Peru

                                                                                                             

This morning I took my ex-husband and his wife to the Arvada shuttle. They were on their way to DIA (Denver International Airport) to catch a flight to Peru. It got me to thinking about when I visited Peru and how fascinated and shocked I had been with the different culture.  On that trip, it was my first time out of the United States and I was not quite the seasoned traveler that I am now.

                                                                                                           Francisco Pizzaro 1535
                                                                                                          

The year was 1964 when we boarded a Pan Am airplane for Florida and then a long flight to Peru.  On the way we had a frightening stop in Quito, Ecuador.  The airplane landed, all passengers disembarked, passports were stamped, and then we were locked inside the airport. The announcement over the loud speaker informed us to board the plane but the glass doors remained chained.  Some daring travelers rattled the doors but stopped when soldiers with rifles told them to get away from the doors! A loud commotion of people yelling that the plane was leaving, that the door should be opened, that it was unfair, that they couldn't keep us prisoners, etc. gave me an uneasy feeling. The plane began to slowly roll backward and I was sure we would not be on it. The doors were finally opened and we boarded the waiting plane.We were told that Ecuador and Peru do not get along and many times a plane cannot land because shots are fired at the plane!

Lima is the capital of Peru with many beautiful colonial buildings, flowers, green parks, soldiers in white uniforms, plazas with large statues and fountains, decorative churches, and the port of Callao where large ships arrive. 

The Cathedral in Plaza Mayor

Traveling by train, I was able to see different and beautiful sights.  Llamas wander fields just like our antelope in the United States. Indigenous woman, in colorful dresses, watch over goats or sheep and the majority of the women wear men's fedoras!  Towns or villages seemed poor.  We stopped in one small town, and since it had been two days and I had not had a bath, that was my primary concern.  "I don't care where we stay, just as long as there is a tub or a shower."  "Oh, yes," we were told, "a nice tub and lots of hot water!"

The first thing I did was to grab a towel, soap, shampoo, clean clothes and head to the large room with a tub and toilet in the corner of the room.  The toilet I found out, flushed by pulling a chain above my head.  I turned the tub faucet and nothing happened. I twisted the faucet left, then right, on, then off, and nothing.  I got dressed and went out to find out why the water wasn't flowing.

"Oh," the inn keeper said, "we do not have plumbing. We heat the water in the kitchen and bring it in and pour it into the tub.  Are you ready now?"  Trying not to let him see the frustration on my face, I nodded. Hot and cold water were poured into the tub until it was the right temperature.

Feeling somewhat refreshed, we went looking for a place to eat. A street vendor was selling strips of cooked meat and my Peruvian husband said, "You have got to try this, it is delicious." I would have eaten the meat on the stick until some teenagers passing by made the remark, "That's llama meat." Would that be the same as horse meat, I thought? I ended up going into a tiny, one room grocery store, bought a small jar of peanut butter and crackers and that was my dinner.

Cuzco, a city in the mountains, was cold. We purchased Alpaca sweaters and prepared for our trip to Machu Picchu, the lost City of the Incas. The blankets in the hotel were woolly, heavy and itchy but they did keep me warm.

                                                                        Cold in Cuzco

A train took us high into the mountains and then we traveled by bus to Machu Picchu.  Looking out the bus window I felt as if I was on top of the world! The river far below looked like a reddish piece of tangled yarn. Machu Picchu was amazing, beautiful, interesting and fascinating.  It is hard to believe that no mortar was used and the stone walls are still standing.

Machu Picchu

On our way to Mollendo, where my husband was born, we entered Arequipa but to my dismay, an earthquake had demolished most of the city and I did not get to see the "White City." Before leaving for Peru, I had read that the whole city was built with a white volcanic stone called Sillar, which gives it the name of white city. I had also read that Misti, a high mountain peak was covered with snow year round but when we got glimpses of it there was very little snow on its peak.

Mollendo, is near the ocean and from a window of his family home,  I could see the blue water about five blocks away. I inherited the name of Queen of the Waves (Reina de las Olas)  when I was toppled into the rocky surf and no matter how hard I tried, the ocean would knock me down just as I was trying to stand up. We visited many of his friends and family, danced until dawn to fast Peruvian Waltzes, ate wonderful dishes prepared by his mother, sun bathed, swam, put on my makeup by candle light when the electricity went out, and visited a small village where the specialty is Ayacucho which is a guinea pig dish.  I was told that it was a delicacy and I was encouraged to eat it, but I ate chicken instead!  The beer comes in bottles as big as wine bottles and I was surprised when my hair was washed with beer to make it shiny! After three weeks, my vacation ended.

From Mollendo to Lima, I rode in a taxi with three other men. A few cackling chickens and a rooster, along with our luggage, were tied on top of the car. It was very cold and as we traveled during the night I would doze in spurts while covered in a blanket shared by all! Early in the morning, the rooster began to crow and woke us up!

I no longer dress up to travel!

I know that Peru has changed since I visited in 1964, more ruins have been found and explored, it is more modern, there is more catering to tourists and I would now trade my heels for walking shoes. Yet, those memories of my visit to Peru will always be with me.