. She would dance around like something was itching her until she finally realized it was the fruit snacks. She would snatch them out and wave them in the air as the kids began to scream playfully and laugh. As they sat and ate the treats with her they would carry on cute little conversations about what they did at the park yesterday or ask when Cici was going to come to the store with us. Cici helped me take out the trash, change sheets, pick up the room, play with the kids, feed them and go on walks whenever she had free time. We loved her dearly and feel like she was an angel sent to help us while Sean was away. We gave her 20 soles, which is not a lot in US dollars but was what we could do to thank her when we left. She tried to refuse it but she gave in when I slipped it in her purse. We've kept in email and phone contact with her since we left and I think we will always keep her in our thoughts, prayers and lives from time to time.

Gambling with my health eating raw seafood in Peru.

While in our new Hostil, we booked our 22-hour bus ride tickets and stayed at the Hostil for the next two days until departure to Cuzco. We had a great time mingling with the retreat friends and walking around Lima. The second to last night we ate out having some of Peru’s famous Ceviche. Which if you’re not familiar with is a delicious seafood dish that isn’t heated or cooked by any normal way. Here’s a brief explanation of this fabulous dish.

Ceviche is a dish that is comprised of raw seafood marinated in a citrus-based sauce. Lemons and limes are the traditional citrus ingredients, but grapefruits, tangelos and oranges are sometimes used in the marinade. In addition to creating a fantastic flavor, the citrus also pickles the fish. Therefore, the fish generally tastes as though it has been cooked. Ceviche can be served as a main course or as an appetizer.

Ingredients: In its traditional form, ceviche is made of cubed seafood, lime juice or lemon juice, onion and traditional Andean spices, which include salt and chili peppers. The mixture is allowed to marinate before being served at room temperature. Depending on the type of seafood, the marinating time can take many hours. Some types of seafood, however, require only a short amount of marinating time.

Origin: This dish is native to the Viceroyalty of Peru, a Spanish colonial district from the 16th century to the 18th century. It covered most of what is now South America. Chile and Peru were once governed by the Viceroyalty of Peru, so both countries claim to be the original home of this type of food.

While researching our move to Peru I fantasized about eating this raw dish! I looked up many different restaurants and photos of it. I dreamed it would be the best seafood I’d ever eaten.  When the plate was finally in front of me and being ever so hungry, I practically dove face first onto the fish. The first bite was beyond my wildest dreams and expectations. Sean was taking the first shift on the kids so I could eat and I just couldn’t stop exclaiming to him how good it was. I couldn’t, nor did I want to, discipline myself enough to finish the bite I was on before taking another. It was all I had hoped for and more. As I finished and sat back in bliss I wondered if seafood would ever be the same to me again. Soon I took over on the kids as Sean sat down for his turn. As I had hoped, he felt is was one of the better things he had ever consumed.

As the night rolled on and we were wrapping up the bed time routine Pax began to get ill. I figured it was something he had eaten, all though he didn’t have any Ceviche. Sean hurried out to the store with a lovely woman from the retreat that wanted to help, to buy Pax some probiotics. Unfortunately by the time Sean returned I too was beginning to feel very ill. By the time 2a.m. hit I found myself hurling all of my dear Ceviche into the toilet as I exploded from both ends. This was like NO illness I have ever experienced in my life! I felt almost deathly as I curled into a ball waiting for the next wave of explosion to hit. It was the most horrible night I’ve had in a long time. By the time morning came I felt better but very depleted. I remedied my self all afternoon and was feeling almost %100 by that night. Pax never threw up but did have a case of diarrhea for a couple days and recovered well. Sean never felt an ounce of sickness. To that he credits his strong will to the notion of  “I am perfect health.” and I believe he does have a gift with that.

This is not me next to the dish but a girl who was with us that ordered the same thing. 

Now as I sit typing and reflecting on that horrible, horrible night, I’m sad to say I would not, could not eat, not even one bite of Ceviche again…..well hopefully someday I will get over it, but for now I’m totally and completely repulsed by the though of Ceviche. What a bitter end to this seafood fantasy, but at least my disgust for seafood ONLY expands as far as Ceviche is concerned.

The journey to Cusco and the Sacred Valley.

Zara chasing our buddy at the bus station waiting to leave.

As we packed our bags and told the kids we were going to go on a long, fun, 22 hour buss ride today, my mind kept thinking our first class buss tickets, that were more then half the cost of flying, were going to land us in seats that looked much like first class in an air plane. We were to be given dinner and breakfast on the buss as well. My mind again recollected the actually pretty good tasting plane food we received on our flight to Peru while we were in coach. It was quiet the reality check when we actually boarded the buss. Although I’m so glad we were in first class, it was far from what I had imagined and the food was seriously questionable, leading us to only eat the rice and what few snacks we brought on board. Fortunately we didn’t need that many snacks anyway. We wouldn’t have been able to keep them down. It turned out to be somewhat of a bus ride from hell. At a steep climb we went from the city of Lima at sea level to arriving in Cusco at 11,000ft. Salt Lake City is at about 4, 300ft, nearly a 7,000ft difference.  Something we didn’t realize is that Peru actually counts 84 of 103 existing ecosystems in the world and 28 of the 32 climates on this planet! That is just starting some of the amazing statistics in Peru. Anyhow we knew when we arrived in Lima from Utah that is would be summer here in Peru. We expected and were excited for the humidity and heat and leaving winter behind in Utah. What we didn’t realize was that once we traveled to higher altitudes in Peru, it becomes the winter or rainy season, thus it’s much colder where we are now. Good thing we still ended up packing enough long sleeves for the kids because we anticipated a mosquito problem. Fortunately no such mosquito problem has come about yet. Where we are now people dress as if they are in 20 below weather with big coats and hats. Being from Utah we are much more used to the cold and find just pants and hoodies to be sufficient most days. All the locals cringe and ask if the babies are warm enough. We try to assure them that they are but we never seem to convince them its true. Anyhow the bus ride to Cuzco started out fine until we began climbing the never ending, winding roads up the sides of mountains with freakishly scary cliffs just outside your window. It didn’t help that it seemed as if the bus was flying up the hills. We tried to sleep but found that was a lot cause.  Pax is the only one that didn’t get car sick while Sean and I both took a turn of feeling nauseatingly ill and Rowen and Zara both through up a couple times due to altitude sickness. We kept well hydrated though and I was able to relax about Rowen because her nursing didn’t decrees at all. In fact she nursed more. After finally arriving the next day we were all doing much better. Arriving in Cusco was exciting and a little nerve racking to begin. Cusco is the capital of the Inca Empire and gateway to the imperial city of Machu Pichu, one of the most famous highlights of South America and being added to one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We strapped Pax onto Sean’s back and put Zara in her “backpack” leash before we even got off the buss. As soon as our feet hit the ground people and hustle&bustle we couldn’t understand surrounded us. We huddled together and asked for protection and guidance in prayer. Soon after we found our luggage and went walking to find a cab to take us to the small town of Pisac about 30 minutes away in the Sacred Valley. We found a very nice gentleman, nicely dressed, spoke some English and drove a nice looking cab, compared to the many mangled cabs we had to choose from.  Loading in to the car and settling in, we took a deep breath in excitement, anticipation and a little anxiety. Our first glimpse of this amazing, magical place came as we grazed over the mountaintops with breathtaking views of the city below. I reached up to Sean and declared, “This is what we came for”. He smiled as we glared out the windows in amazement. Zara sang her little heart out the whole half hour cab ride to the small town of Pisac where we plan to live for a couple months. We found the Hostil we liked online quite easily and settled right in, after being ridiculously overcharged for our cab ride due to a miscommunication. We learned that one the hard way. Where we are staying turns out to be perfectly family friendly with its large lusciously green courtyard and enclosed gate. It a community style living so we share the one tiny bathroom and kitchen with every one that stays here. There are about 13 rooms but luckily only three or so are full at a time. We have quickly made friends with our neighbor Dan, an older American man, and writer, solo traveling the world. When I asked if he had kids of his own he quickly assured me that no he didn’t and he never wanted them after a childhood of having to raise his younger siblings while his father left them alone being a traveling salesman. Maybe our being here triggers him a bit with the substantial increase of noise but he does treat the children ever so kindly as he greats them by name as he comes and goes. His presence and ability to talk to Zara as if she’s an adult while engaging in her interest has truly helped Zara gain a charming confidence in talking to adults. Every time Dan comes home and Zara is playing outside he will say, “Well Hello Zara, How are you today?” Now when ever we approach Dan and sometimes even other Adults Zara will say “Hello Dan, We are going to the market.” When she engages with other adults they are normally Peruvian in which case she says, “Hola, I’m Zara, this is Pax”, and so forth as she introduces the whole family. The way she says hello is so mature and confident. I continually feel blessed to see my children growing in multiple ways as we navigate streets in a foreign land opening their hearts to all different types of people. So far the people of Pisac have been nothing but loving, kind and in awe of our little gringo family. We love the culture, people, the charming old town, stone streets & buildings, unbelievably beautiful mountains, food and atmosphere. We feel very safe here.  The Sunday market full of handy crafts, food and Artesian hand made goods and Alpaca cloths is not to be missed. Its quite the cultural experience I will have to fully elaborate on it in another post. I have so much to catch up on that more elaboration will have to come in future post but I hope the photos give you a good sense of the environment.

Map of Cuco, Pisac where we are, and the sacred Valley.

The Pax man turned TWO!

February 7^th was our sweet Pax’s birthday. We celebrated him and all the joy he has brought us by singing over his own mini cake from the local bakery and gifting him a long stick like squirt gun, his favorite thing. It was a small occasion between the five of us but enormous in laughter and delight. We are so blessed to have Pax’s sensitive, loving, energetic spirit in our family.

Part 1 of the Budget Breakdown:

Something we were totally off base about in our thought process before we left Utah, was the ability to explore living and eating arrangements in Peru for how ever long it took until we found the right budget friendly one. When you have been traveling all day and you finally arrive in the town of your destination, its absolutely conceivable that a young couple would then spend the next few hours hitting hostils and negotiating the cost to stay. However we didn’t take into consideration that when you are also dragging along three babies the time in which you have to explore you options quickly disintegrates before your very eyes. As children do when over stimulated and under slept, meltdowns begin o happen full force with no mercy on us parents. In efforts to sooth and comfort them quickly as it is our job to not make this trip hard on them emotionally, we end up sercoming to cost above our budget and with little negotiation. When in a hurry to feed them we buckle to over priced touristy food rather then search the town for the budget friendly, local joints we know are out there. All because the kids have had enough. We realize the budget is going faster then we thought it would and we stress to find ways to make up for the mistakes. But its all a learning process and the longer we are here the more time we’ve taken in small increments with the kids to explore cheaper options. One thing we found to be extremely cheep is to buy our own local chicken and eggs to eat almost every breakfast, lunch and dinner. I knew that living in Peru is far cheaper than the US and read endlessly about Hostels only charging 10 US dollars a night. Unfortunately I didn’t realize the kind of establishments some of these places are and the fact that they want to charge considerably more for the three children. Most hotels (not hostils) are highly out of our budget so we don’t even consider then when looking for a place to stay. However hostils are much more affordable, especially if you are willing to live with shared living arrangements as far as bathroom and kitchens. By the way kitchens here are only that of a small fridge and small gas stove cook top, looking much like something you would take camping with no ovens or microwaves. Most hostils will cut your cost in half if  you commit to stay for a month and pay it all up front. Where we are now is nicer but by committing to a month we only pay three weeks worth rather then four. But like I’ve said we’ve found another hostil cutting that price in half if we pay up front. We would have done so except for that it was half horse barn (very hard to keep the kids away from the barn area), half hostil with very close living quarters to people who seemed much less tolerable of loud kids or kids in general. We thought it would put to much stress on us at the time but we may have to give it a second look. Many of the hostils willing to charge us what we anticipated when planning the budget are places we would only stay in together if we had no children, if we only had ourselves to worry about and take care of. Because we have yet to find a cheaper place we feel the kids will be emotionally stable in and safe enough for my standards, we are still here at Hostil Pisac Inca, paying over budget but keeping emotionally happy kids with a family friendly, SAFE environment for them to adjust in as we introduce them to so many new things each day. I cant imagine cooping them up in the cold stone walls of some of these cheaper hostils, where they would wake up to no where to play, go outside or run around. Sean and I would be even more stressed then we already can be at times and surly that would have a negative impact on the kids as well. So until we work out this major kink, we continually search new places daily and ask the locals for suggestions. I though we would have found a small apartment to rent by now for about 250 US dollars a month but apparently the prices have gone up considerably in Pisac the past few years of becoming more touristy. The apartments we do know of in that budget are completely empty. We would have to buy mattresses and hope they don’t have bugs while keeping our clothing suitcases on the floor. That option will only become worth it if we absolutely can’t figure something else out and are literally on the verge of running out of money. Right now though we feel ok and optimistic that we will make up for the money lost and find cheaper living arrangements soon. People have asked me “How much does it cost to make a move like this happen”. In the next part (part 2) of the budget breakdown I will get down to numbers and all though we are in no way experts on this but rather still working by trial and error, I can give you the basic overview of our budget for the whole six months.

Two suitcases and a carry on. 

Below is a series of photos I will just caption in order to get it all in. If you notice that we have on the same outfits in many of the photo's  this is due to the fact that we only packed about a week worth of cloths each. All five of our lives have together been  fit into two suitcases and a carry on.  We tend to wear each article of clothing at least twice in a row but usually more to cut back on washing cost. It's weird to think how out of style we'll be when we get home someday with just a suitcase worth of old cloths and no excessories like I'm so used to. Hopefully I wont care as much by then but I have a feeling I will always have to battle the urge to shop. 

View of the mountains and Ica ruins from the balcony at our hostil in Pisac.

This is our new cozy room here in the Picac Inca Hostil. We love it. We are about 35 feet from a kitchen and bathroom outside and luscious green garden where the kids play. 

You can somewhat see the kitchen outside thought the door in  this photo.

Talk about needing a birth fix!
One day as Sean and I were enjoying the children's naps we sat and talked about what it would take for me to be able to work as a Doula here. I miss this connection I had with women back home and on this day particularly I was wishing I could offer my services to the Peruvian and Incan peoples. Eventually I decided to go out and get lunch for us all before the kids woke. As I sat in a small restaurant waiting for our food a beautiful women passed by me with what seemed to be a pregnant woman tattoo on her back. In shock and delight I stopped her and asked if I could see her tatto. She happily moved her straps over reviling this wonderful depiction of a pregnant women sitting in a lotus flower. It was like just then I got my birth fix thanks to the universe attracting us together. I asked the women if she was a Doula or a midwife, and being from Chili and speaking just a little English she told me that no she was neither but see's pregnancy and birth as a beautiful, most spiritual time in a women's life. I absolutely agreed as I hugged her and we both went on our ways. Recently I spoke with one of the only midwives her in Pisac on the phone. She is adorned by those who choose home birth here but sadly the Andean traditions of birth have been lost and many of the locals are subjecting themselves to more medicalized, interventions births at the hospital in Cuzco. The midwife told me there is a huge need for Doulas here and could work with me but it was absolutely imperative that I speak Spanish. Knowing that would be the case it has further urged me to delve deeper into the language. Talking with a few women who have had home births here in Pisac and finding out a little bit about what birth was like in ancient Andean culture I have been overwhelmingly inspired with a will to find a way to bring these sacred traditions back to these women and reawaken their spirits to what they already know to be true about their babies, bodies and birth. 

Our sweet Rowen hit her milestone of sitting up on her own at 6 months. Here she sits and plays with toys in fromt of the beautiful garden and mountains. 

Ginny pig farms are very common here. Pick which one you want and they will cook it up for ya! Yummy?

Woman and children dressed in traditional Andean clothing of the indigenous. They come all dolled up on big market days ready and willing to pose in a photo for a tip. 

Zara loves chasing the boys through the market.

 

Zara Loves her new peruvian doll she got at the market for 10 soles, less than 4 US dollars. 

The typical looking "grocery stores"

Store owner. 

Most places dont
even have coolers for
meat and poultry.

Sunday Market days are the largest and draw hundreds of tourist to them. 

Playing and running through the street of the markets is one of Zara and Pax's favorite things to do. Everyone gushes over them as they prance on by. It's a great way to exhaust some of their energy in the mornings when the market isn't full of people yet. 

We are taking pictures of all the interesting doors we see, new and old to make an art piece with when we leave Peru.

More fun exploring the Market.

Ulrikes Calfe. One of our favorite!

If we hit the market late in the day, there are tons of kids running around as their parents close up shop. Pax and Zara have made some good buddies here. 

 The Mangos and avocados are massive! And not because they are all juiced out on chemicals and GMO's! They are devine! We eat them every day. 

Torture devise or make shift high chair?!

We are so proud of Sean! He spends at least an hour every night studying Spanish with the Rossetta Stone on the computer and is soon to be starting classes twice a week with a Spanish teacher here in town! He is determined and we are grateful. As for the rest of us...Spanish is coming along quite slow. Its hard to chalenge yourself when you have a few main phrases down pat and can navigate a grocery store, taxi cab and easy daily stuff like that. However the kids do love to speak Spanish of what they do know and Pax surprises us often when he used common phrases in the right context! 

Realeasing the fear to let natures process unfold naturally in our children.

As we hit the streets by foot we are all to often reminded to slow down! Although Sean and I would love to amp up the tempo and cruse all over the town in a day, the sweet little footsteps hitting the pavement along side remind us that this trip isn't about us, it's about our family. We take lots of breaks like you see Pax doing here, and accept that at this time in our lives we are first and formost parents, leaving "explorers" to fall somewhere far down on the list after, nurturing, comforting and respecting the most basic and deepest needs of our children. Some times we loose our patience and sometimes we applaud ourselves in our ability to trust and understand them. Its all a learning process that we are grateful to be having. The kids run outside here 10 times more then we did at home. They are stretched and challenged in ways we would have never encountered at home and we see them overcome obstacles with joy and excitement on ther faces as they continue to build their own self awareness and confidence. Many times  my own doubt and feer can get in the way of letting this beautiful, natural process unfold in their lives. However being here has brought this flaw out and slapped it infront of my face. I suppose thats part of the biggest reason we are here. To see and heal the programing in ourselves that aren't serving us or our highest potential, in order to be the best parents and citizens of this planet we can. 

The oil Regimin&natural healing.

In the photos above and below are the oils we use on a daily basis here in Peru. Digest Zen is a must have for reliving gassy tummy aches after eating so many strange and different foods. Works every time as a well as relives heart burn and bloating. Lavender goes on every single scrape, bump or bruise to disinfect and heal quickly. On Guard goes on the bottoms of the feet every morning and night to boost the immune system and help kill any bugs that may have snuck in. Melaleuca is the all over miracle oil that has a multitude of benefits to help our bodies fight infection and sustain overall health. 

In the photo below we have the Lemon oil. We drop about 5 drops of it into the glass sippy cups each and everytime we fill them with water for the kids. We never fail to add the lemon because we know the kids are getting a sort of mini detox daily by drinking it. Lemon kills bacteria in and out of the body, energizes and also gives extra support and boost daily.  In the clear "roll on" bottle we have a blend of fractionated coconut oil & On Guard. This wonderful blend serves as our "hand sanitizer", except its far better then the traditionally alcohol based junk popularly put on peoples hands. Instead of killing evrything on the suraface of your hands and causing a multitdue of problems, this natural oil blend kills all the bad bacteria while leaving the good bacteria and the bodies natural differences intact. I will openly admit that although I wish I was perfect with our oil regimin, other than the flawless track record we have with the lemon water, often times I forget and fall short of every application or any application daily. When we recognize we have again fallen short of our oil application goals, we just remind ourselves that the little bugs that do get into the body only aid in stimulating the immune system to work harder and therefore creating a stronger immune system for the children to rely on in there adult lives when there is far less opportunity to simulate and build the immune syetem. When we are adults we loose most of the natural capability of building immunity. We feel a childs life is the most crucial time in which to nurture, stimulate and support its young and growing immune system wich is part of why non of our children have ever once had an antibiotic (cross you fingers and pray we never need to use them in a dire situation), but we have hit up the chiders Tylenol every now and then to Sean's disgust. Instead we have fully used the benefits of essential oils, raw food and herbs to heal our children of all the common childhood afflictions. Thanks to great friends and mentores to guid the way of natural healing, we have been able to overcome ear infections, bronchitis, flue, stomach illness, eye infections, and even a bout with pneumonia, that have all been dealt with naturally. 

Woman carry babies and toddlers everywhere they go. Its beautiful.

The sacred Coca Tea.

Here we have the oh so delicious Coca tea. Most commonly used by mountaineers and people visiting Cusco and other high altitude areas of north America, this plant cures altitude sickness as well as a host of other common ailments. This little leaf deffinatly cured me of my headache and continuous shortness of breath upon arrival, quite cool. Anyhow it also is illigal to bring into America because it happens to be the same plant cocaine is derived from. heres a short description:

"Traditional medical uses of coca are foremost as a stimulant to overcome fatigue, hunger, and thirst. It is considered particularly effective against altitude sickness. It also is used as an anaesthetic to alleviate the pain of headache and sores, etc. Before stronger anaesthetics were available, coca leaves were also used for broken bones, childbirth, and during trephining operations on the skull.

Even though the leaves of the coca plant contain several alkaloids including cocaine, it does not mean that coca leaf is equivalent to cocaine because to produce cocaine from the leaves it isneeded several kilos of leaves and some chemical products and processes to extract a few grams of cocaine which is not the case when consuming the leaves naturally and directly as a tea.

The tiny quantities of alkaloid that are naturally present in coca leaves provide only a slight energising sensation and are not addicting at all. In Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, indigenous people chew coca leaves for energy to work all day long without eating.

Coca tea is sold in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador in the supermarkets besides the other kinds of teas. It is seen as another kind of tea in these countries."

To me the use of Coca leaves to make a harmfull&addictive drug is yet another example of how many of the beautiful healing plants mother nature has granted us have been polluted and manipulated with harmful chemicals and additives for the worse. Its unfortunate that mother natures bounties are used for such ill intending purposes. However some people continue to honor, teach and enlighten us of her power and ancient wisdoms. God bless those soles for someday the plant will be all we rely on. 

Beautiful Coca Leaf cerimonies take place where they use the Coca leaf as offering and thanks for our blessings from mother earth or Pachamoma. 

Here we ent on a long fun nature walk up the side of the mountain, passing farms, crops and beautiful hard working people.

Sean is giving these ladies a couple of soles (dollars) for allowing us to take a photo of them.

This little cutey we have seen passing by a few times on the street. 

We often spot These three Amigos walking around town holding hands or with their arms around each other.  Its the sweetest thing I've ever seen little boys do! They truly are best friends.