Active Sunday!

I woke up at 6.15. I had a coffee and ate a little breakfast and at 7am headed my way to my friends place to go cycling with him. 

This was the view from my window before leaving. 

It is still grey in the morning. Luckily we’ve seen the SUN for few hours for the last three days!

Bicycle, what a luxury! My friend has two bikes and on Sundays here in Lima several streets are closed for some hours for people to enjoy the streets instead of the cars. I know, it may sound weird for many of you, but that is really the only way for many people to practice rollerblading or cycling safely in here, because paths for cyclist doesn’t really exists. Also it is good to give some space for people too, because here the CARS always come first.

 Signs of Spring on the way

For a person like me, who has used bicycle as a way of transport for my whole life, to be stuffed in the bus every day, is like a nightmare, I feel I have lost my freedom in here.

Cycling after such a long time was amazing for me, even if I had to do it early in the morning, because I work every Sunday. Meaning, to enjoy my freedom I needed to get up very early, but for sure it was worth it. We cycled the way that I would normally go by bus to my work (usually 30-45min.) and by bike it took me 15min. So you can just imagine the traffic in here! I was so happy that I decided I want to go cycling every Sunday morning and hope one morning we will even have a SUN with us!

At the moment my Sunday at La Casa de Panchita is very busy, I have “textile class” taller de costura from 10-13, where the women can learn to use sowing machine and make something with it, or learn knitting and crochet also. Then I have lunch and after that English from 2 to 4pm. 

At 4.15 I’ll teach yoga for an hour and now we can go to park because it’s warm enough (pictures next time) and then after the yoga, we’re practicing a performance for Christmas, we just need to see if we have enough Sundays to practice it! Even if it’s busy, I love Sundays and I love spending time with the women, who I’ve know now for several months now. Usually there are few people who regularly come to my classes. It’s not just about teaching or learning, it's about spending time together and sharing our lives with each other’s, while learning and relaxing. It is their day off!

After a long, but a great day at work I got home with my colleague Brendan and we had dinner together. Simple, but yummy and for dessert a fresh delicious MANGO!

What a perfect weekend!

Painting in the SUN!

After spending the last weekend in bed because of being sick once again I was happy to enjoy this weekend and even have SUN!!!

Friday evening I went to movies to see a German movies this time at the European Cine festival, which is now here in Lima. I saw Road to the North by Mika Kaurinmäki the other weekend and it was a great Finnish movie, laughed and cried so much and so did other people (not sure about the crying though ;).

Saturday morning I went to Afro dance, which is more like rumba&salsa than Afro, but better than normal baile lesson, which I BTW hate in here. I have to say I am an Afro love and will stay one, salsa is not my thing, unfortunately!

After Afro I had promised to help to paint Biblioteca (place where I work two days a week in the afternoon) so I spend the rest of the day there. It was so relaxing, I love drawing and painting! First we had lunch together with the promotoras and then we worked. We even had the SUN, so in the end we all worked outside.

We stopped when it was getting cold. I spend an hour in the bus back to my home and went for grocery shopping, got home, cooked and was ready to go to bed at 10pm.

Just parasites!!!

For some reason I don't manage to finish any of my posts that I've started because they become endless...I have so much to say but too little time to write!!!

Another reason for my lack of writing has been my tiredness for a while already. For some reason I have forgotten the fact that I live in a country where you're most likely to have parasites etc.and it hit me only last week. In the hospital they have given me all the time the same antibiotics, doesn't matter what is wrong with me, it's the one that is supposed work for everything, (but not parasites or ameba) however I'm just not getting better after eating "kills all antibiotics". As I am a daughter of a nurse, I of course search sickness for my symptoms from internet and consult my mom, who consults the doctors she works with... and the end result is, I know (or I think I know) what is wrong with me and I get myself a right antibiotics from the pharmacy (here you just tell them what you want and they sell you anything)  instead waiting for results for the stool tests (that you need to take 3times).

OMG! some of you're thinking right now, how disgusting is that and how can she even talk about things like that in public, but the ones who travel or have travelled to a places (there are many in this world) where you can get a souvenir you wouldn't like to have, know that talking about shit and your health becomes a very important part of your life. Because especially when having problems with your stomach affects your life quite a lot!

As I've not been feeling well, my dear students at la Casa de Panchita on Sundays have given me many kind of advises. Best was yesterday when one of my student brought me an Aloe vera from her garden to clean my stomach with that, thank you Bertha! So last night I prepared it, used some for my skin and this morning had a smoothie with fresh Aloe vera mixed with fresh orange juice and banana. QUE RICO!

So I'm sure after having antibiotics and eating Aloe vera I'll be fine soon!

I will try to entertain you by adding more pictures and less talking. As a friend of mine (again) was so kind to lend me a camera, so that I can actually show you something, because I still haven't bought a new camera for myself.

My first earthquake!

Last night I experienced my first earthquake. There’s been a one before in Lima but I didn’t feel it at all and it was during the day. However this time I felt it. Last night woke up around 2.30 am or so because my bed was shaking. I as pretty confused that what the hell is going on until I realize it must be earthquake. I didn’t know what to do??? I was listening if my roommates were getting up, but no one moved so I thought ok, maybe this is not a serious one. Also, I was not sure if there was another one coming. It hit me for the first time that there might be disadvantages sleeping naked, because I would need some time to put on my clothes, so just in case another would come I at least put on a top and underwear. Noticed that my laptop had moved on my little table too so I put it on the floor and I guess I should put it on the floor every night. In the end I was very tired and fell asleep again pretty fast. 

In the morning I asked my Spanish classmates if they felt it and some had. In case there would be another one and for sure there will be, I asked my Spanish teacher what I should do and when do I know it is a serious one? Apparently when it’s serious one you can’t even walk because it’s shaking so much and while it’s shaking you should not move out of the house just find a safe place, only after it’s over you should run out on the streets before the next one comes. And you should get far from the windows. Ou how nice I have my bed next to a window!!!But houses here are built for earthquakes…right…doesn’t really convince that much. She told us that they’re expecting a big one coming soon, pretty much at any time. She said that she always has a suitcase ready for evacuation if needed. Wondering if I should have one too? Maybe I should have a little bag with clothes, so that I can dress up on the streets if I need to run out naked. 

Yet, I hope I don’t need to experience the big one while I’m here!

Back in Lima…

I look outside of my window, still grey, still no sun. I take a deep breath and tell myself its ok. I open the window to get some fresh air, but the noise of the morning traffic fills the room and I close the window. I eat banana for breakfast and hurry out of the apartment, because I’m late from my Spanish class as usual. I walk down the stairs and unlock the door to get out of the gate. Traffic, noise and bad air hits me really hard and I burst into tears. I turn on my mp3 and try to close myself into another world, but it doesn’t work this morning. The contrast after being out in the nature for a week and now in Lima is too much for me to handle. Even if I have chosen a way to my school where I can cross one little park, streets that are smaller and nicer, still the whole way to my school tears are running down my cheeks. I greet my favorite security guy on the way and his familiar smile makes me feel little bit better. The security guy at the entrance of my school, smiles at me too and I wipe the tears before I enter my class. Many familiar faces greet me and some new ones too. During the class I get a message from Eva that there are no collegios today and Tuesday is a national holiday, so I should go to the office instead. I’m little bit disappointed because I thought seeing the children would make me feel better, but at least there is a holiday tomorrow. After the class it’s time to greet my Korean friends. I hug Lan (my very good Korean friend), chat briefly with Moi (Spanish teacher) drank coffee and run into a minibus to go to the office.

 

I take a minibus which is not full and I can choose a seat for myself, seat where I can fit my legs in. I turn the music louder and try to find a way to sit on seat, so that the piece of metal on the back of the seat is not hurting me that much. Few stops later a man enters the bus and sits next to me, even if there other seats available. I ignore him and simply stair out of the window and listen my music. I almost miss my stop, baja baja paradero! I shout when I realize where I am. Bus drives crazily (as usual) and I try to hold on tight while walking towards the door. Bus breaks so fast and hard that I almost fall on the floor. Bus drives off and a next challenge is to cross the street to the other side. Luckily lights turn red in the previous intersection and I can safely cross. I turn around from the next corner and see my favorite building at the end, Centro Español del Perú (or something like that). I start smiling when I see the familiar paintings on the wall. It’s beautiful (I’ll take a picture next time). I cross another street and turn around and stair at the building for a while. I love it! It makes me so happy every time I see it! A piece of art in this depressing surrounding and I can even see it from the toilet of our office. 

I rang the doorbell of La casa de Panchita and a smiling face comes out to open a gate for me. I feel better. I work the whole day at the office, preparing materials for the collegios, mainly math exercises. Not so many people at the office, I think many have taken a day off. I get my lunch take away from the vegetarian place nearby. I don’t like to eat in a restaurant when I’m alone, I prefer to eat at the office. I miss my lunch breaks with Adele. On the way to the lunch place I get comments from men rubia, rubia, linda etc. (which I didn’t hear in Cusco or elsewhere) also now I had forgotten my mp3, because mostly I don’t hear them in here either because I always listen my music. Around 5.30pm I start my journey back home. It’s almost a peak hour and traffic is a lot worse. Busses are full and journey takes forever. I’m really tired and half asleep. I wanted to go to Pilates, but when I finally enter my house, it’s too late and I’m tired anyways. I crawl into my bed, take my laptop and watch some Finnish TV-series. Tomorrow is holiday and I’ll go to yoga in the morning, I decide. I’m so tired that I fall asleep without my earplugs despite of the noise outside. Because the next day is holiday people go out and party, even if it’s Monday. Another day in Lima is over and I survived.

A dream that came true...on the way to a Machu Picchu (part 2)

Cusco

Next morning when I woke up the scenery was amazing, again somehow similar what I’ve seen before but different, I was so happy to see that scenery. I simply stared outside of the window and felt piece inside. I love mountains, I love hilly scenery.

We arrived in Cusco pretty much on time. Cusco is high above the sea around 3300m. We had taken the altitude medicine night before and I was feeling pretty ok. Only little bit light headed.

Also we had been given many advices how to get use to the altitude and not to feel sick.

 1) Do not eat a lot and do not eat anything heave, only soup if possible and drink a lot.

 2) Drink mate de coca (tea with coca leaves)

 3) Rest and sleep even if you don’t feel tired.

 4)Do not do a lot during the first day, just get use to the altitude 

In Cusco we’re staying with a German girl Magdalena, who we had met couple of weeks before and who kindly promised to accommodate us. House was about 10 minutes away from the city center by taxi. She had huge room with two beds just for herself and she was sharing a kitchen together with the family, who she was also working with. She like many others, were doing their volunteer in there. She just finished her studies (teacher too) in Germany and wanted to do something else before entering the compulsory teaching practice in Germany.  We had breakfast with her and of course Mate de Coca. After that we had nap as we’re told and in the evening went to have a dinner and just ate soup.

Second day we spend around center of Cusco, looking around and organizing the things for our hike. Cusco is very beautiful city compared to Lima, but nothing really special to me. I guess, the more I have travelled and more I have seen some things simply don’t feel as amazing to me, because I’ve seen other places, which have been more amazing in my opinion. But for sure after Lima, it was great to see blue sky and breath clean air and be in a small city, yes I would like to live there (once again I thought, living in Lima was a wrong choice for me, even I like my job very much).

As I had been sick before our travel and didn’t really have much energy to do a lot before, we had to spend quite a time simply looking for stuff. Luckily, some things were borrowed for me and I didn’t need to buy everything. We rented sleeping bags and I rented rain pants, I bought warm hat & mittens, fleece and a lot of other stuff (which we didn’t need in the end).

In the evening we had a meeting with our guide (who in the end was not our guide) to make sure we had everything and that we’re aware what would happen for the next few days and how our route will be.

Magdalena, waiting for our guide at the placa de armas

We packed until midnight and very late realized that mosquito repellent we had was not exactly what we would need, but everything was closed by then, I ran around every pharmacy but nothing! Luckily our fellow hikers helped us sharing their effective mosquito repellent, so we survived!